page_title: August Spångberg
section_title: Political career
hierarchical_section_title: August Spångberg / Biography / Political career
caption_attribution_description: English: The first Swedish Communist Party group in the Parliament, Second Chamber. Standing from left: Victor Herou, Verner Karlsson, J. P. Dahlén. Sitting from left: Karl Kilbom, August Spångberg, Helmer Molander, Carl Winberg. (one name missing) Svenska: Den första svenska kommunistiska riksdagsgruppen, andra kammaren. Stående från vänster: Victor Herou, Verner Karlsson, J. P. Dahlén. Sittande från vänster: Karl Kilbom, August Spångberg, Helmer Molander, Carl Winberg. One person missing??
context_page_description: August Spångberg was a Swedish labor politician. He was a member of the Riksdag, elected initially as a Communist and later as a Social Democrat.
context_section_description: As a young man, Spångberg found work as a railroad worker in Charlottenberg, and was active in the temperance movement and the socialist youth movement. In the 1917 split of the Social Democratic Party, Spångberg joined the Communist group headed by Zeth Höglund. In 1922, Spångberg was the youngest member ever to be elected to the Swedish parliament.
  In 1929 Spångberg, together with the majority of the Swedish Communists, were expelled from the Party. He then joined Karl Kilbom in the independent communist party (later renamed as the Socialist Party).
  In 1937 August Spångberg travelled with Ture Nerman to Spain to participate in the fight against the Nationalists of General Francisco Franco. They were caught in the crossfire of a battle on 3 May at the Hotel Victoria in Barcelona, which resulted in 2000 casualties. When Spångberg and Nerman return to Sweden soon after, they came home to see their party falling apart in a struggle between Karl Kilbom and Nils Flyg. Spångberg then joined the Swedish Social Democratic Party.
  During World War II Spångberg participated in the Norwegian resistance movement against the Nazi occupation of Norway. He helped many people escape Nazis-occupied Norway including Willy Brandt, who would later become the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany.  For his efforts Spångberg was appointed to the Order of St. Olav.
  Spångberg served 46 sessions in parliament until 1964 when he retired at the age of 71.
caption: The first communist group in parliament 1922. Standing from left: Viktor Herou, Verner Karlsson, J. P. Dahlén. Sitting from left: Karl Kilbom, August Spångberg, Helmer Molander, Carl Winberg.
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