1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,920 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:07,360 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hey everyone, I'm Eves and welcome back to 3 00:00:07,440 --> 00:00:10,720 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class, a podcast where we unwrap 4 00:00:10,800 --> 00:00:23,239 Speaker 1: a piece of history candy every day. Today is February. 5 00:00:25,120 --> 00:00:30,240 Speaker 1: The day was February nineteen eighty six, Swedish Prime Minister 6 00:00:30,360 --> 00:00:35,720 Speaker 1: Olaf Palma was assassinated. The case remains unsolved, though the 7 00:00:35,760 --> 00:00:39,880 Speaker 1: investigation of the murder is still under way. Olaf Palma 8 00:00:39,960 --> 00:00:42,560 Speaker 1: got his law degree from the University of Stockholm in 9 00:00:42,680 --> 00:00:47,120 Speaker 1: nineteen fifty one. He soon joined the Social Democratic Labor 10 00:00:47,159 --> 00:00:51,280 Speaker 1: Party and got a job in Sweden's Defense ministry. In 11 00:00:51,360 --> 00:00:54,720 Speaker 1: nineteen fifty three, Palma was hired as the speech writer 12 00:00:54,880 --> 00:00:58,480 Speaker 1: and private secretary of todg er Lander, the Prime minister 13 00:00:58,560 --> 00:01:01,600 Speaker 1: of Sweden from nineteen forty six to nineteen sixty nine. 14 00:01:02,760 --> 00:01:05,679 Speaker 1: Palma was elected as a member of Parliament in nineteen 15 00:01:05,680 --> 00:01:09,080 Speaker 1: fifty seven, and he continued to climb the political ladder. 16 00:01:09,880 --> 00:01:14,120 Speaker 1: In nineteen sixty three, he was appointed Cabinet Minister without portfolio. 17 00:01:14,760 --> 00:01:17,080 Speaker 1: That title just means that he was elevated to the 18 00:01:17,160 --> 00:01:20,920 Speaker 1: rank without being given responsibilities for a specific area of 19 00:01:20,959 --> 00:01:25,360 Speaker 1: the government's activities. From nineteen sixty five, to nineteen sixty seven, 20 00:01:25,600 --> 00:01:29,360 Speaker 1: Palma was Minister of Communications and in nineteen sixty seven 21 00:01:29,520 --> 00:01:33,920 Speaker 1: he was Minister of Education and Culture. As Minister of Education, 22 00:01:34,360 --> 00:01:38,039 Speaker 1: he advocated for the inclusion of Marxist thought in curriculum, 23 00:01:38,400 --> 00:01:42,000 Speaker 1: and in nineteen sixty eight he marched against US involvement 24 00:01:42,040 --> 00:01:46,560 Speaker 1: in the Vietnam War. Palma morphed into an outspoken opponent 25 00:01:46,680 --> 00:01:50,280 Speaker 1: of US foreign policy, and as a result, relations between 26 00:01:50,320 --> 00:01:54,960 Speaker 1: Sweden and the US deteriorated. In nineteen sixty nine, he 27 00:01:55,080 --> 00:01:58,560 Speaker 1: was elected chairman of the Social Democratic Party and he 28 00:01:58,600 --> 00:02:02,880 Speaker 1: became Prime Minister of Sweden. Palma continued to be critical 29 00:02:03,040 --> 00:02:06,360 Speaker 1: of the US's involvement in the war in Vietnam. He 30 00:02:06,480 --> 00:02:10,520 Speaker 1: forged connections with cultural leaders and politicians around the world, 31 00:02:10,880 --> 00:02:14,760 Speaker 1: all the while gaining more international attention. He spoke out 32 00:02:14,840 --> 00:02:18,720 Speaker 1: against apartheid in South Africa. He allied with Fidel Castro, 33 00:02:18,919 --> 00:02:22,760 Speaker 1: Prime Minister of Cuba. At the same time, Sweden was 34 00:02:22,840 --> 00:02:26,720 Speaker 1: undergoing extensive social reforms. Some of the issues that these 35 00:02:26,720 --> 00:02:31,360 Speaker 1: reforms affected were subsidized housing, social security, maternity leave, and 36 00:02:31,400 --> 00:02:34,880 Speaker 1: other family policies. This meant that taxes in Sweden were 37 00:02:34,919 --> 00:02:38,839 Speaker 1: some of the highest in the world. Palma's first term 38 00:02:38,880 --> 00:02:42,400 Speaker 1: as Prime minister lasted until nineteen seventy six, when the 39 00:02:42,480 --> 00:02:45,320 Speaker 1: lack of support for the Social Democrats led Palma to 40 00:02:45,360 --> 00:02:48,920 Speaker 1: fall from power. During this time, he acted as a 41 00:02:49,000 --> 00:02:52,280 Speaker 1: mediator in the Iran hostage crisis as well as the 42 00:02:52,280 --> 00:02:56,280 Speaker 1: Iran Iraq War, but he was once again elected Prime Minister, 43 00:02:56,760 --> 00:03:00,320 Speaker 1: taking office in nineteen eighty two. He contain you to 44 00:03:00,360 --> 00:03:05,200 Speaker 1: focus on international issues, addressing once like disarmament and security, 45 00:03:05,240 --> 00:03:08,919 Speaker 1: but he had evolved to become a little less politically controversial. 46 00:03:09,840 --> 00:03:14,239 Speaker 1: On February six, Palma and his wife lies Bid were 47 00:03:14,240 --> 00:03:17,160 Speaker 1: walking home from the movies in Stockholm. He did not 48 00:03:17,280 --> 00:03:21,240 Speaker 1: have bodyguards with him at the time. Just before midnight, 49 00:03:21,440 --> 00:03:25,040 Speaker 1: Palma was shot from behind. The first bullet, which hit 50 00:03:25,120 --> 00:03:28,280 Speaker 1: him in the back, severed his spinal cord. A second 51 00:03:28,280 --> 00:03:32,639 Speaker 1: bullet grace Lise Bid. He was quickly transported to the hospital, 52 00:03:32,840 --> 00:03:37,280 Speaker 1: but he was soon declared dead. Many conspiracy theories about 53 00:03:37,320 --> 00:03:41,520 Speaker 1: who killed Palma emerged. A man named Krishta Pettershan was 54 00:03:41,640 --> 00:03:44,800 Speaker 1: arrested and convicted of his murder, but the conviction was 55 00:03:44,880 --> 00:03:48,200 Speaker 1: overturned in nineteen eighty nine, and Peter Shane died in 56 00:03:48,240 --> 00:03:53,040 Speaker 1: two thousand and four investigators have suspected the Swedish military, 57 00:03:53,400 --> 00:03:57,320 Speaker 1: the South African Secret Service and the Kurdistan Workers Party. 58 00:03:58,120 --> 00:04:01,080 Speaker 1: Though there were many witnesses to the shoeing and thousands 59 00:04:01,120 --> 00:04:04,480 Speaker 1: of people have been questioned, the murder has not been solved. 60 00:04:06,400 --> 00:04:08,960 Speaker 1: I'm Eve Steffcode and hopefully you know a little more 61 00:04:09,000 --> 00:04:12,960 Speaker 1: about history today than you did yesterday. 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