As late as 1960, both total government spending (as a share of GDP) and the distribution of earnings were similar to those prevailing in the United States. During this century-long period, Sweden moved from being one of the poorest western countries to being the third richest country in terms of GDP per capita.
第一种模式从大约1870年持续到二十世纪六十年代。在这一“自由化”期间，政府基本上提供了稳定的支持市场的法规、教育、医疗以及基础设施。到1960年，政府的总开支（占GDP的份额）以及收入分配都与美国的基本情况相当。在这一个世纪的期间里，瑞典从最贫穷的西方国家之一转变成为人均GDP第三富有的国家。换句话说，瑞典在建立非常慷慨的福利国家体系之前就已经是一个富国了。