![DA-2015-088692-SYS000452 Stämpel sista dan](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/DA-2015-088692-SYS000452_St%C3%A4mpel_sista_dan.jpg)
The Bratt System was a system that was used in
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
(1919–1955) and similarly in
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
(1944–1970) to control
alcohol
Alcohol most commonly refers to:
* Alcohol (chemistry), an organic compound in which a hydroxyl group is bound to a carbon atom
* Alcohol (drug), an intoxicant found in alcoholic drinks
Alcohol may also refer to:
Chemicals
* Ethanol, one of sev ...
consumption, by
rationing
Rationing is the controlled distribution of scarce resources, goods, services, or an artificial restriction of demand. Rationing controls the size of the ration, which is one's allowed portion of the resources being distributed on a particular ...
of liquor. Every citizen allowed to consume alcohol was given a booklet called a motbok (viinakortti in Finland), in which a stamp was added each time a purchase was made at
Systembolaget
(, "the System Company"), colloquially known as ("the system") or ("the company"), is a government-owned chain of liquor stores in Sweden. It is the only retail store allowed to sell alcoholic beverages that contain more than 3.5% alcohol by ...
(in Sweden) and
Alko
Alko Inc is the national alcoholic beverage retailing monopoly in Finland. It is the only store in the country which retails beer over 5.5% ABV, wine (except in vineyards) and spirits. Alcoholic beverages are also sold in licensed restaurants a ...
(in Finland). The stamps were based on the amount of alcohol bought. When a certain amount of alcohol had been bought, the owner of the booklet had to wait until next month to buy more.
The rations were gradually changed, but were issued in greater quantities to men (due to the lesser effects incurred on a male of equal or lesser weight) and citizens of titles and professions associated with a higher social standing.
Motboken blev en klasstämpel
/ref> Citizens made frequent use of friends' or even strangers' booklets, for example by rewarding a young woman with a dinner out in return for the other party consuming most or all of the alcohol incurring the stamps. Wine was exempt from rationing, as it was considered less dangerous, with little or no correlation to alcohol-related abuse or violence.
Named after medical doctor and liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
politician Ivan Bratt
Ivan () is a Slavic male given name, connected with the variant of the Greek name (English: John) from Hebrew meaning 'God is gracious'. It is associated worldwide with Slavic countries. The earliest person known to bear the name was Bulgari ...
( sv), the Bratt system, involving the motbok/viinakortti, was made permanent in 1922 after a referendum on a total ban on alcohol had been held. In said referendum, a narrow 51% had voted no to banning alcohol sales. Its primary purpose was to decrease the consumption of alcohol. While a motbok owner could buy almost unlimited amounts of wine, spirits were highly restricted.
As of 31 December 1948, the average purchase amount allowed per motbok per month was 1.82 litres of spirits.
Sources
*Nationalencyklopedin
''Nationalencyklopedin'' (; "The National Encyclopedia" in English), abbreviated NE, is a comprehensive contemporary Swedish-language encyclopedia, initiated by a favourable loan from the Government of Sweden of 17 million Swedish kronor in 19 ...
, 2007
See also
* 1922 Swedish prohibition referendum
A non-binding referendum on prohibition of liquor was held in Sweden on 27 August 1922. The proposal to prohibit the sale of alcohol failed, with 51% voting against the change on a turnout of 55.1%. Voting patterns were sharply divided between m ...
* Alcoholic beverages in Sweden
Alcoholic drinks in Sweden are as common as in most of the western world. Sweden is historically part of the vodka belt, with high consumption of distilled drinks and binge drinking, but during the later half of the 20th century, habits are more h ...
{{Alcohol and health
Regulation in Sweden
Alcohol in Sweden
Alcohol law
Rationing by country
20th-century establishments in Sweden