The demographic, economic, and political changes that followed the industrial revolution gave birth to new forms of organizations and social movements that were to play a crucial role in 20th-century politics. Sweden had relatively late urbanization, but nonetheless one that the housing market did not manage to adapt to. By the early 20th century the country faced a serious housing shortage. Overcrowded and unsanitary dwellings were common and the housing shortage was seen as a threat both to public health and to social order. During the First World War, the situation grew dire, with rising rents and increased costs of living. A rent act was implemented in 1917 in order to control the rising rents. The same year tenants’ associations were formed in several cities. Shortly before rent control was abolished in 1923 the tenants’ associations formed a national federation, Hyresgästernas Riksförbund (HRF), in order to advocate renewed rent control, security of tenure, and increased housing construction. In the early years, the tenants’ movement struggled to find members and to be accepted as a collective voice of the tenants by the landlords. The young organizations, often with close ties to the labor movement, used a video repertoire of methods in order to advance their goals and strengthen their organizations. Agitation, propaganda, and demonstrations were tools used to spread the message of housing reform and an end to tenant exploitation. An important role was played by the local tenant movement press which reached a relatively large audience. The organized tenants also confronted the (often organized) landlords with such means as rent strikes, housing blockades, and mass terminations of contracts. The landlords’ answers were often legal charges and evictions.