As Patrick Salmon has written, its “terms became the subject of misapprehension which proved nearly catastrophic for Norway’s relations with both belligerents”.[36]. Group picture at Admiralty House, North Queensferry, before the royal party embarked in HMS NORFOLK. Print media and public opinion were pro-British; Knut Hamsun was in fact one of the few voices that supported Germany. 423-440. See: Bendtsen, Bjarne Søndergaard: Neutral Merchant Seamen at War. June 1917. The problems experienced during the first weeks of the war were soon overcome and replaced by a boom for the Norwegian economy. These were based solely on domestic needs; to include a set of new prohibitions based on British demands put Norway’s neutrality at stake. [2] Keilhau’s book in Norwegian is still the only in-depth study of the Norwegian economy during the war, while the (partly) abridged and translated articles published in a single book is still the best general work on the impact of the First World War on the Scandinavian societies. By July the losses had been reduced by more than 50 percent. The abridged version is about one-third of the length of the Norwegian original. Thus, while a few became very rich (the stock market boomed and shipping trade went through the roof) and farmers and fishermen earned good wages due to the blockade, the lower level civil servants and the labor class suffered as their wages struggled to keep pace with the increasing prices. The Tonnage Agreement was never drawn up as a contract but was the result of a prolonged correspondence between the parties. But as the German submarines continued their missions, it became much easier for the Norwegian government to follow a policy that favored the Entente. [59] But government intervention in the market, including the establishment of maximum prices for certain vital commodities and the prohibition against using grain or potatoes to produce alcohol (a temporary prohibition on the selling and retailing of liquor was introduced in 1914 and made into law in 1918), could not prevent shortages of certain foodstuffs and fuel. On that fateful day in July, the Prime Minister was out sailing when news of the Austrian ultimatum broke. 15 terms. However, Norwegian neutrality leaned rather on the side of the allies. neutral. The decision to embark on the venture was made by Adolf Hitler as Chief of State and also (since December 1938) as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the German Reich. Norway moved in the same direction throughout the war, always towards Britain. The “fisherman no longer brought his catch to land. For Norway this was a catastrophe; the winter of 1916/17 was quite cold. The Experiences of Scandinavian Seamen During the First World War, in: Ahlund, Claes (ed. However, the Norwegian government was reluctant to set up a central import agency controlled by the government, as Britain wanted in order both to reduce friction with the neutral states and to achieve more systematic control over German trade. Eventually, seven of them sat on European thrones in Russia, Greece, Romania, Britain, Germany, Spain and Norway—and all would take sides during World War I … This is also true of Patrick Salmon’s book Scandinavia and the Great Powers 1890-1940, a work that offers a comparative perspective on Norwegian foreign policy. [50] The deal between Norway and Britain was signed by representatives from the Norwegian Ship Owners Association (Rederforbundet) shortly thereafter, and thus camouflaged the Norwegian Government’s role: Norway had become the neutral ally. Four stars mark strategic regions of gold movement from Europe to Canada during the war, including Norway, England, France, and Canada. As an early promoter of arbitration, Norway had been at the forefront of promoting international cooperation and arbitration as a means to settle conflicts peacefully. The German army quickly swept through Norway and in one month established its rule there. A steam-and-sail frigate built in 1877, served as a training ship for neutral Netherlands during WW1. Allied and Central Powers Great War. Salmon, Scandinavia and the Great Powers 1997, p. 137. A few days later, on 2 November, the British Admiralty declared the whole of the North Sea a military area. Norway was the most heavily fortified country during the war: several hundred thousand German soldiers were stationed in Norway, in a ratio of one German soldier for every eight Norwegians. Lieutenant (left) and Corporal, Norwegian Army, 1940 In 1939, after more than a hundred years of peace, Norway did not possess a large standing army and her government considered that effective national defense against a major power was impossible. Donate any amount to Nuav safely by Paypal! Økonomisk utsyn, pp. The Norwegian resistance (Norwegian: Motstandsbevegelsen) to the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany began after Operation Weserübung in 1940 and ended in 1945. The Norwegian newspapers ran headlines such as, “De døde kalder” (“The dead are calling”). [41] At the outbreak of the war much of the Norwegian merchant navy was engaged in tramp traffic. It took only a couple of months of war to prove them wrong. The purchases started in February 1916 and went on for about two months. Lie, Einar: Norsk økonomisk politikk etter 1905 [Norwegian Economic Policy After 1905], Oslo 2012, p. 36. See also Riste, The Neutral Ally, pp. Believing that it would be possible to continue to trade with the belligerents according to the Declaration of London of 1909, Norway and the other neutrals faced a number of challenges as early as 20 August 1914. Economically, Norway’s position as a neutral country was favorable, but politically it was vulnerable. Germany used this perception as leverage to push for better conditions in trade negotiations that had been opened before the Submarine Decree was issued. Please hit Like to let me know! [5] Riste sets out to explain how Norway, as a neutral country, tried to promote her national interests in response to the belligerent powers and how this affected Norway’s policy. For a brief overview, the introductory essay, “Scandinavia in the First World War”, written by Rolf Hobson, Tom Kristiansen. [31] It soon became clear that this could not continue. It also made conditional contraband en route to enemy countries subject to capture, even when it was to be discharged in an intervening neutral port: “conditional contraband […] is liable to capture to whatever port the vessel is bound and at whatever port the cargo is to be discharged”. Through the fall of 1916 business had remained relatively “normal”, given that most of Europe was at war. Norway was ready to defend its neutrality, despite being both politically and militarily unprepared for war. [56], One could argue that the Tonnage Agreement established Norway as the “Neutral Ally”. Statistisk sentralbyrå: Statistiske oversikter 1948 / Statistical Survey 1948, Oslo 1949, p. 248, Table 131. The Norwegian foreign (or trade) policy was based upon a belief in international law. This history focuses on the fact that the government intervened and regulated the economy more than ever before in order to secure the import of food and other essential commodities. The Royal norwegian Navy in WW1 (Sjøforsvaret) has been freed from its Union and Royal alliance with Sweden in 1905. Advances during the “first mass killing of the 20th century” have saved countless lives since. All it saw in 1917 was the entrance to the North Sea. 6 May 2021. Riste, Olav: Norway’s Foreign Relations – A History, Oslo 2001. ), was hidden in what Keilhau coined the “irrational bookkeeping” by the Ministry of Finance. Indeed, for the first eighteen months of the war the amount of cargo continued to increase. During the 17th century, a series of wars with Sweden resulted in more territorial losses for Denmark-Norway. The Great Depression in the early 1930s increased unemployment still further, and by 1933 at least one-third of the workforce, including many civil servants, was unemployed. (eds. That was the only scenario that could trigger “Kriegsfall Norwegen.”, The Tonnage Agreement could have triggered harsh German reactions if it had become known, but even that would probably not have led to a situation for which “Kriegsfall Norwegen” would have been activated. Mitchell, Brian R.: International Historical Statistics. Details of the 204 Norwegian ships sunk during 1914 - 1945. Article section: The most complete listing ever done on the German coastal defence system 1940-45! They caused an uproar in Norway as, at the end of September, they started to sink ships engaged in traffic with Russia through Archangelsk. During the first few months of 1917, the German Naval Staff completed “Kriegsfall Norwegen,” a plan for war with Norway. olroberson. The letter was written in an unusual diplomatic tone: Ihlen replied a few days later, claiming the right of neutral states to trade with both sides in wartime. The catastrophic effect of the British blockade during the Napoleonic Wars was still a part of the collective memory. Note: I know that I have likely butchered names and I apologize.Enjoy the video? State investments were also greatly increased. How easy was it for Norway to remain neutral? [30] Sensing that its fish industry was threatened, Norway managed to persuade Britain to agree to buy Norwegian fish through secret agents and thus create a “buying blockade”. See also Schreiner, Norsk skipsfart under krig og høykonjunktur 1963, pp. In the 1920s, shifting Norwegian governments were left with a troublesome economic situation. Growing support for – and a radicalization of – the Labor Party followed. Around 350,000 German soldiers occupied Norway during World War II and coupled, favored by Heinrich Himmler, with Norwegian women. As it turned out, it was the (re-)introduction of convoys that reduced the losses from the peak in March 1917, when sixty-six ships – more than 100,000 tons – had been sunk or damaged. Norway both exported and imported copper; it exported cupreous pyrites and imported electrolytic copper. Price control was imposed and a “food commission” was established which had the power to requisite supplies. One of the first measures taken by the Norwegian government in August 1914 was to appoint a committee of experts to decide how to keep the Norwegian merchant navy sailing as the risks increased from floating mines and submarines. Universal male suffrage had been established in 1898, and universal female suffrage in 1913. On the other hand, during the Napoleonic Wars Denmark-Norway and England were on opposite sides and British naval action blocked grain imports on which Norway depended. A protected … While it is difficult to overestimate the impact the Second World War has had on Norwegian historiography, the First In the years up to 1935 the various governments—formed alternately by the Conservatives, Venstre (the Liberals), and the Agrarian (Farmers’) Party—pursued, by and large, a liberal economic policy. In World War I, the neutral countries were Argentina, Chile, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Venezuela, Sweden and Switzerland. ): Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Iceland in the World War, New Haven 1930. Keilhau, Norway and the World War 1930, p. 308. Moreover, the studies that were written were in Dutch, so their international impact remained limited. On 4 August the Norwegian government issued an additional, separate statement, again emphasizing its neutrality. The origins of the Allied powers stem from the Allies of World War I and cooperation of the victorious powers at the Paris Peace Conference, 1919. Karl Erik Haug, Royal Norwegian Air Force Academy. Why? / Brazier, Eirik / Teige, Ola. The conflict over Norway’s export of fish coincided with the conflict over the Norwegian export of pyrites to Germany. No reason to. M16/M17 with smooth green paint and … [55] The plan was based on a situation in which Norway had joined the Entente – in other words, a situation in which Britain gained access to the Norwegian coast. Because the League of Nations in 1936 had proved ineffective at keeping the peace, Norway’s foreign minister, Halvdan Koht, attempted to coordinate the policy of the smaller states within the framework of the league in an effort to preserve peace. In 1924, the Norwegian government in a reply to a questionnaire from the International Labour Office , an agency of the League of Nations , reported 1,180 persons dead and missing in … * * Norway during WW2. Volume II. At the same time, there were rumors that the insurance premiums were going to increase and that the Anglo-French coal trade was in jeopardy. Keilhau, Norway and the World War 1930, p. 389. Riste, Norway’s Foreign Relations 2001, p. 96. The First World War has never had a major place in Dutch historiography. The Norwegian resistance (Norwegian: Motstandsbevegelsen) to the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany began after Operation Weserübung in 1940 and ended in 1945. Since they controlled the necessary supplies for the Norwegian fisheries – coal and oil – they were able to influence the Norwegians. Click here for more information! After three weeks the war was abandoned in southern Norway. Keilhau, Wilhelm: Norge og verdenskrigen [Norway and the World War], Oslo 1927. The crisis with Germany calmed down as negotiations proceeded in November and December 1916. Metallic iron is then used in the manufacturing of steel. The Norwegian delegation, led by Fridtjof Nansen (1861-1930), arrived in Washington in July 1917, but an agreement was not signed before the end of April 1918. Since 2.February 1999: 10 øre: Nuav needs help! Of the Scandinavian countries, only Finland was ahead of Norway in this respect, having been the first European country to give women voting rights as early as 1906. This became even more difficult because of the decision to re-establish the gold standard of 1914. Everything seemed normal. Through these agreements Britain gained control over two of Norway’s main domestic products in direct cooperation with the Norwegian government. Ibid. The DNA, however, was unwilling to submit to the centralization that Moscow demanded, and in 1923 it withdrew. [38] Moreover, the “Norwegian shipowners were known for their inclination to charter their ships for dangerous voyages when high profits were tempting”. Through militarizing the North Sea, the neutrals were forced to follow British instructions and thus come under British control. 1942. 268-299. See: Berg, Norge på egen hånd 1995, p. 198. Shortly after this meeting, the Norwegian foreign minister, Nils Claus Ihlen (1855-1925), met with the German minister to Norway, Alfred von Oberndorff (1870-1963). Ellen Hampton February 24, 2017 . These declarations made it possible for the state to control much of the economy. The outbreak of war in 1914 resulted in an unprecedented influx of foreign citizens who travelled to and through Norway. That process culminated in April 1917 when Norway, through the “Tonnage Agreement”, gave Britain full control over the Norwegian Merchant Fleet. As the war dragged on, the lack of planning for a longer war became problematic. World War I, also … While it is difficult to overestimate the impact the Second World War has had on Norwegian historiography, the First World War is quite another story. You can choose the language by clicking the flags below! George Crile, … To meet the claims on representation from the outset A. Crowe, 3 December 1921 instructions the... 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