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Last reviewed: 17 December 2007

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HISTORY

Recent History

Norway gained full independence from Sweden in 1905. Norway remained neutral in WWI, with sympathy for the Western Allies, and in 1920 joined the new League of Nations. During the Second World War, Germany invaded Norway (on 9 April 1940) and occupied the country. In June of that year HMS Devonshire brought the Norwegian King and Government to London, where the Norwegian government-in-exile was based until May 1945 and military units integrated with allied forces. In 1942, Vidkun Quisling was installed by the Nazis as Minister President of Norway. He did not have the support of the Norwegian people. Popular resistance during the war was bolstered by the fact that King Haakon and the Government had resolutely refused to submit to German demands. Sabotage operations were legion, the most notable being the destruction of the heavy water plant at Rjukan in Telemark, foiling German attempts to produce an atomic bomb. Many leaders of the underground were executed and about 35,000 Norwegians were sent to concentration camps. Liberation came on 8 May 1945. On 7 June 1945, King Haakon returned to Oslo - on HMS Norfolk, escorted by HMS Devonshire - five years to the day since he had left in exile.

By 1948, GNP had returned to pre-war levels. Norway was a founder member of NATO in 1949, of the Nordic Council in 1952 and of EFTA in 1960. In 1957, after a reign of more than half a century, King Haakon VII died. His son, Crown Prince Olav (namesake of Norway's national saint), assumed the throne. He died in January 1991 to be succeeded by his only son, King Harald V. The Crown Prince, Prince Haakon, is next in line to the throne, followed by his daughter, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, who was born in January 2004. Since the close of WWII, Norwegian politicians have worked to strike a balance between economic growth and efforts to achieve social equality. A phase of rapid expansion of the public sector lasting from 1945-71 has been followed by a long period of internationalisation and market adaptation. In 1969, oil and gas deposits were discovered under the North Sea. Until 1971, the State played a key role in planning the economy. The introduction of Norwegian National Insurance (1967) and the expansion of major areas of the educational and the health-care sectors were all initiated as part of the large-scale "public revolution". During this period, public expenditures increased from about one third to one half of the gross domestic product, an outlay that has subsequently been maintained. Since the 1970s, there has been increased focus on a market framework, leading to some decentralisation of public services to the local level or to independent State-owned institutions such as Telenor (Norwegian telecoms supplier).

Longer Historical Perspective

The first people settled in Norway at the end of the Ice Age, some 10,000 years ago. As the glaciers of the last ice age retreated, reindeer trekked north, followed by hunters from the German plain. Along the arctic coast came asiatic tribes - the Sami and Finns.

From the end of the 700s until the mid-1000s, the Scandinavian people played a major part in European history. This period was known as the Viking Age, and sustained British contact began in 793 AD with the sacking of the monastery at Lindisfarne. At this time, there was little difference between people from Norway, Sweden and Denmark and there was lots of inter-marriage between chieftan clans of these countries. Only the Sami retained a distinct ethnicity and language.

From the year 800, the Vikings raided and colonised throughout Western Europe, but they also sailed to the Mediterranean, Black Sea, Middle East and America. Leif Erikson sailed from Greenland to Vinland (modern Newfoundland) some 500 years before Colombus. Vikings longships from Norway landed in the Hebrides, Shetlands, Orkneys, Scottish mainland, Lake District, Isle of Man, Ireland and Normandy, where they also settled and integrated with the indigenous population. Reminders of these settlements are still found in many areas.

King Harald Fairhair united Norway in a single kingdom around 900 AD. Christianity came to Norway during the next hundred years and was imposed as the official religion by King Olav II, who died a martyr's death in 1030 AD and was canonised as Saint Olav, Norway's national saint. The Viking era ended in 1066 at the Battle of Stamford Bridge in which King Harald Hardråde ('the Hard Ruler') was killed. (The weakening of the Saxon forces in this battle led to their defeat shortly afterwards in the Norman invasion.)

During the Middle Ages, Norway also included the Orkneys, Shetland, Faeroes, Iceland and Greenland. In 1266 the Hebrides and Isle of Man were sold to the Scottish crown by King Magnus "the Lawmender". After a period of internal feuding and the Black Death of 1349 (unwittingly introduced by an English ship) which wiped out two-thirds of Norway’s population, the monarchies of Norway and Denmark were united in 1380. The union lasted until 1814, and meant that Norway was ruled from Copenhagen. The Danes appropriated Norwegian assets and The Shetland and Orkney Islands were pledged to Scotland in 1469 as part of the dowry of Princess Margaret of Denmark on her marriage to King James III of Scotland.

Following the Napoleonic Wars, when Denmark sided with France, the King of Denmark was forced to cede Norway to the King of Sweden under the Treaty of Kiel in 1814 (although Iceland, the Faeroes and Greenland remained Danish). The King of Sweden also became King of Norway. However, Norway was able to establish internal self-rule, based on its own constitution, which was adopted on 17 May 1814. 17 May is celebrated in great style every year as Norway’s National Day. During the 1880s, rural poverty led to widespread emigration, especially to the US. A 1910 US Census recorded 800,000 first and second generation Norwegians.

Years of tension under Swedish rule came to a head in 1905 when Stockholm vetoed Norwegian plans to establish a separate consular service. Norway’s Parliament voted to end the Union. In the ensuing plebiscite, Norwegians voted for independence by 368,208 votes to 184. The Treaty of Karlstad dissolved the union with Sweden and on 26 October 1905 Sweden officially recognised Norway as an independent and separate state.

Britain's interests in Scandinavia in 1905 were primarily to avoid the region becoming another flashpoint for Great Power rivalry. We kept a low profile, urged moderation and sought to find common ground between both sides. Once it was clear that a peaceful separation was inevitable, Britain was one of the very first countries to recognise newly independent Norway (on 30 October) and sent the first diplomat on 3 November 1905. After dissolution, and a further national referendum, Prince Carl of Denmark agreed to become King of Norway, assuming the name King Haakon VII. His British wife, Maud (daughter of King Edward VII) became Queen.

BBC News Country Timeline: Norway

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General Information

British-Norwegian Chamber of Commerce
c/o Postbooks 925 Sentrum
0104 Oslo
Tel: +47 22 41 85 50
Fax: +47 22 41 85 45
E-mail: mail@crestfielv.org

Anglo-Norse Society
c/o British Embassy (in Norway)
or
c/o Norwegian Embassy (in UK)

Scottish Norwegian Society
36 Randolph Road
Glasgow G11 7LG
Tel: 0141 334 2260
e-mail: grakar@bt.internet.com   

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