Nasjonal Samling

Nasjonal Samling. Nasjonal Samling was a Norwegian far-right political party, founded on the Constitution Day of 1933 by former Minister of Defence Vidkun Quisling. It was heavily influenced by European fascist movements, particularly German Nazism and Italian Fascism, and sought to establish a corporatist one-party state in Norway. The party remained electorally marginal during the 1930s but gained power following the German occupation of Norway in 1940, after which it served as the sole legal political entity until the liberation in 1945.

History

The party was established in the context of the Great Depression and rising political extremism across Europe. Its founder, Vidkun Quisling, had previously served in the Mowinckel's Third Cabinet and was influenced by his experiences with the League of Nations and the Finnish Civil War. Initial support was minimal, with the party failing to win any seats in the 1933 Norwegian parliamentary election and only securing a small faction in the 1936 Norwegian parliamentary election. Key early members included Jonas Lie and Gulbrand Lunde. Following the German invasion of Norway in April 1940, Quisling attempted a coup d'état, declaring himself head of a new government, an act that was swiftly rejected by the occupying authorities. By 1942, with direct backing from Adolf Hitler and Reichskommissar Josef Terboven, Quisling was installed as Minister President of the National Government, leading a collaborationist regime entirely dependent on Wehrmacht support.

Ideology

The party's doctrine was a syncretic blend of radical Norwegian nationalism, racial theory, and authoritarianism. It promoted the concept of a "Greater Norway" and emphasized Nordicism, venerating the Viking Age while promoting antisemitism and anti-Masonic conspiracy theories. Its economic platform advocated for a corporatist system, known as the "New Order", intended to replace parliamentary democracy and class conflict. The ideology was explicitly anti-communist, opposing the Labour Party and the Soviet Union, and was deeply influenced by the writings of Alfred Rosenberg and the model of Führerprinzip. The party's newspaper, Fritt Folk, was a primary vehicle for propagating these ideas, which also included a strong dose of anti-liberalism and contempt for the Storting.

Organization and structure

Modeled after the Nazi Party, the party was organized hierarchically under the absolute leadership of Quisling, the "Fører". Its paramilitary wing, the Hird, was directly analogous to the Sturmabteilung and was led by figures like Karl Marthinsen. The party also established numerous subsidiary organizations, including the NS Ungdomsfylking for youth, paralleling the Hitler Youth, and the NS Kvinneorganisasjon for women. Key administrative and police functions were controlled by party loyalists, such as Sverre Riisnæs at the Ministry of Justice and Karl A. Marthinsen in the Statspolitiet. The party's structure penetrated the Norwegian civil service and sought to control cultural life through the Kulturkammer.

Role during World War II

During the Occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany, the party was the central instrument of collaborationism. It assisted the Gestapo and the Sicherheitsdienst in the persecution of political opponents, including members of the Norwegian resistance movement, and was complicit in the deportation of Norwegian Jews to Auschwitz concentration camp. The party mobilized volunteers for the Waffen-SS, primarily for the 5th SS Panzer Division Wiking and the Norwegian Legion. It also enforced harsh measures against the Church of Norway, leading to conflicts with Bishop Eivind Berggrav and other clergy. The regime's policies, including attempts to Nazify society and the education system, faced widespread civil disobedience and bolstered the Home Front.

Post-war legacy

Following the German Instrument of Surrender in 1945, the party was immediately outlawed and its leadership subjected to legal purge. Quisling was tried for high treason, war crimes, and murder by the Eidsivating Court of Appeal and was executed by firing squad at Akershus Fortress. Numerous other high-ranking officials, including Jonas Lie and Sverre Riisnæs, received severe prison sentences. The party's history became a defining symbol of betrayal in Norwegian national identity, with "quisling" entering the English language as a synonym for traitor. Its legacy is extensively documented in the National Archives of Norway and remains a subject of historical study, notably by the Center for Studies of the Holocaust and Religious Minorities.

Category:Defunct political parties in Norway Category:Far-right politics in Norway Category:World War II political parties Category:Fascist parties Category:1933 establishments in Norway Category:1945 disestablishments in Norway