Communist Party of Denmark
Communist Party of Denmark Danmarks Kommunistiske Parti | |
---|---|
Comintern (1920–1943) | |
Colours | Red |
Website | |
dkp.dk | |
The Communist Party of Denmark (
The DKP was last represented in the Danish parliament (Folketing) in 1979. In 1989, on the initiative of the
History
Background and establishment
Marie-Sophie Nielsen led the faction of Social Democrats that broke away in 1918 and founded the Socialist Labour Party of Denmark due to an accumulation of conflicts with the reformist leadership of the Social Democrats.[5] In particular, they opposed cooperation with the Radical Liberal Party, with whom the Social Democrats allied themselves in general elections.[5] The Socialist Labour Party of Denmark began laying the foundations for a new party in March 1918, soon after its establishment.[5]
In 1919, the party cooperated with the
The party participated in the
Following a rapprochement between the two groups, and with the support of the Soviet Union, the DKP and FS formed a joint federation in 1921, known as the Communist Federation (Kommunistisk Føderation).[5] However, the cooperation was short lived; the federation split in 1922 following an attempted coup of the party's leadership, and for the next 18 months Denmark would have two parties calling themselves the Communist Party of Denmark, although only one was recognized by the Comintern.[5] The two parties were successfully merged once more in 1923, but inter-factional conflicts would continue for another 20 years.[1][5]
For the initial period following the party's reunification, the DKP's leadership consisted of the social democrats who had formerly belonged to the Socialist Labour Party of Denmark and the Socialist Youth League.[5] During this period, the party made little electoral or popular headway, declining from 0.5% of the vote in 1924, to 0.4% in 1926, and 0.3% in 1929.
The Comintern intervened by means of an open letter to the party in 1929, forcing the removal of the DKP's leadership.[5] For the next 18 months, the party was placed under the direct administration of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU).[5] The new leadership that was appointed consisted of pro-Soviet hardliners, with Aksel Larsen becoming the new Chairman of the Central Committee.[5][6]
This intervention resulted in the DKP making an "ultra-left turn".[5] This was characterized strategically by a designation of the Social Democrats as the primary enemy of communism and the adoption of anti-social democratic rhetoric, such as the labelling of the Social Democrats as "social fascists". Concurrently, the Great Depression was reaching its peak in Denmark, allowing the DKP to channel rising economic dissatisfaction.[5] Particularly, the party grew in popularity amongst the unemployed.[5] The party also gained popularity amongst students and intellectuals for its anti-fascist activities.[5]
In the 1932 elections, the DKP achieved parliamentary representation for the first time, obtaining 1.1% of the vote and 2 seats. This increased to 1.9% of the vote in 1935, and 2.4% in 1939. The 1930s were a period of constant advancement for the party.[5]
Ban by German occupation authorities
Resistance against German occupation
The DKP continued to operate underground, and was a major force in the Danish resistance movement.[1][5] Members of the DKP sat on the Danish Freedom Council, the largest underground resistance force against the German occupation.[1] Following the collapse of the national unity government on 29 August 1943, the DKP, along with other non-socialist resistance forces, became the informal government of the country.[5][7]
The Social Democrats experienced a rapid decline in influence during this period, remaining outside of the resistance movement for the entirety of the occupation.[5] The party was weakened to the point that several failed attempts were made to merge it into the DKP.[5][8]
Post-war legalization
After the
In the
Cold War era
Officially, the DKP's political line did not conflict with that of the CPSU, but pre-war factional tensions continued in the party in the post-war period.
DKP chairman Aksel Larsen had been the leader of the
By 1960, the DKP's membership had fallen significantly to 5,000.[12] The first post-split parliamentary election was held that same year, and the DKP lost parliamentary representation for the first time since the liberation of Denmark, falling to 1.1% of the vote. The Socialist People's Party achieved 6.1% of the vote and won 11 seats.
The party achieved a resurgence following the 24th Congress of the DKP in 1973, which focused on demanding Denmark's withdrawal from NATO and the EC.[1] On the back of rising disaffection with the EC and increased popularity amongst student movements, the DKP regained parliamentary representation in 1973 election, taking 3.6% of the vote and 6 seats.
The DKP fell out of parliament once again in the 1979 parliamentary election, and suffered several high-profile defections in the waning years of the Soviet Union, including that of party chairman Ole Sohn, who was expelled in 1991 and later joined the Socialist People's Party.
After the dissolution of the Eastern Bloc
In 1989, the DKP joined with two other left-wing parties, the
The DKP reorganized heavily in 1992, severing the party's links with the international communist movement and officially changing its purpose from a political organ to a network-oriented organization. At the same time, the Unity List changed from a political coalition to a regular independent membership-based political party.[20] The Unity List achieved parliamentary representation in the 1994 parliamentary election, winning 6 seats, 2 of which were held by members who were also DKP members.[citation needed] The Unity List has been represented continually in parliament since then.
The DKP revived its former contact with the international communist movement by joining the annual
In september 2023 the KPiD merged with the DKP, after a more than 20 year process of unification talks.[23]
Organization
Press
The DKP issued the newspaper Land og Folk (Land and People) from 1919 to 1982.[citation needed]
In the early 1920s, the party's newspaper was named Arbejderbladet ("The Worker's Paper") and had a circulation of approximately 6,000, but this dropped to around 4,000 by the late 1920s.[5] Circulation began to climb again starting in the 1930s, rising to 7,000 in 1935 and 12,000 by 1940.[5] Beginning in 1933, the party published a theoretical periodical called Kommunistisk Tidsskrift ("Communist Periodical"), which was renamed Tiden (Time) from 1936 onwards.[5]
During the German occupation of Denmark, the party began publishing a clandestine newspaper called Politiske Maanedsbreve ("Political Monthly Letters"), which was soon renamed Land og Folk ("Land and People").[5] It was one of the most widely circulated underground papers in the country,[5] and continued as the main press organ of the DKP until 1982. In addition, the DKP published a large number of local papers.[5]
Since 2001, the DKP has published the quarterly magazine Skub ("Push") with news related to the party and communism in general.[24] After the merger with the KPiD the new magazine of the DKP is called Kommunist.[25]
Chairpersons
Name | Period |
---|---|
Ernst Christiansen | 1919–1926 |
Sigvald Hellberg | 1926–1927 |
Thøger Thøgersen | 1927–1931 |
Aksel Larsen | 1932–1958 |
Ib Nørlund[a] | 1941–1945 |
Knud Jespersen | 1958–1977 |
Jørgen Jensen | 1977–1987 |
Ole Sohn | 1987–1991 |
Collective Leadership | 1991–2003 |
Henrik Stamer Hedin | 2003–2023 |
Henrik Stamer Hedin and Rikke Carlsson | 2023–present |
Notable members
- Martin Andersen-Nexø
- Ruth Berlau
- Herluf Bidstrup
- Jens-Peter Bonde
- Inger Merete Nordentoft
- Hans Scherfig
Election results
Folketing (parliament)
Election year | # of overall votes |
% of overall vote |
# of overall seats won |
± |
---|---|---|---|---|
1920 (April) | 3,859 | 0.4[b] | 0 / 139
|
|
1920 (July) | did not contest | |||
1920 (September) | 5,160 | 0.4[b] | 0 / 148
|
|
1924 | 6,219 | 0.5 | 0 / 148
|
|
1926 | 5,678 | 0.4 | 0 / 148
|
|
1929 | 3,656 | 0.2 | 0 / 148
|
|
1932 | 17,179 | 1.1 | 2 / 148
|
2 |
1935 | 27,135 | 1.9 | 2 / 148
|
|
1939 | 40,893 | 2.4 | 3 / 148
|
1 |
1943 | Banned | |||
1945 | 255,236 | 12.5 | 18 / 148
|
15 |
1947 | 141,094 | 6.8 | 9 / 148
|
9 |
1950 | 94,523 | 4.6 | 7 / 149
|
2 |
1953 (April) | 98,940 | 4.8 | 7 / 149
|
|
1953 (September) | 93,824 | 4.3 | 8 / 175
|
1 |
1957 | 72,315 | 3.1 | 6 / 175
|
2 |
1960 | 27,298 | 1.1 | 0 / 175
|
6 |
1964 | 32,390 | 1.2 | 0 / 175
|
|
1966 | 21,553 | 0.8 | 0 / 175
|
|
1968 | 29,706 | 1.0 | 0 / 175
|
|
1971 | 39,564 | 1.4 | 0 / 175
|
|
1973 | 110,715 | 3.6 | 6 / 175
|
6 |
1975 | 127,837 | 4.2 | 7 / 175
|
1 |
1977 | 114,022 | 3.7 | 7 / 175
|
|
1979 | 58,901 | 1.9 | 0 / 175
|
7 |
1981 | 34,625 | 1.1 | 0 / 175
|
|
1984 | 23,085 | 0.7 | 0 / 175
|
|
1987 | 28,974 | 0.9 | 0 / 175
|
|
1988 | 27,439 | 0.8 | 0 / 175
|
|
1990 onwards | Participates through Unity List |
Notes
- ^ When the party was outlawed during the German occupation of Denmark, Aksel Larsen was arrested. Party secretariat Ib Nørlund temporarily became leader during this period.
- ^ a b As the Left-Socialist Party of Denmark
References
- ^ USSR. 1979. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
- ^ Aksel Larsen, Taler og artikler gennem 20 år (Copenhagen, 1953).
- ^ Nyheder (18 December 2019). "Solidaritet – Danske kommunister opgiver at danne ét parti". Solidaritet (in Danish). Retrieved 15 October 2020.
- ^ "Folketingsvalget 1973".
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af Thing, Morten (1990). "Communist Party of Denmark and Comintern 1919–1943" (PDF). Roskilde University. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
- ^ Kurt Jacobsen, Moskva som medspiller, DKP's gennembrud og Aksel Larsens vej til Folketinget (Copenhagen, 1987)
- ^ Ole Borgå, "DKP's enheds- og folkefrontspolitik 1940–45", Historievidenskab, 12 (1977), pp. 67–127
- ^ Mogens Nielsen, Socialdemokratiet og enheden i arbejderbevægelsen 1933–45 (Copenhagen 1978).
- ^ a b Childs, D (2000) The Two Red Flags: European Social Democracy and Soviet Communism since 1945, p. 53
- ^ a b Lansford, T (2012) Political Handbook of the World 2012, p. 388
- ^ Skou, Kaare R. Dansk politik A-Å: leksikon. [Kbh.]: Aschehoug, 2007, pp. 370–371.
- ^ Benjamin, Roger W.; Kautsky, John H.. Communism and Economic Development, in The American Political Science Review, Vol. 62, No. 1. (March 1968), p. 122.
- ^ "Enhedslistens historie | Enhedslisten". Archived from the original on 30 January 2017.
- ^ DKP fik ikke gjort op med stalinister, Ole Dall, Berlingske Tidende, 19 April 1990, s. 10
- ^ Camilla Plum Venstrefløjen passé, Terkel Svensson, Berlingske Tidende, 20. marts 1990, s. 3
- ^ "Danmarks Kommunistiske Parti (DKP)" (in Danish). Aarhus University. 25 August 2011. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
- ^ "DKP til kongres: Vil fortsætte politisk afklaring" [DKP at congress: Will continue political clarification] (in Danish). Arbejderen. 21 September 2018. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
- ^ "EL-medlemmer vil forbyde medlemskab af flere partier" [EL-members wants to ban membership of several parties] (in Danish). Politiken. 5 February 2014. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
- ^ "Danmarks Kommunistiske Parti vil genforenes" [Communist Party of Denmark wants reunion] (in Danish). Modkraft. 28 June 2012. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
- ^ a b "Partiets historie" [History of the Party] (in Danish). DKP. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
- ^ "Kommunister går til valg" [Communists go to the polls] (in Danish). Arbejderen. 5 November 2009. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
- ^ "Kommunisterne går frem" [The Communists gains] (in Danish). Arbejderen. 20 November 2013. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
- ^ Hedegaard, Karen (4 November 2023). "Genforeningsprocessen". Skub (November): 7–10.
- ^ "DKP – SKUB". DKP – Danmarks Kommunistiske Parti (in Danish).
- ^ DKP (28 November 2023). "Skub november 2023". Danmarks Kommunistiske Parti (in Danish). Retrieved 29 December 2023.
Literature
- Ib Nørlund: "Det knager i samfundets fuger og bånd", Rids af dansk arbejderbevægelses udvikling, 1959, 3rd edition 1972 (in Danish)
- Knud Holt Nielsen: "Giv mig de rene og ranke... Danmarks Kommunistiske Ungdom 1960–1990", udgivet af SFAH 2009 (in Danish)
External links
- Official website (in Danish)
- Official international site (in English)
- Article on early history of DKP