Communist Party of Norway
Communist Party of Norway Norges Kommunistiske Parti | ||
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The Communist Party of Norway (Norwegian: Norges Kommunistiske Parti, NKP) is a communist party in Norway.
The NKP was formed in 1923, following a split in the
During the
As a result of its role in the anti-Nazi struggle, the NKP experienced a brief surge in popularity immediately after the war, but popular sympathy waned with the onset of the Cold War. The ruling Labour Party took a hard line against the communists, culminating in Prime Minister Einar Gerhardsen's 1948 condemnatory Kråkerøy speech. Norwegian authorities considered the party an extremist organization, and its activities would be closely monitored by the Police Surveillance Agency throughout the Cold War.[3]
Ideologically, the NKP has evolved since its founding. It followed
The NKP has been a marginal force in
History
Background, establishment , and pre-war era
The
By the time of the
Thirteen of the Labour members of parliament joined the Communist Party, as did large parts of the trade union opposition to the Labour Party.[7] The newly established party elected Sverre Støstad as chairman,[8] Halvard Olsen as deputy chairman, and Peder Furubotn as general secretary.[9] The party managed to gain 6.1 percent of the votes in the 1924 parliamentary election, but its vote share decreased to 4 percent in 1927, and further in 1930 to 1.7 percent. At the same time, its membership slowly decreased, and by the 1930s the party had lost much of its former influence.[10]
The 1924 election was a failure for the party; the party became the third largest left-wing party, behind the Labour Party and the Social Democratic Labour Party. The Communist Party had failed to restrengthen the Comintern organisation in Norway after the 1923 split.[11] The 1925 conference focused on the party's organisational structure; a structural proposed by the Comintern was duly accepted by a majority at the conference.[12]
Parallel to its decreasing electoral influence, the party was ravaged by internal strife. Halvard Olsen and other trade union leaders left the party in 1924, in protest over the trade union policy of the Communist Party. Sverre Støstad, Fredrik Monsen, and Olav Larssen were excluded from the party in 1927 because of disagreements surrounding the reunification of the Labour Party (which merged with the Social Democratic Labour Party). Jeanette Olsen, Emil Stang Jr., and Scheflo left the party in 1928 due to their disappointment with how the Communist Party reacted towards the first DNA government, Hornsrud's Cabinet. In 1927, the Mot Dag group, a circle of leftwing intellectuals, joined the party. They would leave the following year, as the Communist Party took an 'ultra-left turn'.[14]
The Comintern demanded in the summer of 1927 that the Communist Party move further to the left. The move to the left was characterised by a more open "class against class politics, in which the social democrats were designated as the primary enemy" of communism. At the 9th Plenum of the Central Committee in 1928, they denounced the right-wing faction for supporting the Labour government of
Second World War
At the onset of the
Germany invaded Norway on 9 April 1940. The NKP publication Arbeideren ("The Worker") proclaimed that the war was an imperialist war, and that Germany and the Western powers were equally responsible for its outbreak. According to that analysis the party should not take sides for one of the imperialist powers, a policy that was in clear opposition to the (then exiled) DNA government.
However, local Communist Party cells in northern Norway began (without the consent of the party leadership) to mobilize resistance activities.[18]
In August 1940, NKP was the first Norwegian political party to be banned by the German occupation authorities. The publication of Arbeideren ceased. The party then went underground. However, it was poorly prepared for underground functioning. In the ongoing confusion within the party, Furubotn began to call for more active NKP resistance against the occupation. Furubotn had spent several years in Moscow, but returned to Norway just before the war. Now he was the leader of the party in
The NKP came to play a leading role in the resistance movement, organizing sabotage and guerrilla activities. Although different sectors of the resistance showed a united front towards the occupants, the relation between NKP and the Home Front, the government-in-exile, and the clandestine trade union movement were not always smooth as the government advocated only peaceful resistance, such as media and intelligence support for the allies, until the last years of the war, when these elements of resistance were to join actively. Generally, the NKP wanted to adopt more offensive tactics against the occupants. It also created an illegal newspaper, Friheten, or "Liberty", which is still in print.[19]
Postwar resurgence
After the war, NKP enjoyed a strong increase in popularity for its role in resistance struggle. The role the Soviet Union had played in defeating Germany, and in particular the Soviet liberation of Finnmark in northern Norway, also contributed to the popularity of the party.
In the national unity government formed after the war, two communists were included:
In the 1945 parliamentary election, the NKP vote share reached its historical peak. NKP received 176,535 votes (11.89%) and won eleven seats in the Storting. In 1946 Furubotn was elected general secretary of the NKP.[20]
Onset of the Cold War
However, the growth of the party proved to be brief. The Cold War began, and the Norwegian government aligned itself with the Western powers. In the 1949 parliamentary election the NKP lost many voters. The party received 102,722 votes (5.83%).[21]
The reason for the party's decline in popularity is often accredited to Labour Party Prime Minister Einar Gerhardsen's famous speech at Kråkerøy in 1948, four days after the communist takeover in Czechoslovakia. In it, he condemned the actions in Czechoslovakia, but also warned that the same thing could happen in Norway if the Communist Party was given too much power. The speech represented the start of both an open and underground campaign against the party and its members, with the purpose of scaring away voters and reducing its influence in the labour movement.
At the same time, the party would experience its most traumatic internal division. In 1946 some of Furubotn's closest associates during the war, Kjell G. Kviberg and Ørnulf Egge, were expelled. In 1949 Furubotn's enemies within the party began a campaign to expel him.
On 24 October 1949, MP Johan Strand Johansen publicly declared that a division existed within the party in a speech to the local party unit in Malerne. The following day Furubotn's followers resigned from their positions. On 26 October Furubotn and his followers were expelled. The editorial of Friheten on 27 October proclaimed that "It has emerged clearly that this anti-party centre is a
Cold War years
The NKP was broadly considered to be a loyal follower of the
In the mid-1960s, the
In the
After Mikhail Gorbachev gained power in the Soviet Union and started his reform program, the NKP, like most other European Communist parties did, started revising its views of past Soviet policies. The party began to distance itself from the practises of the Soviet Union, and focused on a "softer" communism. The term "democratic socialism" is frequently found in party literature from the early 1990s onward.
Post-Soviet world
Around 1990, there were also tendencies within the NKP working for regroupment. In the
A defining moment in this process came when the party opposed the
Today, the party's statement of principles explicitly acknowledges that the Soviet Union represented a violation of democratic principles and that the party has to take responsibility for its lack of criticism of these problems. The party nonetheless views these examples of socialism as progressive with respect to their preceding regimes.
Even though the NKP survived the collapse of the Soviet Union, inner turmoil, and particularly lack of recruitment amongst youth, has since marginalized the party further.
In the early 1990s, the party attempted to counteract some of this by electing younger leaders to the party's top positions. However, this move failed to significantly boost recruitment, and subsequently the party's leadership was again dominated by older members, many of whom joined during the Soviet era.
The NKP won three elected posts in the 2003 municipal elections, two seats in the municipal council in Åsnes and one in Vadsø. The Åsnes branch, by far the party's strongest at that time, left the party in 2004 to form Radical Socialists due to disagreements over the questions of religion, Joseph Stalin, and cooperation with other leftist groups. In addition, an NKP member was a member of the Porsgrunn municipal council, elected on the RV list until he joined the RV. In later elections the NKP has received about 1,000 votes. In the 2005 parliamentary election, it won 1,070 votes – 0.04% of the national total. In 2007, it could not find enough candidates for a list in Vadsø, and thus does not currently have any democratically elected representatives.
In 2006-2008, NKP's youth league was changed from the old
The party still publishes a weekly newspaper called Friheten ("The Freedom"), which was started as a clandestine paper in 1941.
Organization
Press
The party won control of eleven of the Labour Party newspapers. These were (some with new names after the communist takeover): Arbeidet, Ny Tid, Arbeideren, Vestfold Arbeiderblad, Glomdalens Arbeiderblad, Bratsberg-Demokraten, Fritt Folk, Follo Arbeiderblad, Gudbrandsdalens Arbeiderblad, Hardanger Arbeiderblad and Ny Dag. The communist party also usurped Møre Arbeiderblad, which had not yet achieved official Labour Party status.[25] Nordlys was acquired, temporarily lost in mid-November 1923, then published as communist again until 20 January 1924 when it again became aligned with Labour.[26] Some newspapers, such as Østerdalens Arbeiderblad had sympathized with the communist opposition while it was a part of the Labour Party, but after the actual split the Labour Party managed to turn the tide and retain them.[27] The Communist Party also took over the ideological publication Klassekampen (belonged to the Young Communist League of Norway) and started Gnisten and Proletaren.[28] Newly established communist newspapers within the party's first year of existence were the main organ Norges Kommunistblad as well as Akershus Folkeblad, Buskerud-Arbeideren, Friheten, Troms Fylkes Kommunistblad, Dagens Nyheter and Finnmark Fremtid. Many became defunct after a short time.[29]
The Communist Party also had a range of company newspapers, for laborers in specific companies or specific industries. In Oslo there were Arbeidersken, Brygger'n, Den unge arbeider, Hammer'n, Huken, Kommunarden, Nødsarbeideren (renamed Steinspruten), Skyttelen, Sporvekselen and Stemplet. In Bergen there were Byggeren, Hermetikboksen, Kommuneproletaren and Transportproletaren (renamed Havnearbeideren). In Trondheim there were Filkloa and Signal. Einhart Lorenz has also registered seventeen other company newspapers from across the country. Nearly all were founded in 1925 or 1926, and nearly all went defunct between 1925 and 1928. The only exception as to foundation was Verksteds-Arbeideren, founded in Drammen in 1924, and the only newspaper which survived beyond 1928 was Kommuneproletaren, which existed until 1931.[30]
Leaders
- Sverre Støstad (1923–1925)
- Peder Furubotn (1925–1930)
- Henry W. Kristiansen(1931–1934)
- Adam Egede-Nissen (1934–1946)
- Emil Løvlien (1946–1965)
- Reidar T. Larsen (1965–1975)
- Martin Gunnar Knutsen (1975–1982)
- Hans I. Kleven (1982–1987)
- Kåre André Nilsen (1987–1991)
- Ingve Iversen (1991–1993)
- Collective leadership (1993–2000)
- Terje Krogh, Per Lothar Lindtner and Kjell Underlid (1993–1998)
- Per Lothar Lindtner and Kjell Underlid (1998–2000)
- Per Lothar Lindtner (2000–2001)
- Zafer Gözet (2001–2010)
- Svend Haakon Jacobsen (2010–2013)
- Jørgen Hovde (2013–2014)
- Runa Evensen (2014–present)
Popular support and electoral results
Currently, the party retains its strongest bases of support in Oslo, Finnmark, Troms, Tromsø, and Namsos. Historically Åsnes and Trondheim were strongholds of the party.
Storting (parliament)
Storting
| |||||
Election year | # of overall votes |
% of overall vote |
# of overall seats won |
± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1924 | 59,401 | 6.1 | 6 / 150
|
||
1927 | 40,075 | 4.0 | 3 / 150
|
3 | |
1930 | 20,351 | 1.7 | 0 / 150
|
3 | |
1933 | 22,773 | 1.8 | 0 / 150
|
0 | |
1936 | 4,376 | 0.3 | 0 / 150
|
0 | |
1945 | 176,535 | 11.9 | 11 / 150
|
11 | |
1949 | 107,722 | 5.8 | 0 / 150
|
11 | |
1953 | 90,422 | 5.1 | 3 / 150
|
3 | |
1957 | 60,060 | 3.4 | 1 / 150
|
2 | |
1961 | 53,678 | 2.9 | 0 / 150
|
1 | |
1965 | 27,996 | 1.4 | 0 / 150
|
0 | |
1969 | 21,517 | 1.0 | 0 / 150
|
0 | |
1973 | 241,851 | 11.2[a] | 1 / 155
|
1 | |
1977 | 8,448 | 0.4 | 0 / 155
|
1 | |
1981 | 6,673 | 0.3 | 0 / 155
|
0 | |
1985 | 4,245 | 0.2 | 0 / 157
|
0 | |
1989 | 22,139 | 0.8[b] | 0 / 165
|
0 | |
1993 | 361 | 0.0 | 0 / 165
|
0 | |
1997 | 1,979 | 0.1 | 0 / 165
|
0 | |
2001 | 1,726 | 0.1 | 0 / 165
|
0 | |
2005 | 1,070 | 0.0 | 0 / 169
|
0 | |
2009 | 697 | 0.0 | 0 / 169
|
0 | |
2013 | 611 | 0.0 | 0 / 169
|
0 | |
2017 | 309 | 0.0 | 0 / 169
|
0 | |
2021 | 308 | 0.0 | 0 / 169
|
0 |
Notes:
- ^ In 1973 NKP participated through the Socialist Electoral League, which became the Socialist Left Party in 1975. The list gained 16 seats, of which one was a member of NKP.[31] The party didn't want to dissolve to become a member of the new party, and voted against membership.
- ^ In 1989 NKP participated in County Lists for Environment and Solidarity with Red Electoral Alliance and various local groups and independents.
County Councils
County Councils | |||||
Election year | # of overall votes |
% of overall vote |
# of overall seats won |
± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1991 | 1,339 | 0.1 | 0 / 977
|
0 | |
1995 | 2,072 | 0.1 | 0 / 953
|
0 | |
1999 | 2,263 | 0.1 | 0 / 939
|
0 | |
2003 | 1,430 | 0.1 | 0 / 787
|
0 | |
2007 | 1,210 | 0.1 | 0 / 728
|
0 | |
2011 | 1,282 | 0.1 | 0 / 787
|
0 | |
2019 | 823 | 0.1 | 0 / 787
|
0 |
References
- ^ Dokken, Bjørn Erik (2008). "NKPs antikrigsarbeid 1923–1939: fra partistiftelsen til den tysk-sovjetiske ikke-angrepspakten" (in Norwegian). University of Oslo. p. 15. Archived from the original on 24 July 2012. Retrieved 17 April 2012.
- Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
- ^ "Myndighetenes trusseloppfatninger," in the Lund Report, Official Document No. 15 (1995–96), pp. 155–189
- ^ "Count for Norway, Parliamentary Election, 2017". Valgresultat.no. Norwegian Directorate of Elections. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
- ^ Store Norske Leksikon. SNL.no. Retrieved 17 April 2012.
- Store Norske Leksikon. SNL.no. Retrieved 17 April 2012.
- ^ Johansen & Sparring 1965, pp. 126–128.
- Store Norske Leksikon. SNL.no. Retrieved 17 April 2012.
- Store Norske Leksikon. SNL.no. Retrieved 17 April 2012.
- ^ Juvkam, Dag Jostein (Autumn 2011). "Et uunngåelig brudd? Norges Kommunistiske Partis holdning til venstresamarbeid og samling i Sosialistisk Venstreparti, årene 1970–75" (in Norwegian). University of Oslo. p. 17. Retrieved 17 April 2012.
- ^ Mathisen, Eva Marie Meling (2008). "Kvinnepolitikk og kvinnearbeid i Norges Kommunistiske Parti (NKP) 1923–1930" (in Norwegian). University of Oslo. p. 58. Archived from the original on 24 July 2012. Retrieved 17 April 2012.
- ^ Mathisen, Eva Marie Meling (2008). "Kvinnepolitikk og kvinnearbeid i Norges Kommunistiske Parti (NKP) 1923–1930" (in Norwegian). University of Oslo. p. 59. Archived from the original on 24 July 2012. Retrieved 17 April 2012.
- Store Norske Leksikon. SNL.no. Retrieved 17 April 2012.
- ^ Johansen & Sparring 1965, pp. 128–129.
- ^ Hansen, Elin (2006). "NKP og Komintern under den tidlige fasen av Kominterns "tredje periode" 1927–1930" (in Norwegian). University of Oslo. Retrieved 17 April 2012.
- ^ Juvkam, Dag Jostein (Autumn 2011). "Et uunngåelig brudd? Norges Kommunistiske Partis holdning til venstresamarbeid og samling i Sosialistisk Venstreparti, årene 1970–75" (in Norwegian). University of Oslo. p. 20. Retrieved 17 April 2012.
- ^ Juvkam, Dag Jostein (Autumn 2011). "Et uunngåelig brudd? Norges Kommunistiske Partis holdning til venstresamarbeid og samling i Sosialistisk Venstreparti, årene 1970–75" (in Norwegian). University of Oslo. p. 18. Retrieved 17 April 2012.
- ^ Stalin's Secret Wars in Norway
- ^ Johansen & Sparring 1965, pp. 129–131.
- ^ Johansen & Sparring 1965, pp. 130–131.
- ^ Johansen & Sparring 1965, p. 132.
- ^ Johansen & Sparring 1965, pp. 132–135.
- ^ Benjamin, Roger W.; Kautsky, John H.. Communism and Economic Development, in The American Political Science Review, Vol. 62, No. 1. (Mar., 1968), pp. 122.
- ^ VPK-Information 7-8, 1975
- ISBN 82-530-1255-1.
- ^ Lorenz, 1983: pp. 37, 169, 229
- ^ Solbakken, Evald O. (1951). Det røde fylke. Trekk av den politiske arbeiderbevegelse i Hedmark gjennom 100 år (in Norwegian). Hamar: Hedmark Labour Party. pp. 139–143.
- ^ Lorenz, 1983: p. 171
- ^ Lorenz, 1983: pp. 168–169
- ^ Lorenz, 1983: pp. 272–273
- ^ "Norges Kommunistiske Parti". Store norske leksikon. 10 November 2013.
Bibliography
- Johansen, Jahn Otto; Sparring, Åke (1965). Kommunismen i Norden och den världskommunistiska rörelsens kris (in Swedish) (1st ed.). Stockholm, Sweden: Bokförlaget Aldus/Bonniers.
External links
- (in Norwegian) Norges kommunistiske parti – Official website
- (in Norwegian) Prinsipprogram – Statement of principles
- (in Norwegian) Friheten – Party newspaper
- (in Norwegian) Ungkommunistene -Party youth league
- (in English) Communist Party of Norway – Information in English