Nationalist Party (Iceland)
Nationalist Party | |
---|---|
Party leader | Jón H. Þorbergsson |
Party leader | Eiður S. Kvaran |
Party leader | Gísli Sigurbjörnsson |
Founded | 1934 |
Dissolved | 1944 |
Headquarters | |
Political position | Far-right |
Party flag | |
The Nationalist Party (Icelandic: Flokkur Þjóðernissinna) was a minor Icelandic political party that espoused a limited form of fascism before and during the Second World War.
History
The party was formed in March 1934 through a merger between the Icelandic Nationalist Movement (an
Adopting some of the militaristic trappings of
The Nationalist Party failed to gain representation, except on the University of Iceland Student Council, where they held one seat for four years running.[6] They did, however, gain attention in 1936 when they obtained a copy of the diary of the Minister of Finance and published details in Ísland.[5] The party offices were raided by police and a number of leading members arrested, although ultimately there were no convictions.[5] In general, however, they did not enjoy widespread support at any point in their existence, despite wide admiration for Nazi Germany in the island.[7] This was reflected in their electoral performances, with the party gaining 0.7% of the vote in the 1934 election and 0.2% in 1937.[2] Their best result was 2.8% in the 1934 municipal elections in Reykjavik.
The party, which never had more than 450 members, began to decline after the arrests.[4] 1938 was the last year in which the marching squads appeared, whilst the 1939 Aims of the Nationalist Party was their last major publication, apart from sporadic issues of Island.[4] They organised a debating club in Reykjavík during the winter of 1939-1940 although it had no impact and the party generally only met in local cells from then on.[4] Following the invasion of Iceland in 1940 the group was largely suppressed by the occupying Allies.[2] The party was formally disbanded in 1944 when German defeat looked inevitable.[4]
Election results
Election | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Position | Government |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1934 | 363 | 0.70 | 0 / 49
|
0 | 6th | Opposition |
1937 | 118 | 0.20 | 0 / 49
|
6th | Opposition |
References
Bibliography
- Ásgeir Guðmundsson, "Nazism in Iceland", S. U. Larsen, B. Hagtvet & J. P. Myklebust, Who Were the Fascists: Social Roots of European Fascism, Scandinavian University Press, Oslo, 1980. ISBN 82-00-05331-8
Footnotes
- ^ Gundmundsson, p. 745
- ^ a b c d e Valur Ingimundarson, "Iceland" in Cyprian Blamires, Paul Jackson (eds.), World Fascism: A Historical Encyclopedia, Volume 1, ABC-CLIO, 2006, p. 329
- ^ a b c d Gudmundsson, p. 746
- ^ a b c d e Gudmundsson, p. 749
- ^ a b c d e Gudmundsson, p. 747
- ^ Gudmundsson, p. 748
- ^ Gudni Thorlacius Johannesson, The History of Iceland, ABC-CLIO, 2013, p. 89