Thorvald Stauning

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Thorvald Stauning
Minister of Defence
In office
31 May 1933 – 4 November 1935
Prime MinisterHimself
Preceded byHans Peter Hansen
Succeeded byAlsing Andersen
Personal details
Born(1873-10-26)26 October 1873
Copenhagen, Denmark
Died3 May 1942(1942-05-03) (aged 68)
Copenhagen, Denmark
Political partySocial Democrats

Thorvald August Marinus Stauning (Danish: [ˈtsʰɒːˌvælˀ ˈstɑwne̝ŋ]; 26 October 1873 in Copenhagen – 3 May 1942) was the first social democratic Prime Minister of Denmark. He served as Prime Minister from 1924 to 1926 and again from 1929 until his death in 1942.

Under Stauning's leadership, Denmark, like some other Western European countries, developed a social welfare state,[1] and though many of his ambitions for Social Democracy were ultimately thwarted in his lifetime by events beyond his control, his leadership through grave times places Stauning among the most admired of twentieth-century Danish statesmen.

The Stauning Alps, a large mountain range in Greenland, were named after him.[2]

Political career

Member of the Folketing

Stauning was trained as a cigar sorter and soon became involved with

Cabinet of Zahle II
from 1916 to 1920.

Prime Minister of Denmark

He was elected to government as prime minister in 1924 for the

Cabinet of Thorvald Stauning I which would survive until 1926. His cabinet was considered ground-breaking not only as it was the first purely Social Democratic cabinet, but also because a woman, Nina Bang, was appointed Minister of Education, which attracted some international attention, as she was one of the first female ministers in the world.[3]

From 1929 he led the successful

fascist movements that were sweeping much of Europe from developing a strong following in Denmark.[citation needed
]

In January 1933, Stauning's government entered into what was then the most extensive settlement yet in Danish politics—the

Kanslergade settlement (Danish: Kanslergadeforliget)—with the liberal party Venstre.[4] The settlement, which was named after Stauning's apartment in Kanslergade in Copenhagen, included extensive agricultural subsidies and reforms of the legislation and administration in the social sector.[5]

Stauning addresses the Rigsdagen in Christiansborg Palace on 9 April 1940

Stauning holds a record in Danish politics, in having successfully sought re-election no less than three times (1932, 1935 (With the famous slogan "Stauning or Chaos"), 1939). However, an attempt to amend the Constitution failed in 1939, as the turnout in the referendum was insufficient to validate the result. This came as a tremendous blow to Stauning, who seemed to lose his previously sure touch for politics thereafter. He reportedly considered resigning in the wake of the referendum failure, but was persuaded to stay on.[6]

Occupation Cabinet

Stauning's second cabinet lasted until Operation

occupation of Denmark began on 9 April 1940, when the cabinet was widened to include all political parties, called the Stauning III Cabinet. Contrary to most other governments of the Nazi-invaded countries, King Christian X of Denmark and his government ordered the army and navy
to stop fighting, and chose to remain in their country also under the occupation, which is believed to have contributed to the Nazi leaders being more lenient in Denmark than in other countries under Hitler's control. Stauning died in 1942.

Legacy

Stauning's election poster for the 1935 general election: "Stauning or Chaos – Vote Social Democrat!"

Like many other workers' leaders of his generation, such as

common suffrage. His campaign slogan, "Stauning or Chaos," (Danish: Stauning eller Kaos) resonated in a nation undergoing a period of massive unemployment caused by the economic, social and political turmoil of its neighbors and trading partners, notably Denmark's chief trading partner Germany. The following Great Depression brought Danish unemployment to unprecedented heights. This period of widespread social malaise was fertile ground for leaders who could communicate a confident and coherent vision to the masses. Stauning was such a man for Denmark, and his popularity won the Social Democratic Party 46% of the total votes in the 1935 Folketing election, a figure never again reached by any Danish party.[citation needed
]

He was given a state funeral in 1942, an honour normally not bestowed on Danish prime ministers. He is buried in Copenhagen's

parliamentary democracy. In return, Stauning kept the pro-republican elements of the Social Democratic Party in line, and ensured his party's political support to the continuation of the Danish monarchy. His government was also responsible for laying the foundations to the future Danish welfare state.[citation needed
]

His grandson Søren Goldmann Stauning is a local politician in Them.[7]

References

  1. ISBN 9783110111309
    . Retrieved 16 April 2018 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ "Catalogue of place names in northern East Greenland". Geological Survey of Denmark. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  3. ISBN 87-11-11652-8
    .
  4. ^ Skou, p. 367
  5. ISBN 87-02-00361-9
    .
  6. ISBN 87-17-05104-5
    .
  7. ^ "Staunings barnebarn vil være borgmester". Politiken. May 14, 2001. Archived from the original on September 27, 2022. Retrieved January 11, 2023.


Political offices
Preceded by Prime Minister of Denmark
23 April 1924 – 14 December 1926 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Prime Minister of Denmark

30 April 1929 – 3 May 1942 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Defence Minister of Denmark

31 May 1933 – 4 November 1935 		Succeeded by
Alsing Emanuel Andersen
Party political offices
Preceded by Leader of the Danish Social Democrats
1910 – 1939 		Succeeded by
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