History of Norway Flashcards
Historical Eras
- Prehistoric times (10 000 BC - 800 AD)
- The viking age (800 - 1066)
- The middle ages (1066 - 1537)
- Denmark-Norway (1537 - 1814)
- Union with Sweden (1814 - 1905)
- Modern times (1905 - )
First immigrants
- Immigrated around 9 000 - 10 000 BC (Ice sheets melted)
- Came through Sweden/Finland/Germany
- Lived in tent like constructions or natural shelters
- Ate meat, birds, eggs
- Hunter and gatherers
The Bronze Age
1800 - 500 BC
-Used for status items and weapons (Limited effects for majority)
- Bronze had to be imported –> improved contact to south
The Iron Age
500 BC - 1066 AC
- Celts introduced Scandinavians to Iron
- Farms and Families became bedrock of society –> First villages
-Influence by romian culture
- Western romian empire crumbled –> Power vacuum –> many petty kingdoms
The Sami People
- Close to Finland/Russia
- Also strong presence in inland
- Not known when tey settled in northern Scandinavia
- Taxed from the 10th century
The Viking Age (Sequence of events)
800 - 1066
- The raid of Lindisfarne 793 (first contemporary description of a viking raid) marks start of the Viking age
- First pillage raids (Monasteries were easy targets, wealthy, poorly defended)
- Later settlement and trading
The Viking age (Fun Facts)
- Trade routes have been established long before
- Improved weapons and shipbuilding
- More people fighting for same resources
Unification and Christianity
~880 to ~1050/1240
- From petty kingdoms to a unified country
- Christianity became a tool from 10th century
- Typical european medivial kingdom was christian
The End of the Viking Age
1066
-When english king Edward the Confessordied, King Harald Hardråde attacked
- Norsemen lost in Septe,ber, won in October –> english interests shift from Scandinavia to european continent
The Transition from the Viking Age to the MIddle Ages
- From adventures abroad t odomistic consolidation
- More centralised christian kingdom
Church brought writing to the court - Urban growth
- Integratio into a european cultural sphere
Norwegian Civil Wars
1130 - 1240
- Håkun Håkunsson wins last battle
- Wars contributed to growth of the state and bureaucracy
The Norwegian Golden Age
1240 - 1319
-Largest geographical extent
- Increased international trade (esp. Germany)
- Music. literature, cultural production
- Kalmar Union (Norway, Denmark, Sweden) in 1397
- Unstable from 1450, Sweden breaks loose in 1523
The Plague
- Arrives around 1349
- Extreme mortality
-Black Death in Europe around 1350 - Returning plagues
- pOpulation decreased from 450-500 to 180 thousand
- Number of deaths not certain
Establishment of Denmark-Norway
1537 - 1814
- King Christian III brought reformation to Denmark/Norway
- Arcbishop fled –> loss of indepandance
- Catholic council state of Norway lost against reformation –> loss of sovereignty
The End of the Middle Ages
- Royals stayed in Denmark, visits to Norwaz became rare –> Church filled power vacuum
- Lutheran reformation was brought to Norway
– Arcbishop escapes from Trondheim marking the end of the middle ages (among other events)
Norway under Denmark
- The state grows larger
-New borders - Increased control from the King (e.g. confiscated the Church’s properties and treasures)
- More regular courts of law
- Population grows
- Less confrontation than in other european countries
- Growth in industry and trade (Timber, Mining, Fishing, Shipping) –> More diversified income for most people
The Napoleonic Wars in Norway
Wars 1803 - 1815
- Denmark-Norway tried to remain neutral but was forced to join forces with France in 1807
- Sweden conceded loss of Finland if Russia helped to conquer Norway –> zes if Sweden joined forces against France/Norway
The End of Denmark-Norway
- The peace of Kiel 1814: Norway ceded to Sweden –> End of Denmark-Norway
- Norway to be an independent state in a personal union
The Constitution
- Danish heir apparent Christian Fredrik was smuggled to Norway
- He did not accept terms of peace of Kiel
- Assembled 21 leading citizens at Eidsvoll in February 1814 to elect representatives to write a constitution
- Modelled after enlightment era principles
- 112 representatives signed the constitution on 17th May 1814
- Christian Fredrik was elected as King
- Swedish heir apparent won a brief war, constitution was revised and finalised in 4th November 1814 –> personal union with Sweden
The Peasants influence during the Union with Sweden
From 1814
- people in high offices retained their positions
- Peasants voted officials to the Storting
Early 1830s
- Peasants started looking to their own candidates –> The peasant parliment of 1833 (Tax reduction and local self-government)
- Peasant majority again from 1868
- Annual Storting sessions from 1869 (Strengthened Storting’s influence over government, which was still dominated by high ranking officials)
Parlimentary Government
- 1870’s: Storting wished for ministers to attend the Parliment in order to defend their policies
- King vetoed it 3 times claiming a constitutional right –> Storting impeached government and won
- Leader of majority party was asked to form a government (First time a poiticition is put in charge of this: Parlimentarism)
Population and Societal changes
- Improved conditions after ca. 1815 (Peace, more efficient farming/fishing, better transport conditions –> more trade, better nutrition –> less disease)
- Poulation grow
Industrialisation and Urbanisation
- Population growth, new/better jobs in cities –> bigger cities
- Industrial revolution in mid 19th century –> ties to europe were strengthened
- Railroads, telegraph stations, steamboats
- Tools helped farmers in rural areas/encouraged them to do other work (foresrtry, charcoal burning, …)
Emmigration
- 1860s - 1930s: About 800 000 Norwegians emmigrate to the US
- Young men/religious people
- Growing USA needed people in industry and agriculture
The Dissolution of the Union with Sweden
- International relations and economic life made it more important to develop indepndent foreign politics
- Sense of Norwegian inferiority
- 1902: Negotiations innitiated
- 1904: Norway’s suggestion, revised by Sweden but unacceptable
- New political consensus
- 1905: Storting established seperate consular service
- King refused to sign the act –> Government resigned, not accepted by king
-07.06.: Storting voted unamimously that union under the king with Sweden is suspended because the king has ceased to function as the norwegian king
Establishing a new Monarchy
- Negotiations started again: Referndum was conducted (99,95 % in favour)
- Peaceful dissolution after negotiations in September 1905
- New referendum: Majority for monarchy
- Prince Carl of Denmark was offered to be king by government, accepted: King Håkon VII of Norway
Norway during WWI
- Hard times: Government in control of distribution of food, sugar grain monopolies, rationing
- Overall, class division got worse
The Interwar Years
- Economic troubles: Hard to get loans, expensive to have depts, battles over wages, concerns went bankrupt, …
- Unemployement –> people start own companies creating jobs
- Electric power in more reginons, radio broadcasts, more cars, buses
- 8h work days –> more leasure, holidays
Norway during WWII
- Tried to remain neutral
- Invaded by germany in 1940
- King wouldn*t appoint a norwegia Nazi government –> foundation for Norwegian resistance movement
- Government and royal family had to flee
- Last norwegian troop surrendered 3 days later
-1944: Sowjet Unioin gained control of the north - post-war rebuilding strengthened national cohesion
- Neutral policy failed but collaboration with allies laid foundation for linkage with western power after 1945
After WWII
- People wanted to avoid return to inter war conditions
- Labour party led government
- Extraordinary economic growth after
- 1966 search for oil in north sea started, many companies gave up
- Much found in 1969
- Immediate build up of an oil industry
- Taxation and strict public management of the wealth
EU and EC
- Two times voted no (1972 and 1994)
- Reasons: National sovereignity, foreign buisiness interests, democratic process
- Member of EEA
Topical Issues Today
- Global warming
- Immigration
- Tension between NATO and russia
- 2011 attcks
