Everything about Dissolution Of The Union Between Norway And Sweden In 1905 totally explained
Norway's parliament dissolved the
union between Sweden and Norway on
June 7,
1905. After some months of tension and fear of war between the two neighboring nations, negotiations between the two governments led to Norway's recognition by
Sweden as an independent
constitutional monarchy on
October 26,
1905. On that date,
King Oscar II renounced his claim to the Norwegian throne under the
personal union of the united kingdoms of
Sweden and
Norway. This event was quickly followed by
Prince Carl of Denmark's ascension to the Norwegian throne on
November 18 the same year, taking the name
Haakon VII.
Background
Norwegian
nationalistic aspirations in 1814 were frustrated by Sweden's victory in a brief, but decisive war that resulted in Norway entering into a personal union with Sweden. The Norwegian constitution was largely kept intact, allowing for an independent Norwegian state with its own
parliament, judiciary, and executive powers. Foreign relations were, however, conducted by the King through the Swedish ministry of foreign affairs. There were largely feelings of goodwill between the two peoples, and the common Kings generally tried to act in the interest of both Kingdoms.
However over the years, a divergence of Norwegian and Swedish interests became apparent. In particular, Norwegians felt that their foreign policy interests were inadequately served by Sweden's ministry of foreign affairs. There were several driving factors behind the growing conflict:
- Norway's economy was more dependent on foreign trade and therefore more sensitive to the protectionist measures the Swedes were adopting.
- Norway was affiliated to the United Kingdom, Sweden to Germany.
- Norway had greater interests outside of Europe than Sweden.
In addition, Norwegian politics were increasingly dominated by liberal tendencies, whereas Swedish politics tended more toward the conservative. When free trade between the countries was restricted in
1895 through the abolition of the "Interstate laws" (
Mellomrikslovene), the economic reasons for the continued union were also diminished.
The conflict came to a head over the so-called "consul affair," in which successive Norwegian governments insisted that Norway establish its own consular offices abroad rather than rely on the common consuls appointed by the Swedish foreign minister. As the long-standing practice for the conduct of joint foreign policy had been that a Swede always hold the office of foreign minister, the Swedish government and king rejected this insistence as an abdication of the throne's right to set foreign policy.
While Norway's Liberal Party (the predecessor to today's
Venstre) had pioneered an uncompromising position through the so-called "fist policy," the
Conservative party also came to adopt a strong policy in favor of at least
de facto independence and equality within the personal union. Although both parties made efforts to resolve the issue through negotiations, Norwegian public opinion became gradually more entrenched.
Both Sweden and Norway increased military expenditures. Norway modernized the frontier forts at
Kongsvinger and
Fredriksten and built a series of new forts along the border.
Prelude to dissolution
In early 1905,
Christian Michelsen formed a coalition government consisting of liberals and conservatives, whose only stated objective was to establish a separate Norwegian corps of consuls. The law was passed by the Norwegian parliament. As expected and probably as planned, King Oscar II refused to accept the laws, and the Michelsen government resigned. When the king declared himself unable to form a cabinet under the present circumstances, a
constitutional crisis broke out on
June 7,
1905. The Norwegian position was that the impasse had resulted in a
de facto dissolution of the union. Norway considers June 7 to be the date of Norwegian independence. The text of the unanimous declaration, remarkable for the fact that the declaration of the dissolution was an aside to the main clause, read:
» Since all the members of the cabinet have resigned their positions; since His Majesty the King has declared his inability to obtain for the country a new government; and since the constitutional monarchy has ceased to exist, the Storting hereby authorizes the cabinet that resigned today to exercise the powers held by the King in accordance with the Constitution of Norway and relevant laws - with the amendments necessitated by the dissolution of the union with Sweden under one King, resulting from the fact that the King no longer functions as a Norwegian King.
Initially reacting to this declaration as a rebellious act, the Swedish government indicated an openness to a negotiated end to the union, insisting among other things on a Norwegian
plebiscite.
The plebiscite was held on
August 13 and resulted in an overwhelming 368,208 votes (99.95%) in favor of dissolution against 184 (0.05%) opposed. The government thereby had confirmation of the dissolution. 85 percent of Norwegian men had cast their votes, but no women (
universal suffrage wasn't extended to women until 1913, but Norwegian feminists collected more than 200,000 signatures in favor of dissolution).
Polar explorer
Fridtjof Nansen weighed in heavily for dissolving the union and traveled to the
United Kingdom, where he successfully lobbied for British support for Norway's independence movement.
Negotiations in Karlstad
On
August 31, Norwegian and Swedish delegates met in the Swedish city of
Karlstad to negotiate the terms of the dissolution. Although many prominent right-wing Swedish politicians favored a hardline approach to the issue, historical scholars have found that the Swedish King had determined early on that it would be better to lose the union than risk a war with Norway. The overwhelming public support among Norwegians for independence had convinced the major European powers that the independence movement was legitimate, and Sweden feared it would be isolated by suppressing it, also, there was little appetite for creating additional ill will between the countries, closely related as they were and are.
Even as the negotiations made progress, military forces were quietly deployed on both sides of the border between Sweden and Norway, though separated by two kilometers. Public opinion among Norwegian leftists favored a war of independence if necessary, even against Sweden's numerical superiority.
On
September 23, the negotiations closed. On
October 9 the Norwegian parliament voted to accept the terms of the dissolution; on
October 13 the Swedish parliament followed suit. Although Norway had considered itself independent since June 7, Sweden formally recognised Norwegian independence on
October 26 when Oscar II renounced his and any of his descendants' claims to the Norwegian throne.
Choosing a Norwegian King
On
November 12 and
November 13, in the second constitutional plebiscite in three months, Norwegian voters decided by a nearly 79 percent majority (259,563 to 69,264) to establish a monarchy instead of a republic. Many who favored a republic in principle voted for a monarchy because they felt it would help the newly-independent Norwegian nation gain legitimacy among the European monarchies.
In its resolution of
June 7, the Storting had invited King Oscar II to allow one of his younger sons to assume the Norwegian throne. This offer was formally declined by the king when he renounced his claim on
October 26. However, the King's decision had been anticipated months earlier, and already during the summer a Norwegian delegation approached the 33-year-old
Prince Carl of Denmark, the second son of the
Crown Prince Frederick of Denmark. The Norwegian parliament had considered other candidates but ultimately chose Prince Carl, partly because he already had a son to continue the line of succession, but more significantly because Carl was married to
Maud of Wales, the daughter of
King Edward VII. By bringing in a king with British royal ties, it was hoped that Norway could court Britain's support.
Prince Carl impressed the delegation in many ways, not the least because of his sensitivity to the liberal and democratic movements that had led to Norway's independence. Though the Norwegian constitution stipulated that the Storting could choose a new king if the throne were vacant, Carl was aware that many Norwegians — including leading politicians and high-ranking military officers — favored a republican form of government. Attempts to persuade the prince to accept the throne on the basis of Parliament's choice failed; Carl insisted that he'd accept the crown only if the Norwegian people expressed their will for monarchy by referendum and if the parliament then elected him king.
Following the November plebiscite affirming Norwegians' desire for a monarchy, the parliament by an overwhelming majority offered Carl a clear mandate to the Norwegian throne on
November 18, and the prince accepted the same evening, choosing the name
Haakon, a traditional name used by Norwegian kings. The last king with that name was
Haakon VI, who died in the year
1380.
The new king therefore became Haakon VII, King of Norway. His two-year-old son
Alexander, the heir apparent, was renamed Olav and became Crown Prince Olav. The new royal family arrived in the capital
Kristiania (later
Oslo) on
November 25.
Haakon VII was sworn in as king of Norway on
November 27.
Importance of the events of 1905
In many ways, the events of 1905 formed a sequel to the events of 1814, but there were some important differences:
Whereas the 1814 independence movement in large part was driven by political opportunism among the national elite, the 1905 movement was a result of political trends largely driven by elected officials with massive popular support.
In 1905, Norway wasn't put in play by war as a territorial prize.
By 1905, Norwegians had established many of the institutions and infrastructure of a sovereign, independent state.
By 1905, European statesmanship was more inclined to favor Norwegian independence than in 1814
Much has been made of the supremacy of diplomacy in averting war between Sweden and Norway in 1905. In truth, the Norwegians had much more to fight for than the Swedes if it had come to war. Both parties recognized that their geographical proximity made long-term hostility untenable under any circumstance.
Though there's some lingering resentment in Norway toward Sweden, it can safely be said that the relationship between the two countries is that of a very close friendship — and in many minds between that of two close brothers.
Many documents related to the specific events of 1905 were destroyed during and following those years. Some historians speculate(External Link
) that foreign interests played a stronger role than what had previously been assumed; in particular, that Great Britain influenced the dissolution in order to reduce German influence over Atlantic ports. Although Sweden's close relationship with Germany didn't last long, Norway's independence immediately put it inside the British sphere of influence.
External resources
Joint website by the Norwegian national library and Swedish national archive on 1905
Norwegian website on the 100th anniversary of the dissolution
Official elections results from the referendum on Norwegian separation from Sweden. Includes results on the referendum on establishing the monarchy Further Information
Get more info on 'Dissolution Of The Union Between Norway And Sweden In 1905'.
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