Arbeideren ("The Worker") was a dailynewspaper published inOslo,Norway.
It was started on 2 November 1929 as the official party newspaper from theCommunist Party. It lent its name from aHamar-basednewspaper of the same name, which had gone defunct on 4 October. More directly, it replacedNorges Kommunistblad which just had gone bankrupt.[1] Its first editor wasArvid G. Hansen, who had been the last editor ofNorges Kommunistblad. He remained in the chair until 1931.[2]
Reinert Torgeirson was editor from 1931 to 1932,[3] followed byErling Bentzen. In 1934 he was fired for not following the directions of theComintern, the superior organ of the Communist Party of Norway.[1]Henry W. Kristiansen became the new editor-in-chief, having been deposed as party leader.[4] The publication was irregular, sometimes it came daily, sometimes weekly. From 1937 it was a daily newspaper, supported by the party while it siphoned support from other party newspapers,[1] such asArbeidet.[5]
Henry W. Kristiansen still sat as editor on 9 April 1940, when World War II reached Norway with theGerman invasion. The newspaper became controversial among many. First, because it strongly criticized the existing Norwegian Fascist partyNasjonal Samling as well as Fascism in general. For this it was confiscated on 25 April. Second, because it criticized the actions of the legal government,Nygaardsvold's Cabinet, and its alliance with Great Britain. The newspaper was edited out of "neutrality" concerns; this was because of theMolotov–Ribbentrop Pact. As the invading Germans tightened their rule of Norway,Arbeideren was forbidden and stopped on 16 August 1940.[6] Kristiansen died inNeuengamme concentration camp in 1942.[4]
After the war,Arbeideren never returned, andFriheten became the official party organ.Arbeideren was probed into during thelegal purge in Norway after World War II for its criticism towards the legal government in 1940, but the case was closed since Kristiansen, and former board member of the newspaperOttar Lie, were dead.[6][7]