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National Gathering Nasjonal Samling | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Abbreviation | NS |
| Leader | Vidkun Quisling |
| Secretary-General | Rolf Jørgen Fuglesang |
| Founded | 13 May 1933 (1933-05-13) |
| Banned | 8 May 1945 (1945-05-08) |
| Preceded by | Nordisk Folkereisning |
| Headquarters | Oslo, Norway |
| Newspaper | Fritt Folk |
| Youth wing | NS Ungdomsfylking |
| Women's wing | NS Kvinneorganisasjon |
| Paramilitary wing | Hirden |
| Labourunion wing | NS Faggruppeorganisasjon |
| Farmer wing | NS Bondegrupper |
| Membership |
|
| Ideology | |
| Political position | Far-right[8] |
| Religion | Lutheranism (official)[9] |
| Colours | Red and gold |
| Slogan | Heil og Sæl! ("Health and Happiness")[10] |
| Anthem | Norge, vårt land ("Norway, our country") |
| Party flag | |
 | |
TheNasjonal Samling (Norwegian pronunciation:[nɑʂʊˈnɑːɫˈsɑ̂mlɪŋ],NS;lit. 'National Gathering') was aNorwegianfar-right political party active from 1933 to 1945. It was the only legal party of Norway from 1942 to 1945. It was founded by former minister of defenceVidkun Quisling and a group of supporters such asJohan Bernhard Hjort – who led the party's paramilitary wing (Hirden) for a short time before leaving the party in 1937 after various internal conflicts. The party celebrated its founding on 17 May,Norway's national holiday, but was founded on 13 May 1933. Nasjonal Samling was made illegal and disbanded at theEnd of World War II in Europe, on 8 May 1945.
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The party never gained direct political influence, but it made its mark on Norwegian politics nonetheless. Despite the fact that it never managed to get more than 2.5% of the vote and failed to elect even one candidate to theStorting, it became a factor by polarising the political scene.[11] The established parties in Norway viewed it as a Norwegian version of the GermanNazis, and generally refused to cooperate with it in any way. Several of its marches and rallies before the war were either banned, or marred by violence when communists and socialists clashed with the Hird.
A significant trait of the party throughout its existence was a relatively high level of internal conflict.Antisemitism,anti-Masonry and differing views on religion, as well as the party's association with the Nazis andGermany, were hotly debated, and factionalized the party. By the time theSecond World War broke out, the party had around 2,000 members.[12]
Strong belief inRomantic nationalism andauthoritarianism dominated the NS ideology. It also relied heavily on Nordic symbolism in its propaganda and speeches. It asserted that its symbol (shown at the head of this article), a goldensun cross on a red background (colours of thecoat of arms of Norway), had been the symbol ofSt. Olaf, painted on his shield.[13]
WhenGermany invaded Norway on 9 April 1940, Quisling later that day marched into theNorwegian Broadcasting Corporation studios inOslo and made a radio broadcast proclaiming himselfPrime Minister andordering all anti-German resistance to end immediately. He claimed that Germany was simply offering Norway "peaceful help" after the Alliesmined Norwegian waters, but Prime MinisterJohan Nygaardsvold had "irresponsibly fled."[14] However,King Haakon VII, in unoccupied territory along with theNygaardsvold government, let it be known he would abdicate rather than appoint any government headed by Quisling. The Nygaardsvold government refused to step down in Quisling's favour and confirmed that resistance was to be continued. With no popular support, the German forces of occupation quickly thrust Quisling aside.
In December 1940, Nasjonal Samling membership rose to 22,000, and peaked with around 44,000 in November 1943.[15]
After a brief period with a civilian caretaker government (Administrasjonsrådet) appointed by theSupreme Court, the Germans took control throughReichskommissarJosef Terboven. He appointed a government responsible to himself, with most ministers from the ranks of Nasjonal Samling. However, the party leader, Quisling, was controversial in Norway as well as among the occupiers, and was denied a formal position until 1 February 1942, when he became "minister president" of the "national government". Other important ministers wereJonas Lie (also head of the Norwegian wing of theSS from 1941) as minister of police,Gulbrand Lunde as minister of "popular enlightenment andpropaganda", and theopera singerAlbert Viljam Hagelin, who was Minister of Home Affairs. The NS administration had a certain amount of autonomy in purely civilian matters, but it was in reality controlled by Reichskommissar Terboven as "head of state", subordinate only toAdolf Hitler.
The post-war authorities proscribed the party and prosecuted its members as collaborators. Nearly 50,000 were brought to trial, approximately half of whom received prison sentences.[16] The authorities executed Quisling for treason as well as a few other high-profile NS members, and prominent German officials in Norway, for war crimes. The sentences' lawfulness has been questioned, however, as Norway did not havecapital punishment in peace-time, and theNorwegian constitution at the time stipulated that capital punishment for war crimes had to be carried out during actual wartime.[citation needed]
Another issue of post-war treatment has been the ongoing Hamsun debate in Norway. The authorKnut Hamsun, although never a member, was a well-known NS sympathiser.[17] After the war, Hamsun was, however, deemed mentally unfit to stand trial, and the issue of his links to the party has never been properly resolved. Hamsun's status as aNobel Prize laureate also results in his ties to NS being a sensitive subject.
The 30-point Programme of Nasjonal Samling was undersigned by Vidkun Quisling on 15 February 1934.[18][19][20] Excerpt:
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| Date | Votes | Seats | Position | Size | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | ± pp | # | ± | |||
| 1933 | 27,850 | 2.2% | + 2.2 | 0 / 150 |  | 5th | |
| 1936 | 26,577 | 1.8% | – 0.4 | 0 / 150 | | 6th | |
