1815-1874 1918-1939






Iceland 1874-1918

In 1874 a new CONSTITUTION was issued for Iceland, a compromise between Icelandic demands for a maximum of political autonomy and of Danish interest in maintaining the monarchy; the Danish state still subsidized the Icelandic budget regularly. Legislative power lay with the Althing, the decisions of which required approval by the Danish king, who was served by a MINISTER FOR ICELAND. National defense and diplomatic representation still were Danish prerogatives. On the occasion of the Icelandic millennium, King Christian IX. visited Iceland , the first royal visit ever. Iceland since 1684 had been administrated by governors, who until 1770 resided in Copenhagen. In 1904 Governor MAGNUS STEPHENSEN (gov. since 1886) was promoted GOVERNOR-GENERAL. At the same time the residence of the minister for Iceland was moved from Copenhagen to Reyklavik, and, for the first time, an Icelander was appointed to the office : HANNES HAFSTEIN.
In 1917, the position of Minister for Iceland was elevated to PRIME MINISTER, the first being JON MAGNUSSON.

In 1882 farm-owning widows were granted the right to vote in local elections. The franchise was still tied to property, since 1857, until the electoral reform of 1915 which introduced UNIVERSAL SUFFRAGE, both for men and women. Womanhood suffrage and full legal equality had been demanded since 1888. In the early 1880es the TEMPERANCE MOVEMENT began its activities on Iceland. The first trade union was formed in 1897. The Icelandic LABOUR PARTY was established in 1916, the agrarian-liberal PROGRESSIVE PARTY in 1916-1917.
Since the 1890es, the Icelandic fishermen found themselves in competition with foreign, mostly English, TRAWLERS, technically much better equipped than the traditional Icelandic rowboats. The mechanization of fishing boats began in 1902.
In 1886, an ICELANDIC NATIONAL BANK was established, issuing paper money, a right also granted to the BANK OF ICELAND founded in 1904. Credit from these banks was necessary in order for Icelandic fishermen to acquire modern fishing vessels (trawlers).






EXTERNAL
FILES 		Timeline Icelandic History, from Nordic Usenet
Travels in 19th Century Iceland, by Ed Jackson
DOCUMENTS Running Water replaces water carriers, Reykjavik 1904/1907, from EuArchives Reykjavik
Documents pertaining to the Theatre in Reykjavik 1897ff., from EuArchives Reykjavik
Icelandic banknotes, from Ron Wise's World Paper Money and from Currency Museum
Lists of Governors, Governors-General etc. from World Statesmen by Ben Cahoon
Iceland, Flag History, from FOTW
Article Iceland from Catholic Encyclopedia, 1910 edition
REFERENCE Gunnar Karlsson, The History of Iceland, Univ. of Minnesota Press 2000, 384 pp.
Article : Iceland, in : International Year Book 1898 p.404, 1899 p.421, 1900 pp.455-456 [G]
Article : Iceland, in : New International Year Book 1909 p.353, 1913 p.341, 1914 p.348, 1916 pp.318-319, 1918 p.303 [G]


This page is part of World History at KMLA
First posted in 2000, last revised on June 4th 2008

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