1945-1949 1969-1990






Norway 1949-1969



Norway, a NATO member, dispatched a field hospital to Korea in 1950. In later conflicts, Norway frequently dispatched peace-keeping forces in order to separate hostile forces. The Norwegian government continued to promote peaceful solution of conflicts; the NOBEL PEACE PRIZE is annually awarded by Norway's parliament, the STORTING. A 1956 constitutional amendment formally guaranteed religious freedom (long practiced).
Domestic politics was dominated by the Norwegian Labour Party, although center-right coalition governments have been formed.
In the 1960es, oil was discovered in the North Sea shelf, and Norway became an oil exporter, centered in STAVANGER (STATOIL a state-owned company, since 1972). The country thus profited from the OIL CRISIS which set in in 1973. Norway's other major industry is shipbuilding (Norway has one of the world's largest merchant navies); the mountainous country rich in fjords and islands strongly depends on ferries for communication.
In 1960 Norway joined EFTA. Norway's government, together with the UK, Ireland and Denmark, applied for membership in the EU (1962, again in 1967); while all major political parties supported the move, Norway's population rejected it in a 1971 referendum.
Norway developed into a Scandinavian-type welfare state, with high taxation on the wealthy, high value added tax, high taxation on the sales of products potentially damaging to health such as tobacco, alcoholic beverages and sweets. The consequences were inflation and emigration of some of its wealthy citizens.
The 1952 Olympic Winter Games were held in Oslo, Norway, the home country topping the medal standings.





EXTERNAL
FILES 		The History of Norway by Thor Dagre, articles 'Liberation' and 'Norway and the EU', from Norway Info (scroll down)
DOCUMENTS Olympic Winter Games 1952, Medal Standings, from Olympic Website
Muscles and Agility required, working conditions in the port of Bergen 1950, from EuArchives Bergen
Documents on the Fire Bergen 1955, from EuArchives Bergen
Norwegian banknotes, from Ron Wise's World Paper Money and from Currency Museum
REFERENCE Chapter 20 : Scandinavia - The Outer Bastion, pp.273-286 in : John Gunther, Inside Europe Today, NY : Harper & Bros. 1961 [G]
Article : Norway, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1950 pp.502-503, 1951 pp.512-513, 1952 pp.515-516, 1953 pp.515-516, 1954 pp.521-522, 1955 pp.567-568, 1956 pp.503-504, 1957 p.566, 1958 p.504, 1959 pp.502-503, 1960 pp.500-501, 1961 pp.505-506, 1962 pp.498-499, 1963 pp.617-618, 1964 pp.614-615, 1965 pp.588-589, 1966 pp.575-576, 1967 pp.583-584, 1968 pp.580-581, 1969 pp.561-562 [G]
Article : Norway, in : Americana Annual 1957 pp.579-580, 1961 pp.549-551, 1962 pp.557-559, 1963 pp.495-496, 1964 pp.492-493, 1965 pp.529-530, 1967 pp.508-509, 1968 pp.504-505, 1969 p.509, 1970 pp.512-513 [G]
Article : Norway, in : Funk & Wagnall's New Standard Encyclopedia Year Book 1952 p.305, 1961 pp.232-233 [G]


This page is part of World History at KMLA
First posted in 2000, last revised on March 24th 2007

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