Halvor Enok Sørum (5 April 1897 – 1965) was a

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe *Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway *Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including the ...

trade unionist and politician for the

Communist Party A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of ''The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. A ...

. He was a painter by profession. He joined Norges Socialdemokratiske Ungdomsforbund (NSU) in 1914, the

Norwegian Labour Party The Labour Party ( nb, Arbeiderpartiet; nn, Arbeidarpartiet; A/Ap; se, Bargiidbellodat), formerly The Norwegian Labour Party ( no, Det norske Arbeiderparti, DNA), is a social-democratic political party in Norway. It is positioned on the centr ...

in 1915. When NSU changed its name to the

Young Communist League The Young Communist League (YCL) is the name used by the youth wing of various Communist parties around the world. The name YCL of XXX (name of country) originates from the precedent established by the Communist Youth International. Examples of YC ...

in 1921, Sørum chaired the

Hedmark Hedmark () was a county in Norway before 1 January 2020, bordering Trøndelag to the north, Oppland to the west, Akershus to the south, and Sweden to the east. The county administration is in Hamar. Hedmark and Oppland counties were merged i ...

branch from 1922 to 1923. In 1923 he broke away from the Labour Party, joining the new Communist Party. He led the party's

agitprop Agitprop (; from rus, агитпроп, r=agitpróp, portmanteau of ''agitatsiya'', "agitation" and ''propaganda'', "propaganda") refers to an intentional, vigorous promulgation of ideas. The term originated in Soviet Russia where it referred to ...

committee, and was an editorial board member of '' Proletaren'' from 1925 to 1927. He was a politburo member in 1929, and then from 1932. He was also a central board member; illegally so during the

occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany during the Second World War began on 9 April 1940 after Operation Weserübung. Conventional armed resistance to the German invasion ended on 10 June 1940, and Nazi Germany controlled Norway until the ...

which started in 1940. At the

Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions The Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions ( no, Landsorganisasjonen i Norge, LO) is a national trade union center, decidedly the largest and probably the most influential umbrella organization of labour unions in Norway. The 21 national unions ...

national convention in 1934, he forwarded a motion of no confidence against the leader, former communist

Halvard Olsen Halvard Olsen (23 January 1886 – 5 August 1966) was a Norwegian politician and trade Union leader. Olsen was born in Kvæfjord. He chaired the Norwegian Union of Iron and Metal Workers from 1919, and then the Norwegian Confederation of Tra ...

. The motion received only 41 votes, but another motion from Rolf Olsen passed with 263 against 98 votes, uniting communists and "Tramælites" against the union leadership. In the late 1930s Sørum was "the leading trade unionist of the communists". In 1940 he was a member of the Trade Opposition of 1940, which advocated a cooperative environment between trade unions and the occupational authorities, but he eventually took the stance that the trade unions should work illegally. In 1941 he formed a committee, together with

Konrad Nordahl Konrad Mathias Nordahl (25 September 1897 – 22 May 1975) was a Norwegian trade unionist and politician for the Labour Party. He was the leader of the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions from 1939 to 1965, and an MP from 1958 to 1965. Earl ...

and

Lars Evensen Lars Samuel Myhrer Evensen (12 November 1896 – 19 January 1969) was a Norwegian trade unionist and politician. He belonged to the Communist Party in the 1920s, but later joined the Labour Party. He was also deputy chairman of the Norwegian Con ...

, to prepare illegality as well as a cooperation with Labour Party unionists. He worked underground for the illegal (non-Nazi) part of the Union of Building Industry Workers. He was eventually arrested on 10 January 1943 and imprisoned in

Grini concentration camp '', '' no, Grini fangeleir'', location=Bærum, Viken, Norway, location map=Viken#Norway, built by=Norway, original use=Constructed as a women's prison, operated by=Nazi Germany, notable inmates= List of Grini prisoners, liberated by=Harry Söderma ...

before being sent to

Sachsenhausen concentration camp Sachsenhausen () or Sachsenhausen-Oranienburg was a German Nazi concentration camp in Oranienburg, Germany, used from 1936 until April 1945, shortly before the defeat of Nazi Germany in May later that year. It mainly held political prisoners ...

on 27 February 1944. He remained here until the end of World War II. The communist inmates in the camp formed a

caucus A caucus is a meeting of supporters or members of a specific political party or movement. The exact definition varies between different countries and political cultures. The term originated in the United States, where it can refer to a meeting ...

of sorts, and Sørum was among the leading members along with Kristian Mugaas,

Johan Strand Johansen Johan Strand Johansen (3 February 1903 in Åfjord - 12 February 1970 in Moscow) was Norwegian Minister of Labour in 1945. From 1945-1949 and later from 1954-1957 he represented the Communist Party of Norway in the Parliament of Norway. His impor ...

, Olaf Skramstad,

Olaf Bjerke Olaf Bjerke (6 January 1893 – 21 September 1957) was a Norwegian trade unionist and politician for the Communist Party of Norway, Communist Party. During the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany he was arrested on 10 September 1941 after the mi ...

and Erling Heiestad. After the war, from 1946 to 1949, he was the deputy chairman of the

Norwegian Union of Building Industry Workers The Norwegian Union of Building Industry Workers ( no, Norsk Bygningsindustriarbeiderforbund, NBIAF) was a trade union in Norway, organized under the national Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions. It was founded in 1923 as the Norwegian Union o ...

. In contrast to some wartime communist leaders, he remained in the party leadership.Pryser, 1988: p. 569 He died in 1965.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Soerum, Halvor 1897 births 1965 deaths Norwegian trade unionists Communist Party of Norway politicians Norwegian resistance members Grini concentration camp survivors Sachsenhausen concentration camp survivors