Ragnhild Nikoline Andersen (1907–1990) was a Danish

trade unionist A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and Employee ben ...

, politician, and a member of the Communist Party of Denmark (DKP). During the German occupation of Denmark in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, she was sent by the

Gestapo The (), abbreviated Gestapo (; ), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of Prussia into one organi ...

to the Stutthof concentration camp near Gdansk in Poland, where she spent 20 months in dreadful conditions before being rescued. After the war, she was elected to the

Folketing The Folketing ( da, Folketinget, ; ), also known as the Parliament of Denmark or the Danish Parliament in English, is the unicameral national legislature (parliament) of the Kingdom of Denmark—Denmark proper together with the Faroe Islands ...

, becoming a member of DKP's central committee and one of the most prominent members of the party. She promoted wider access to abortions and improvements to

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...

Biography

Born on 18 August 1907 in Yderby on the tip of Sjællands Odde, Ragnhild Nikoline Andersen was the daughter of the harbour master Nikolaj Andreas Andersen (1875–1954) and Gertrud Birgitte née Hansen (1881–1964). In 1937, she married Finn Johannes Salemonsson but the marriage was dissolved in 1949. In 1952, she married fellow communist politician Peter Alfred Jensen (1903–1988). Brought up on Sjællands Odde, Andersen was the only one of the family's seven children who enjoyed extensive schooling. In 1925, she moved to Copenhagen, where she performed various kinds of office work. She joined Danmarks Kommunistike Ungdom (the communist youth movement) and the trade union HK. An active member of the children's organization Unge Pionerere, she edited their magazine from 1928 and accompanied a group of children on a trip to the Soviet Union in 1929. On her return she abandoned office work to take up employment as a metal worker in a radio factory where she joined the

Danish Women Workers' Union The Danish Women Workers' Union ( da, Kvindeligt Arbejderforbund i Danmark, KAD) was a general union representing women working in what were perceived to be lower-skilled jobs, in Denmark. The first union for women in Denmark was founded in 1885, t ...

(KAD), later becoming a prominent member. She worked with a group of women, many of whom were communists, like their leader

Inger Gamburg Ingeborg (Inger) Johanne Gamburg née Mohr (1892–1979) was a Danish trade unionist and a member of the Communist Party of Denmark. From 1925, she chaired (Women Workers' Enlightenment Association). As a Communist, under the German occupation of D ...

with whom she developed a close friendship. In 1929, Andersen became a member of the Danish Communist Party where she was active throughout the 1930s. During this period, she took part in demonstrations and similar political activities. On one occasion, she climbed onto the statue of

Adam Oehlenschläger Adam Gottlob Oehlenschläger (14 November 177920 January 1850) was a Danish poet and playwright. He introduced romanticism into Danish literature. He wrote the lyrics to the song ''Der er et yndigt land'', which is one of the national anthems ...

on Kongens Nytorv in central Copenhagen and attempted to address her followers. She was however soon arrested for disorderly conduct. When the communist party was declared illegal under the German occupation, she went underground but was soon arrested and sent to

Vestre Prison Vestre Prison ( da, Vestre Fængsel) is the main jail of the Danish capital, Copenhagen. Erected in 1895, it is Denmark's largest prison with a total capacity of 530 inmates. It primarily houses pretrial detainees, not convicted felons. History ...

in September 1941 and then to Horserød. In October 1943, together with six other communist women and 143 men, she was transferred by the

to Stutthof Concertation Camp near Gdansk. After 20 dreadful months of captivity, six of the seven returned to Denmark in 1945 after the country's liberation at the end of the war. Andersen tells of her experiences in great detail in ''Vi blev reddet denne Gang'' (We were saved that time) published in 1945. In the autumn of 1945, together with 17 other communists, she was elected to the Folketing and was re-elected in 1947. After first representing the Frederiksborg constituency, in 1950 she was elected as a representative of Copenhagen, becoming a prominent member of the Communist Party. She was particularly active on social issues, calling for improvements in conditions for the disadvantaged, for the establishment of sex clinics, for more extensive access to abortion and for a woman's right to part-time employment. She continued to stand for the Communist Party but was not re-elected. In 1968, she earned more votes than the other two communists, despite the fact that she was only number three on the party's list. Ragnhild Andersen died in Copenhagen on 8 May 1990. She is buried in

Vestre Cemetery Vestre Cemetery ( da, Vestre Kirkegård, meaning "Western Cemetery") is located in a large park setting in the Kongens Enghave district of Copenhagen, Denmark. With its 54 hectares it is the largest cemetery in Denmark. The cemetery is landscape ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Andersen, Ragnhild 1907 births 1990 deaths Communist Party of Denmark politicians Danish trade unionists Danish women trade unionists 20th-century Danish women politicians Stutthof concentration camp survivors Danish women's rights activists