The Society Guard ( no, Samfundsvernet), sometimes Norwegian Society Guard (''Norsk Samfundsvern''), was a volunteer

paramilitary A paramilitary is an organization whose structure, tactics, training, subculture, and (often) function are similar to those of a professional military, but is not part of a country's official or legitimate armed forces. Paramilitary units carr ...

organisation in Norway. It was founded in 1923 in connection to the anti-strike Society Aid (''Samfundshjelpen''). Organised by the centre-right parties, these "emergency groups" were prepared to mobilise in case of war or revolution. The organisation was directed specifically against the

Marxist Marxism is a Left-wing politics, left-wing to Far-left politics, far-left method of socioeconomic analysis that uses a Materialism, materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to understand S ...

labour movement, and recruited officers and volunteers for an armed guard against revolutionary activists. Led by officers, it was organised in small secret armed groups. In accordance with the "police law" of 1928, it could be used as a reserve police force. Around 1930, it reportedly had between 10,000 and 15,000 members. From 1925, the organisation was led by

Ragnvald Hvoslef Ragnvald Hvoslef (19 September 1872 in Oslo – 8 August 1944) was a Norwegian Nazi politician and collaborator during the Second World War. He was a co-founder of the Norwegian Nazi party Nasjonal Samling in 1933. In 1940 he was named by Vidkun Q ...

. Other leading figures included Hjalmar Riiser-Larsen. The organisation

Leidangen Leidangen was an organisation for volunteer military education in Norway. The organisation was started in 1931, and had its background in various 1920s volunteer organisations such as the Society Guard. Leidangen differed from the former, in that ...

which emerged in 1931 had its background in the Society Guard. To counter such organisations, the Labour Party started organising "Labour Protection Groups" in the 1930s. The Society Guard was dissolved in 1935 following the establishment of the Labour Party Nygaardsvold's Cabinet, after it was revealed that it operated military training with material from the Norwegian Army. According to

Hans Fredrik Dahl Hans Fredrik Dahl (born 16 October 1939) is a Norwegian historian, journalist and media scholar, best known in the English-speaking world for his biography of Vidkun Quisling, a Nazi collaborationist and Minister President for Norway during the ...

, the Society Guard was the closest Norway came to a White Guard.

References

{{Authority control Military units and formations established in 1923 1923 establishments in Norway Organizations disestablished in 1935 1935 disestablishments in Norway Anti-communist organizations Paramilitary organisations based in Norway Defunct organisations based in Norway