Harald Viggo Hansteen (13 September 1900 – 10 September 1941) 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 ...
lawyer. He was executed 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 ...
.
Biography
Harald Viggo Hansteen was born in
Oslo
Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...
, Norway. As a student he was a part of the establishment of the political organization
Mot Dag
Mot Dag (, 'Towards Day') was a Norwegian political group. The group was active from the 1920s to the early 1930s and was first affiliated with the Labour Party. After World War II, many of its former members were leaders in Norwegian politics and ...
. When cooperation between Mot Dag and the
Norwegian Communist Party
The Communist Party of Norway ( no, Norges Kommunistiske Parti, NKP) is a communist party in Norway.
The NKP was formed in 1923, following a split in the Norwegian Labour Party. It was Stalinist from its establishment and, as such, supported the ...
came to an end in 1929, he stayed in the Communist Party. He became a
Supreme Court
A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
advocate in 1933 and judicial consultant for 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 ...
in 1936. In 1940 he went with the
government in exile
A government in exile (abbreviated as GiE) is a political group that claims to be a country or semi-sovereign state's legitimate government, but is unable to exercise legal power and instead resides in a foreign country. Governments in exile us ...
to
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, but came back to Oslo in June. He contributed strongly to the prevention of the
Nasjonal Samling
Nasjonal Samling (, NS; ) was a Norwegian far-right political party active from 1933 to 1945. It was the only legal party of Norway from 1942 to 1945. It was founded by former minister of defence Vidkun Quisling and a group of supporters such a ...
's attempt to gain control of the Confederation of Trade Unions.
Hansteen was executed on 10 September 1941 during the state of
martial law
Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of normal civil functions or suspension of civil law by a government, especially in response to an emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed, or in an occupied territory.
Use
Marti ...
which followed the so-called
Milk Strike (). The reason for the strike was that food supplies had become increasingly worse by September 1941. Also executed at the same time was labour activist
Rolf Wickstrøm Rolf Wickstrøm (9 December 1912 in Oslo, Norway – 10 September 1941) was a Norwegian labour activist and a victim of the German occupation of Norway during World War II.
Wickstrøm grew up in a working-class family. In 1935 he was hired as ...
, who was the
union steward
A union representative, union steward, or shop steward is an employee of an organization or company who represents and defends the interests of their fellow employees as a labor union member and official. Rank-and-file members of the union hold ...
and chairman for the union workers at the
Skabo Jernbanevognfabrikk
Skabo Jernbanevognfabrikk was a mechanical workshop focusing on design and construction of railcars. It was established by Hans Skabo in Drammen, Norway, in 1864; it became the first rail car factory in the country when it took delivery of the car ...
in Oslo. Hansteen and Wickstrøm were the first two Norwegian citizens executed by the German officials during the five-year occupation of Norway (1940–1945). After the liberation of Norway in 1945, Hansteen and Rolf Wickstrøm were buried in
VÃ¥r Frelsers gravlund
The Cemetery of Our Saviour ( no, VÃ¥r Frelsers gravlund) is a cemetery in Oslo, Norway, located north of Hammersborg in Gamle Aker district. It is located adjacent to the older Old Aker Cemetery and was created in 1808 as a result of the great ...
.
Viggo Hansteen and Rolf Wickstrøm were honored by the naming of a section of road around Oslo which bears their names.
In 1948, a memorial was erected in granite with a bronze relief at the site of Hansteen's execution at
Ã…rvoll
Årvoll is a residential community situated in the Bjerke district of Oslo, Norway. It was here that anti-Nazi activists Viggo Hansteen and Rolf Wickstrøm – the first two Norwegians to be executed by the Nazis during the five-year German occ ...
in the
Bjerke district of
Oslo
Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...
. The memorial was directed by Norwegian sculptor
Nic Schiøll
Nicolai Marius "Nic" Schiøll (10 October 1901 – 29 December 1984) was a Norwegian sculptor and painter. He was most known for his public works, ornamental sculptures and memorials.
Biography
Schiøll was born in Kristiania (now Oslo), N ...
(1901–1984). It bears the following inscription:
Personal life
In 1930, he married
Kirsten Hansteen
Kirsten Hansteen (5 January 1903 – 17 November 1974) was a Norwegian editor and librarian. She was appointed Minister of Social Affairs with Gerhardsen's First Cabinet in 1945 and was the first female member of cabinet in Norway.
Biography
S ...
(1903–1974). In 1945, she was appointed Minister of Social Affairs in
Einar Gerhardsen
Einar Henry Gerhardsen (; 10 May 1897 – 19 September 1987) was a Norwegian politician from the Labour Party of Norway. He was the 22nd prime minister of Norway for three periods, 1945–1951, 1955–1963 and 1963–1965. With totally 17 years i ...
's coalition government. She was Norway's first female cabinet member.
References
Notes
Sources
*
External links
Photograph gallery at Oslo Museum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hansteen, Viggo
1900 births
1941 deaths
Communist Party of Norway politicians
Norwegian communists
People executed by Nazi Germany by firing squad
Burials at the Cemetery of Our Saviour
Deaths by firearm in Norway
Norwegian civilians killed in World War II
Norwegian people executed by Nazi Germany
Executed Norwegian people
Resistance members killed by Nazi Germany
Mot Dag