Hilmar Baunsgaard (26 February 1920, Slagelse – 30 June 1989) was a

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

politician who served as Prime Minister of Denmark from 1968 to 1971. He was a member of the

Danish Social Liberal Party The Danish Social Liberal Party ( da, Radikale Venstre, , Radical Left) is a social-liberal political party in Denmark. The party was founded as a split from the Venstre Reform Party in 1905. Historically, the centrist party has played a cent ...

and the party's leader from 1968 to 1975. He was preceded and succeeded by the Social Democratic leader of that time,

Jens Otto Krag Jens Otto Krag (; 15 September 1914 – 22 June 1978) was a Danish politician who served as prime minister of Denmark from 1962 to 1968 and from 1971 to 1972, and as leader of the Social Democrats from 1962 to 1972. He was president of the Nord ...

as prime minister. Between 1948 and 1951, Baunsgaard served as the chairman of Social Liberal Youth of Denmark. In 1957, he became a Member of Parliament. He also served as minister of commerce from 1961 to 1964 under

Viggo Kampmann Olfert Viggo Fischer Kampmann (; 21 July 1910 – 3 June 1976) was a Danish politician who served as the leader of the Danish Social Democrats and Prime Minister of Denmark from 1960 to 1962. He formed his first cabinet just prior to the 1960 el ...

and Jens Otto Krag. Baunsgaard had a education in trade, and worked in the private business sector.

Political career

By 1968 Baunsgaard's party had been a frequent coalition partner of the

Social Democrats Social democracy is a political, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocating economic and social interventions to promote so ...

for the last 15 years. However, after the 1968 elections, he abandoned the Social Democrats and formed a centre-right coalition with the Conservative Party and the Liberal '' Venstre''. The three parties held a clear majority of seats in the parliament. In spite of this, they utterly failed to tackle the growing problems of the

welfare state A welfare state is a form of government in which the state (or a well-established network of social institutions) protects and promotes the economic and social well-being of its citizens, based upon the principles of equal opportunity, equita ...

and rein in public spending. As a result, taxation skyrocketed. In the social sphere the government was one of the most radical thus far seen in Denmark, abolishing censorship of pornography and legalising abortion. However, in doing so they alienated sufficient numbers of core supporters to lose the 1971 election, which brought the Social Democrats back to power. Baunsgaard is often credited with being the first major Danish politician to truly embrace TV as the main media for communication with the voters.Siune, Karen (1984). "Bestemmer TV valgresultatet?" in Elklit, Jørgen & Tonsgaard, Ole (eds.) ''Valg og vælgeradfærd – Studier i dansk politik''. Århus: Forlaget Politica, p. 132. . Although his appearance and style on the screen looks old-fashioned by today's standards, he was way ahead of his contemporaries in politics. He managed to connect with the voters, and was consistently rated as the most trustworthy politician from the mid-1960s to the early 1970s. However, his weak leadership of the government damaged his reputation. He remained as party leader until 1975, and resigned from parliament in 1977. Baunsgaard was the main architect behind

Nordek Nordek (in Swedish: ''Organisationen för nordiskt ekonomiskt samarbete''. In Danish and Norwegian: Nordøk for ''Nordisk økonomi''. In Finnish: ''Pohjoismaiden talousalue'') was a planned organisation for Nordic economic cooperation similar to ...

, a proposed organization for Nordic economic cooperation somewhat similar to the EEC ( European Economic Community). The idea was embraced by both Sweden, Norway, and

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

, but ultimately failed since

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

did not join due to its relationship with the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

, and Denmark joined the EEC.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Baunsgaard, Hilmar 1920 births 1989 deaths People from Slagelse Danish Social Liberal Party politicians Prime Ministers of Denmark Government ministers of Denmark Members of the Folketing Leaders of the Danish Social Liberal Party