The
Quisling

Quisling regime or
Quisling

Quisling government are common names used to
refer to the fascist collaborationist government led by Vidkun
Quisling

Quisling in German-occupied
Norway

Norway during the Second World
War.[1][2][3] The official name of the regime from 1 February 1942
until its dissolution in May 1945 was Nasjonale regjering (English:
National Government).[1] Actual executive power was retained by the
Reichskommissariat Norwegen, headed by Josef Terboven.
Given the use of the term quisling, the name
Quisling

Quisling regime can also
be used as a derogatory term referring to political regimes perceived
as treasonous puppet governments imposed by occupying foreign enemies.
Contents
1 1940 coup
2 Provisional Councillors of State
3 Government
4 Politics
5 Goal of independence
5.1 Territorial claims
6 Dissolution
7 Ministers of the
Quisling

Quisling regime
8 References
9 Further reading
1940 coup[edit]
Vidkun Quisling, Fører of the
Nasjonal Samling

Nasjonal Samling party, had first tried
to carry out a coup against the Norwegian government on 9 April 1940,
the day of the German invasion of Norway.[4] At 7:32 p.m.,
Quisling

Quisling visited the studios of the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation
and made a radio broadcast proclaiming himself Prime Minister and
ordering all resistance to halt at once. He announced that he and
Nasjonal Samling

Nasjonal Samling were taking power due to Nygaardsvold's Cabinet
having "raised armed resistance and promptly fled". He further
declared that in the present situation it was "the duty and the right
of the movement of
Nasjonal Samling

Nasjonal Samling to take over governmental power".
Quisling

Quisling claimed that the Nygaardsvold Cabinet had given up power
despite that it had only moved to Elverum, some 50 km
(31 mi) from Oslo, and was carrying out negotiations with the
Germans.[5]
The next day, German ambassador
Curt Bräuer

Curt Bräuer traveled to
Elverum

Elverum and
demanded King Haakon VII and the legitimate Norwegian government
return to
Oslo

Oslo and go into coalition with Quisling. However, Haakon
told the Cabinet that he could not in good conscience appoint Quisling
as prime minister, and would abdicate rather than appoint a government
headed by him. By this time, news of Quisling's attempted coup had
reached Elverum. Negotiations promptly collapsed, and the government
unanimously advised Haakon not to appoint
Quisling

Quisling as prime minister.
Quisling

Quisling tried to have the Nygaardsvold Cabinet arrested, but the
officer he instructed to carry out the arrest ignored the warrant.
Attempts at gaining control over the police force in
Oslo

Oslo by issuing
orders to the chief of police
Kristian Welhaven
.jpg/440px-Kristian_Welhaven_(bilde01).jpg)
Kristian Welhaven also failed.[6] The
coup failed after six days, despite German support for the first three
days, and
Quisling

Quisling had to step aside in the occupied parts of Norway
in favour of the Administrative Council (Administrasjonsrådet).[4]
The Administrative Council was formed on 15 April by members of the
Supreme Court and supported by Norwegian business leaders as well as
Bräuer as an alternative to Quisling's
Nasjonal Samling

Nasjonal Samling in the
occupied areas.[7]
Provisional Councillors of State[edit]
On 25 September 1940, German
Reichskommissar

Reichskommissar Josef Terboven, who on 24
April 1940 had replaced
Curt Bräuer

Curt Bräuer as the top civilian commander in
Norway,[8] proclaimed the deposition of King Haakon VII and the
Nygaardsvold Cabinet, banning all political parties other than
Nasjonal Samling.[9] Terboven then appointed a group of 11
kommissariske statsråder (English: provisional councillors of state)
from
Nasjonal Samling

Nasjonal Samling to help him in governing Norway. Although the
provisional councillors of state did not form a government, the
intention of the Germans was to use them to prepare the way for a
Nasjonal Samling

Nasjonal Samling take-over of power in the future.
Vidkun Quisling

Vidkun Quisling was
made the political head of the councillors and all members of Nasjonal
Samling had to swear a personal oath of allegiance to him. Most of the
councillors worked diligently at introducing
Nasjonal Samling

Nasjonal Samling ideals
and politics. Amongst the schemes introduced during the council period
was the introduction of labour duty, reforms of the labour market, the
penal code and the system of justice, a reorganization of the police
and the introduction of national socialist ideals in the Norwegian
culture scene. The provisional councillors of state were intended as a
temporary system while
Nasjonal Samling

Nasjonal Samling built up its organization in
preparation to assume full governmental powers. On 25 September 1941,
the one-year anniversary of the councillors, Terboven gave them the
title of "ministers".[10]
Government[edit]
The establishment of Quisling's national government was proclaimed at
Akershus Fortress. On the left side of the hall are German officers,
on the right
Quisling

Quisling (third from right) and several of his ministers
With the establishment of Quisling's national government, Quisling, as
minister-president, temporarily assumed the authority of both the King
and the Parliament.[4]
In 1942, after two years of direct civilian administration by the
Germans (which continued de facto until 1945), he was finally put in
charge of a collaborationist government, which was officially
proclaimed on 1 February 1942. The official name of the government was
"Den nasjonale regjering" (English: the National Government).[1] The
original intention of the Germans had been to hand over the
sovereignty of
Norway

Norway to the new government, but by mid-January 1942
Hitler decided to retain the civilian Reichskommissariat Norwegen
under Terboven. The
Quisling

Quisling government was instead given the role of
an occupying authority with wide-ranging authorisations. Quisling
himself viewed the creation of his government as a "decisive step on
the road towards the complete independence of Norway".[11] Although
having only temporarily assumed the King's authority,[4] Quisling
still made efforts to distance his regime from the exiled monarchy.
After
Quisling

Quisling moved into the Royal Palace he took back into use the
official seal of Norway, changing the wording from "Haakon VII Norges
konge" to "Norges rikes segl"[12] (in English translation, from
"Haakon VII King of Norway" to "The Seal of the Norwegian Realm"[13]).
After establishing national government
Quisling

Quisling claimed to hold "the
authority that according to the Constitution belonged to the King and
Parliament".[14]
Other important ministers of the collaborationist government were
Jonas Lie (also head of the Norwegian wing of the SS from 1941) as
Minister of the Police, Dr.
Gulbrand Lunde

Gulbrand Lunde as Minister of Culture and
Enlightenment, as well as the opera singer Albert Viljam Hagelin, who
was Minister of the Interior.
Politics[edit]
Stamp of the State service
One of Quisling's first actions was to reintroduce the prohibition of
Jews entering Norway, which was formerly a part of the Constitution's
§2 from 1814 to 1851.[3]
Two of the early laws of the
Quisling

Quisling regime, Lov om nasjonal
ungdomstjeneste (English: 'Law on national youth service') and Lov om
Norges Lærersamband (English: 'The Norges Teacher Liaison'), both
signed 5 February 1942, led to massive protests from parents, serious
clashes with the teachers, and an escalating conflict with the Church
of Norway.[15] Schools were closed for one month, and in March 1942
around 1,100 teachers were arrested by the Norwegian police and sent
to German prisons and concentration camps, and about 500 of the
teachers were forced to Kirkenes as construction workers for the
German occupants.[16][17][18]
Goal of independence[edit]
Even after the official creation of the
Quisling

Quisling government, Josef
Terboven still ruled
Norway

Norway as a dictator,[8][19] taking orders from
no-one but Hitler.[8] Quisling's regime was a puppet government,
although
Quisling

Quisling wanted independence and the recall of Terboven,
something he constantly lobbied Hitler for, without success.[19]
Quisling

Quisling wanted to achieve independence for
Norway

Norway under his rule,
with an end to the German occupation of
Norway

Norway through a peace treaty
and the recognition of Norway's sovereignty by Germany. He further
wanted to ally
Norway

Norway to Germany and join the Anti-Comintern Pact.
After a reintroduction of national service in Norway, Norwegian troops
were to fight with the
Axis powers

Axis powers in the Second World War.
Quisling

Quisling also fronted the idea of a pan-European union led, but not
dominated, by Germany, with a common currency and a common market.[4]
Quisling

Quisling presented his plans to Hitler repeatedly in memos and talks
with the German dictator, the first time 13 February 1942 in the Reich
Chancellery in Berlin and the last time on 28 January 1945, again in
the Reich Chancellery.[20] All of Quisling's ideas were rejected by
Hitler, who did not want any permanent agreements before the war had
been concluded,[4] while also desiring Norway's outright annexation
into Germany as the northern-most province of a Greater Germanic
Reich. Hitler did, however, in an April 1943 meeting promise Quisling
that once the war was over
Norway

Norway would regain her independence. This
is the only known case of Hitler making such a promise to an occupied
country.[20]
The word
Quisling

Quisling has become synonymous with treachery and
collaboration with the enemy.[19]
Territorial claims[edit]
Further information: List of possessions of Norway
The Norwegian Kingdom at its greatest extent, c. 1265
The regime looked nostalgically to the
High Middle Ages

High Middle Ages of the
country's history, known in Norwegian historiography as Norgesveldet,
during which Norwegian territory extended beyond its current borders.
Quisling

Quisling envisioned an extension of the Norwegian state by its
annexation of the
Kola peninsula

Kola peninsula with its small Norwegian minority, so
a Greater
Norway

Norway spanning the entire North European coastline could be
created.[21] Further expansion was expected in Northern Finland, to
link the
Kola peninsula

Kola peninsula with Finnmark:
Nasjonal Samling

Nasjonal Samling leaders had
mixed views on the post-war Finnish-Norwegian border, but the
potential Norwegian annexation of at least the Finnish municipalities
of Petsamo (Norwegian: Petsjenga) and Inari (Norwegian: Enare) was
under consideration.[22][23]
Nasjonal Samling

Nasjonal Samling publications called for the annexation of the
historically Norwegian Swedish provinces of
Jämtland

Jämtland (Norwegian:
Jemtland),
Härjedalen

Härjedalen (Norwegian: Herjedalen, see also
Øst-Trøndelag) and
Bohuslän

Bohuslän (Norwegian: Båhuslen)[24][25] In March
1944,
Quisling

Quisling met with
Wehrmacht

Wehrmacht general Rudolf Bamler, and urged the
Germans to invade Sweden from
Finnish Lapland

Finnish Lapland (using the forces
delegated to the German Lapland Army) and through the Baltic as a
preemptive strike against Sweden joining the war on the Allied
side.[26] Quisling's proposal was sent to both
OKW

OKW chief Alfred Jodl
and SS leader Heinrich Himmler.[26]
Quisling

Quisling and Jonas Lie, leader of the
Germanic SS

Germanic SS in Norway, also
furthered irredentist Norwegian claims to the
Faroes

Faroes (Norwegian:
Færøyene),
Iceland

Iceland (Norwegian: Island),
Orkney

Orkney (Norwegian:
Orknøyene),
Shetland

Shetland (Norwegian: Hjaltland), the Outer Hebrides
(historically a part of the Norse
Kingdom of Mann and the Isles

Kingdom of Mann and the Isles under
the name Sørøyene, "South Islands") and
Franz Josef Land

Franz Josef Land (earlier
claimed by
Norway

Norway under the name
Fridtjof Nansen

Fridtjof Nansen Land), most of which
were former Norwegian territories passed on to Danish rule after the
dissolution of Denmark-
Norway

Norway in 1814, while the rest were former
Viking Age

Viking Age settlements.[27][28][29]
Norway

Norway had already claimed a part
of Eastern
Greenland

Greenland in 1931 (under the name Eirik Raudes Land), but
the claim was extended during the occupation period to cover Greenland
as a whole. During the spring of 1941,
Quisling

Quisling laid out plans to
"reconquer" the island using a task force of a hundred men, but the
Germans deemed this plan unfeasible.[30] In the person of propaganda
minister
Gulbrand Lunde

Gulbrand Lunde the Norwegian puppet government further lay
claim to the North and South Poles.[31] During the late 19th and early
20th centuries,
Norway

Norway had gained prestige as a nation active in polar
expedition: the
South Pole

South Pole was first reached by the Norwegian explorer
Roald Amundsen

Roald Amundsen in 1911, and in 1939
Norway

Norway had claimed a region of
Antarctica under the name
Queen Maud Land

Queen Maud Land (Norwegian: Dronning Maud
Land).
After Germany's invasion of the
Soviet Union
.jpg/460px-Soviet_Union-1964-stamp-Chapayev_(film).jpg)
Soviet Union preparations were made
for establishing Norwegian colonies in Northern Russia.[32] Quisling
designated the area reserved for Norwegian colonization as Bjarmeland,
a reference to the name featured in the
Norse sagas

Norse sagas for Northern
Russia.[33]
Dissolution[edit]
Quisling's regime ceased to exist in 1945, with the end of World War
II in Europe.
Norway

Norway was still under occupation in May 1945, but
Vidkun Quisling

Vidkun Quisling and most of his ministers surrendered at Møllergata
19 police station on 9 May, one day after Germany's surrender.[34] The
new Norwegian unification government tried him on 20 August for
numerous crimes; he was convicted on 10 September and was executed by
firing squad on 24 October 1945. Other Nazi collaborators, as well as
Germans accused of war crimes, were also arrested and tried during
this legal purge.
Ministers of the
Quisling

Quisling regime[edit]
Quisling's former office at the Royal Palace, in June 1945
The ministers of the
Quisling

Quisling regime in 1942 were:[34]
Eivind Blehr

Eivind Blehr (Minister of Trade and Minister of Supplies)
Thorstein Fretheim (Minister of Agriculture)
Rolf Jørgen Fuglesang

Rolf Jørgen Fuglesang (Minister of Party Affairs)
Albert Viljam Hagelin

Albert Viljam Hagelin (Minister of Domestic Affairs)
Tormod Hustad
.jpg)
Tormod Hustad (Minister of Labour)
Kjeld Stub Irgens

Kjeld Stub Irgens (Minister of Shipping)
Jonas Lie (Minister of Police)
Johan Andreas Lippestad

Johan Andreas Lippestad (Minister of Social Affairs)
Gulbrand Lunde

Gulbrand Lunde (Minister of Culture)
Frederik Prytz

Frederik Prytz (Minister of Finance)
Sverre Riisnæs

Sverre Riisnæs (Minister of Justice)
Ragnar Skancke

Ragnar Skancke (Minister for Church and Educational Affairs)
Axel Heiberg Stang

Axel Heiberg Stang (Minister of the Labour Service and Sports)
The
Quisling

Quisling regime's leadership saw significant reshuffling and
replacements during its existence. When
Gulbrand Lunde

Gulbrand Lunde died in 1942,
Rolf Jørgen Fuglesang

Rolf Jørgen Fuglesang took over his ministry as well as retaining his
own. Eivind Blehr's two ministries were merged in 1943 as the Ministry
of Commerce. On 4 November 1943
Alf Whist
.jpg)
Alf Whist joined the government as a
minister without portfolio.[34]
Tormod Hustad
.jpg)
Tormod Hustad was replaced by
Hans Skarphagen on 1 February 1944. Both
Kjeld Stub Irgens

Kjeld Stub Irgens and
Eivind Blehr

Eivind Blehr were fired in June 1944. Their
former ministries were merged and placed under the control of Alf
Whist as Minister of Commerce. On 8 November 1944, Albert Viljam
Hagelin was fired from his position and replaced by Arnvid Vasbotten.
When
Frederik Prytz

Frederik Prytz died in February 1945, he was replaced by Per von
Hirsch. Thorstein Fretheim was fired on 21 April 1945, to be replaced
by Trygve Dehli Laurantzon.[34]
References[edit]
^ a b c Dahl, Hans Fredrik (1995). "nasjonale regjering". In Hans
Fredrik Dahl.
Norsk krigsleksikon 1940-45 (in Norwegian). Oslo:
Cappelen. pp. 285–286. ISBN 82-02-14138-9.
^ "Inndragning av jødisk eiendom i Norge under den 2. verdenskrig".
Government of
Norway

Norway (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2009-09-17.
^ a b Tønnesson, Johan L. (1 February 2000). "Prosjektarbeidet: Bygg
et "Norge"". Apollon (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 19
July 2011. Retrieved 2009-09-03.
^ a b c d e f Dahl, Hans Fredrik (1995). "Quisling, Vidkun". In Hans
Fredrik Dahl.
Norsk krigsleksikon 1940-45 (in Norwegian). Oslo:
Cappelen. pp. 335–336. ISBN 82-02-14138-9.
^ Dahl, Hans Fredrik (1999). Quisling: a study in treachery.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 173.
ISBN 0-521-49697-7.
^ Dahl 1999, 274
^ Dahl, Hans Fredrik (1995). "Administrasjonsrådet". In Hans Fredrik
Dahl.
Norsk krigsleksikon 1940-45 (in Norwegian). Oslo: Cappelen.
pp. 14–15. ISBN 82-02-14138-9. Archived from the original
on August 7, 2008. Retrieved 2009-09-17.
^ a b c Nøkleby, Berit (1995). "Terboven, Josef". In Hans Fredrik
Dahl.
Norsk krigsleksikon 1940-45 (in Norwegian). Oslo: Cappelen.
pp. 417–418. ISBN 82-02-14138-9.
^ "Krigsårene 1940-1945". Royal House of Norway. 2009-01-31.
Retrieved 2009-09-17.
^ Dahl, Hans Fredrik (1995). "kommissariske statsråder". In Hans
Fredrik Dahl.
Norsk krigsleksikon 1940-45 (in Norwegian). Oslo:
Cappelen. pp. 219–220. ISBN 82-02-14138-9.
^ Dahl, Hans Fredrik (1995). "statsakten". In Hans Fredrik Dahl. Norsk
krigsleksikon 1940-45 (in Norwegian). Oslo: Cappelen.
pp. 395–396. ISBN 82-02-14138-9.
^ Dahl, Hans Fredrik (1992). "Den autoritære stat". Vidkun Quisling.
En fører for fall (in Norwegian). Oslo: Aschehoug. p. 285.
ISBN 82-03-16960-0.
^ Dahl 1999, p. 250
^ "Norske departementer 1940 - 1945: Under tysk okkupasjon i Oslo".
Government of
Norway

Norway (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2010-01-03.
^ Nøkleby, Berit (1986). "
Quisling

Quisling i statsråd". Norge i krig 4.
Holdningskamp (in Norwegian). Oslo: Aschehoug. pp. 27–42.
ISBN 82-03-11419-9.
^ Nøkleby, Berit (1995). "Lærerstriden". In Dahl; Hjeltnes;
Nøkleby; Ringdal; Sørensen.
Norsk krigsleksikon 1940-45 (in
Norwegian). Oslo: Cappelen. pp. 259–260.
ISBN 82-02-14138-9.
^ Nøkleby, Berit (1986). "Lang ferd mot Kirkenes". Norge i krig 4.
Holdningskamp (in Norwegian). Oslo: Aschehoug. pp. 72–121.
ISBN 82-03-11419-9.
^ Brandt, Willy (1945). "Lærernes eksempel". Krigen i Norge (in
Norwegian). II. Oslo: Aschehoug. pp. 33–43.
^ a b c Tangenes, Gisle (19 September 2006). "The World According to
Quisling". Bit of News. Retrieved 2009-09-13.
^ a b Dahl, Hans Fredrik; Aspheim, Odd V. (1995).
"Quisling-Hitler-møtene". In Hans Fredrik Dahl. Norsk krigsleksikon
1940-45 (in Norwegian). Oslo: Cappelen. pp. 337–338.
ISBN 82-02-14138-9. Retrieved 2009-09-14.
^ Kurt D. Singer (1943). Duel for the northland: the war of enemy
agents in Scandinavia. R. M. McBride & company, p. 200 [1]
^ [2]
^ Skodvin, M. (1990). Norge i krig: Frigjøring:. Aschehoug.
ISBN 9788203114236. Retrieved 2015-04-03.
^ Foreign Policy Bulletin. Foreign Policy Association, New York -
1941. [3]
^ The American Swedish Monthly Vol. 35. Swedish Chamber of Commerce of
the U.S.A. - 1941. [4]
^ a b
Hans Fredrik Dahl (1999). Quisling: a study in treachery.
Cambridge University Press, p. 343 [5]
^ Susan Barr (2003). Norway, a consistent polar nation?: analysis of
an image seen through the history of the Norwegian Polar Institute.
Kolofon, p. 225 [6]
^ David Littlejohn (1973). The patriotic traitors: a history of
collaboration in German-occupied Europe, 1940-45. Heinemann, p. 30 [7]
^ Philip H. Buss, Andrew Mollo (1978). Hitler's Germanic legions: an
illustrated history of the Western European Legions with the SS,
1941–1943. Macdonald and Jane's, p. 89 [8]
^ Buskø-affæren - hvordan ei norsk selfangstskute ble USAs første
fangst i andre verdenskrig, Artikkel i tidsskriftet Historie nr 1,
2007[permanent dead link]
^ LIFE. Time Inc. 1940-10-28. p. 104. ISSN 0024-3019.
Retrieved 2015-04-03.
^ "Norway's Nazi collaborators sought Russia colonies". Fox News.
Associated Press. 9 April 2010. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
^ Dahl (1999), p. 296
^ a b c d Borge, Baard (1995). "Quislings nasjonale regjering". In
Dahl, Hans Fredrik.
Norsk krigsleksikon 1940-45 (in Norwegian). Oslo:
Cappelen. p. 287. ISBN 82-02-14138-9.
Further reading[edit]
Andenaes, Johs.
Norway

Norway and the Second World War (1966)
Dahl, Hans Fredrik. Quisling: a study in treachery (Cambridge
University Press, 1999)
Mann, Chris. British Policy and Strategy Towards Norway, 1941-45
(Palgrave Macmillan, 2012)
Riste, Olav, and Berit Nøkleby.
Norway

Norway 1940-45: the resistance
movement (Tanum, 1970)
Vigness, Paul Gerhardt. The German Occupation of
Norway

Norway (Vantage
Press, 1970)
Preceded by
Nygaardsvold's Cabinet
Government of Norway
(Pro-German puppet regime)
Royal government of
Norway

Norway in exile
Nygaardsvold's Cabinet
1942–1945
Succeeded by
Nygaardsvold's Cabinet
v
t
e
Cabinets of Norway
1814–1884
Cabinet of 1814 (1814)
Wedel-Jarlsberg I (1814–36)
Wedel-Jarlsberg II (1836–44)
Løvenskiold and Vogt (1844–56)
Stang (1861–80)
Selmer (1880–84)
Schweigaard (1884)
1884–1945
Sverdrup (1884–89)
Stang I (1889–91)
Steen I (1891–93)
Stang II (1893–95)
Hagerup I (1895–98)
Steen II (1898–1902)
Blehr I (1902–03)
Hagerup II (1903–05)
Michelsen (1905–07)
Løvland (1907–08)
Knudsen I (1908–10)
Konow (1910–12)
Bratlie (1912–13)
Knudsen II (1913–20)
Bahr Halvorsen I (1920–21)
Blehr II (1921–23)
Bahr Halvorsen II (1923)
Berge (1923–24)
Mowinckel I (1924–26)
Lykke (1926–28)
Hornsrud (1928)
Mowinckel II (1928–31)
Kolstad (1931–32)
Hundseid (1932–33)
Mowinckel III (1933–35)
Nygaardsvold (1935–45)
1940–45
Quisling

Quisling I (1940)
Administrative Council (1940)
Terboven (1940–42)
Quisling

Quisling II (1942–45)
1945–present
Gerhardsen I (1945)
Gerhardsen II (1945–51)
Torp (1951–55)
Gerhardsen III (1955–63)
Lyng (1963)
Gerhardsen IV (1963–65)
Borten (1965–71)
Bratteli I (1971–72)
Korvald (1972–73)
Bratteli II (1973–76)
Nordli (1976–81)
Brundtland I (1981)
Willoch I (1981–83)
Willoch II (1983–86)
Brundtland II (1986–89)
Syse (1989–90)
Brundtland III (1990–96)
Jagland (1996–97)
Bondevik I (1997–2000)
Stoltenberg I (2000–01)
Bondevik II (2001–05)
Stoltenberg II (2005–2013