Arne Sørensen (2 October 1906 – 1 March 1978) was a Danish politician and author. He founded the

Danish Unity Danish Unity or Danish Collection () is a political party in Denmark, founded in 1936 by Arne Sørensen (politician), Arne Sørensen. In 1939 the National Unity party, established by Victor Pürschel in 1938, merged with the party. It contested e ...

party and was a

resistance fighter A resistance movement is an organized group of people that tries to resist or try to overthrow a government or an occupying power, causing disruption and unrest in civil order and stability. Such a movement may seek to achieve its goals through ei ...

during the

occupation of Denmark At the outset of World War II in September 1939, Denmark declared itself Neutral countries in World War II, neutral, but that neutrality did not prevent Nazi Germany from Military occupation, occupying the country soon after the outbreak of ...

. After World War II, Sørensen was a member of the

Danish Parliament The Folketing ( , ), 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 and Greenland. E ...

and Minister of Ecclesiastical Affairs.

Career

Arne Sørensen was a member of the

Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties Form ...

until 1936. He felt that the Cabinet of Stuning-Munch, which led the party, was parliamentary ineffective and was too sympathetic towards the

Government of Nazi Germany The government of Nazi Germany was a Totalitarianism, totalitarian dictatorship governed by Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party according to the . Nazi Germany was established in January 1933 with the appointment of Adolf Hitler as Chancellor of G ...

. In response, Sørensen left the party and created the anti-parliamentary Danish Unity party, of which he was chairman until 1946. During the German occupation of Denmark, Sørensen was an active resistance fighter in the Holger Danske group and in 1943 he became a key member of the

Danish Freedom Council The Danish Freedom Council () was a clandestine body set up in September 1943 in response to growing political turmoil surrounding the occupation of Denmark by German forces during the Second World War. Background Technically, Denmark was illeg ...

. After the war, he was appointed the Minister of Ecclesiastical Affairs and was an advisor to the US military government in Germany in 1948. In 1949, he largely left his political career behind and instead focused on his writing. Sørensen maintained liberal views on social policy and was a supporter of public pensions and compulsory child support. In the late 1960s, he was a supporter of the

European Federation A federal Europe, also referred to as the United States of Europe (USE) or a European federation, is a hypothetical scenario of European integration leading to the formation of a sovereign state, sovereign superstate (similar to the United Sta ...

and advocated for the creation of the

United States of Europe A federal Europe, also referred to as the United States of Europe (USE) or a European federation, is a hypothetical scenario of European integration leading to the formation of a sovereign superstate (similar to the United States of America), ...

. He authored an article in 1973 which argued for an expansion of immigration in Denmark in order to fuel the country's economy. Sørensen taught lectures in the United States in the later part of his life and frequently traveled between the two countries. He traveled broadly in Europe and the Americas until 1965, when he permanently moved back to Denmark.

Personal life

Sørensen was born in Hvalpsund to Karen Marie Nielsen and Christian Sørensen, a housekeeper. In 1931, he married Nina Sørensen, the daughter of Julius Rasmussen and Ingeborg Lumholdt. He died on March 1, 1978, and is buried at

Hellerup Cemetery Hellerup Cemetery ( Danish: Gellerup Kirkegård) is a cemetery in Hellerup in the northern suburbs of Copenhagen, Denmark. It is located on Bernstorffsvej and was inaugurated on 4 February 1912. The cemetery serves Gentofte Municipality and the no ...

Bibliography

* ''Spark og Kærtegn'' (1930) * ''Funktionalisme og Samfund'' (1933) * ''Det moderne Menneske'' (1936) * ''Frihed, Sandhed og Ret'' (1942) * ''Niels Jydes Breve'' (1946) * ''Mellem Øst og Vest'' (1950) * ''Fra Hollywood til Akropolis'' (1952) * ''Sønner af de slagne'' (1965) * ''Hvem styrer staten?'' (1970)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sorensen, Arne Danish resistance members Danish male writers 1978 deaths 1906 births Danish Unity politicians Ministers for ecclesiastical affairs of Denmark Burials at Hellerup Cemetery Holger Danske resistance group