Migration in Norway between 1865 and 1960: History, Directions, Numbers

Abstract

In historical demography, there are three major types of migration. Research carried out in Norway so far has concerned the study of emigration and immigration, but not internal migration which still lacks a deep analytical overview on the national level. However, the data found in censuses held every decade and church register books make it possible to carry out analysis of internal migration processes. This article analyses the information potential of sources and generalises some fundamental aspects of internal migration in Norway between 1865 and 1960. The research demonstrates that the main internal migration flows were from south to north. It is established that before 1920, most long-distance migrants were young men while women migrated short distances. Norway faced dramatic events related to geographic mobility during World War II when the Nazi authorities deported considerable groups of population. In 1942, they deported the whole population of Telavag, relocating women, children, and the elderly to the east, and grown men to concentration camps. Together with this, hundreds of Norwegian teachers were arrested and taken to perform penal labour in the northern town of Kirkenes. The most massive deportation of the population in Finnmark and Troms counties occurred during the German Army’s retreat in the autumn of 1944 during which fascists employed the tactics of scorched earth, which, according to the official version, was done in order to prevent the offensive of the Red Army. The research makes it possible to assess the scale of the deportation. The formation of the Central Population Register of Norway takes migration studies to a new level as it reflects all the dislocations which led to changes in people’s addresses. More particularly, transcribed data of the 1950 census make it possible to more accurately define the scale of migrations which took place as a result of the wartime devastation.