Norwegian Fascism in a Transnational Perspective: The Influence of German National Socialism and Italian Fascism on the Nasjonal Samling, 1933–1936

Martin Kristoffer Hamre

doi:10.1163/22116257-00801003

Abstract

Following the transnational turn within fascist studies, this paper examines the role German National Socialism and Italian Fascism played in the transformation of the Norwegian fascist party Nasjonal Samling in the years 1933–1936. It takes the rivalry of the two role models as the initial point and focusses on the reception of Italy and Germany in the party press of the Nasjonal Samling. The main topics of research are therefore the role of corporatism, the involvement in the organization caur and the increasing importance of anti-Semitism. One main argument is that both indirect and direct German influence on the Nasjonal Samling in autumn 1935 led to a radicalization of the party and the endorsement of anti-Semitic attitudes. However, the Nasjonal Samling under leader Vidkun Quisling never prioritized Italo-German rivalry as such. Instead, it perceived itself as an independent national movement in the common battle of a European-wide phenomenon against its arch-enemies: liberalism and communism.

Highlights

Following the transnational turn within fascist studies, this paper examines the role German National Socialism and Italian Fascism played in the transformation of the Norwegian fascist party Nasjonal Samling in the years 1933–1936
As Salvatore Garau argued, ‘Italy’s corporate state, with its unions subject to a strong state, provided inspiration for the NS as it drafted its own brand of corporatism.’[42]. Corporative ideas presented in several articles of the manifesto and the party press illustrated that the NS, at least economically, took Italian Fascism as a role model in 1934.43 Like many other right-wing movements, the NS was clearly inspired by the ‘corporist moment’ of the interwar period.[44]
Based on systematic research on the Italo-German reception in the NS press in the period 1933-1936, I argue that certain transnational issues that were subject of the Italo-German rivalry such as corporatism, the involvement in the international organization caur and the role of anti-Semitism, were decisive in the transformation of the NS, leading to a radicalization of the party due to its endorsement of anti-Semitic and Nordic-racist attitudes

Summary

Introduction

As Salvatore Garau argued, ‘Italy’s corporate state, with its unions subject to a strong state, provided inspiration for the NS as it drafted its own brand of corporatism.’[42] Corporative ideas presented in several articles of the manifesto and the party press illustrated that the NS, at least economically, took Italian Fascism as a role model in 1934.43 Like many other right-wing movements, the NS was clearly inspired by the ‘corporist moment’ of the interwar period.[44] Thereafter, it adapted the idea of a corporative chamber, which had been established in Italy in 1928, into the Norwegian context – renamed under the Old Norse name Riksting in July 1934.45 This Riksting as a voluntary corporative organization was a self-experiment on its own and more than a mere imitation from Italy, especially since

Results

Conclusion