The Nordic Way Out

Abstract

During the Second World War the various Scandinavian countries found themselves in fundamentally different military and political positions. Denmark and Norway were occupied from 1940 till 1945; Sweden declared itself neutral during the war; Iceland was occupied by British forces in 1940 and proclaimed its independence in 1944; meanwhile Finland was engaged in two wars, the so-called Winter War against the Soviet Union (1939–40) and, with German help, the Continuation War against the Soviets (1941–4). Norway and Finland suffered immensely, while war damage in Sweden and Denmark was relatively limited. Hence, it is not surprising that the era of the Second World War cannot be treated in the same way for all the Scandinavian countries; the political and social differences are simply too great to allow such an approach. This essay focuses mainly on Denmark. One of the reasons is the interesting role of this country’s political and cultural elites during the German occupation and the years immediately after.¹ Special attention is paid to the author and cultural celebrity Martin A. Hansen (1909–55), whose works provide a good insight into the different positions and dilemmas of the Danish public and literary debate of the mid-1940s.

Während Ost und West sich drohend gegenüberstehen, hält die Schlacht der Ideologien die besten europäischen Köpfe in Bann.

(Klaus Mann, Die Heimsuchung des europäischen Geistes, 1949)