Norwegian mining in the early modern period

Abstract

The growth of Norwegian mining industry was part of the modernization process that constituted the early modern period in European history. Mining introduced industrial capitalism in Norway, with machines, division of labour, wage-earning and production for profit, social classes of proletarians and capitalists. For Norway then, mining played an important part in the mercantilist economic policy of the early modern period, where growth of industry was an aim, and where statebuilding was looked upon as a mean, but also as a wanted result. Thus for Norway, the statebuilding process started before independence as a souvereign state was gained in 1814. In both these aspects, as an early industry and as an object of politics, institutions and bureaucracy, mining in Norway was heavily influenced by the Saxonian tradition.