The party was formed in March 1934 through a merger between the Icelandic Nationalist Movement (an anti-communist and anti-democraticginger group) and the Icelandic Nationalist Party (a politicized splinter group of the former formed in 1933).[1] The Nationalist Movement was loosely linked to the Independence Party and when the Nationalist Party was established many of its more conservative-minded adherents refused to join the new party.[2] This initial departure of the more moderate tendency ensured that the Nationalist Party proved more radical and extremist than either of its predecessor groups.[2] The party aimed to protect the ethnic identity of the Icelanders and believed in the supremacy of the Aryan race and anti-Semitism.[2] They supported agricultural reform and were sympathetic to corporatism, whilst looking for the government to invest in industrialization.[3] They also sought to abolish the Althing and replace it with a corporate parliament.[3] The party also rejected the left-right dichotomy and presented themselves as a radical alternative for Icelandic politics.[3] In all, they were more influenced by the ideas of Frits Clausen than those of Adolf Hitler[3] and there is no evidence to suggest any direct link to Nazi Germany.[4]
Adopting some of the militaristic trappings of fascism, the party organised a number of marching squads which paraded on May 1 carrying both the Icelandic flag and the swastika.[5] Members dressed in grey shirts and wore armbands decorated with a red swastika.[5] The party produced a newspaper Ísland (Iceland) and a periodical Mjölnir (named after Thor's hammer), although they did not adopt the führerprinzip associated with Nazism as the movement had four different leaders in its brief life.[5]
The Nationalist Party failed to gain representation, except on the University of Iceland Student Council, where they held one seat for four years running.[6] They did, however, gain attention in 1936 when they obtained a copy of the diary of the Minister of Finance and published details in Ísland.[5] The party offices were raided by police and a number of leading members arrested, although ultimately there were no convictions.[5] In general, however, they did not enjoy widespread support at any point in their existence, despite wide admiration for Nazi Germany in the island.[7] This was reflected in their electoral performances, with the party gaining 0.7% of the vote in the 1934 election and 0.2% in 1937.[2] Their best result was 2.8% in the 1934 municipal elections in Reykjavik.
The party, which never had more than 450 members, began to decline after the arrests.[4] 1938 was the last year in which the marching squads appeared, whilst the 1939 Aims of the Nationalist Party was their last major publication, apart from sporadic issues of Island.[4] They organised a debating club in Reykjavík during the winter of 1939-1940 although it had no impact and the party generally only met in local cells from then on.[4] Following the invasion of Iceland in 1940 the group was largely suppressed by the occupying Allies.[2] The party was formally disbanded in 1944 when German defeat looked inevitable.[4]
Ásgeir Guðmundsson, "Nazism in Iceland", S. U. Larsen, B. Hagtvet & J. P. Myklebust, Who Were the Fascists: Social Roots of European Fascism, Scandinavian University Press, Oslo, 1980. ISBN82-00-05331-8
^ abcdeValur Ingimundarson, "Iceland" in Cyprian Blamires, Paul Jackson (eds.), World Fascism: A Historical Encyclopedia, Volume 1, ABC-CLIO, 2006, p. 329
^Gudni Thorlacius Johannesson, The History of Iceland, ABC-CLIO, 2013, p. 89
January 07, 2023
nationalist, party, iceland, nationalist, party, icelandic, flokkur, Þjóðernissinna, minor, icelandic, political, party, that, espoused, limited, form, fascism, before, during, second, world, nationalist, partyfounded1934dissolved1944headquartersreykjavíknewsp. The Nationalist Party Icelandic Flokkur THjodernissinna was a minor Icelandic political party that espoused a limited form of fascism before and during the Second World War Nationalist PartyFounded1934Dissolved1944HeadquartersReykjavikNewspaperIslandMjolnirIdeologyCorporate statismIcelandic nationalism AntisemitismIndustrialismMilitarismAnti communismPolitical positionFar rightParty flagPolitics of IcelandPolitical partiesElectionsNationalist march in Reykjavik ca 1930s Contents 1 History 2 Election results 3 References 3 1 Bibliography 3 2 FootnotesHistory EditThe party was formed in March 1934 through a merger between the Icelandic Nationalist Movement an anti communist and anti democratic ginger group and the Icelandic Nationalist Party a politicized splinter group of the former formed in 1933 1 The Nationalist Movement was loosely linked to the Independence Party and when the Nationalist Party was established many of its more conservative minded adherents refused to join the new party 2 This initial departure of the more moderate tendency ensured that the Nationalist Party proved more radical and extremist than either of its predecessor groups 2 The party aimed to protect the ethnic identity of the Icelanders and believed in the supremacy of the Aryan race and anti Semitism 2 They supported agricultural reform and were sympathetic to corporatism whilst looking for the government to invest in industrialization 3 They also sought to abolish the Althing and replace it with a corporate parliament 3 The party also rejected the left right dichotomy and presented themselves as a radical alternative for Icelandic politics 3 In all they were more influenced by the ideas of Frits Clausen than those of Adolf Hitler 3 and there is no evidence to suggest any direct link to Nazi Germany 4 Adopting some of the militaristic trappings of fascism the party organised a number of marching squads which paraded on May 1 carrying both the Icelandic flag and the swastika 5 Members dressed in grey shirts and wore armbands decorated with a red swastika 5 The party produced a newspaper Island Iceland and a periodical Mjolnir named after Thor s hammer although they did not adopt the fuhrerprinzip associated with Nazism as the movement had four different leaders in its brief life 5 The Nationalist Party failed to gain representation except on the University of Iceland Student Council where they held one seat for four years running 6 They did however gain attention in 1936 when they obtained a copy of the diary of the Minister of Finance and published details in Island 5 The party offices were raided by police and a number of leading members arrested although ultimately there were no convictions 5 In general however they did not enjoy widespread support at any point in their existence despite wide admiration for Nazi Germany in the island 7 This was reflected in their electoral performances with the party gaining 0 7 of the vote in the 1934 election and 0 2 in 1937 2 Their best result was 2 8 in the 1934 municipal elections in Reykjavik The party which never had more than 450 members began to decline after the arrests 4 1938 was the last year in which the marching squads appeared whilst the 1939 Aims of the Nationalist Party was their last major publication apart from sporadic issues of Island 4 They organised a debating club in Reykjavik during the winter of 1939 1940 although it had no impact and the party generally only met in local cells from then on 4 Following the invasion of Iceland in 1940 the group was largely suppressed by the occupying Allies 2 The party was formally disbanded in 1944 when German defeat looked inevitable 4 Election results EditElection Votes Seats Position Government1934 363 0 70 0 49 0 6th Opposition1937 118 0 20 0 49 6th OppositionReferences EditBibliography Edit Asgeir Gudmundsson Nazism in Iceland S U Larsen B Hagtvet amp J P Myklebust Who Were the Fascists Social Roots of European Fascism Scandinavian University Press Oslo 1980 ISBN 82 00 05331 8Footnotes Edit Gundmundsson p 745 a b c d e Valur Ingimundarson Iceland in Cyprian Blamires Paul Jackson eds World Fascism A Historical Encyclopedia Volume 1 ABC CLIO 2006 p 329 a b c d Gudmundsson p 746 a b c d e Gudmundsson p 749 a b c d e Gudmundsson p 747 Gudmundsson p 748 Gudni Thorlacius Johannesson The History of Iceland ABC CLIO 2013 p 89 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Nationalist Party Iceland amp oldid 1118726001, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
