He received his degree in 1940, the same year that Denmark was invaded by Nazi Germany.[1] During the German occupation, Krag worked as a civil servant in a Danish government agency and became a leading economic advisor to the labour movement, as well as a protégé of prominent social democrat and future prime minister Hans Hedtoft.[1]
Political career
In 1944, Krag began his political career as the secretary of a program committee set up by the Social Democratic Party, as it prepared itself for politics in the postwar period.[1] Under his leadership, the committee developed the new party program "Denmark of the Future" (Fremtidens Danmark), which presented proposals for nationalisation and notions of Keynesian economics and economic democracy.[1] Despite the party's poor performance in the first postwar election in 1945, Krag and the new party program of the Social Democrats achieved notoriety in Danish politics.[1]
Member of Folketing
Krag was elected to Parliament (Folketing) in 1947 and was appointed Minister of Commerce. He supported the strengthening of the Danish military and Danish membership of NATO in 1949.
In 1950 Krag resigned from Parliament partially due to a conflict with Vilhelm Buhl and H. C. Hansen and, in order to become more fluent in the English language and see more of the world, requested a position at the Danish embassy in the United States.[2] He received the position, and was in America until 1953 when he was re-elected to parliament and became a minister without portfolio. He was minister of the new department of foreign economic affairs from 1953 until 1958 and Foreign Minister from 1958 until 1962.
Prime Minister
In September 1962 he succeeded Viggo Kampmann as Prime Minister and leader of the Danish Social Democratic Party. He was Prime Minister until February 1968 when the Social Democrats lost power. He became Prime Minister again in 1971 when his party returned to power. Less than a year into his first term as prime minister, the opposition held a referendum which rejected a set of land laws already passed by Krag's government.
During his second term as Prime Minister, Krag campaigned particularly for European cooperation and unity.[2] He sponsored a referendum for Denmark to join the European Economic Community. In 1972 the referendum passed, but the nation was divided over the issue, and Krag resigned, claiming that he had become tired of politics. His last role in public life was as the European Common Market representative to the United States from 1974 until 1975.
In social policy, a number of progressive reforms were implemented during Krag's time as Prime Minister. Under the New Care of Children and Juveniles Act of May 1964, local child and juvenile welfare committees were authorized to grant cash benefits to certain families with children, to avoid placing children in the care of the Municipal Social Welfare Offices. New criteria for day-care institutions stressing social, educational, and therapeutic aspects were also introduced, and municipalities were obliged to provide facilities for day-care and other related services. Under the Employment Service and Unemployment Insurance Act of February 1967, unemployment benefits were raised and indexed to the official wage index and waiting times were abolished. In addition, an accident insurance act of December 1964 indexed benefits. The Basic Education Act of April 1972 extended compulsory basic education from 7 to 9 years.[3] while A law passed in June 1972 introduced a new scheme for daily cash benefits in cases of sickness and maternity.[4] In 1964, a supplementary pension scheme was established,[5] together with universal child allowances in 1967.[6]
Legacy
In Denmark, Krag is widely recognized as one of the greatest Danish politicians of all time.[2] He was in the front line of politics for 25 years, holding high ministerial offices for most of that time. He managed to raise Denmark's profile on the world stage, striking up strong relationships with fellow European leaders as well as American presidents Kennedy and Johnson. His list of political achievements is also one of the most impressive, overseeing one of the longest periods of economic expansion in Danish history. However, his largest achievement, and the one he himself was most proud of, was taking Denmark into the European Economic Community in 1973. With that task accomplished he felt he could retire at a high point.
Krag was at one and the same time one of the most charismatic and withdrawn Danish politicians ever. He never enjoyed the attention to which he had to subject himself, and many people found him rather arrogant. According to his most thorough (and quite sympathetic) biographer (Bo Lidegaard, Krag I-II, 2001/2002) he never truly settled into the role as a politician, always considering himself on the way 'to somewhere else'.[7] He had always dreamed of holding the position of governor of the National Bank of Denmark. Only when he had definitively quit politics in 1972 did he realise that he would not be able to achieve this goal.
Krag had a difficult private life. He was married twice and had a son (Jens Christian born 1960) and a daughter, Astrid Helene "Søsser" (1962–2014), by his second wife, the famous actress Helle Virkner, but also another child outside of wedlock. Both his marriages ended in divorce, largely due to his own infidelity. During his time in politics, he already struggled with alcoholism, an addiction that became more pronounced after his retirement. He died of heart failure in Skiveren, Denmark at the age of 63.
^ abcSkou, Kaare R. (2005). Dansk politik A-Å(in Danish). Aschehoug, pp. 404-405. ISBN87-11-11652-8.
^Growth to Limits: The Western European Welfare States Since World War II, Volume 4 edited by Peter Flora
^Flora, P. (1986). Growth to Limits: The Western European Welfare States Since World War II. Vol. 3. W. de Gruyter. p. 203. ISBN9783110111330. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
^Leibfried, S.; Bonoli, G. (2001). Welfare State Futures. Cambridge University Press. p. 97. ISBN9780521005128. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
^Sainsbury, D. (2012). Welfare States and Immigrant Rights: The Politics of Inclusion and Exclusion. OUP Oxford. p. 106. ISBN9780199654789. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
^Lidegaard, Bo (2001). Jens Otto Krag - 1914–1961(in Danish). Gyldendal. ISBN978-87-02-02203-2.
^Krøniken 2013-04-16 at the Wayback Machine - DR.dk. (in Danish) Retrieved 13 February 2012.
^Mette Hjort (1 September 2011). Lone Scherfig's Italian for Beginners. University of Washington Press. p. 14. ISBN978-0-295-80196-4.
^Politiken, "Folkekirken har brug for frisind", August 19, 2012. "De socialdemokratiske statsministre Stauning, Hedtoft, H.C. Hansen og J. O. Krag var ateister og ikke medlemmer af folkekirken". "The Danish prime ministers Stauning, Hedtoft, H.C. Hansen and J.O. Krag were atheists and not members of the Church of Denmark".
Further reading
Wilsford, David, ed. Political leaders of contemporary Western Europe: a biographical dictionary (Greenwood, 1995) pp. 253–59.
jens, otto, krag, danish, pronunciation, ˈjens, ˈʌtsʰo, ˈkʰʁɑˀw, september, 1914, june, 1978, danish, politician, served, prime, minister, denmark, from, 1962, 1968, from, 1971, 1972, leader, social, democrats, from, 1962, 1972, president, nordic, council, 197. Jens Otto Krag Danish pronunciation ˈjens ˈʌtsʰo ˈkʰʁɑˀw 15 September 1914 22 June 1978 was a Danish politician who served as prime minister of Denmark from 1962 to 1968 and from 1971 to 1972 and as leader of the Social Democrats from 1962 to 1972 He was president of the Nordic Council in 1971 Jens Otto KragKrag in the 1960s18th Prime Minister of DenmarkIn office 11 October 1971 5 October 1972MonarchsFrederick IX Margrethe IIPreceded byHilmar BaunsgaardSucceeded byAnker JorgensenIn office 3 September 1962 2 February 1968MonarchFrederick IXPreceded byViggo KampmannSucceeded byHilmar BaunsgaardLeader of the Social DemocratsIn office 1962 1972Preceded byViggo KampmannSucceeded byAnker JorgensenMinister of Industry Commerce and SeafareIn office 13 November 1947 16 September 1950Prime MinisterHans HedtoftPreceded byAxel KristensenSucceeded byH C HansenMinister of Foreign AffairsIn office 28 November 1966 1 October 1967Prime MinisterHimselfPreceded byPer HaekkerupSucceeded byHans TaborIn office 8 October 1958 3 September 1962Prime MinisterH C Hansen Viggo KampmannPreceded byH C HansenSucceeded byPer HaekkerupMinister without PortfolioIn office 30 September 1953 31 October 1953Prime MinisterHans HedtoftPreceded byNew officeSucceeded byOffice abolishedMinister of Economy and WorkIn office 31 October 1953 28 May 1957Prime MinisterHans Hedtoft H C HansenPreceded byNew officeSucceeded byOffice abolishedMinister for Foreign Financial AffairsIn office 8 October 1958 3 September 1962Prime MinisterH C Hansen Viggo KampmannPreceded byNew officeSucceeded byOffice abolishedPresident of the Nordic CouncilIn office 1 January 1971 31 December 1971Preceded bySigurdur BjarnasonSucceeded byV J SukselainenMember of the FolketingIn office 1947 1950In office 1953 1973Personal detailsBorn 1914 09 15 15 September 1914Randers DenmarkDied22 June 1978 1978 06 22 aged 63 Skiveren DenmarkPolitical partySocial DemocratsSpouse s Birgit Tengroth m 1950 div 1952 wbr Helle Virkner m 1959 div 1973 wbr Children2Alma materUniversity of Copenhagen Contents 1 Early life and career 2 Political career 2 1 Member of Folketing 2 2 Prime Minister 3 Legacy 4 Private life 5 References 6 Further readingEarly life and career EditKrag was born in Randers Jutland on 15 September 1914 into the impoverished family of a tobacconist 1 He attended the local gymnasium and as a teenager joined the Social Democratic Youth of Denmark the youth wing of the Social Democratic Party 1 In 1933 Krag began studying economics at the University of Copenhagen During this period he emerged as an active journalist and teacher in the labour movement and became acquainted with the leadership of the Social Democrats and the trade unions 1 He received his degree in 1940 the same year that Denmark was invaded by Nazi Germany 1 During the German occupation Krag worked as a civil servant in a Danish government agency and became a leading economic advisor to the labour movement as well as a protege of prominent social democrat and future prime minister Hans Hedtoft 1 Political career EditIn 1944 Krag began his political career as the secretary of a program committee set up by the Social Democratic Party as it prepared itself for politics in the postwar period 1 Under his leadership the committee developed the new party program Denmark of the Future Fremtidens Danmark which presented proposals for nationalisation and notions of Keynesian economics and economic democracy 1 Despite the party s poor performance in the first postwar election in 1945 Krag and the new party program of the Social Democrats achieved notoriety in Danish politics 1 Member of Folketing Edit Krag was elected to Parliament Folketing in 1947 and was appointed Minister of Commerce He supported the strengthening of the Danish military and Danish membership of NATO in 1949 In 1950 Krag resigned from Parliament partially due to a conflict with Vilhelm Buhl and H C Hansen and in order to become more fluent in the English language and see more of the world requested a position at the Danish embassy in the United States 2 He received the position and was in America until 1953 when he was re elected to parliament and became a minister without portfolio He was minister of the new department of foreign economic affairs from 1953 until 1958 and Foreign Minister from 1958 until 1962 Prime Minister Edit In September 1962 he succeeded Viggo Kampmann as Prime Minister and leader of the Danish Social Democratic Party He was Prime Minister until February 1968 when the Social Democrats lost power He became Prime Minister again in 1971 when his party returned to power Less than a year into his first term as prime minister the opposition held a referendum which rejected a set of land laws already passed by Krag s government During his second term as Prime Minister Krag campaigned particularly for European cooperation and unity 2 He sponsored a referendum for Denmark to join the European Economic Community In 1972 the referendum passed but the nation was divided over the issue and Krag resigned claiming that he had become tired of politics His last role in public life was as the European Common Market representative to the United States from 1974 until 1975 In social policy a number of progressive reforms were implemented during Krag s time as Prime Minister Under the New Care of Children and Juveniles Act of May 1964 local child and juvenile welfare committees were authorized to grant cash benefits to certain families with children to avoid placing children in the care of the Municipal Social Welfare Offices New criteria for day care institutions stressing social educational and therapeutic aspects were also introduced and municipalities were obliged to provide facilities for day care and other related services Under the Employment Service and Unemployment Insurance Act of February 1967 unemployment benefits were raised and indexed to the official wage index and waiting times were abolished In addition an accident insurance act of December 1964 indexed benefits The Basic Education Act of April 1972 extended compulsory basic education from 7 to 9 years 3 while A law passed in June 1972 introduced a new scheme for daily cash benefits in cases of sickness and maternity 4 In 1964 a supplementary pension scheme was established 5 together with universal child allowances in 1967 6 Legacy EditIn Denmark Krag is widely recognized as one of the greatest Danish politicians of all time 2 He was in the front line of politics for 25 years holding high ministerial offices for most of that time He managed to raise Denmark s profile on the world stage striking up strong relationships with fellow European leaders as well as American presidents Kennedy and Johnson His list of political achievements is also one of the most impressive overseeing one of the longest periods of economic expansion in Danish history However his largest achievement and the one he himself was most proud of was taking Denmark into the European Economic Community in 1973 With that task accomplished he felt he could retire at a high point Krag was at one and the same time one of the most charismatic and withdrawn Danish politicians ever He never enjoyed the attention to which he had to subject himself and many people found him rather arrogant According to his most thorough and quite sympathetic biographer Bo Lidegaard Krag I II 2001 2002 he never truly settled into the role as a politician always considering himself on the way to somewhere else 7 He had always dreamed of holding the position of governor of the National Bank of Denmark Only when he had definitively quit politics in 1972 did he realise that he would not be able to achieve this goal In the Danish TV series Kroniken 2004 2006 he was portrayed by the actor Lars Mikkelsen 8 9 Private life EditKrag had a difficult private life He was married twice and had a son Jens Christian born 1960 and a daughter Astrid Helene Sosser 1962 2014 by his second wife the famous actress Helle Virkner but also another child outside of wedlock Both his marriages ended in divorce largely due to his own infidelity During his time in politics he already struggled with alcoholism an addiction that became more pronounced after his retirement He died of heart failure in Skiveren Denmark at the age of 63 He was an atheist 10 References Edit a b c d e f g h Mogens N Pedersen 1995 JENS OTTO KRAG In David Wilsford ed Political Leaders of Contemporary Western Europe A Biographical Dictionary Greenwood Publishing Group ISBN 9780313286230 a b c Skou Kaare R 2005 Dansk politik A A in Danish Aschehoug pp 404 405 ISBN 87 11 11652 8 Growth to Limits The Western European Welfare States Since World War II Volume 4 edited by Peter Flora Flora P 1986 Growth to Limits The Western European Welfare States Since World War II Vol 3 W de Gruyter p 203 ISBN 9783110111330 Retrieved 8 January 2017 Leibfried S Bonoli G 2001 Welfare State Futures Cambridge University Press p 97 ISBN 9780521005128 Retrieved 8 January 2017 Sainsbury D 2012 Welfare States and Immigrant Rights The Politics of Inclusion and Exclusion OUP Oxford p 106 ISBN 9780199654789 Retrieved 8 January 2017 Lidegaard Bo 2001 Jens Otto Krag 1914 1961 in Danish Gyldendal ISBN 978 87 02 02203 2 Kroniken Archived 2013 04 16 at the Wayback Machine DR dk in Danish Retrieved 13 February 2012 Mette Hjort 1 September 2011 Lone Scherfig s Italian for Beginners University of Washington Press p 14 ISBN 978 0 295 80196 4 Politiken Folkekirken har brug for frisind August 19 2012 De socialdemokratiske statsministre Stauning Hedtoft H C Hansen og J O Krag var ateister og ikke medlemmer af folkekirken The Danish prime ministers Stauning Hedtoft H C Hansen and J O Krag were atheists and not members of the Church of Denmark Further reading EditWilsford David ed Political leaders of contemporary Western Europe a biographical dictionary Greenwood 1995 pp 253 59 Political officesPreceded byAxel Kristensen Trade Minister of Denmark13 November 1947 16 September 1950 Succeeded byH C HansenPreceded byNew office Minister without Portfolio of Denmark30 September 1953 31 October 1953 Succeeded byOffice abolishedPreceded byNew office Minister of Economy and Work of Denmark31 October 1953 28 May 1957 Succeeded byOffice abolishedPreceded byNew office Minister of Foreign Financial Affairs of Denmark28 May 1957 8 October 1958 Succeeded byOffice abolishedPreceded byHans Christian Hansen Foreign Minister of Denmark8 October 1958 3 September 1962 Succeeded byPer HaekkerupPreceded byViggo Kampmann Prime Minister of Denmark3 September 1962 2 February 1968 Succeeded byHilmar BaunsgaardPreceded byPer Haekkerup Foreign Minister of Denmark28 November 1966 1 October 1967 Succeeded byHans TaborPreceded byViggo Kampmann and Hilmar Baunsgaard Prime Minister of Denmark3 September 1962 2 February 1968 and 11 October 1971 5 October 1972 Succeeded byHilmar Baunsgaard and Anker JorgensenParty political officesPreceded byViggo Kampmann Leader of the Danish Social Democrats1962 1972 Succeeded byAnker Jorgensen Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Jens Otto Krag amp oldid 1135517403, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
