National Legion (Norway)

National Legion
Den Nationale Legion
Leader Karl Meyer
Founded 1927
Dissolved 1928
Newspaper Nationalfascisten
Ideology Fascism
Political position Far-right

The National Legion (Norwegian: Den nasjonale legion, archaic Norwegian: Den Nationale Legion) was a short-lived fascist[1] political party in Norway led by Karl Meyer, in existence from 1927–28.

History

The party, Norway's first fascist party, was founded at a public meeting at a circus, Cirkus Verdensteatret, in Oslo in May 1927. The event was hosted by Karl Norbeck, "Norway's strongest man". The party was led by Karl Meyer, a businessman and stock trader with a history of fraud cases.[1] Author and social commentator Erling Winsnes was another leading figure.[2]

Influenced by Italian Fascism,[3][4] Meyer sought a "March on Oslo", with a parade of "100.000 farmers" that would make "the walls of Jericho crumble".[5] The party however failed to mobilise much beyond Oslo's bourgeois West End.[1] It ran a list in Oslo for the 1927 parliamentary election,[6] but did not win any representation with 1,210 votes, about 1% of the vote in Oslo and 0.1% nationwide.[7] Besides meetings at the circus, the party had little impact, and was dissolved in early 1928 amid internal conflicts and public brawls.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Helle, Idar (26 September 2015). "Fascisme i sirkusteltet". Klassekampen (in Norwegian).
  2. ↑ "Da fascismen kom til Norge" (in Norwegian). Dreyer.
  3. ↑ Brevig, Hans Olaf (1970). NS - fra parti til sekt 1933-37. Pax. p. 12.
  4. ↑ Høidal, Oddvar (1988). Quisling: en studie i landssvik. Universitetsforlaget. p. 105. ISBN 8200184013.
  5. ↑ Nævestad, Espen (2010). "«[h]vor en fast haand og en vilje faar lov til at raade» – vurdering av den italienske fascismen blant borgerlige i Norge 1922–28" (PDF). Fortid. University of Oslo: 67. ISSN 1504-1913.
  6. ↑ ""Da fascismen kom til Norge"" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Center for Studies of Holocaust and Religious Minorities. 25 September 2015.
  7. ↑ Stortingsvalget 1927 (PDF) (in Norwegian). Statistics Norway. 1928. p. 114.

Further reading

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