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Norway's 20th Century History
Home » Norway » Norway Overview and History » Norway's 20th Century HistoryNorway was a neutral country during World War I and attempted to claim neutrality during World War II but was invaded by German forces on the 9th of April 1940. King Håkon set up a government in exile and placed most of Norway's huge merchant fleet under the command of the Allies. An active Resistance movement fought persistently against the Nazis, who responded by devastating nearly every town and village in northern Norway during their retreat. The royal family returned at the end of the war.
The occupation during World War II disturbed the Norwegians’ confidence in neutrality, and they turned instead to collective security. Norway was one of the signatories of the North Atlantic Treaty in 1949 and was a founding member of the United Nations, providing its first secretary general, Trygve Lie.
Norway has twice voted against joining the European Union but in 1960 joined the European Free Trade Association but has been reluctant to forge closer bonds with other nations, partly due to concerns about its ability to preserve small-scale farming and fishing. North Sea oil and natural gas finds brought prosperity to the country in the 1970s, as left-wing governments over two decades promoted increased central planning, economic controls, socialized medicine, state-sponsored higher education, and what the government represents as the most unrestricted social democracy in western Europe. Norway has since achieved one of the highest standards of living in the world.
Resources:
WWW.VISITNORWAY.COM
WWW.NORWAY.ORG
WWW.LONELYPLANET.COM
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