Rezensionen

Henning Grelle: Thorvald Stauning. Demokrati eller kaos. En biogra- fi. København: Jyllands-Postens Forlag 2008, 575 S.

Thorvald Stauning is one of the strongest The author is an insider on his topic. He early 20th century symbolic representa- is head of Arbejderbevægelsens Bibliotek tives of “Danishness” connected to the og Arkiv in , which has re- early development of the , of ceived significant and social social progress and of democratic culture. democratic backing. Grelle’s previous He was chairman of the social democratic works include aspects of from 1910 to 1939 and Prime Minis- and trade union development, but the ter 1924–25 and 1929–42. He embodies the Stauning biography is clearly his most am- period where the Danish social democratic bitious work. It has not been an easy book party became the largest political party and to write. Firstly, the amount of personal obtained government responsibility and sources left in Stauning’s personal archive where trade union movement and working and in other archives is limited. He did class organizations reached their highpoint. not write a diary and not many personal The social democrats largely represented letters have survived. Secondly, Stauning the urban working class but at the same was so influential for such a long time and time deliberately identified themselves with participated in such a broad range of im- and sought a broader basis as a folkeparti, a portant decisions that his biography tend people’s party. to be the history of the social democratic party, the political history of the govern- Several of the social democratic leaders ments he was heading and to some degree of secondary importance have had their also a political history from the years be- biographies written in recent years, while fore the First World War till the middle of Stauning has only been portrayed in con- the Second World War. temporary hagiographic biographies and the Stauning biography by Hans Lyngby The subtitle ”Democracy or chaos“ is a re- Jepsens (1979), which concentrated on formulation of the main social democratic his personal life. Henning Grelle’s biogra- election slogan from 1935: ”Stauning or phy focuses on Stauning’s political results chaos“. It placed Stauning as a reassuring and gives a thorough assessment of his po- symbol of stability in the tide of upheaval litical development and importance. caused by the economic crises, mass un-

152 NORDEUROPAforum 19 (2009:1) Rezensionen employment, and the challenges of Na- chance of success. Stauning’s close con- zism and . The reformulation tact to the SPD and especially to Friedrich points to Grelle’s main conclusion, that Ebert meant that his effort was seen as a Stauning’s political work was embedded German covered mediation attempt. It in his democratic understanding. He was was received with distrust not only in neither a visionary socialist, nor a great England but also in several neutral coun- agitator, but a clever organizer, industri- tries. ous, ambitious and a diligent networker and compromise maker. Obviously he was In 1929 Stauning became Prime Minister very influential in Danish politics over a in a social democratic and social liberal long period of time. This does not in itself , which was the basis account for his outstanding position in the for Stauning’s political effort until 1940. social democratic and national collective Until 1936 his government depended on memory. An explanation could be offered compromises with one of the bourgeois through the fact that the political and parties in the second chamber of Parlia- social challenges during the period in ment (landstinget), and he succeeded in which he was party leader and Prime getting a majority for several important Minister were so serious, and the overall parts of legislation. His most renowned results of tackling the challenges so legislative result in this period was the comparatively successful, that he became crisis reform packet named kanslergade- identified with these results. forliget. It was passed with the votes of the Liberal party () with mainly an Stauning was pragmatic throughout his agrarian membership. In Danish history it career. Among social democrats the first has often been seen as the ultimate com- years of the new century was dominated by promise between workers and farmers and discussions on whether social democrats therefore as a step towards the national wel- could take government responsibility with- fare state and a national and social recon- out having a majority. Stauning advocated ciliation between workers and farmers. Be- immediate government participation and cause the agreement was reached on in 1916 he became the first social de- January 30, 1933 it has been deliberately mocratic government minister in a war compared with the political development time coalition government. Henning in placing the Danish political Grelle gives a thorough account of development as a compromise-based de- Stauning’s attempt as a peacemaker dur- mocratic political culture on the road to- ing the First World War. He invested wards a welfare state. Grelle does not fol- considerable effort, but without much low this interpretation. More modestly he

NORDEUROPAforum 19 (2009:1) 153 Rezensionen places kanslergadeforliget as an ambitious policy of immediate adaptation was not crisis compromise which was made possi- blatantly different from the majority. But ble because both urban workers and farmers Stauning went further than most others by were equally hard hit by the depression. his general acceptance of more binding arrangements. Stauning’s role as a Prime Minister until his death in May 1942 during the occupa- Henning Grelle’s biography is an optimis- tion of has been disputed. Like tic history of social democratic progress many other Danish political leaders, he and a history of national and democratic expected a German victory and Denmark consensus. Stauning is placed prominently placed under long term German direct in- within this story. It is well-argued and fluence. Stauning spoke on March 8, 1941 well-documented, and a Stauning biogra- at the Student Club in Copenhagen with phy of this quality has been missing for a press coverage of the speech. He com- long time. It has been convincingly dem- mented on the vague German plans for a onstrated that most of his policy was New and showed considerable rather successful seen from a democratic willingness to both political and economic point of view and in many areas it was adaptation. It can be seen as Stauning’s integrating the working class in a broader last attempt to save his party, save the liv- national community. ing standard of the working class and at least some parts of national sovereignty. Stauning was the dominant Danish politi- Both contemporary public opinion and cal leader during ”the age of catastrophes”. later historians have explained the speech This denotation does not really cover very with his ill health and shaken psychologi- well when Denmark is seen in a European cal condition due to the occupation. This is context. The development from the turn of not convincing and could be seen as an the century till 1942 was generally peace- attempt to acquit him for his most blatant ful and few Danes were hit by catastro- expression of adaptation staining his long phes. Henning Grelle has convincingly term political results. Henning Grelle tries placed Stauning with a significant respon- to uphold Stauning’s political soundness in sibility for this. 1941 by reading his speech as a non- committal speech, but this is not really Palle Roslyng-Jensen (Copenhagen) convincing either. Compared with atti- tudes among most of the Danish popula- tion, Stauning’s expectations of the future for Danish democracy and support for a

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