As of 2008 Museum Tusculanum Press has taken over the series Monographs on Greenland | Meddelelser om Grønland. Manuscripts should be sent to: Museum Tusculanum Press University of Copenhagen 126 Njalsgade, DK-2300 Copenhagen S DENMARK [email protected] | www.mtp.dk Tel. +45 353 29109 | Fax +45 353 29113 VAT no.: 8876 8418 Guidelines for authors can be found at www.mtp.dk/MoG Orders Books can be purchased online at www.mtp.dk, via [email protected], through any of MTP’s distributors in the US, UK, and France or via online retailers and major booksellers. Museum Tusculanum Press bank details: Amagerbanken, DK-2300 Copenhagen S :: BIC: AMBK DK KK :: IBAN: DK10 5202 0001 5151 08 More information at www.mtp.dk/MoG About the series Monographs on Greenland | Meddelelser om Grønland (ISSN 0025 6676) has published scientific results from all fields of research on Greenland since 1878. The series numbers more than 345 volumes comprising more than 1250 titles. In 1979 Monographs on Greenland | Meddelelser om Grønland was developed into a tripartite series consisting of Bioscience (ISSN 0106-1054) Man & Society (ISSN 0106-1062) Geoscience (ISSN 0106-1046) Hence Monographs on Greenland | Meddelelser om Grønland was renumbered in 1979 ending with volume no. 206 and continued with volume no. 1 for each subseries. As of 2008 the original Monographs on Greenland | Meddelelser om Grønland numbering will be continued in addition to the subseries numbering. Further information about the series, including addresses of the scientific editors of the subseries can be found at www.mtp.dk/MoG Denmark-Greenland in the twentieth Century Denmark-Greenland in the twentieth Century Axel Kjær Sørensen Meddelelser om Grønland · Man & Society 34 Axel Kjær Sørensen: Denmark – Greenland in the twentieth Century. – Meddelelser om Grønland, Man and Society 34. Copenhagen, The Commission for Scientific Research in Greenland, 2006. © 2006 by The Commission for Scientific Research in Greenland Publishing editor Kirsten Caning Printed by Special-Trykkeriet Viborg a-s No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the copyright owners. Front cover: The South Greenland provincial council in session 1939. Photo Arctic Institute. Scientific Editor: Hans Christian Gulløv, National Museum of Denmark, Frederiksholms Kanal 12, DK-1220 Copenhagen K, Denmark. Phone (+ 45) 3313 4411, fax (+ 45) 3347 3322, email [email protected] About the monographic series Meddelelser om Grønland Meddelelser om Grønland, which is Danish for Monographs on Greenland, has published scientific results from all fields of research in Greenland since 1879. Since 1979 each publication is assigned to one of the three subseries: Man & Society, Geoscience, and Bioscience. This publication is no. 34 in the series Man & Society. Man & Society publishes papers that contribute significantly to studies in Greenland concerning human beings, in research fields such as anthropology, archaeology, arts, economics, education, ethnology, history, law, linguistics, medicine, psychology, religion, social science. Papers dealing with borderline subjects as for instance exploitation of natural resources and environmental research may be referred to one of the series Bioscience, Geoscience, or Man and Society according to what is considered appropriate from an editorial point of view. For more information and a list of publications, please visit the web site of the Danish Polar Center http://www.dpc.dk All correspondence concerning this book or the series Meddelelser om Grønland should be sent to: Danish Polar Center Strandgade 100 H DK-1401 Copenhagen Denmark tel +45 3288 0100 fax +45 3288 0101n email [email protected] Accepted July 2006 ISSN 0106-1062 ISBN 978-87-90369-89-7 Chapter 1 Contents Preface 9 Faroese fishing in Greenlandic waters 54 The Negotiations in 1939 59 Greenland before 1900 11 Changes in traditional Greenlandic society 15 The Second World War 62 Growth in population 15 Towards the War 62 Occupation 16 The Situation for Greenland in April 1940 62 Greenlandic society at the turn of the century 16 The relations with Kauffmann and the United States 63 The agreement on bases, 1941 65 Years of reform 1900-1912 20 Supplies and sale 66 Greenland enters struggle between political parties in Greenlandic production 69 Denmark 20 The Administration 71 Turbulence in Greenland 22 The Provincial Councils 71 The Act of 1905 concerning church and education The press 73 in Greenland 23 Schools 74 The Governing Act of 1908 24 A political incident 74 The preparatory work, 1903-07 24 East Greenland 76 Economic issues 26 Back in Denmark 78 The terms of the Act 27 The revision of 1912 31 The immediate postwar years 80 Positions in the summer of 1945 80 The Daugaard-Jensen period, 1912-1940 33 The Negotiations in 1946 86 Population growth and employment 34 Criticism and tensions, 1946-1948 90 Change in the Economy 35 The Americans in Greenland 93 Fishery 36 The fishermen in Esbjerg 94 Sheep breeding 38 Other social developments 39 The reform of 1950 96 Cultural Developments 41 The Start in the Permanent Greenland Committee 96 The Greenlandic debate 41 Meeting the provincial council 98 Peqatigiinniat 42 The Great Greenland Commission 101 Schools 43 Settlements and investments 102 Teaching Danish in the schools 44 Political and administrative reform 102 Political Development 47 Education and cultural issues 103 Provincial councils 47 Health care 104 More Legislation 1925 48 Economy and business 105 The Preparations in Greenland 48 Qaanaaq and the East Coast 107 The 1920 committee 49 Making the suggestions into laws 107 The Passing of the Governing Act 50 The abolition of Greenland’s colonial status 108 The Act on Hunting and Fishing 52 The 1926 law on Old Age Pensions in The development in the 1950s 111 Greenland 53 The Labour market 112 The quarrel with Norway over East Greenland 53 Health care 113 5 CONTENTS Education 114 The Political Parties 164 Housing 115 Politics 164 Primary production 115 The concentration policy 164 The impact of the modernization on Greenland 117 Leaving the EEC 167 The reaction in Greenland 117 The Greenlandic flag 168 The political debate 120 A brief review of the situation in 2000 168 Faroese fishing in Greenlandic waters 120 Epilogue 169 The concentration policy 121 Appendix 1 Adjusting the course 124 Governors and High Commissioners in The Greenland Committee of 1960 124 Greenland 170 Greenlandic reaction in public 130 Changing attitude to integration 132 Appendix 2 School Policy 133 The Provincial Councils 1911-1979 171 The teachers 133 Privatisation and Self Government 134 Appendix 3 Greenlandic reactions outside the provincial Home Rule Parliament 1979-2000 (Grønlands council 135 Landsting) 178 The debate in parliament 136 The Holsteinsborg Conference 139 Appendix 4 Home Rule Government 182 The road to home rule 142 Voting on the Common Market 143 Appendix 5 The Greenlandic Home Rule committee 146 Members of the Permanent Greenland Committee Home Rule negotiations in the commission 147 1925-1963 (Grønlandsudvalget) 184 Mineral resources 149 Membership of EEC 150 Appendix 6 Implementation of the Home Rule 1979 151 Members of the Greenland Council 1964-1979 (Grønlandsrådet) 185 A more Greenlandic Greenland 152 The population 152 Appendix 7 The economy 153 Members of the Danish Parliament elected by Fishing 153 Greenland 186 Hunting 153 Mining 155 Appendix 8 Other occupations on land 156 Ministers for Greenland 187 The companies 157 The Greenlandic finance 161 References 188 The Block Grant 161 The Balance of Trade 162 Index 193 6 List of figures 1. Kayaks carried over the ice 13 2. Nuuk 1910 14 3. Danes in Nuuk 1915 17 4. A Greenlandic pasture 25 5. South Greenland Provincial Council 1911 30 6. Municipal Council in Nuuk 1927 31 7. Jens Daugaard-Jensen 33 8. Greenland halibut 34 9. Piles of dried and salted cod 35 10. Class room in a settlement 1936 43 11. King Christian X in Nuuk 1921 46 12. Ships anchored in Faroese Harbour 1930 55 13. Sheep farm 1936 68 14. Fishing from rowing boat 70 15. South Greenland Provincial Council 1939 72 16. US Coast Guard Combat Cutter Eastwind 1944 76 17. Base Blui West One 1945 77 18. Eske Brun and C.F. Simonÿ 81 19. Augo and Frederik Lynge 112 20. Helicopter in health service 113 21. Class room in a settlement 1961 114 22. A warehouse 2006 154 23. Royal Arctic Line carrier 157 24. Aircraft in Kangerlussuaq 158 25. Ilisimatusarfik 159 26. The old harbour in Nuuk 2003 160 27. Cargo on the quay in Uummannaq 161 28. The Greenland Flag 168 List of tables 1. Population of West Greenland (except Thule), 1789-1901 15 2. Occupation of Greenlanders (%) 16 3. Europeans Jobs Occupied by Greenlanders (%) 16 4. Population of Greenland 1901-38 (-Thule) (with Danish growth rate for comparison) 35 5. Greenlanders by occupation 1911-1945 (%) 35 6. Proportion of Greenlanders in European occupations 1911-30 (mining excluded) 36 7. Proportion of Greenlanders in colonial service, 1911-45 36 8. Building of fish processing plants in Greenland 1910-1939 38 9. Settlements by size of population 38 10. Distribution of money income by kind among the Greenlanders 39 11. Lending from the Greenlandic funds to house building and business equipment 40 7 12. Health sector in Greenland 40 13. School and church staff in Western Greenland, 1910-37 43 14. Issues raised in the Provincial Councils by members (%) 47 15. Provincial council members by occupation, 1911-39 47 16. Imports by countries (tons) 67 17. Total Yearly Landings of Cod (tons, whole fresh fish) 69 18. Funds collected in Greenland during the war 79 19. Type of Family houses in the building programme of 1950 104 20. Mortality 1950 and 1960 114 21. Development in education 115 22. Government investment in Greenland 1948/49-1958 116 23.