Independence and the War that was not

In dissolving the union, the Norwegian Storting unilaterally declared on 7 June 1905:

WHEREAS, All the members of the council of state have laid down their offices; Whereas, His Majesty the King, has declared himself unable to establish a new government for the country;

and Whereas, The constitutional regal power thus becomes imperative, the Storting authorizes the members of the council of state who retired today to exercise until further notice as the Norwegian government the power appertaining to the king in accordance with Norway's constitution and existing laws, with those changes which are necessitated by the fact that the union with Sweden under one king is dissolved in consequence of the king having ceased to act as Norwegian king.¹⁹⁷

Oscar II had taken ill and had passed the regency to his son and heir apparent, Gustav, who had been a resolute adherent of the union. Yet, he would, after having visited Christiania in the winter of 1905, change his mind.

Having witnessed the realpolitikal state of Norway, he would show versatility as well as heed his father, Oscar II’s, advice in dealing with the future of the union: “Rather dissolution of the union than war with Norway. Rather keep the

195 Barton, Sweden and Visions of Norway: Politics and Culture, 1814-1905. 80

196 Fuglum, Norge I Støpeskjeen. 77

197 "Unionsoppløsningen 1905 "Heldre Ut Ur Unionen äN Krig Med Norge." / Dissolution Fo the Union 1905 "Rather out of the Union Than War with Norway"."

English translation: "The Dissolution of the Union of Norway and Sweden," The American Journal of International Law 1, no. 2 (1907),

http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/2186173.

Swedish Throne with honor, than lose the double-monarchy in shame."¹⁹⁸ The dissolution would not come about without any conditions. The conditions were that 1) Norway would have to hold a plebiscite to show it was not the will of political radicals, and 2) that there would be held negotiations relating to the practicalities of the dissolution.¹⁹⁹ For the plebiscite, approximately 85%—of those who could—voted and gave a majority for independence by 367149 to 184. With a heavy heart Oscar II accepted the result and Norway was independent. The resulting negotiations took place at Karlstad, Sweden. The movement of peoples, and especially the Sámi in the north, who move across the border with their reindeer herds, were settled, yet military matters were to dominate; Norway had been preoccupied building fortifications along the Swedish border, all of which were to be destroyed and thereby demilitarizing the border between the two countries.²⁰⁰ And most importantly, principles for resolutions of future conflicts were formulated. “This final event of 1905, the first large step in the direction of deepening and broadening the path to a fuller integration than had ever existed under the union, symbolized a pledge by the two peoples of a ‘no-war’ community.”²⁰¹ Which in turn made healing

198 Translation of: “Heller ut av unionen enn krig med Norge, var Oscars råd.

Heller bevare den svenske tronen med heder, enn tape hele dobbeltmonarkiet med skam.” "Unionsoppløsningen 1905 "Heldre Ut Ur Unionen äN Krig Med Norge." / Dissolution Fo the Union 1905 "Rather out of the Union Than War with Norway"."

199 As conditions, these two were not unreasonable in the least, and in the long run would only be beneficial for the relationship between Norway and Sweden:

“Sweden’s decision to accept Norway’s secession from the union was the

opening gambit—the initial act of unilateral accommodation—that was to develop into the practice of reciprocal restraint and ultimately lead to the onset of lasting rapprochement … both conditions were meant to ensure that dissolution be a product of mutual consent rather than unilateral action.” Charles A Kupchan, How Enemies Become Friends: The Sources of Stable Peace (Princeton University Press, 2010). 114

200 Ibid. 115

201 Lindgren, Norway-Sweden: Union, Disunion, and Scandinavian Integration.

209

the wounds of 1905 all the easier as the threats to peace and security were removed.²⁰²

On the question of the future of Norway’s governmental system, a continuation of a constitutional monarchy was favored. As a reconciliatory measure, Norway offered the crown to Oscar II’s third son Prince Carl, an offer which was declined. Instead Norway elected Prince Carl of Denmark to the crown. He took the name Haakon VII of Norway continuing the line of Viking kings, of which the last to reign in Norway had been Haakon VI (reign:

1343-1380). His son Olav V, who took the name of the last Norwegian King, Olav IV, whose reign ended with the Kalmar Union between Norway and Denmark. Olav V would marry the daughter of Prince Carl of Sweden, the very same Prince who was offered the Norwegian Crown in 1905.

The union was essentially aimed at greater geo-political weight, and the Norwegians retained their own administration in all matters but foreign policy … There were two small states with no obvious gains to make from war. If left alone they would instead be most likely to pursue defensive foreign policies aiming at neutrality (Labs, 1992) which indeed is what happened. They had no real border disputes nor any issues of irredentism which otherwise could have caused war. Significantly, after 1905 there were no more close calls but instead a growing co-operation between the two countries, and several instances confirming the ability to resolve their few outstanding disagreements through negotiation and arbitration. ²⁰³

In Karlstad, there is a peace monument as a symbol representing the ensuing peace after the dissolution of the union between Norway and Sweden. It was erected in 1955, fifty years after the disunion. The statue is of a woman standing with one foot placed on the top of a dead soldier’s head, while holding a broken sword above her. The symbolism emphasizes an almost aggressive detestation against war. It has a plaque with the inscription

202 Ibid.

203 Archer and Joenniemi, The Nordic Peace. 25 [Author’s emphasis]

“Fredsmonument rest av Värmlänningar 1955; femtio år efter Svensk-norska Unionens fredliga Upplösning; Fejd föder folkhat; Fred främjar folkförståelse (Peace monument raised by the people of Värmland 1955; Fifty years after the Swedish-Norwegian Union’s peaceful dissolution; War breeds hatred between people; Peace fosters understanding between peoples). ²⁰⁴

204 Empathy is implied in folkförståelse.