Emil Løvlien
Encyclopedia
Emil H. Løvlien was a Norwegian forest
worker, trade unionist and politician from Løten
. He represented the Labour Party
until the split in 1923, and the Communist Party
thereafter. He was the chairman of the Communist Party from 1946 to 1965, and served three terms in the Norwegian Parliament.
as the son of smallholder Herman Løvlien (1858–1941) and his wife Oline (1857–1932). He was the younger brother of Ole H. Løvlien
. Emil Løvlien attended secondary modern school from 1913, but left in 1914 to become a forest worker. In 1918 Løvlien joined the local branch of the trade union
, Norwegian Union of Forestry and Land Workers
. He also became involved in politics, and was selected as a member of the board of the local chapter of the Labour Party
.
In 1922 Løvlien was selected to the national board of the Union of Forestry and Land Workers. He was elected to serve in Løten municipal council, but left the board of the Labour Party chapter, only to return in 1923 as a board member of the local Communist Party
chapter. The Communist Party had split from the Labour Party in 1923, due to the latter's unwillingness to accept the Twenty-one Conditions
, leading to exclusion from the Comintern
. The next year, in 1924, Løvlien left the national board of the Union of Forestry and Land Workers, but began a two-year stint as board member of the Communist Party in Hedmark
.
In 1931, Løvlien was again elected to the municipal council. He was re-elected in 1934, and in the same year he became the party secretary of the Communist Party nationwide. Due to this position, he was also a member of the party's central committee, and served as a member of the board of the party newspaper Arbeideren
from 1934. From 1936 he was also a member of the party politburo. He left all positions in 1940, the year that Norway was invaded
by Nazi Germany
, and the Communist Party declared illegal.
, at the first elections after the liberation of Norway from German occupation
, Løvlien was elected to the Norwegian Parliament from Hedmark. He was a member of the Standing Committee of Finance and Customs and the Election Committee, served as Vice President of the Odelsting and as a representative to the Inter-Parliamentary Union. He also took over as party chairman of the Communist Party, in 1946.
Løvlien was not re-elected to Parliament in 1949
, but returned in 1953
and 1957
to serve two more terms. During both these terms he continued as a member of the Standing Committee of Finance and Customs and the Election Committee. He stood for re-election in 1961
, but lost out to Karen Grønn-Hagen
of the Centre Party
. The margin was extremely small by Norwegian standards; only 16 votes. As such Løvlien was the last member of parliament to be elected from the Communist Party ticket (Reidar T. Larsen
was elected in 1973
, but as a part of the Socialist Electoral League
).
Løvlien stepped down as chairman of the Communist Party in 1965. He continued as a member of Løten municipal council until his death. His brother Ole H. Løvlien became mayor
.
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
worker, trade unionist and politician from Løten
Løten
Løten is a municipality in Hedmark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Hedmarken. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Løten. The parish of Løiten was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 .-Name:The municipality is named after an old farm...
. He represented the Labour Party
Norwegian Labour Party
The Labour Party is a social-democratic political party in Norway. It is the senior partner in the current Norwegian government as part of the Red-Green Coalition, and its leader, Jens Stoltenberg, is the current Prime Minister of Norway....
until the split in 1923, and the Communist Party
Communist Party of Norway
The Communist Party of Norway is a political party in Norway without parliamentary representation. It was formed in 1923, following a split in the Norwegian Labour Party. The party played an important role in the resistance to German occupation during the Second World War, and experienced a brief...
thereafter. He was the chairman of the Communist Party from 1946 to 1965, and served three terms in the Norwegian Parliament.
Pre-war life and career
Emil Løvlien was born in LøitenLøten
Løten is a municipality in Hedmark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Hedmarken. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Løten. The parish of Løiten was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 .-Name:The municipality is named after an old farm...
as the son of smallholder Herman Løvlien (1858–1941) and his wife Oline (1857–1932). He was the younger brother of Ole H. Løvlien
Ole H. Løvlien
Ole H. Løvlien was a Norwegian politician for the Labour Party.He served as a deputy representative to the Norwegian Parliament from Hedmark during the term 1958–1961. On the local level he was a mayor of Løten....
. Emil Løvlien attended secondary modern school from 1913, but left in 1914 to become a forest worker. In 1918 Løvlien joined the local branch of the trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
, Norwegian Union of Forestry and Land Workers
Norwegian Union of Forestry and Land Workers
The Norwegian Union of Forestry and Land Workers was a trade union in Norway, organized under the national Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions.It was founded in 1927 after the Julussa Conflict, and experienced the Randsfjord Conflict from 1930 to 1935...
. He also became involved in politics, and was selected as a member of the board of the local chapter of the Labour Party
Norwegian Labour Party
The Labour Party is a social-democratic political party in Norway. It is the senior partner in the current Norwegian government as part of the Red-Green Coalition, and its leader, Jens Stoltenberg, is the current Prime Minister of Norway....
.
In 1922 Løvlien was selected to the national board of the Union of Forestry and Land Workers. He was elected to serve in Løten municipal council, but left the board of the Labour Party chapter, only to return in 1923 as a board member of the local Communist Party
Communist Party of Norway
The Communist Party of Norway is a political party in Norway without parliamentary representation. It was formed in 1923, following a split in the Norwegian Labour Party. The party played an important role in the resistance to German occupation during the Second World War, and experienced a brief...
chapter. The Communist Party had split from the Labour Party in 1923, due to the latter's unwillingness to accept the Twenty-one Conditions
Twenty-one Conditions
The Twenty-one Conditions, officially the Conditions of Admission to the Communist International, refer to the conditions given by Vladimir Lenin to the adhesion of the socialists to the Third International created in 1919 after the 1917 October Revolution. The conditions were formally adopted by...
, leading to exclusion from the Comintern
Comintern
The Communist International, abbreviated as Comintern, also known as the Third International, was an international communist organization initiated in Moscow during March 1919...
. The next year, in 1924, Løvlien left the national board of the Union of Forestry and Land Workers, but began a two-year stint as board member of the Communist Party in Hedmark
Hedmark
is a county in Norway, bordering Sør-Trøndelag, Oppland and Akershus. The county administration is in Hamar.Hedmark makes up the northeastern part of Østlandet, the southeastern part of the country. It includes a long part of the borderline with Sweden, Dalarna County and Värmland County. The...
.
In 1931, Løvlien was again elected to the municipal council. He was re-elected in 1934, and in the same year he became the party secretary of the Communist Party nationwide. Due to this position, he was also a member of the party's central committee, and served as a member of the board of the party newspaper Arbeideren
Arbeideren
Arbeideren was a daily newspaper published in Oslo, Norway.It was started on 2 November 1929 as the official party newspaper from the Communist Party. It lent its name from a Hamar-based newspaper of the same name, which had gone defunct on 4 October. More directly, it replaced Norges...
from 1934. From 1936 he was also a member of the party politburo. He left all positions in 1940, the year that Norway was invaded
Operation Weserübung
Operation Weserübung was the code name for Germany's assault on Denmark and Norway during the Second World War and the opening operation of the Norwegian Campaign...
by Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
, and the Communist Party declared illegal.
Post-war career
In 1945Norwegian parliamentary election, 1945
These elections were held on 8 October 1945. The Labour Party won an absolute majority in the Storting which they would keep until 1961.-Results:...
, at the first elections after the liberation of Norway from German occupation
Occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany
The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany started with the German invasion of Norway on April 9, 1940, and ended on May 8, 1945, after the capitulation of German forces in Europe. Throughout this period, Norway was continuously occupied by the Wehrmacht...
, Løvlien was elected to the Norwegian Parliament from Hedmark. He was a member of the Standing Committee of Finance and Customs and the Election Committee, served as Vice President of the Odelsting and as a representative to the Inter-Parliamentary Union. He also took over as party chairman of the Communist Party, in 1946.
Løvlien was not re-elected to Parliament in 1949
Norwegian parliamentary election, 1949
The general election of 1949 was held to elect 150 MPs to the Storting. The Norwegian Labour Party increased its share of the vote an won a large majority of seats in the chamber....
, but returned in 1953
Norwegian parliamentary election, 1953
-Results:...
and 1957
Norwegian parliamentary election, 1957
A general election to the Storting, the parliament of Norway, was held on 7 October 1957. The election was a victory for the Labour Party, and Gerhardsen's Third Cabinet could continue. The Labour party again achieved an absolute majority in parliament, together with the highest popular vote in the...
to serve two more terms. During both these terms he continued as a member of the Standing Committee of Finance and Customs and the Election Committee. He stood for re-election in 1961
Norwegian parliamentary election, 1961
A general election was held to elect 150 MPs to the Norwegian parliament, the Storting.The Labour Party lost its absolute majority of seats that the party had held since 1945, winning 74 seats...
, but lost out to Karen Grønn-Hagen
Karen Grønn-Hagen
Karen Grønn-Hagen was a Norwegian politician for the Centre Party.She was born in Tynset.She was elected to the Norwegian Parliament from Hedmark in 1961. From August to September 1963 she served as the Minister of Family and Consumer Affairs during the short-lived centre-right cabinet Lyng...
of the Centre Party
Centre Party (Norway)
The Centre Party is a centrist and agrarian political party in Norway, founded in 1920. The Centre Party's policy is not based on any of the major ideologies of the 19th and 20th century, but has a focus on maintaining decentralised economic development and political decision-making.From its...
. The margin was extremely small by Norwegian standards; only 16 votes. As such Løvlien was the last member of parliament to be elected from the Communist Party ticket (Reidar T. Larsen
Reidar T. Larsen
Reidar T. Larsen is a Norwegian politician. He was chairman of the Communist Party of Norway from 1965 to 1975, when he resigned from his position, left the party and joined the Socialist Left Party . He was a member of the Parliament of Norway from 1973 to 1977, representing Hedmark.-References:...
was elected in 1973
Norwegian parliamentary election, 1973
-Results:¹A coalition of the Socialist People's Party , the Communist Party of Norway , and anti-European Economic Community individuals from the Labour Party. The coalition evolved into the Socialist Left Party in 1975....
, but as a part of the Socialist Electoral League
Socialist Left Party (Norway)
The Socialist Left Party or SV, is a Norwegian left-wing political party. At one point one of the smallest parties in Parliament, it became the fourth-largest political party in Norway for the first time in the 2001 parliamentary election, and has been so ever since...
).
Løvlien stepped down as chairman of the Communist Party in 1965. He continued as a member of Løten municipal council until his death. His brother Ole H. Løvlien became mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
.