Mot Dag
Encyclopedia
Mot Dag was a Norwegian
periodical and a communist organization
with the same name.
It was established in 1921 under the initiative of Erling Falk
, partly with origins in the debate forum in the Social Democratic student government in Oslo
(later the Student Communist Organization); partly from a Falk-led study circle
which from 1919 involved Viggo Hansteen
, Axel Sømme, John Hazeland, and Arnold Hazeland. The first editor
was Sigurd Hoel
.
Mot Dag was a collective member of the Norwegian Labour Party
from March 1922 until August 1924, but was excluded after a series of disagreements. In 1927-29 Mot Dag was a part of the Norwegian Communist Party (NKP). Viggo Hansteen was one of very few members who were in NKP when Mot Dag broke out.
The organization had at most approximately 200 members, and, when it was dissolved in 1936, had about 100.
In the middle of the 1930s, Mot Dag made an unsuccessful attempt to establish a new labor party. After the charismatic leader Erling Falk fell sick, the leader of the Storting's finance committee, Trond Hegna
, took over the actual leadership. Mot Dag was dissolved in 1936, and most of the members followed the internal orders to register in the Labor Party.
The people associated were known as motdagists. Many well-known authors, intellectuals, and future leading politicians and officials were among them. Of mention are filmmaker Olav Dalgard
; the authors Helge Krog
, Odd Eidem
, Sigurd Hoel, Arnulf Øverland
, Nic Waal
and Inger Hagerup
-- the latter two of the few women who were connected to Mot Dag; future director of Norway's military intelligence Vilhelm Evang
, future director-general of health Karl Evang
(chairman 1931-) and economist (future professor) Johan Vogt
, who, together with Falk, were behind the first translation of Das Kapital
to Norwegian.
In 1930 the publishing house Fram forlag
was established, in part to publish Arbeidernes Leksikon
(the Workers' Encyclopedia, 1933).
After World War II
, many of the members were leaders in Norwegian politics and culture. Norway's first three post-war Prime Ministers Einar Gerhardsen
, Oscar Torp
, and John Lyng
were all at one point in time part of Mot Dag. In addition were Gro Harlem Brundtland
's father, Secretary of Defense Gudmund Harlem
; the Labor Party's longstanding secretary Haakon Lie
, Oslo's longstanding mayor Brynjulf Bull
, and future West German chancellor Willy Brandt
.
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
periodical and a communist organization
Organization
An organization is a social group which distributes tasks for a collective goal. The word itself is derived from the Greek word organon, itself derived from the better-known word ergon - as we know `organ` - and it means a compartment for a particular job.There are a variety of legal types of...
with the same name.
It was established in 1921 under the initiative of Erling Falk
Erling Falk
Erling Falk was a Norwegian politician, ideologist and writer. He was active in the Norwegian Students' Society, the Norwegian Labour Party and the Communist Party, but is best known as a leading figure in the group Mot Dag, who issued a periodical of the same name...
, partly with origins in the debate forum in the Social Democratic student government in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
(later the Student Communist Organization); partly from a Falk-led study circle
Study circle
A study circle is a small group of people who meet multiple times to discuss an issue. Study circles may be formed to discuss anything from politics to religion to hobbies...
which from 1919 involved Viggo Hansteen
Viggo Hansteen
Harald Viggo Hansteen was a Norwegian lawyer who was executed by the Nazis during the five-year Occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany. -Biography:...
, Axel Sømme, John Hazeland, and Arnold Hazeland. The first editor
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
was Sigurd Hoel
Sigurd Hoel
Sigurd Hoel was a Norwegian author and publishing consultant, born in Nord-Odal. He debuted with the collection of short stories Veien vi gaar in 1922...
.
Mot Dag was a collective member of the Norwegian 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....
from March 1922 until August 1924, but was excluded after a series of disagreements. In 1927-29 Mot Dag was a part of the Norwegian Communist Party (NKP). Viggo Hansteen was one of very few members who were in NKP when Mot Dag broke out.
The organization had at most approximately 200 members, and, when it was dissolved in 1936, had about 100.
In the middle of the 1930s, Mot Dag made an unsuccessful attempt to establish a new labor party. After the charismatic leader Erling Falk fell sick, the leader of the Storting's finance committee, Trond Hegna
Trond Hegna
Trond Hegna was a Norwegian journalist and politician for the Norwegian Labour Party and the Communist Party of Norway....
, took over the actual leadership. Mot Dag was dissolved in 1936, and most of the members followed the internal orders to register in the Labor Party.
The people associated were known as motdagists. Many well-known authors, intellectuals, and future leading politicians and officials were among them. Of mention are filmmaker Olav Dalgard
Olav Dalgard
Olav Dalgard, given name Olaf Hanssen was a Norwegian filmmaker, advocate of Nynorsk, and a literature and art historian....
; the authors Helge Krog
Helge Krog
Helge Krog was a Norwegian journalist, essayist, theatre and literary critic, translator and playwright.-Personal life:...
, Odd Eidem
Odd Eidem
Odd Eidem was a Norwegian writer, journalist and literary critic. He was an active member of the political movement Mot Dag in the 1930s....
, Sigurd Hoel, Arnulf Øverland
Arnulf Øverland
Ole Peter Arnulf Øverland was a Norwegian author born in Kristiansund and raised in Bergen. His works include Berget det blå and Hustavler .-Life:...
, Nic Waal
Nic Waal
Nic Waal, born Caroline Schweigaard Nicolaysen in Kristiania, Norway was a Norwegian psychiatrist, noted for her work among children and adolescents in Norway where she is known as "the mother of Norwegian pediatric and adolescent psychiatry." She was also active in the Norwegian resistance during...
and Inger Hagerup
Inger Hagerup
Inger Hagerup was a Norwegian author, playwright and poet. She is considered one of the greatest Norwegian poets of the 20th century.-Biography:...
-- the latter two of the few women who were connected to Mot Dag; future director of Norway's military intelligence Vilhelm Evang
Vilhelm Evang
Vilhelm Andreas Wexelsen Evang was a Norwegian military officer. He headed the military intelligence in Norway for almost twenty years, from 1946 to 1965.-Personal life:...
, future director-general of health Karl Evang
Karl Evang
Karl Evang was a Norwegian physician and civil servant.He was born in Kristiania as a son of assisting secretary Jens Ingolf Evang and Anna Beate Wexelsen . He was a brother of Vilhelm Evang, and a relative of Vilhelm Andreas Wexelsen, Per Kvist and Gunnar Jahn. He met physician Gerda S...
(chairman 1931-) and economist (future professor) Johan Vogt
Johan Vogt
Johan Vogt was a Norwegian economist, translator, non-fiction writer and journal editor.He was a member of Mot Dag from 1921, and chaired the Norwegian section of Clarté from 1927. He was a professor at the University of Oslo from 1957 to 1970. He was awarded the Fritt Ord Award in 1976, as the...
, who, together with Falk, were behind the first translation of Das Kapital
Das Kapital
Das Kapital, Kritik der politischen Ökonomie , by Karl Marx, is a critical analysis of capitalism as political economy, meant to reveal the economic laws of the capitalist mode of production, and how it was the precursor of the socialist mode of production.- Themes :In Capital: Critique of...
to Norwegian.
In 1930 the publishing house Fram forlag
Fram Forlag
Fram Forlag was a Norwegian publishing company. It was established as a publishing house for the organization Mot Dag in 1929, with Erling Falk as the founder and Torolf Elster as an early associate. The company was taken over by Tiden Norsk Forlag in 1936....
was established, in part to publish Arbeidernes Leksikon
Arbeidernes Leksikon
Arbeidernes Leksikon is a Norwegian encyclopedia published in six volumes in the 1930s.It was the first reference book in Norwegian to have a pronounced class bias, and the first encyclopedia outside of the Soviet Union to be directed specifically at the working class...
(the Workers' Encyclopedia, 1933).
After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, many of the members were leaders in Norwegian politics and culture. Norway's first three post-war Prime Ministers Einar Gerhardsen
Einar Gerhardsen
was a Norwegian politician from the Labour Party of Norway. He was Prime Minister for three periods, 1945–1951, 1955–1963 and 1963–1965. With 17 years in office, he is the longest serving Prime Minister in Norway since the introduction of parliamentarism...
, Oscar Torp
Oscar Torp
was a Norwegian politician for the Norwegian Labour Party. He was party leader from 1923 to 1945, and mayor of Oslo in 1935 and 1936. In 1935 he became acting Minister of Defence in the government of Johan Nygaardsvold. He was also Minister of Social Affairs from 1936 to 1939, and then Minister of...
, and John Lyng
John Lyng
was a Norwegian politician from the Conservative Party. He was Prime Minister of Norway from 28 August to 25 September 1963 in a coalition government consisting of the Conservative, Centre, Christian Democratic, and Liberal parties.He was originally a member of the Liberal Left Party, heading the...
were all at one point in time part of Mot Dag. In addition were Gro Harlem Brundtland
Gro Harlem Brundtland
Gro Harlem Brundtland is a Norwegian Social democratic politician, diplomat, and physician, and an international leader in sustainable development and public health. She served three terms as Prime Minister of Norway , and has served as the Director General of the World Health Organization...
's father, Secretary of Defense Gudmund Harlem
Gudmund Harlem
Gudmund Harlem was a Norwegian physician and politician for the Labour Party. He was the Norwegian Minister of Social Affairs from 1955 to 1961 and Norwegian Minister of Defence from 1961 to 1965...
; the Labor Party's longstanding secretary Haakon Lie
Haakon Lie
Haakon Lie was a Norwegian politician who served as party secretary for the Norwegian Labour Party from 1945 to 1969. Coming from humble origins, he became involved in the labour movement at an early age, and quickly rose in the party system...
, Oslo's longstanding mayor Brynjulf Bull
Brynjulf Bull
Brynjulf Friis Bull was a Norwegian lawyer, Supreme Court advocate and Mayor of Oslo.Brynjulf Bull was born in Kristiania and brought up in Alfaset in Oslo's Grorud Valley...
, and future West German chancellor Willy Brandt
Willy Brandt
Willy Brandt, born Herbert Ernst Karl Frahm , was a German politician, Mayor of West Berlin 1957–1966, Chancellor of West Germany 1969–1974, and leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany 1964–1987....
.