Cabinet of Deuntzer
Encyclopedia
After the 1901 Danish Folketing election, the Council President Johan Henrik Deuntzer
of the Venstre Reform Party became the leader of Denmark
's first liberal government. The resulting cabinet, which replaced the Cabinet of Sehested
consisting of member of the conservative party Højre
, was formed on 24 July 1901 and was called the Cabinet of Deuntzer. The formation of the new cabinet is referred to in Danish as "systemskiftet", the shift of government.
The cabinet marked the introduction of parliamentarism in Denmark and with the exception of the Easter Crisis of 1920
no Danish government since 1901 has been formed against the vote of a majority of the members of Folketinget.
There were several internal conflicts within the cabinet. According to Justice Minister
Peter Adler Alberti it had 27 crises on minister level, not counting the minor ones, but it did nevertheless manage to institute a number of reforms and in particular an extensive tax reform. The cabinet was replaced by the Cabinet of J.C. Christensen I on 14 January 1905.
and Hannibal Sehested
remained Council President at first regardless of the election results. King Christian IX
was however under some pressure to institute a new government that would represent a larger part of the voters. Princess Marie of Orléans
, wife of Prince Valdemar
and daughter-in-law of Christian IX, was the one to recommend Deuntzer to the king, and she had written a complete step-by-step plan for him on how to get rid of Sehested and Højre.
Deuntzer was not an obvious choice for Council President as his only political experience was a failed candidacy for Landstinget 15 years earlier and as he was no more a pronounced member of the Venstre Reform Party than for Hugo Egmont Hørring
to offer him the position as justice minister
in the Cabinet of Hørring
in 1897, an offer he had declined on the advice of Viggo Hørup
. Princess Marie knew him from her frequent visits to the office of the East Asiatic Company
, where both he and her husband were members of the board, and her main reason for recommending him to the king was the fact that his limited connection to the opposition would prevent his appointment from appearing to be an acknowledgement of parliamentarism.
The king made his final decision on whether to make follow Princess Marie's recommendation on 22 May studying the confidential reports of a Højre board meeting and a meeting between the leaders of the party and the editors of the press supporting the party. The reports showed that the party's support of the government mildly put was failing, which was in direct contradiction with Sehested's relaxed description of his situation. That convinced him to ask Sehested to hand in his resignation on 15 July when the king returned from a stay at a health resort.
Upon the king's return Sehested turned in his resignation as expected and officially his replacement was yet to be found. Princess Marie had conveniently arranged for Deuntzer to meet the king at a social event at Bernstorff Palace
on that evening. During the evening the king asked Deuntzer: "So you are a leftist, sir professor?", to which Deuntzer answered: "To a degree, Your Majesty." Apparently this was all he needed to hear, as on the following day he officially asked Deuntzer to form a new cabinet.
, were supported mainly by the farmers of Jutland
and led by the current leader of the party Jens Christian Christensen, and finally the Hørup-supporters, forming the left wing within the party, were mainly supported by the voters of Copenhagen
and had Viggo Hørup, the editor of the newspaper Politiken
, as the central figure. The distribution of portfolios became a careful compromise between the three groups and Deuntzer was forced to leave the task of choosing the cabinet member to the leaders of the three groups. His original intention had been for himself to become justice minister and for Ludvig Holstein-Ledreborg
to become council president. However both Alberti and Christensen opposed this and Holstein-Ledreborg stated to a journalist that he was not interested in reentering politics at that point in time. Instead Hørup himself, even though he was somewhat weakened from cancer, was brought in to represent the Hørup-supporters along with Christopher Friedenreich Hage.
The new cabinet was officially announced after about a week on 24 July 1901.
as the first Iceland
er. The Constitutional Act of Iceland
of 3 October 1903 stated that the minister for Iceland had to be a resident of Reykjavík
and be able to read and write Icelandic
. The ministry had until then been a part of the justice ministry of Denmark, but with the new Constitutional Act it was made responsible to the Icelandic Althing
and Iceland obtained home rule. The fact that Deuntzer had countersigned the nomination of Hafstein was considered Danish meddling in Icelandic affairs, however. Hafstein became the first prime minister of Iceland
1 February 1904.
and introduced a progressive income tax and a wealth tax. Even though the income tax at 1.3%–2.5% would be considered low by modern standards, it was expected to amount to more than half of what the new taxes would bring in. This meant that the tax reform was an extensive redistribution of the tax income generally favoring the farmers and the big landowners in particular at the expense of the town dwellers.
for students over 11 years, was established in 1903 to form a bridge between the Folkeskole
and the Realskole (lower secondary school) and the Gymnasium
. At the same time the Gymnasium became more up-to-date as Latin
and Greek
were replaced by English
, German
, and French
as the main subjects of the languages line.
in 1903 was a controversial attempt at controlling violence by reintroducing judicial corporal punishment
. Deuntzer was, as a professor of law, strongly opposed to this, and when the law was approved by the Folketing, he threatened to resign if it were approved by the Landsting as well. It was not, however Alberti did manage to reintroduce corporal punishment in 1905 as justice minister in the Cabinet of J.C. Christensen I.
Johan Henrik Deuntzer
Johan Henrik Deuntzer was a Danish politician, member of the Liberal Venstre party until 1905 where he joined the Danish Social Liberal Party...
of the Venstre Reform Party became the leader of Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
's first liberal government. The resulting cabinet, which replaced the Cabinet of Sehested
Cabinet of Sehested
After Hugo Egmont Hørring's resignation as Council President, Hannibal Sehested of the conservative party Højre became the leader of the new cabinet, which replaced the Cabinet of Hørring...
consisting of member of the conservative party Højre
Højre
Højre was the name of two Danish political parties of Conservative persuasion.The first Højre party existed from 1848 to 1866....
, was formed on 24 July 1901 and was called the Cabinet of Deuntzer. The formation of the new cabinet is referred to in Danish as "systemskiftet", the shift of government.
The cabinet marked the introduction of parliamentarism in Denmark and with the exception of the Easter Crisis of 1920
Easter Crisis of 1920
The Easter Crisis of 1920 was a constitutional crisis and a significant event in the development of constitutional monarchy in Denmark. It began with the dismissal of the elected government by the reigning monarch, King Christian X, a reserve power which was granted to him by the Danish constitution...
no Danish government since 1901 has been formed against the vote of a majority of the members of Folketinget.
There were several internal conflicts within the cabinet. According to Justice Minister
Justice Minister of Denmark
The Danish Minister for Justice is the head of the Ministry of Justice and a cabinet member.Under the current government, the post is held by Morten Bødskov.As the head of the department, the minister is responsible for:* The General judicial system including...
Peter Adler Alberti it had 27 crises on minister level, not counting the minor ones, but it did nevertheless manage to institute a number of reforms and in particular an extensive tax reform. The cabinet was replaced by the Cabinet of J.C. Christensen I on 14 January 1905.
Shift of government
Even though the election on 3 April 1901 had reduced Højre's representation in Folketinget to 8 seats of 114, Højre still had a majority of the seats in LandstingetLandsting (Denmark)
The Landsting was a house of the Rigsdag in Denmark from 1849 until 1953, when the bicameral system was abolished. The house had powers equal to the Folketing, which made the two houses of parliament hard to distinguish....
and Hannibal Sehested
Hannibal Sehested (council president)
Hannibal Sehested was Danish Council President from 27 April 1900 to 24 July 1901 as the leader of the Cabinet of Sehested. He was the last Danish Council President appointed by the king without support from the Danish Parliament before Denmark switched to a parliamentary system and the secret...
remained Council President at first regardless of the election results. King Christian IX
Christian IX of Denmark
Christian IX was King of Denmark from 16 November 1863 to 29 January 1906.Growing up as a prince of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, a junior branch of the House of Oldenburg which had ruled Denmark since 1448, Christian was originally not in the immediate line of succession to the Danish...
was however under some pressure to institute a new government that would represent a larger part of the voters. Princess Marie of Orléans
Marie of Orléans (1865-1909)
Princess Marie Amélie Françoise Hélène d'Orléans was a French princess by birth and a Danish princess by marriage. She was politically active with left-wing sympathies by the standards of her day.-Background:...
, wife of Prince Valdemar
Prince Valdemar of Denmark
Prince Valdemar of Denmark, GCTE was a member of the Danish Royal Family, the youngest son of Christian IX of Denmark and his wife Luise of Hesse-Kassel...
and daughter-in-law of Christian IX, was the one to recommend Deuntzer to the king, and she had written a complete step-by-step plan for him on how to get rid of Sehested and Højre.
Deuntzer was not an obvious choice for Council President as his only political experience was a failed candidacy for Landstinget 15 years earlier and as he was no more a pronounced member of the Venstre Reform Party than for Hugo Egmont Hørring
Hugo Egmont Hørring
Hugo Egmont Hørring was a Danish politician, a member of the Højre political party. He was Council President of Denmark from 1897 to 1900 as the leader of the Cabinet of Hørring....
to offer him the position as justice minister
Justice Minister of Denmark
The Danish Minister for Justice is the head of the Ministry of Justice and a cabinet member.Under the current government, the post is held by Morten Bødskov.As the head of the department, the minister is responsible for:* The General judicial system including...
in the Cabinet of Hørring
Cabinet of Hørring
After Tage Reedtz-Thott's resignation as Council President, Hugo Egmont Hørring of the conservative party Højre became the leader of the new Danish cabinet, which replaced the Cabinet of Reedtz-Thott...
in 1897, an offer he had declined on the advice of Viggo Hørup
Viggo Hørup
Viggo Lauritz Bentheim Hørup , was a Danish politician, journalist and agitator.He was the father to Ellen Hørup .One of the most influential politicians of the Danish non-Socialist left wing....
. Princess Marie knew him from her frequent visits to the office of the East Asiatic Company
East Asiatic Company
The East Asiatic Company was founded by Hans Niels Andersen in Copenhagen in 1897. Service which would eventually include both passenger and freight lines between the Danish capital, Bangkok and the far east was the initial objective. Routes to include the Baltic and Black Seas were...
, where both he and her husband were members of the board, and her main reason for recommending him to the king was the fact that his limited connection to the opposition would prevent his appointment from appearing to be an acknowledgement of parliamentarism.
The king made his final decision on whether to make follow Princess Marie's recommendation on 22 May studying the confidential reports of a Højre board meeting and a meeting between the leaders of the party and the editors of the press supporting the party. The reports showed that the party's support of the government mildly put was failing, which was in direct contradiction with Sehested's relaxed description of his situation. That convinced him to ask Sehested to hand in his resignation on 15 July when the king returned from a stay at a health resort.
Upon the king's return Sehested turned in his resignation as expected and officially his replacement was yet to be found. Princess Marie had conveniently arranged for Deuntzer to meet the king at a social event at Bernstorff Palace
Bernstorff Palace
Bernstorff Palace, Danish: Bernstorff Slot, in Gentofte, Copenhagen, Denmark, was built in the middle of the 18th century for Foreign Minister Johann Hartwig Ernst, Count von Bernstorff. It remained in the possession of the Bernstorff family until 1812. In 1842 it was bought by Christian VIII...
on that evening. During the evening the king asked Deuntzer: "So you are a leftist, sir professor?", to which Deuntzer answered: "To a degree, Your Majesty." Apparently this was all he needed to hear, as on the following day he officially asked Deuntzer to form a new cabinet.
Distribution of portfolios
The process of forming the cabinet was not an easy task however. Internally the Venstre Reform Party was split in three groups: The Alberti-wing, the right wing within the party, supported mainly by the farmers of Zealand, the "bergians" named after the former leader of the party Christen BergChristen Berg
Christen Poulsen Berg was a Danish liberal politician and editor. Often just referred to as “C. Berg”....
, were supported mainly by the farmers of Jutland
Jutland
Jutland , historically also called Cimbria, is the name of the peninsula that juts out in Northern Europe toward the rest of Scandinavia, forming the mainland part of Denmark. It has the North Sea to its west, Kattegat and Skagerrak to its north, the Baltic Sea to its east, and the Danish–German...
and led by the current leader of the party Jens Christian Christensen, and finally the Hørup-supporters, forming the left wing within the party, were mainly supported by the voters of Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
and had Viggo Hørup, the editor of the newspaper Politiken
Politiken
Politiken is a Danish daily broadsheet newspaper, published by JP/Politikens Hus.The newspaper comes third among Danish newspapers in terms of both number of readers and circulated copies ....
, as the central figure. The distribution of portfolios became a careful compromise between the three groups and Deuntzer was forced to leave the task of choosing the cabinet member to the leaders of the three groups. His original intention had been for himself to become justice minister and for Ludvig Holstein-Ledreborg
Ludvig Holstein-Ledreborg
Johan Ludvig Carl Christian Tido lensgreve Holstein til Ledreborg was a Danish politician, a descendant of Johan Ludvig Holstein-Ledreborg, who was Minister of State of Denmark. He was Council President of Denmark for two months, from 16 August to 28 October 1909, as the leader of the Cabinet of...
to become council president. However both Alberti and Christensen opposed this and Holstein-Ledreborg stated to a journalist that he was not interested in reentering politics at that point in time. Instead Hørup himself, even though he was somewhat weakened from cancer, was brought in to represent the Hørup-supporters along with Christopher Friedenreich Hage.
The new cabinet was officially announced after about a week on 24 July 1901.
Cabinet changes
The cabinet was changed on 15 February 1902 because of the death of Hørup. Hage became the new minister for public works. No changes were made to the cabinet as a result of the 1903 Folketing election and the next change to the cabinet was on 31 January 1904 when Hannes Hafstein took the post as minister for IcelandMinister for Iceland
Minister for Iceland was a post in the Danish Cabinet for affairs with the Icelandic territory.The post was established on 5 January 1874 as according to the Constitution of Iceland the executive power rested in the king of Denmark through the Danish cabinet...
as the first Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
er. The Constitutional Act of Iceland
Constitution of Iceland
The Constitution of Iceland is the supreme law of Iceland. It is composed of 80 articles in seven sections, and within it the leadership arrangement of the country is determined and the human rights of its citizens are preserved. The current constitution was first instituted on June 17, 1944; since...
of 3 October 1903 stated that the minister for Iceland had to be a resident of Reykjavík
Reykjavík
Reykjavík is the capital and largest city in Iceland.Its latitude at 64°08' N makes it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói Bay...
and be able to read and write Icelandic
Icelandic language
Icelandic is a North Germanic language, the main language of Iceland. Its closest relative is Faroese.Icelandic is an Indo-European language belonging to the North Germanic or Nordic branch of the Germanic languages. Historically, it was the westernmost of the Indo-European languages prior to the...
. The ministry had until then been a part of the justice ministry of Denmark, but with the new Constitutional Act it was made responsible to the Icelandic Althing
Althing
The Alþingi, anglicised variously as Althing or Althingi, is the national parliament of Iceland. The Althingi is the oldest parliamentary institution in the world still extant...
and Iceland obtained home rule. The fact that Deuntzer had countersigned the nomination of Hafstein was considered Danish meddling in Icelandic affairs, however. Hafstein became the first prime minister of Iceland
Prime Minister of Iceland
The Prime Minister of Iceland is Iceland's head of government. The prime minister is appointed formally by the President and exercises executive authority along with the cabinet subject to parliamentary support....
1 February 1904.
Tax reform
Before 1903 the only direct, Danish tax had been the so-called "hartkorn tax" on farm land based on a classification of quality, usability and area. The tax reform of 1903 replaced the hartkorn tax with a tax on real estate inspired by the publications of Henry GeorgeHenry George
Henry George was an American writer, politician and political economist, who was the most influential proponent of the land value tax, also known as the "single tax" on land...
and introduced a progressive income tax and a wealth tax. Even though the income tax at 1.3%–2.5% would be considered low by modern standards, it was expected to amount to more than half of what the new taxes would bring in. This meant that the tax reform was an extensive redistribution of the tax income generally favoring the farmers and the big landowners in particular at the expense of the town dwellers.
School reform
In an attempt to make the public school system appealing to the entire population a four year middle schoolMiddle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
for students over 11 years, was established in 1903 to form a bridge between the Folkeskole
Folkeskole
The Danish-Norwegian term Folkeskole may refer to any of the following:* Danish Folkeskole Education, the Danish primary and lower secondary educational system* Volksschule, a historical primary school system that was in use in Germany...
and the Realskole (lower secondary school) and the Gymnasium
Gymnasium (Denmark)
The Danish Gymnasium offers a 3-year general academically-oriented upper secondary programme which builds on the 9th-10th form of the Folkeskole and leads to the upper secondary school exit examination...
. At the same time the Gymnasium became more up-to-date as Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
and Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
were replaced by English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, and French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
as the main subjects of the languages line.
Alberti's legal reform
The legal reform Alberti presented to the RigsdagRigsdag
Rigsdagen was the name of the Parliament of Denmark from 1849 to 1953.Rigsdagen was Denmark's first parliament, and it was incorporated in the Constitution of 1849. It was a bicameral legislature, consisting of two houses, the Folketing and the Landsting. The distinction between the two houses was...
in 1903 was a controversial attempt at controlling violence by reintroducing judicial corporal punishment
Judicial corporal punishment
Judicial corporal punishment refers to the infliction of corporal punishment as a result of a sentence by a court of law. The punishment can be flogging, caning, birching, whipping, or strapping...
. Deuntzer was, as a professor of law, strongly opposed to this, and when the law was approved by the Folketing, he threatened to resign if it were approved by the Landsting as well. It was not, however Alberti did manage to reintroduce corporal punishment in 1905 as justice minister in the Cabinet of J.C. Christensen I.
List of ministers and portfolios
Some terms in the table below end after 14 January 1905 because the minister was in the Cabinet of J.C. Christensen I as well.| Portfolio | Minister | Term of office | Party |
|---|---|---|---|
| Council President | Johan Henrik Deuntzer Johan Henrik Deuntzer Johan Henrik Deuntzer was a Danish politician, member of the Liberal Venstre party until 1905 where he joined the Danish Social Liberal Party... |
24 July 1901-14 January 1905 | Venstre Reform Party |
| Foreign Minister Foreign Minister of Denmark The Danish Minister for Foreign Affairs handles Denmark's foreign affairs. The Foreign Minister works in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark.The current Minister for Foreign Affairs is Villy Søvndal.-External links:***... |
Johan Henrik Deuntzer Johan Henrik Deuntzer Johan Henrik Deuntzer was a Danish politician, member of the Liberal Venstre party until 1905 where he joined the Danish Social Liberal Party... |
24 July 1901-14 January 1905 | Venstre Reform Party |
| Finance Minister Finance Minister of Denmark The Finance Minister of Denmark is the head of the Ministry of Finance of Denmark, and a member of the Cabinet. As head of the ministry, the minister has responsibility for the ministry's tasks of administrering the state finances via the fiscal policy, and making economic predictions and... |
Christopher Friedenreich Hage | 24 July 1901-14 January 1905 | Venstre Reform Party |
| Interior Minister | Enevold Frederik Adolf Sørensen Enevold Frederik Adolf Sørensen Enevold Frederik Adolf Sørensen was a Danish editor, politician and minister.He was interior minister in the Cabinet of Deuntzer and kultus minister in the Cabinet of J.C. Christensen I and II, the Cabinet of Neergaard I and the Cabinet of Holstein-Ledreborg as a member of the Venstre Reform Party... |
24 July 1901-14 January 1905 | Venstre Reform Party |
| Justice Minister Justice Minister of Denmark The Danish Minister for Justice is the head of the Ministry of Justice and a cabinet member.Under the current government, the post is held by Morten Bødskov.As the head of the department, the minister is responsible for:* The General judicial system including... |
Peter Adler Alberti | 24 July 1901-24 July 1908 | Venstre Reform Party |
| Kultus Minister Kultus Minister of Denmark The Kultus Minister of Denmark was a Danish minister office. The responsibilities of the minister was the church, culture and education. The word kultus is Latin for adoration, from which the words culture and cult are derived.... |
Jens Christian Christensen | 24 July 1901-14 January 1905 | Venstre Reform Party |
| War Minister | Vilhelm Herman Oluf Madsen Vilhelm Herman Oluf Madsen Vilhelm Herman Oluf Madsen , was a Danish politician, minister, army officer, businessman and inventor.He began his military career in 1859 and served in the Second War of Schleswig as a lieutenant. In 1896, at the rank of captain, Madsen was responsible for the adoption of the Madsen machine gun... |
24 July 1901-14 January 1905 | Venstre Reform Party |
| Navy Minister | Ferdinand Henrik Jøhnke | 24 July 1901-14 January 1905 | Venstre Reform Party |
| Minister for Public Works | Viggo Hørup Viggo Hørup Viggo Lauritz Bentheim Hørup , was a Danish politician, journalist and agitator.He was the father to Ellen Hørup .One of the most influential politicians of the Danish non-Socialist left wing.... Christopher Friedenreich Hage |
24 July 1901-15 February 1902 15 February 1902-14 January 1905 |
Venstre Reform Party Venstre Reform Party |
| Minister for Iceland Minister for Iceland Minister for Iceland was a post in the Danish Cabinet for affairs with the Icelandic territory.The post was established on 5 January 1874 as according to the Constitution of Iceland the executive power rested in the king of Denmark through the Danish cabinet... |
Peter Adler Alberti Hannes Hafstein |
24 July 1901-31 January 1904 31 January 1904-12 October 1909 |
Venstre Reform Party Home Rule Party (Heimastjórnarflokkurinn) |
| Minister for Agriculture | Ole Hansen Ole Hansen Ole Hansen was a Danish politician, farmer and Minister for Agriculture in the Cabinet of Deuntzer and the Cabinet of J.C. Christensen I as a member of the Venstre Reform Party.He was the first farmer to become a Danish minister.... |
24 July 1901-24 July 1908 | Venstre Reform Party |