Folk og Land
Encyclopedia
Folk og Land was a Norwegian newspaper, published in Oslo
. It was an organ of Historical revisionism (negationism)
for Norwegians who were found
to be Nazi collaborators
during the Second World War.
ed and published by the Kristiansund
-based former teacher Nils Vikdal from 1947. His agenda was to spread news to former members of Lærersambandet, a trade union for teachers set up by the Quisling regime
during the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany
(1940–1945). It was stenciled until the summer of 1948, when printing began. The name was also changed to 8. Mai, named after the day the occupation ended
.
Folk og Land was formally started on 6 December 1952, edited by Finn Brun Knudsen. It had an informal affiliation to the organization Forbundet for Sosial Oppreisning (FSO, later renamed Institutt for Norsk Okkupasjonshistorie), made up by former collaborators who were critical to the legal purge in Norway after World War II
and the victors' version of history. FSO chairman Anders Hafskjold was among the early shareholders in Folk og Land. From 1958 the newspaper was officially a co-operative with Forbundet for Sosial Oppreisning as owners. At the same time, the last editor of the now-forbidden Nasjonal Samling newspaper Fritt Folk
, Odd Erling Melsom
, was hired as editor-in-chief, a position he held until 1978. He succeeded Johannes Kringlebotn
. Post-1978 editors include Alexander Lange and Kjell Blich Schreiner.
The newspaper makers claimed that their circulation was six of seven thousand in the 1960s; this is a dubious figure. Some hundred copies were also distributed for free to politicians and the press all over Norway. The goals of the newspaper makers were to gain acceptance for their version of history, as well as to gain legal reparations from the Parliament of Norway (in which they have failed). They meant that aggressors other than Germany caused the Second World War, that the Allies caused most harm during the war, and that once Germany had occupied Norway, collaborators (including Quisling
) did the right thing in that they represented a Norwegian rule over the country instead of letting Germans take over.
In its last years of existence, Folk og Land was published monthly. The last issue came on 27 April 2003.
. Specifically, Ulateig used a series of articles printed under the title Okkupasjonstidens likvidasjoner, between 7 November 1970 and 25 November 1972. Ulateig's book contained 136 people which allegedly had been liquidated by the Norwegian resistance movement
, many cases taken verbatim from Folk og Land. In a thorough critique, Arnfinn Moland
found that 63 of them were correct, most of the rest were nonsense taken from Folk og Land. The newspaper series, said Moland, looked like it was written by a "more or less imbalanced" person.
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...
. It was an organ of Historical revisionism (negationism)
Historical revisionism (negationism)
Historical revisionism is either the legitimate scholastic re-examination of existing knowledge about a historical event, or the illegitimate distortion of the historical record such that certain events appear in a more or less favourable light. For the former, i.e. the academic pursuit, see...
for Norwegians who were found
Legal purge in Norway after World War II
When the occupation of Norway ended in May 1945, several thousand Norwegians and foreign citizens were tried and convicted for various acts that the occupying powers sanctioned...
to be Nazi collaborators
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...
during the Second World War.
History
Folk og Land had its predecessor in Skolenytt, stencilStencil
A stencil is a thin sheet of material, such as paper, plastic, or metal, with letters or a design cut from it, used to produce the letters or design on an underlying surface by applying pigment through the cut-out holes in the material. The key advantage of a stencil is that it can be reused to...
ed and published by the Kristiansund
Kristiansund
Kristiansund is a city and municipality on the western coast of Norway, in the Nordmøre district of Møre og Romsdal county. It was officially awarded township status in 1742, and it is still the major town for the region. The administrative center of the municipality is the city of Kristiansund...
-based former teacher Nils Vikdal from 1947. His agenda was to spread news to former members of Lærersambandet, a trade union for teachers set up by the Quisling regime
Quisling regime
The Quisling regime, or the Quisling government are common names used to refer to the collaborationist government led by Vidkun Quisling in occupied Norway during the Second World War. The official name of the regime from 1 February 1942 until its dissolution in May 1945 was Nasjonale regjering...
during the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany
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...
(1940–1945). It was stenciled until the summer of 1948, when printing began. The name was also changed to 8. Mai, named after the day the occupation ended
Victory in Europe Day
Victory in Europe Day commemorates 8 May 1945 , the date when the World War II Allies formally accepted the unconditional surrender of the armed forces of Nazi Germany and the end of Adolf Hitler's Third Reich. The formal surrender of the occupying German forces in the Channel Islands was not...
.
Folk og Land was formally started on 6 December 1952, edited by Finn Brun Knudsen. It had an informal affiliation to the organization Forbundet for Sosial Oppreisning (FSO, later renamed Institutt for Norsk Okkupasjonshistorie), made up by former collaborators who were critical to the legal purge in Norway after World War II
Legal purge in Norway after World War II
When the occupation of Norway ended in May 1945, several thousand Norwegians and foreign citizens were tried and convicted for various acts that the occupying powers sanctioned...
and the victors' version of history. FSO chairman Anders Hafskjold was among the early shareholders in Folk og Land. From 1958 the newspaper was officially a co-operative with Forbundet for Sosial Oppreisning as owners. At the same time, the last editor of the now-forbidden Nasjonal Samling newspaper Fritt Folk
Fritt Folk
Fritt Folk was a Norwegian newspaper, published in Oslo. It was the official organ of the Fascist party Nasjonal Samling, and came to prominence during the Second World War.-History:...
, Odd Erling Melsom
Odd Erling Melsom
Odd Erling Melsom was a Norwegian military officer and newspaper editor.He was born in Kristiania as a son of travellers. He finished his secondary education at Kristiania Cathedral School in 1918, and graduated from the Norwegian Military Academy in 1922...
, was hired as editor-in-chief, a position he held until 1978. He succeeded Johannes Kringlebotn
Johannes Kringlebotn
Johannes Kringlebotn was a Norwegian newspaper editor. He edited Folketanken and, during the Nazi era in Norway, Stavanger Aftenblad. After serving a treason sentence he returned in the 1950s to edit the historical revisionist newspaper Folk og Land...
. Post-1978 editors include Alexander Lange and Kjell Blich Schreiner.
The newspaper makers claimed that their circulation was six of seven thousand in the 1960s; this is a dubious figure. Some hundred copies were also distributed for free to politicians and the press all over Norway. The goals of the newspaper makers were to gain acceptance for their version of history, as well as to gain legal reparations from the Parliament of Norway (in which they have failed). They meant that aggressors other than Germany caused the Second World War, that the Allies caused most harm during the war, and that once Germany had occupied Norway, collaborators (including Quisling
Vidkun Quisling
Vidkun Abraham Lauritz Jonssøn Quisling was a Norwegian politician. On 9 April 1940, with the German invasion of Norway in progress, he seized power in a Nazi-backed coup d'etat that garnered him international infamy. From 1942 to 1945 he served as Minister-President, working with the occupying...
) did the right thing in that they represented a Norwegian rule over the country instead of letting Germans take over.
In its last years of existence, Folk og Land was published monthly. The last issue came on 27 April 2003.
Impact
Hans Fredrik Dahl has stated that "in several cases, the historical revisionism of the magazine has proven worthwhile". In Egil Ulateig's 1996 book Med rett til å drepe, where Hans Fredrik Dahl was a historical consultant, the newspaper was used extensively as a source textSource text
A source text is a text from which information or ideas are derived. In translation, a source text is the original text that is to be translated into another language.-Description:...
. Specifically, Ulateig used a series of articles printed under the title Okkupasjonstidens likvidasjoner, between 7 November 1970 and 25 November 1972. Ulateig's book contained 136 people which allegedly had been liquidated by the Norwegian resistance movement
Norwegian resistance movement
The Norwegian resistance to the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany began after Operation Weserübung in 1940 and ended in 1945. It took several forms:...
, many cases taken verbatim from Folk og Land. In a thorough critique, Arnfinn Moland
Arnfinn Moland
Arnfinn Moland is a Norwegian historian.He was born in Kvinesdal. He finished his secondary education in Flekkefjord in 1970, served in His Majesty the King's Guard from 1973 to 1974, and graduated from the University of Oslo with the cand.philol. degree in 1977. His master's thesis was...
found that 63 of them were correct, most of the rest were nonsense taken from Folk og Land. The newspaper series, said Moland, looked like it was written by a "more or less imbalanced" person.