Olav Meisdalshagen
Encyclopedia
Olav Meisdalshagen was a Norwegian politician for the Labour Party
. He is best known for serving as the Norwegian Minister of Finance
from December 1947 to November 1951 and as the Norwegian Minister of Agriculture from January 1955 to May 1956. He was also a Member of Parliament for a long time, being elected for the first time in parliamentary election of 1936
and serving until his death, except for the period between 1940 and 1945 when the Parliament of Norway was de facto defunct due to the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany
. His death in 1959 came halfway through his fifth term in Parliament, and shortly after a parliamentary speech.
A jurist by profession, Meisdalshagen came from a humble family background, growing up at a former crofter's farm
in rural Nord-Aurdal
, and losing his father in his 1920s. After studying he moved back to Nord-Aurdal, worked as an attorney and built the Labour Party organization in the region. The background formed him in that his main political goal was to improve the economy of dwellers in rural farming districts. He was a proponent of economic regulation, and this marked his period as Minister of Finance. However, his period was also marked by the dominance of Erik Brofoss
and the Ministry of Trade
in deciding the country's overall financial policy. When Trygve Bratteli
succeeded Meisdalshagen as Minister of Finance, the ministry regained its dominance, but also set out on a gradual deregulation. This, in addition to Meisdalshagen's discontent with increased spendings on defence, made him an oppositional figure within the Labour Party. He did return briefly to cabinet as Minister of Agriculture, and also cooperated with the government through the position as chairman of Norges Kooperative Landsforening
, a national association of consumer co-operatives. However his oppositional tendencies grew stronger in his later life. He was a part of the "Easter Uprising" in 1958, and in 1958 and 1959 there were rumours of Meisdalshagen worked behind the scene to facilitate a change of personnel—and policy—in the Labour Party. His death came in this period.
as a son of smallholder
and joiner
Ole Meisdalshagen and Marit Myren. The family lived at the former crofter's farm
Hagen in Skrautvål
. Meisdalshagen attended Valdres Folk High School from 1920 to 1921, and took secondary education at Voss
between 1921 and 1925 with financial support from his brothers; his father died in 1924. Meisdalshagen took the examen artium
in 1925, and enrolled in law studies at the Royal Frederick University (now: University of Oslo
). While studying he was involved in the student's branch of Noregs Mållag
. He was also influenced, although not a member, of the revolutionary group Mot Dag
. He graduated from university with the cand.jur. degree in 1932.
, from 1930 to 1932, and Fagernes
, from 1931 to 1934. From 1931 to 1940 he was a board member of the Labour Party county chapter. He was elected as a member of Nord-Aurdal municipal council in 1931, and was re-elected to serve until 1940. From 1934 he served in the council's executive committee. He spent his professional life in Fagernes, where he had opened an attorney's office in 1933. He also headed the municipal board of arbitration in debt matters, from 1935 to 1940. This had a significant influence on his further political career, in that he sought to improve the economy of rural Norwegian districts, especially through a centralized increase of farmers' income. He also favoured ensuring a low interest
, preferably at 2,5%.
During the term 1934–1936 he served as a deputy representative to the Parliament of Norway from the constituency Oppland
, and he was elected to a regular seat in the parliamentary election of 1936
. He was the youngest member of Parliament at the time.
in 1938 to introduce four-year terms instead of three-year terms, the representatives elected in 1936 were still active in 1940. On 9 April that year, Norway was invaded
and occupied by Germany as a part of World War II. With the German invasion, a radio broadcast coup d'état by Vidkun Quisling
followed, and German diplomat Curt Bräuer
was sent to Norway to demand the abdication of the Norwegian King Haakon VII
and Nygaardsvold's Cabinet. This was initially refused, as the Parliament, meeting at Elverum
on 9 April, issued the Elverum Authorization
where it empowered the King and government to continue representing Norway. Norway and Germany was at war that time, and fighting continued
for some months. However, when mainland Norway capitulated on 10 June 1940, new negotiations with Nazi Germany were opened, resulting in a request being submitted from the Presidium of the Parliament of Norway to the now-exiled King and government to abdicate. The case had been controversial, splitting the parliamentary group of the Labour Party. Olav Meisdalshagen agreed that the King should abdicate, so did the majority of the parliamentary group. When the King broadcast his refusal to abdicate via BBC Radio
on 8 July 1940, this became famous as "The King's No".
Germany gradually tightened the grip on Norwegian society, and the Parliament became defunct during the rest of the German occupation of Norway. In 1941 Meisdalshagen became a prominent figure in the Norwegian resistance movement
against German rule, in the position of district leader of Milorg
in Valdres. In 1944 he left Norway and fled to Sweden, where he was a secretary at Flyktningskontoret in Stockholm
until 1945. Briefly in 1945 he served as an advisor in London for the coordination of Milorg cells.
, in 1945, Meisdalshagen was re-elected for a second term in Parliament. It was not clear that he would be nominated for the ballot, as this was not at all usual for those Labour Party members who in the summer of 1940 had agreed to the King's abdication. However, Meisdalshagen's service in Milorg probably tipped the scales in his favour. He was a member of the Standing Committee on Finance and Customs
and secretary of the Preparatory Credentials Committee
, and also became a member of the Standing Committee on Justice
in December 1946. Meisdalshagen was also board chairman of the Norwegian State Housing Bank
from 1946 to 1953.
in Gerhardsen's Second Cabinet
. He served from 6 December 1947 to 19 November 1951, when Torp's Cabinet
was formed. Prime Minister Einar Gerhardsen
and former party secretary Martin Tranmæl
were the architects behind his appointment. Ultimately, Meisdalshagen's opposition to the Labour Party's foreign and defence policy in general, and extraordinary monetary grants for defence measures specifically, was cited as the reason for his resignation from the cabinet, and even for the entire cabinet shift. During his period as minister, Meisdalshagen's parliamentary seat was occupied by Gunnar Kalrasten
until June 1948 and then by Thorvald Ulsnæs. He was succeeded as Minister of Finance by Trygve Bratteli
; other candidates were discussed but rejected, including Meisdalshagen's old acquaintance Klaus Sunnanå
.
As a politician, Meisdalshagen has been noted as being an opposite figure to his predecessor as Minister of Finance, Erik Brofoss
. Still, earlier in 1947 he had argued strongly in favour of "Lex Brofoss", the law proposed by Brofoss which meant that the elected politicians gave temporary authority to the Norwegian Price Directorate to regulate the economy
. Meisdalshagen even stated that a majority in Parliament probably agreed that such a law should have permanent effect, not be renewed from time to time. Historian Einar Lie has stated that Brofoss left Meisdalshagen in charge of the price policy with a "very easy heart". On the other hand, the new Ministry of Trade
, where Brofoss was appointed as Minister
, clearly became more important than the Ministry of Finance in this period. The higher importance of the Ministry of Trade ended after 1951, and Meisdalshagen's period was thus an exception in the history of the Ministry of Finance. Meisdalshagen was ultimately criticized by Brofoss for "lack of economical insight", and he also ran afoul with Central Bank of Norway Governor Gunnar Jahn
.
According to Prime Minister Einar Gerhardsen, it took long to persuade Meisdalshagen to even take the post as Minister of Finance, and he was more interested in agro-economical questions than traditional planning of the economy. It was even said that Gerhardsen's Cabinet had an interest in luring Meisdalshagen away from the Parliament, where he had driven through significant increases in farmer's income, threatening the overall balance and planning of the state finances. In fact the income from farming, measured in the amount of money earned per decare, was doubled between the war's end in 1945 and 1950, when the Main Agreement for Agriculture, , was introduced. It regulated future price negotiations, and institutionalized the negotiating partners: the state on one side of the table, the Norwegian Agrarian Association
and the Norwegian Farmers and Smallholders Union
on the other.
During Meisdalshagen's time the lines between various parts of government were somewhat blurred. When the state budget was presented by the cabinet, and subsequently treated by the standing committees of the Parliament, committee members would contact the Ministry of Finance directly to ask whether a proposed budgetary change was feasible (after Meisdalshagen's resignation this practice was altered, in that the contact was initiated by the Labour Party committee fraction, not by the committee as a whole). Meisdalshagen also became known for untraditional arrangements when it came to the Ministry's bureaucrats: assistant secretary Egil Lothe
, who had a "very good relationship" with Meisdalshagen, doubled as assistant secretary and State Secretary from 1948 until Meisdalshagen's resignation in 1951. Such a double role, where a person was both bureaucrat and politician at the same time, was very uncommon, probably unique. Lothe was not formally appointed, either, and thus does not appear on historical lists of state secretaries. According to Einar Lie, there was no clear division of tasks between Meisdalshagen and Lothe when it came to the Ministry's daily work. In addition to Lothe, the consultant Karl Trasti
, another friend of Meisdalshagen, had influence in this period, especially in budgetary questions.
, and was elected for a fourth time in 1953
. He was still a member of the Standing Committee on Finance and Customs. On 22 January 1955 the Gerhardsen's Third Cabinet was formed, and Meisdalshagen served as Minister of Agriculture until 14 May 1956. During this period his parliamentary seat was occupied by Per Mellesmo
. Meisdalshagen then returned to Parliament, this time as a member of the now-defunct Standing Committee on Agriculture. He was elected for a fifth time in 1957
. This time, he became a member of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence
as well as the Enlarged Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence
. From 1957 to 1959 he was also a member of the Labour Party's central committee .
Meisdalshagen was also chairman of the Norges Kooperative Landsforening
(NKL) from 1952 to his death. NKL was the national association of consumer co-operatives. This way, he represented trade interests in meetings with the government, at the same time as being a parliament member.
, he was "more controversial in his own party than outside of it". This tendency had surfaced already in the 1940s, when he very reluctantly accepted the Norwegian signing of the North Atlantic Treaty
. Meisdalshagen remained skeptic to a non-neutral foreign policy in the 1950s, and in February 1951 a conflict with Minister of Defence
Jens Chr. Hauge arose. Meisdalshagen formally dissented against a proposal to grant an extra to the Norwegian Armed Forces
for the years 1951 and 1952, and he became furious when he entered a budgetary debate without being notified of a certain press release, issued by Jens Chr. Hauge, where another grant of NOK 125 million was declared. According to Haakon Lie
, Meisdalshagen influenced persons in the newspaper Oppland Arbeiderblad
to write and print an editorial
titled ("Let Hauge Go"). Meisdalshagen was a member of the board of Oppland Arbeiderblad from 1945 to 1957, and had spent some time working there before the war.
Meisdalshagen was also discontent with the deregulation
policy to which the Labour Party gradually adhered in the 1950s. Trygve Bratteli, on the other hand, was viewed as a proponent of gradual deregulation. In November 1958 there were rumours that Meisdalshagen would return to the cabinet, probably as Minister of Transport of Communications
. Some believed that Meisdalshagen worked together with Karl Trasti to have Trygve Bratteli removed from the cabinet; Trasti would succeed Bratteli as Minister of Finance, according to the rumour, with was told to Bratteli by Meisdalshagen's predecessor as Minister of Agriculture, Rasmus Nordbø. At the time Karl Trasti was a member of the ad-hoc Paulson Committee, which worked with questions regarding the Ministry of Finance's policy. It was thought that some of the committee's policy proposals could be undesirable to Bratteli, and thereby compromise his minister position. This information was given to Trygve Bratteli from parliamentary
secretary Haakon Bingen in January 1959. Binge had heard it from Egil Lothe, at the time a deputy under-secretary of state in the Ministry of Finance. A friend of Meisdalshagen, Lothe was thereby tied to the alleged intriguers. Jens Haugland
noted the scheme of Trasti and Meisdalshagen in his diary, and that this caused Bratteli to keep himself "in the background". This was a part of a broader schism in the party, where Meisdalshagen was the "strongest man in the group" consisting of parliamentarians who deviated in questions of foreign policy: Finn Moe
, Trygve Bull
, Hans Offerdal
, Sverre Løberg and Meisdalshagen. Meisdalshagen had been a supporter of the "Easter Uprising" of 1958, a voicing of dissent within the Labour Party, where the socialist students' association gained the signatures of Labour MPs on a NATO-critical resolution. In Meisdalshagen's obituary, he was likened to Olav Oksvik, another NATO-critical Labour politician.
Halfway through his fifth term in Parliament, on 21 November 1959, Meisdalshagen suffered from a sudden indisposition after a parliamentary speech. He was hospitalized, but died later that same day. The cause of death was intracranial hemorrhage
. In Parliament he was replaced by Per Mellesmo, who advanced from deputy to regular representative. He was biographed in 1982 by Nils Oddvar Bergheim.
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....
. He is best known for serving as the Norwegian Minister of Finance
Minister of Finance (Norway)
- 1st Ministry :- 5th Ministry :- Ministry of Finance, Trade and Customs :- Ministry of Finance and Customs :- Ministry of Finance :...
from December 1947 to November 1951 and as the Norwegian Minister of Agriculture from January 1955 to May 1956. He was also a Member of Parliament for a long time, being elected for the first time in parliamentary election of 1936
Norwegian parliamentary election, 1936
The parliamentary election of 1936 was the last one held in Norway before World War II and the German invasion of Norway.-Results:*...
and serving until his death, except for the period between 1940 and 1945 when the Parliament of Norway was de facto defunct due to 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...
. His death in 1959 came halfway through his fifth term in Parliament, and shortly after a parliamentary speech.
A jurist by profession, Meisdalshagen came from a humble family background, growing up at a former crofter's farm
Croft (land)
A croft is a fenced or enclosed area of land, usually small and arable with a crofter's dwelling thereon. A crofter is one who has tenure and use of the land, typically as a tenant farmer.- Etymology :...
in rural Nord-Aurdal
Nord-Aurdal
Nord-Aurdal is a municipality in Oppland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Valdres. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Fagernes....
, and losing his father in his 1920s. After studying he moved back to Nord-Aurdal, worked as an attorney and built the Labour Party organization in the region. The background formed him in that his main political goal was to improve the economy of dwellers in rural farming districts. He was a proponent of economic regulation, and this marked his period as Minister of Finance. However, his period was also marked by the dominance of Erik Brofoss
Erik Brofoss
Erik Brofoss was a Norwegian economist and politician for the Labour Party.Brofoss was born in Kongsberg. In his younger days he was an athlete who competed national level in the 100 metres. He represented Kongsberg IF, and won a silver medal at the Norwegian championships in 1928...
and the Ministry of Trade
Norwegian Ministry of Trade and Shipping
The Royal Norwegian Ministry of Trade and Shipping was a Norwegian ministry that existed from 1947 to 1987.It was established on 6 December 1947. It ceased to exist on 31 December 1987...
in deciding the country's overall financial policy. When Trygve Bratteli
Trygve Bratteli
was a Norwegian politician from the Labour Party and Prime Minister of Norway in 1971–1972 and 1973–1976.-Early life and career:...
succeeded Meisdalshagen as Minister of Finance, the ministry regained its dominance, but also set out on a gradual deregulation. This, in addition to Meisdalshagen's discontent with increased spendings on defence, made him an oppositional figure within the Labour Party. He did return briefly to cabinet as Minister of Agriculture, and also cooperated with the government through the position as chairman of Norges Kooperative Landsforening
Coop NKL
Coop NKL BA is a Norwegian cooperative retailing company. Coop NKL is owned by 177 local cooperative associations in Norway and has more than one million members and who actually operate that stores. The company has its headquarters in Oslo...
, a national association of consumer co-operatives. However his oppositional tendencies grew stronger in his later life. He was a part of the "Easter Uprising" in 1958, and in 1958 and 1959 there were rumours of Meisdalshagen worked behind the scene to facilitate a change of personnel—and policy—in the Labour Party. His death came in this period.
Early life and education
Meisdalshagen was born on 17 March 1903 in Nord-AurdalNord-Aurdal
Nord-Aurdal is a municipality in Oppland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Valdres. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Fagernes....
as a son of smallholder
Smallholding
A smallholding is a farm of small size.In third world countries, smallholdings are usually farms supporting a single family with a mixture of cash crops and subsistence farming. As a country becomes more affluent and farming practices become more efficient, smallholdings may persist as a legacy of...
and joiner
Joiner
A joiner differs from a carpenter in that joiners cut and fit joints in wood that do not use nails. Joiners usually work in a workshop since the formation of various joints generally requires non-portable machinery. A carpenter normally works on site...
Ole Meisdalshagen and Marit Myren. The family lived at the former crofter's farm
Croft (land)
A croft is a fenced or enclosed area of land, usually small and arable with a crofter's dwelling thereon. A crofter is one who has tenure and use of the land, typically as a tenant farmer.- Etymology :...
Hagen in Skrautvål
Skrautvål
Skrautvål is a village in Nord-Aurdal, Oppland, Norway.It is located north of Fagernes, and north-east of the lake Sæbufjorden and Norwegian National Road 51....
. Meisdalshagen attended Valdres Folk High School from 1920 to 1921, and took secondary education at Voss
Voss
is a municipality in Hordaland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Voss. The administrative center of the municipality is the village of Vossevangen....
between 1921 and 1925 with financial support from his brothers; his father died in 1924. Meisdalshagen took the examen artium
Examen artium
Examen artium was the name of the academic certification conferred in Denmark and Norway, qualifying the student for admission to university studies. Examen artium was originally introduced as the entrance exam of the University of Copenhagen in 1630...
in 1925, and enrolled in law studies at the Royal Frederick University (now: University of Oslo
University of Oslo
The University of Oslo , formerly The Royal Frederick University , is the oldest and largest university in Norway, situated in the Norwegian capital of Oslo. The university was founded in 1811 and was modelled after the recently established University of Berlin...
). While studying he was involved in the student's branch of Noregs Mållag
Noregs Mållag
Noregs Mållag is the main organisation for Norwegian Nynorsk , one of the two official written standards of the Norwegian language. In the Norwegian language struggle, it advocates the use of Nynorsk...
. He was also influenced, although not a member, of the revolutionary group Mot Dag
Mot Dag
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 ; partly from a Falk-led study circle which from 1919...
. He graduated from university with the cand.jur. degree in 1932.
Pre-war political career
Meisdalshagen became involved in politics while attending school in Voss, and chaired the Labour Party chapter in Nord-Aurdal from 1927 to 1940. He also chaired the local chapters of ValdresValdres
Valdres is a traditional district in central, southern Norway, situated between Gudbrandsdal and Hallingdal.Administratively, Valdres belongs to Oppland. It consists of the municipalities Nord-Aurdal, Sør-Aurdal, Øystre Slidre, Vestre Slidre, Vang and Etnedal. The main town in the region is...
, from 1930 to 1932, and Fagernes
Fagernes
is the largest settlement in the valley of Valdres, Norway, with a population of 1,801. Fagernes is the administrative centre of the municipality of Nord-Aurdal.See video from the Fagernes Town : *...
, from 1931 to 1934. From 1931 to 1940 he was a board member of the Labour Party county chapter. He was elected as a member of Nord-Aurdal municipal council in 1931, and was re-elected to serve until 1940. From 1934 he served in the council's executive committee. He spent his professional life in Fagernes, where he had opened an attorney's office in 1933. He also headed the municipal board of arbitration in debt matters, from 1935 to 1940. This had a significant influence on his further political career, in that he sought to improve the economy of rural Norwegian districts, especially through a centralized increase of farmers' income. He also favoured ensuring a low interest
Interest
Interest is a fee paid by a borrower of assets to the owner as a form of compensation for the use of the assets. It is most commonly the price paid for the use of borrowed money, or money earned by deposited funds....
, preferably at 2,5%.
During the term 1934–1936 he served as a deputy representative to the Parliament of Norway from the constituency Oppland
Oppland
is a county in Norway, bordering Sør-Trøndelag, Møre og Romsdal, Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Akershus, Oslo and Hedmark. The county administration is in Lillehammer. Oppland is, together with Hedmark, one of the only two landlocked counties of Norway....
, and he was elected to a regular seat in the parliamentary election of 1936
Norwegian parliamentary election, 1936
The parliamentary election of 1936 was the last one held in Norway before World War II and the German invasion of Norway.-Results:*...
. He was the youngest member of Parliament at the time.
World War II
As the Parliament amended the ConstitutionConstitution of Norway
The Constitution of Norway was first adopted on May 16, 1814 by the Norwegian Constituent Assembly at Eidsvoll , then signed and dated May 17...
in 1938 to introduce four-year terms instead of three-year terms, the representatives elected in 1936 were still active in 1940. On 9 April that year, 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...
and occupied by Germany as a part of World War II. With the German invasion, a radio broadcast coup d'état by Vidkun 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...
followed, and German diplomat Curt Bräuer
Curt Bräuer
Curt Bräuer was a German career diplomat.Born in Breslau, in what is modern-day Poland, Bräuer entered service in the German foreign ministry in 1920. At the outbreak of World War II in September 1939, Bräuer was posted at the German embassy in Paris. Later that year, Bräuer was named as envoy to...
was sent to Norway to demand the abdication of the Norwegian King Haakon VII
Haakon VII of Norway
Haakon VII , known as Prince Carl of Denmark until 1905, was the first king of Norway after the 1905 dissolution of the personal union with Sweden. He was a member of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg...
and Nygaardsvold's Cabinet. This was initially refused, as the Parliament, meeting at Elverum
Elverum
is a town and municipality in Hedmark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Østerdalen. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Elverum...
on 9 April, issued the Elverum Authorization
Elverum Authorization
The Elverum Authorization allowed the Norwegian executive branch to temporarily and legitimately assert absolute authority while removed from the capitol, Oslo...
where it empowered the King and government to continue representing Norway. Norway and Germany was at war that time, and fighting continued
Norwegian Campaign
The Norwegian Campaign was a military campaign that was fought in Norway during the Second World War between the Allies and Germany, after the latter's invasion of the country. In April 1940, the United Kingdom and France came to Norway's aid with an expeditionary force...
for some months. However, when mainland Norway capitulated on 10 June 1940, new negotiations with Nazi Germany were opened, resulting in a request being submitted from the Presidium of the Parliament of Norway to the now-exiled King and government to abdicate. The case had been controversial, splitting the parliamentary group of the Labour Party. Olav Meisdalshagen agreed that the King should abdicate, so did the majority of the parliamentary group. When the King broadcast his refusal to abdicate via BBC Radio
BBC Radio
BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company...
on 8 July 1940, this became famous as "The King's No".
Germany gradually tightened the grip on Norwegian society, and the Parliament became defunct during the rest of the German occupation of Norway. In 1941 Meisdalshagen became a prominent figure in 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:...
against German rule, in the position of district leader of Milorg
Milorg
Milorg was the main Norwegian resistance movement in World War II....
in Valdres. In 1944 he left Norway and fled to Sweden, where he was a secretary at Flyktningskontoret in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
until 1945. Briefly in 1945 he served as an advisor in London for the coordination of Milorg cells.
First post-war years
In the first parliamentary election after the warNorwegian 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:...
, in 1945, Meisdalshagen was re-elected for a second term in Parliament. It was not clear that he would be nominated for the ballot, as this was not at all usual for those Labour Party members who in the summer of 1940 had agreed to the King's abdication. However, Meisdalshagen's service in Milorg probably tipped the scales in his favour. He was a member of the Standing Committee on Finance and Customs
Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs
The Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs is a standing committee of the Parliament of Norway. It is responsible for policies relating to economic policy, monetary and credit policy, the financial and credit system, financial administration, block grants to municipalities and...
and secretary of the Preparatory Credentials Committee
Preparatory Credentials Committee
The Preparatory Credentials Committee is a special committee of the Parliament of Norway that is responsible for approving the election of parliament. The 16 members of the committee are appointed to surveillance the election. After the issue has been passed by the committee, it taken to vote for...
, and also became a member of the Standing Committee on Justice
Standing Committee on Justice
The Standing Committee on Justice is a standing committee of the Parliament of Norway. It is responsible for policies relating to judicial system, the probation service, the police, persons performing civilian national service, other judicial issues, ex gratia payments, general legislation...
in December 1946. Meisdalshagen was also board chairman of the Norwegian State Housing Bank
Norwegian State Housing Bank
The Norwegian State Housing Bank is a Norwegian Government agency responsible for the housing politics in Norway. The main tool for the bank is mortgages in newly constructed houses. About half of all houses after World War II in Norway have been financed by the Housing Bank. The agency is based...
from 1946 to 1953.
Minister of Finance
Midway through his four-year term, Meisdalshagen was appointed as the Minister of FinanceMinister of Finance (Norway)
- 1st Ministry :- 5th Ministry :- Ministry of Finance, Trade and Customs :- Ministry of Finance and Customs :- Ministry of Finance :...
in Gerhardsen's Second Cabinet
Gerhardsen's Second Cabinet
Gerhardsen's Second Cabinet governed Norway between 5 November 1945 and 19 November 1951. The Labour Party cabinet was led by Einar Gerhardsen....
. He served from 6 December 1947 to 19 November 1951, when Torp's Cabinet
Torp's Cabinet
Torp's Cabinet governed Norway between 19 November 1951 and 21 January 1955. The Labour Party cabinet was led by Oscar Torp....
was formed. Prime Minister 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...
and former party secretary Martin Tranmæl
Martin Tranmæl
Martin Olsen Tranmæl was a radical Norwegian socialist leader.-Biography:Martin Tranmæl grew up in a middle-sized farm in Melhus, in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. He started working as a painter and construction worker. In the early 20th century, Tranmæl lived for a while in the USA where he came...
were the architects behind his appointment. Ultimately, Meisdalshagen's opposition to the Labour Party's foreign and defence policy in general, and extraordinary monetary grants for defence measures specifically, was cited as the reason for his resignation from the cabinet, and even for the entire cabinet shift. During his period as minister, Meisdalshagen's parliamentary seat was occupied by Gunnar Kalrasten
Gunnar Kalrasten
Gunnar Kalrasten was a Norwegian politician for the Labour Party.He was born in Biri.He was elected to the Norwegian Parliament from Oppland in 1950, and was re-elected on three occasions. He had previously been a deputy representative in the period 1945–1949...
until June 1948 and then by Thorvald Ulsnæs. He was succeeded as Minister of Finance by Trygve Bratteli
Trygve Bratteli
was a Norwegian politician from the Labour Party and Prime Minister of Norway in 1971–1972 and 1973–1976.-Early life and career:...
; other candidates were discussed but rejected, including Meisdalshagen's old acquaintance Klaus Sunnanå
Klaus Sunnanå
Klaus Sunnanå was a Norwegian Mot Dag member, economist and fisheries director.He was born in Avaldsnes as a son of teacher and farmer Knut Andreas Søndenaa and Lisa Kristine Thuestad . He took his secondary education at Voss in 1926, and graduated from the Royal Frederick University with the...
.
As a politician, Meisdalshagen has been noted as being an opposite figure to his predecessor as Minister of Finance, Erik Brofoss
Erik Brofoss
Erik Brofoss was a Norwegian economist and politician for the Labour Party.Brofoss was born in Kongsberg. In his younger days he was an athlete who competed national level in the 100 metres. He represented Kongsberg IF, and won a silver medal at the Norwegian championships in 1928...
. Still, earlier in 1947 he had argued strongly in favour of "Lex Brofoss", the law proposed by Brofoss which meant that the elected politicians gave temporary authority to the Norwegian Price Directorate to regulate the economy
Economic interventionism
Economic interventionism is an action taken by a government in a market economy or market-oriented mixed economy, beyond the basic regulation of fraud and enforcement of contracts, in an effort to affect its own economy...
. Meisdalshagen even stated that a majority in Parliament probably agreed that such a law should have permanent effect, not be renewed from time to time. Historian Einar Lie has stated that Brofoss left Meisdalshagen in charge of the price policy with a "very easy heart". On the other hand, the new Ministry of Trade
Norwegian Ministry of Trade and Shipping
The Royal Norwegian Ministry of Trade and Shipping was a Norwegian ministry that existed from 1947 to 1987.It was established on 6 December 1947. It ceased to exist on 31 December 1987...
, where Brofoss was appointed as Minister
Minister of Trade and Shipping (Norway)
The Norwegian Minister of Trade and Shipping is a defunct minister who was head of the Norwegian Ministry of Trade and Shipping between 6 December 1947 and 1 January 1988 when it was merged with the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The function of trade has since been transferred to the...
, clearly became more important than the Ministry of Finance in this period. The higher importance of the Ministry of Trade ended after 1951, and Meisdalshagen's period was thus an exception in the history of the Ministry of Finance. Meisdalshagen was ultimately criticized by Brofoss for "lack of economical insight", and he also ran afoul with Central Bank of Norway Governor Gunnar Jahn
Gunnar Jahn
Gunnar Jahn was a Norwegian jurist, economist, statistician, politician for the Liberal Party and resistance member...
.
According to Prime Minister Einar Gerhardsen, it took long to persuade Meisdalshagen to even take the post as Minister of Finance, and he was more interested in agro-economical questions than traditional planning of the economy. It was even said that Gerhardsen's Cabinet had an interest in luring Meisdalshagen away from the Parliament, where he had driven through significant increases in farmer's income, threatening the overall balance and planning of the state finances. In fact the income from farming, measured in the amount of money earned per decare, was doubled between the war's end in 1945 and 1950, when the Main Agreement for Agriculture, , was introduced. It regulated future price negotiations, and institutionalized the negotiating partners: the state on one side of the table, the Norwegian Agrarian Association
Norwegian Agrarian Association
The Norwegian Agrarian Association is the largest Norwegian interest organization for farmers.It functions both as a labour union and as a trade union. It negotiates with the Norwegian Farmers and Smallholders Union and the Norwegian Ministry of Labour and Social Inclusion about agricultural...
and the Norwegian Farmers and Smallholders Union
Norwegian Farmers and Smallholders Union
The Norwegian Farmers and Smallholders Union is a Norwegian interest organization for farmers.It functions both as a labour union and as a trade union...
on the other.
During Meisdalshagen's time the lines between various parts of government were somewhat blurred. When the state budget was presented by the cabinet, and subsequently treated by the standing committees of the Parliament, committee members would contact the Ministry of Finance directly to ask whether a proposed budgetary change was feasible (after Meisdalshagen's resignation this practice was altered, in that the contact was initiated by the Labour Party committee fraction, not by the committee as a whole). Meisdalshagen also became known for untraditional arrangements when it came to the Ministry's bureaucrats: assistant secretary Egil Lothe
Egil Lothe
Egil Lothe was a Norwegian economist and civil servant.He graduated with the cand.oecon. degree in 1930, and worked as a secretary in the Ministry of Finance from 1939. He worked in the Ministry of Provisioning and Reconstruction from 1945 to 1948...
, who had a "very good relationship" with Meisdalshagen, doubled as assistant secretary and State Secretary from 1948 until Meisdalshagen's resignation in 1951. Such a double role, where a person was both bureaucrat and politician at the same time, was very uncommon, probably unique. Lothe was not formally appointed, either, and thus does not appear on historical lists of state secretaries. According to Einar Lie, there was no clear division of tasks between Meisdalshagen and Lothe when it came to the Ministry's daily work. In addition to Lothe, the consultant Karl Trasti
Karl Trasti
Karl Trasti was a Norwegian civil servant and politician for the Labour Party.During the third cabinet Gerhardsen he was appointed state secretary to the Minister of Finance in 1955, a post he held one year...
, another friend of Meisdalshagen, had influence in this period, especially in budgetary questions.
Return to Parliament
Since 1913, parliamentarians who are appointed to the cabinet may return to Parliament later, provided that the four-year term has not expired. After leaving as Minister of Finance, Meisdalshagen returned to Parliament as a member of the Standing Committee on Finance and Customs, which he even chaired from January 1952 to January 1953. While being Minister of Finance, Meisdalshagen had been re-elected on the Labour Party parliamentary ticket in 1949Norwegian 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....
, and was elected for a fourth time in 1953
Norwegian parliamentary election, 1953
-Results:...
. He was still a member of the Standing Committee on Finance and Customs. On 22 January 1955 the Gerhardsen's Third Cabinet was formed, and Meisdalshagen served as Minister of Agriculture until 14 May 1956. During this period his parliamentary seat was occupied by Per Mellesmo
Per Mellesmo
Per Mellesmo was a Norwegian politician for the Labour Party.He was elected to the Norwegian Parliament from Oppland in 1965, and was re-elected on two occasions...
. Meisdalshagen then returned to Parliament, this time as a member of the now-defunct Standing Committee on Agriculture. He was elected for a fifth time in 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...
. This time, he became a member of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence
Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence
The Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence is a standing committee of the Parliament of Norway. It is responsible for policies relating foreign affairs, military, development cooperation, Svalbard or in other polar regions and matters in general relating to agreements between Norway and...
as well as the Enlarged Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence
Enlarged Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence
The Enlarged Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence is a special committee of the Parliament of Norway. It holds non-disclosed discussions with the government regarding important issues of foreign affairs, trade policy and security issues. Other issues are discussed in the Standing Committee on...
. From 1957 to 1959 he was also a member of the Labour Party's central committee .
Meisdalshagen was also chairman of the Norges Kooperative Landsforening
Coop NKL
Coop NKL BA is a Norwegian cooperative retailing company. Coop NKL is owned by 177 local cooperative associations in Norway and has more than one million members and who actually operate that stores. The company has its headquarters in Oslo...
(NKL) from 1952 to his death. NKL was the national association of consumer co-operatives. This way, he represented trade interests in meetings with the government, at the same time as being a parliament member.
Internal opposition
Meisdalshagen was regarded as an internal opponent of the Labour Party's foreign affairs and defence policy. According to his obituary in Verdens GangVerdens Gang
Verdens Gang , generally known under the abbreviation VG, is a Norwegian tabloid newspaper...
, he was "more controversial in his own party than outside of it". This tendency had surfaced already in the 1940s, when he very reluctantly accepted the Norwegian signing of the North Atlantic Treaty
North Atlantic Treaty
The North Atlantic Treaty is the treaty that brought NATO into existence, signed in Washington, D.C. on 4 April 1949. The original twelve nations that signed it and thus became the founding members of NATO were:...
. Meisdalshagen remained skeptic to a non-neutral foreign policy in the 1950s, and in February 1951 a conflict with Minister of Defence
Minister of Defence (Norway)
The Norwegian Minister of Defence is a Councillor of the Council of State and Chief of the Norwegian Ministry of Defence, the position has existed since the Secretary of the Army and Secretary of the Navy was combined into the Minister of Defence...
Jens Chr. Hauge arose. Meisdalshagen formally dissented against a proposal to grant an extra to the Norwegian Armed Forces
Norwegian Armed Forces
The Norwegian Armed Forces numbers about 23,000 personnel, including civilian employees. According to mobilisation plans , the strength during full mobilisation would be approximately 83,000 combatant personnel. Norway has mandatory military service for men and voluntary service for women...
for the years 1951 and 1952, and he became furious when he entered a budgetary debate without being notified of a certain press release, issued by Jens Chr. Hauge, where another grant of NOK 125 million was declared. According to 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...
, Meisdalshagen influenced persons in the newspaper Oppland Arbeiderblad
Oppland Arbeiderblad
Oppland Arbeiderblad or OA is a newspaper in Norway, with its headquarters located in Gjøvik....
to write and print an editorial
Editorial
An opinion piece is an article, published in a newspaper or magazine, that mainly reflects the author's opinion about the subject. Opinion pieces are featured in many periodicals.-Editorials:...
titled ("Let Hauge Go"). Meisdalshagen was a member of the board of Oppland Arbeiderblad from 1945 to 1957, and had spent some time working there before the war.
Meisdalshagen was also discontent with the deregulation
Deregulation
Deregulation is the removal or simplification of government rules and regulations that constrain the operation of market forces.Deregulation is the removal or simplification of government rules and regulations that constrain the operation of market forces.Deregulation is the removal or...
policy to which the Labour Party gradually adhered in the 1950s. Trygve Bratteli, on the other hand, was viewed as a proponent of gradual deregulation. In November 1958 there were rumours that Meisdalshagen would return to the cabinet, probably as Minister of Transport of Communications
Minister of Transport and Communications (Norway)
The Minister of Transport and Communications is a Councillor of State and Chief of the Norwegian Ministry of Transport and Communications. Since 20 October 2009, the position has been held by Magnhild Meltveit Kleppa of the Centre Party...
. Some believed that Meisdalshagen worked together with Karl Trasti to have Trygve Bratteli removed from the cabinet; Trasti would succeed Bratteli as Minister of Finance, according to the rumour, with was told to Bratteli by Meisdalshagen's predecessor as Minister of Agriculture, Rasmus Nordbø. At the time Karl Trasti was a member of the ad-hoc Paulson Committee, which worked with questions regarding the Ministry of Finance's policy. It was thought that some of the committee's policy proposals could be undesirable to Bratteli, and thereby compromise his minister position. This information was given to Trygve Bratteli from parliamentary
Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs
The Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs is a standing committee of the Parliament of Norway. It is responsible for policies relating to economic policy, monetary and credit policy, the financial and credit system, financial administration, block grants to municipalities and...
secretary Haakon Bingen in January 1959. Binge had heard it from Egil Lothe, at the time a deputy under-secretary of state in the Ministry of Finance. A friend of Meisdalshagen, Lothe was thereby tied to the alleged intriguers. Jens Haugland
Jens Haugland
Jens Haugland was a Norwegian politician for the Labour Party.He was elected to the Norwegian Parliament from Vest-Agder in 1954, and was re-elected on four occasions. From November 1955 to August 1963, during the third cabinet Gerhardsen, Haugland was Norwegian Minister of Justice and the Police...
noted the scheme of Trasti and Meisdalshagen in his diary, and that this caused Bratteli to keep himself "in the background". This was a part of a broader schism in the party, where Meisdalshagen was the "strongest man in the group" consisting of parliamentarians who deviated in questions of foreign policy: Finn Moe
Finn Moe
Finn Moe was a Norwegian politician for the Labour Party.He was born in Bergen.He was elected to the Norwegian Parliament from Oslo in 1950, and was re-elected on four occasions. He had previously served in the position of deputy representative during the term 1945–1949.-References:...
, Trygve Bull
Trygve Bull
Trygve Bull was a Norwegian lecturer and politician. He was a member of Mot Dag in the 1920s and 1930s, and contributed to the magazines Mot Dag, Clarté and Kontakt. During World War II he was imprisoned by the Germans, and incarcerated at the Grini and Sachsenhausen concentration camps...
, Hans Offerdal
Hans Offerdal
Hans Offerdal was a Norwegian politician for the Labour Party.He was born in Lærdal.He was elected to the Norwegian Parliament from Sogn og Fjordane in 1958, and was re-elected on one occasion...
, Sverre Løberg and Meisdalshagen. Meisdalshagen had been a supporter of the "Easter Uprising" of 1958, a voicing of dissent within the Labour Party, where the socialist students' association gained the signatures of Labour MPs on a NATO-critical resolution. In Meisdalshagen's obituary, he was likened to Olav Oksvik, another NATO-critical Labour politician.
Halfway through his fifth term in Parliament, on 21 November 1959, Meisdalshagen suffered from a sudden indisposition after a parliamentary speech. He was hospitalized, but died later that same day. The cause of death was intracranial hemorrhage
Intracranial hemorrhage
An intracranial hemorrhage is a hemorrhage, or bleeding, within the skull.-Causes:Intracranial bleeding occurs when a blood vessel within the skull is ruptured or leaks. It can result from physical trauma or nontraumatic causes such as a ruptured aneurysm...
. In Parliament he was replaced by Per Mellesmo, who advanced from deputy to regular representative. He was biographed in 1982 by Nils Oddvar Bergheim.