Prosperity, war, and depression | AD 1905 – 1940
Prince Carl took the historical name King Haakon 7, and gave his only child, Prince Alexander, an equally Norwegian royal name: Olav. Haakon’s queen consort, Queen Maud, was the youngest daughter of King Edward 7 of the United Kingdom, and thus the granddaughter of Queen Victoria.
Haakon, Maud and Olav arrived on 25 November 1905; a cold and windswept winter day. The coronation took place on 22 June 1906, in the Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim – the burial church of the Viking king St. Olav.
With its newfound independence, Norway experienced a surge in energy and development. In all areas of society, enthusiasts pushed forward in educating the country and building a strong new nation.
Norway, with its resources and access to waterfalls and their power, experienced great industrial development in the years that followed. Agriculture and fishing were motorised and modernised. The principles of national control and ownership of natural resources were defined and implemented during this early period, something that has greatly contributed to the wealth experienced by the Norwegian population in more recent times.
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Norwegian royal family | the secret of Queen Maud’s coffin
The early AD 1900s was also a period of great social change, with new laws protecting workers, and generally improved living standards.
Norway chose a neutral position during World War 1, but still suffered losses and hardship. In AD 1930, the Great Depression hit Norway with full force. The labour movement and the labour party – Arbeiderpartiet – became Norway’s largest political party.
Despite a second attempt at staying neutral, it was from a weakened position that Norway was about to become a pawn in Hitler-Germany’s game of war and World War 2.
Next period: Norwegian history | World War 2 and occupation | Norway
Or see the full: History timeline | from stone age to modern era | Norway
BC = before Christ | AD = anno domini = after Christ
Main source: Store norske leksikon – snl.no