Finn Gustavsen
Encyclopedia
Finn Gustavsen was a Norwegian
socialist politician active from 1945 to the late 1970s. He was noted for his uncompromising style and willingness to take contrarian stands.
Gustavsen was born into a middle-class family in Drammen, where his father supported the family as the manager of the local cooperative store. Gustavsen started out his career as an industrial worker in Horten
and Holmestrand
. He became active in the Norwegian Labour Party
youth movement (Arbeidernes Ungdomsfylking) in the fall of 1945 after he earned his university entrance certificate in a year.
The year after, he was hired as a reporter for the regional socialist paper in Vestfold
, moved on to the national youth periodical for the Labor Party, then was part of a radical group that formed a foreign affairs journal called Orienteering. Although most vocal on foreign policy issues related to the arms race and what the editors generally termed "power bloc politics," the magazine became the platform for a left-wing faction within the Labor Party. This opposition was met with threats - sometimes carried out - of expulsion from the party.
In 1961, Gustavsen left the party and formed Sosialistisk Folkeparti and was immediately elected into Storting, the Norwegian Parliament as a representative from Oslo. He served as an elected member for the Sosialistisk Folkeparti (SF) (1961-1965 and 1965-1969) and it successor Sosialistisk Venstreparti (1973-1977). When the Labor Party lost its majority in Stortinget, Gustavsen's party became necessary for Labor Party governments to survive votes of no confidence.
Gustavsen decided to turn out the Labor government of Einar Gerhardsen
in 1963 over the so-called Kings Bay Affair
, ushering in a short-lived but symbolically important non-socialist government under John Lyng
.
Although Gustavsen's personality was strongly associated with his party, he made a considerable effort to resist that association. He opted out of reelection twice and had to be persuaded to resume leadership roles. He was a staunch opponent of Norwegian membership in the European Union
and resisted the alliance with the Norwegian Communist Party. He risked criminal prosecution for his disclosures of Norwegian plans to build Loran C facilities in support of submarine warfare in Norwegian waters.
In 1977 he resigned from politics and accepted the position as the Norwegian Development Agency's representative in Mozambique
. He also resumed his journalistic career, acting as an editor for the party newspaper Ny Tid
.
Gustavsen's contemporary life as arguably more controversial than his legacy. Although many disagreed with him on his positions, he was widely respected as a non-political politician - intellectually honest, forthright with his opponents and allies, and courageous.
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...
socialist politician active from 1945 to the late 1970s. He was noted for his uncompromising style and willingness to take contrarian stands.
Gustavsen was born into a middle-class family in Drammen, where his father supported the family as the manager of the local cooperative store. Gustavsen started out his career as an industrial worker in Horten
Horten
is a town and municipality in Vestfold county, Norway—located along the Oslofjord. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Horten. The municipality also includes the villages of Borre, Åsgårdstrand, Skoppum, and Nykirke....
and Holmestrand
Holmestrand
is a city and municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Holmestrad. The city was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 . The neighboring rural municipality of Botne was merged into the municipality of Holmestrand on 1 January...
. He became active in 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....
youth movement (Arbeidernes Ungdomsfylking) in the fall of 1945 after he earned his university entrance certificate in a year.
The year after, he was hired as a reporter for the regional socialist paper in Vestfold
Vestfold
is a county in Norway, bordering Buskerud and Telemark. The county administration is in Tønsberg.Vestfold is located west of the Oslofjord, as the name indicates. It includes many smaller, but well-known towns in Norway, such as Larvik, Sandefjord, Tønsberg and Horten. The river Numedalslågen runs...
, moved on to the national youth periodical for the Labor Party, then was part of a radical group that formed a foreign affairs journal called Orienteering. Although most vocal on foreign policy issues related to the arms race and what the editors generally termed "power bloc politics," the magazine became the platform for a left-wing faction within the Labor Party. This opposition was met with threats - sometimes carried out - of expulsion from the party.
In 1961, Gustavsen left the party and formed Sosialistisk Folkeparti and was immediately elected into Storting, the Norwegian Parliament as a representative from Oslo. He served as an elected member for the Sosialistisk Folkeparti (SF) (1961-1965 and 1965-1969) and it successor Sosialistisk Venstreparti (1973-1977). When the Labor Party lost its majority in Stortinget, Gustavsen's party became necessary for Labor Party governments to survive votes of no confidence.
Gustavsen decided to turn out the Labor government of 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...
in 1963 over the so-called Kings Bay Affair
Kings Bay Affair
The Kings Bay Affair was a political issue in Norway that reached its apex in 1963 and brought down the government of Einar Gerhardsen and formed the basis for non-socialist coalition politics in Norway that persisted to the end of the 20th century....
, ushering in a short-lived but symbolically important non-socialist government under 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...
.
Although Gustavsen's personality was strongly associated with his party, he made a considerable effort to resist that association. He opted out of reelection twice and had to be persuaded to resume leadership roles. He was a staunch opponent of Norwegian membership in the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
and resisted the alliance with the Norwegian Communist Party. He risked criminal prosecution for his disclosures of Norwegian plans to build Loran C facilities in support of submarine warfare in Norwegian waters.
In 1977 he resigned from politics and accepted the position as the Norwegian Development Agency's representative in Mozambique
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
. He also resumed his journalistic career, acting as an editor for the party newspaper Ny Tid
Ny Tid
Ny Tid is Norway's only international news magazine, published in Newsweek-format every Friday. Politically, its history and editorial line is on the left side of the political spectrum and, until its recent sale, it was founded and owned by the Socialist Left Party of Norway...
.
Gustavsen's contemporary life as arguably more controversial than his legacy. Although many disagreed with him on his positions, he was widely respected as a non-political politician - intellectually honest, forthright with his opponents and allies, and courageous.