14 Facts About Thorvald Stauning

Thorvald Stauning served as Prime Minister from 1924 to 1926 and again from 1929 until his death in 1942.

Thorvald Stauning was trained as a cigar sorter and soon became involved with trade union activity.

Thorvald Stauning participated as Minister without Portfolio in the Cabinet of Zahle II from 1916 to 1920.

Thorvald Stauning was elected to government as prime minister in 1924 for the minority cabinet Cabinet of Thorvald Stauning I which would survive until 1926.

Thorvald Stauning's cabinet was considered ground-breaking not only as it was the first purely Social Democratic cabinet, but because a woman, Nina Bang, was appointed Minister of Education, which attracted some international attention, as she was one of the first female ministers in the world.

Thorvald Stauning holds a record in Danish politics, in having successfully sought re-election no less than three times.

Thorvald Stauning reportedly considered resigning in the wake of the referendum failure, but was persuaded to stay on.

Thorvald Stauning believed that cooperating with the German authorities would prevent harsher measures and maintain a semblance of Danish self-governance.

Thorvald Stauning's government facilitated economic collaboration, such as supplying agricultural products to Germany, while the Danish police were ordered to cooperate with the occupiers to ensure public order and security.

Over time, Thorvald Stauning's health declined, and he died in 1942, leaving his successors to navigate the complex relationship with the occupying forces.

Thorvald Stauning was given a state funeral in 1942, an honour normally not bestowed on Danish prime ministers.

Thorvald Stauning played a major role in containing the constitutional Easter Crisis of 1920 where he brokered a deal with the king in which the monarch accepted a reduction of his own role to a merely symbolical one, avoiding any future interference in the functioning of parliamentary democracy.

In return, Thorvald Stauning kept the pro-republican elements of the Social Democratic Party in line and ensured his party's political support to the continuation of the Danish monarchy.

Thorvald Stauning's government was responsible for laying the foundations to the future Danish welfare state.