Background
Having maintained its neutrality during World War I, Norwegian foreign and military policy since 1933 was largely influenced by three factors:
- Fiscal austerity promoted by the conservative parties;
- Pacifism promoted by the Norwegian Labour Party;
- A doctrine of neutrality, on the assumption that there would be no need to bring Norway into a war if she remained neutral.
These three factors met resistance as tensions grew in Europe in the 1930s, initially from Norwegian military staff and right-wing political groups, but increasingly also from individuals within the mainstream political establishment and, it has since come to light, by the king, behind the scenes. By the late 1930s, the Norwegian parliament had accepted the need for a strengthened military and expanded the budget accordingly, even by assuming national debt. As it turned out, most of the plans enabled by the budgetary expansion were not completed in time.
Read more about this topic: Occupation Of Norway By Nazi Germany
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