The Norwegian defence tradition. Part 1: 1905

From about 1890 to 1914, Norwegian defence history was reinterpreted along national and nationalistic lines. Certain historical experiences were highl ighted while others were ignored or denied. A large numbers of works were p roduced and broadly distributed. The fast integration of this tradition int o civilian and military schools made it completely dominant in Norwegian th inking on defence. The views of the tradition strongly influenced the devel opment of defence policy and military doctrine. In brief, the tradition foc used almost completely on the role of the Norwegian armed forces in defence of Norwegian borders and ignored all other roles. It praised the egalitari an and "Blut und Boden" aspects of conscription and a particular Norwegian concept of the people in arms. The tradition also provided a conceptual fil ter used to interpret and understand the experiences of the Second World Wa r. Along with the later interpretations of 1940 the defence tradition of 19 05 is crucial to understand the present difficulties with the restructuring of the Norwegian armed forces.