The Nationalist Party ( is, Flokkur Þjóðernissinna) was a minor

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its ...

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific ideological or p ...

that espoused a limited form of

fascism Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy and t ...

before and during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

History

The party was formed in March 1934 through a merger between the Icelandic Nationalist Movement (an

anti-communist Anti-communism is political and ideological opposition to communism. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in the Russian Empire, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, when the United States and the ...

and anti- democratic

ginger group The Ginger Group was not a formal political party in Canada, but a faction of radical Progressive and Labour Members of Parliament who advocated socialism. The term ginger group also refers to a small group with new, radical ideas trying to a ...

) and the Icelandic Nationalist Party (a politicized splinter group of the former formed in 1933). The Nationalist Movement was loosely linked to the Independence Party and when the Nationalist Party was established many of its more conservative-minded adherents refused to join the new party.Valur Ingimundarson, "Iceland" in Cyprian Blamires, Paul Jackson (eds.), ''World Fascism: A Historical Encyclopedia, Volume 1'', ABC-CLIO, 2006, p. 329 This initial departure of the more moderate tendency ensured that the Nationalist Party proved more radical and extremist than either of its predecessor groups. The party aimed to protect the ethnic identity of the

Icelanders Icelanders ( is, Íslendingar) are a North Germanic ethnic group and nation who are native to the island country of Iceland and speak Icelandic. Icelanders established the country of Iceland in mid 930 AD when the Althing (Parliament) met f ...

and believed in the supremacy of the

Aryan race The Aryan race is an obsolete historical race concept that emerged in the late-19th century to describe people of Proto-Indo-European heritage as a racial grouping. The terminology derives from the historical usage of Aryan, used by modern ...

and

anti-Semitism Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Antis ...

. They supported agricultural reform and were sympathetic to

corporatism Corporatism is a collectivist political ideology which advocates the organization of society by corporate groups, such as agricultural, labour, military, business, scientific, or guild associations, on the basis of their common interests. The ...

, whilst looking for the government to invest in

industrialization Industrialisation ( alternatively spelled industrialization) is the period of social and economic change that transforms a human group from an agrarian society into an industrial society. This involves an extensive re-organisation of an econo ...

.Gudmundsson, p. 746 They also sought to abolish the

Althing The Alþingi (''general meeting'' in Icelandic, , anglicised as ' or ') is the supreme national parliament of Iceland. It is one of the oldest surviving parliaments in the world. The Althing was founded in 930 at (" thing fields" or "assemb ...

and replace it with a corporate parliament. The party also rejected the left-right dichotomy and presented themselves as a radical alternative for Icelandic politics. In all, they were more influenced by the ideas of Frits Clausen than those of

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming the chancellor in 1933 and the ...

and there is no evidence to suggest any direct link to

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

.Gudmundsson, p. 749 Adopting some of the militaristic trappings of

, the party organised a number of marching squads which paraded on May 1 carrying both the Icelandic flag and the

swastika The swastika (卐 or 卍) is an ancient religious and cultural symbol, predominantly in various Eurasian, as well as some African and American cultures, now also widely recognized for its appropriation by the Nazi Party and by neo-Nazis. I ...

.Gudmundsson, p. 747 Members dressed in grey shirts and wore armbands decorated with a red swastika. The party produced a newspaper ''Ísland'' (Iceland) and a periodical ''Mjölnir'' (named after

Thor's hammer Thor (; from non, Þórr ) is a prominent god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred groves and trees, strength, the protection of humankind, hallowing, and ...

), although they did not adopt the ''

führerprinzip The (; German for 'leader principle') prescribed the fundamental basis of political authority in the Government of Nazi Germany. This principle can be most succinctly understood to mean that "the Führer's word is above all written law" and th ...

'' associated with Nazism as the movement had four different leaders in its brief life. The Nationalist Party failed to gain representation, except on the

University of Iceland The University of Iceland ( is, Háskóli Íslands ) is a public research university in Reykjavík, Iceland and the country's oldest and largest institution of higher education. Founded in 1911, it has grown steadily from a small civil servant ...

Student Council, where they held one seat for four years running. They did, however, gain attention in 1936 when they obtained a copy of the diary of the Minister of Finance and published details in ''Ísland''. The party offices were raided by police and a number of leading members arrested, although ultimately there were no convictions. In general, however, they did not enjoy widespread support at any point in their existence, despite wide admiration for

in the island.Gudni Thorlacius Johannesson, ''The History of Iceland'', ABC-CLIO, 2013, p. 89 This was reflected in their electoral performances, with the party gaining 0.7% of the vote in the 1934 election and 0.2% in 1937. Their best result was 2.8% in the 1934 municipal elections in Reykjavik. The party, which never had more than 450 members, began to decline after the arrests. 1938 was the last year in which the marching squads appeared, whilst the 1939 ''Aims of the Nationalist Party'' was their last major publication, apart from sporadic issues of ''Island''. They organised a debating club in

Reykjavík Reykjavík ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói bay. Its latitude is 64°08' N, making it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. With a po ...

during the winter of 1939-1940 although it had no impact and the party generally only met in local cells from then on. Following the

invasion of Iceland The invasion of Iceland (codenamed Operation Fork) by the Royal Navy and Royal Marines occurred on 10 May 1940, during World War II. The invasion took place because the British government feared that Iceland would be used by the Germans, who ...

in 1940 the group was largely suppressed by the occupying Allies. The party was formally disbanded in 1944 when German defeat looked inevitable.

Election results

References

Bibliography

* Ásgeir Guðmundsson, "Nazism in Iceland", S. U. Larsen, B. Hagtvet & J. P. Myklebust, ''Who Were the Fascists: Social Roots of European Fascism'', Scandinavian University Press, Oslo, 1980.

Footnotes

{{Fascism movement 1934 establishments in Iceland Fascism in Europe Defunct political parties in Iceland Icelandic nationalism Nationalist parties in Iceland Nazi parties Political parties established in 1934 Political parties disestablished in 1944 Anti-communist parties Antisemitism in Europe