Jens Eugen Tangen
(20 July 1897 – 22 September 1980) was a
Norwegian
Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to:
*Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe
* Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway
* Demographics of Norway
*The Norwegian language, including ...
trade unionist.
Career
Tangen chaired the trade union
Norwegian Union of Building Workers
The Norwegian Union of Building Industry Workers ( no, Norsk Bygningsindustriarbeiderforbund, NBIAF) was a trade union in Norway, organized under the national Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions.
It was founded in 1923 as the Norwegian Union o ...
from 1935, having been deputy chairman from 1933 to 1934.
[ In 1940, he was a central member of ]Fagopposisjonen av 1940
''Fagopposisjonen av 1940'' (Trade Opposition of 1940) was a grouping among Norwegian trade unionists in 1940, after the German invasion of Norway.
It had roots in a 1930s informal oppositional group within the Norwegian labour movement. The i ...
(Trade Opposition of 1940),[ ] for which he chaired the executive committee. The purpose of the Trade Opposition was to use the recent German occupation of Norway
The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany during the Second World War began on 9 April 1940 after Operation Weserübung. Conventional armed resistance to the German invasion ended on 10 June 1940, and Nazi Germany controlled Norway until the ...
for the better, in the then-absence of a real "bourgeois" political authority. The Trade Opposition leader Håkon Meyer
Håkon Meyer (11 March 1896 – 23 October 1989) was a Norwegian politician, trade unionist and businessperson.
Meyer was born in Kristiania, the son of Ludvig Meyer and Emma Metz. In the 1920s and 1930s, he was an active and leading Labour ...
became more content with cooperating with the Nazis, including the Norwegian Fascist party, and on 28 September 1940 Tangen was ordered by the Nazis to assume the chairmanship
The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the group ...
of the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions
The Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions ( no, Landsorganisasjonen i Norge, LO) is a national trade union center, decidedly the largest and probably the most influential umbrella organization of labour unions in Norway. The 21 national unions ...
.[ He chose ]Ludvik Buland
Ludvik Buland (6 May 1893 – 5 February 1945) was a Norwegian trade unionist. He chaired the Norwegian Union of Railway Workers, but was imprisoned and died during the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany.
Early life and career
Ludvik Bulan ...
as deputy chairman.[
]
Imprisonment
Following the milk strike in September 1941, the Nazis took a tighter grip on society in general, usurped the Confederation of Trade Unions completely and installed Odd Fossum
Odd Fossum (15 December 1905 – 23 July 1958) was a Norwegian shop assistant, and leader of the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions from 1941 to 1945, under the Nazi regime during the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany
The oc ...
as new leader on 10 September. Tangen was arrested[ and imprisoned in ]Grini concentration camp
'',
'' no, Grini fangeleir'', location= Bærum, Viken, Norway, location map=Viken#Norway, built by=Norway, original use=Constructed as a women's prison, operated by=Nazi Germany, notable inmates=List of Grini prisoners, liberated by=Harry Söderm ...
from 10 September 1941 to 27 February 1942, and then at Møllergata 19
Møllergata 19 is an address in Oslo, Norway where the city's main police station and jail was located. The address gained notoriety during the German occupation from 1940 to 1945, when the Nazi security police kept its headquarters here. This is ...
for one week. After his release, he fled to Sweden, where he played no political role.[ Ludvik Buland was imprisoned and died in Germany,][ whereas the head of the judicial office in the Confederation, ]Viggo Hansteen
Harald Viggo Hansteen (13 September 1900 – 10 September 1941) was a Norway, Norwegian lawyer. He was executed during the Occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany.
Biography
Harald Viggo Hansteen was born in Oslo, Norway. As a student he was ...
, was executed.
Post-war
After the war, in 1946, Tangen was excluded by the Congress of the Confederation of Trade Unions for collaboration
Collaboration (from Latin ''com-'' "with" + ''laborare'' "to labor", "to work") is the process of two or more people, entities or organizations working together to complete a task or achieve a goal. Collaboration is similar to cooperation. Most ...
. His personal secretary, Martin Brendberg Martin may refer to:
Places
* Martin City (disambiguation)
* Martin County (disambiguation)
* Martin Township (disambiguation)
Antarctica
* Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land
* Port Martin, Adelie Land
* Point Martin, South Orkney Islands
Austra ...
, was excluded as well. However, Tangen was acquitted of treason by Oslo City Court
Oslo District Court ( no, Oslo tingrett) is a district court located in Oslo, Norway. This court is based at the Oslo Courthouse in the city of Oslo. The court serves the entire city of Oslo and the court is subordinate to the Borgarting Court o ...
in 1949, as a part of the legal purge in Norway after World War II
The purge in Norway after World War II was a purge that took place between May 1945 and August 1948 against anyone who was deemed to have collaborated with the German occupation of the country. Several thousand Norwegians and foreign citizens w ...
. The court found that his degree of cooperation was acceptable.[
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tangen, Jens
1897 births
1980 deaths
Norwegian trade unionists
Norwegian people of World War II
Grini concentration camp survivors
Norwegian expatriates in Sweden
People acquitted of treason