Laurits Hansen (1894–1965) was a Danish trade unionist and politician, being a member of the

Social Democrats Social democracy is a social, economic, and political philosophy within socialism that supports political and economic democracy and a gradualist, reformist, and democratic approach toward achieving social equality. In modern practice, s ...

. He served as minister of social affairs between 1942 and 1945, but he lost his party affiliation following World War II due to the claims that he had not been loyal to his party.

Biography

Hansen was born in Kelstrup, Kirke Stillinge on 24 October 1894. During his youth he was the chairman of the social democratic youth association. He led the trade union movement during the period of the

Nazi occupation of Denmark The German invasion of Denmark (), was the German attack on Denmark on 9 April 1940, during the World War II, Second World War. The attack was a prelude to the Norwegian campaign, invasion of Norway (, 9 April – 10 June 1940). Denmark's stra ...

. He was chairman of the Trade Unions Cooperative between 1939 and 1942. He was close to the Germans and negotiated with them about the possibilities of coordinating the Danish trade union movement with the German Nazi Labor Front. Hansen was made the minister of social affairs in 1942 following the demands of the Nazi figures. He served in the

cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filin ...

led by

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Erik Scavenius Erik Julius Christian Scavenius (; 13 July 1877 – 29 November 1962) was the Danish foreign minister from 1909 to 1910, 1913 to 1920 and 1940 to 1943, and prime minister from 1942 to 1943, during the occupation of Denmark until the Danish elect ...

. After World War II, he was accused of not being loyalty to the Social Democrats and being a collaborator of the Nazi regime. As a result, he lost all of his party positions. Following this incident he worked as a cigar merchant and then as a real estate broker. He died in Copenhagen on 23 February 1965.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hansen, Laurits 1894 births 1965 deaths Government ministers of Denmark Social Democrats (Denmark) politicians 20th-century Danish businesspeople Danish trade union leaders