Political developments from 1945 to 1965

Following Norway's liberation from German occupation in May 1945, national elections were held in the autumn in which the Labour Party won a solid majority of seats in Parliament and subsequently formed a government. It kept this majority throughout the 1940s and 1950s, until 1961. This period was dominated domestically by a policy of rebuilding the country after the war. Norway's foreign policy was heavily influenced by the Cold War, and it joined the NATO alliance in 1949. In the 1961 election, the Labour Party lost its absolute majority in Parliament, but, together with a smaller party to the political left, it held a tiny majority of seats. However, in 1965 the Labour Government resigned after losing to a coalition of more non-socialist parties that were able to form a new majority government.

The post-war language political situation

During the five war years, 1940–5, the language conflict was pushed into the background and was dwarfed by the struggle against the German occupation forces. After liberation, pre-war political conflicts resurfaced. However, it soon became apparent that the war had caused a profound change in the underlying premises of the language struggle.