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Michelsen, Christian (1857–1925) prime minister of Norway Christian Michelsen was born in Bergen, Norway, on March 15, 1857, the son of a businessman and politician. He enrolled in the University of Oslo in 1875 to study law and also served as the editor of a student newspaper. After graduating Michelsen forsook legal practice to open up a steamship company. In 1890 he became the first president of the new Shipowner’s Association. By this time Michelsen had developed a taste for politics, and in 1891 he was elected to the Storting (legislature) as part of the Conservative Party. Political discussion was then dominated by the union between Sweden and Norway, which had been in effect since 1814. Norwegians had grown restive under Swedish domination and there were calls to establish an independent consular service as a prelude to independence. Michelsen entered into the fray, emphasizing the need to display political unity in the face of anticipated Swedish resistance. To that end he founded the new Unity Party in 1903 as tensions between the two nations escalated. By 1905 both sides appeared ready to resort to war. In 1903 Michelsen was appointed minister to Sweden by Prime Minister Francis Hagerup to take part in protracted negotiations with the Swedish government, at a time when many in the Storting called for unilateral action. Michelsen saw the futility of future discussions and, when Hagerup insisted that talks resume, he and several other ministers resigned from the administration, bringing down the government. Owing to his hard-line stance, Michelsen was appointed prime minister on March 11, 1905. In May of that year he presented Swedish king Oscar II with a bill mandating a
separate Norwegian consular service—and threatened to resign if it were vetoed. The king did exactly that but refused to accept Michelsen’s resignation for the time being, because he could not form a government on his own. On June 7, 1905, Michelsen demanded that the Storting begin negotiations with Denmark to put Prince Carl of Denmark on the throne. He argued that since the Swedish monarch had vetoed the consular law and could not form a new government, he had failed in his constitutional duties. Michelsen considered this failure a de facto abdication, and, because there could be no union without a king, the Storting considered the union with Sweden nullified. That the Swedes peacefully agreed to Michelsen’s reasoning is a tribute to his pragmatic moderation over confrontation. In August 1905 the inhabitants of Norway overwhelmingly ratified a plebiscite supporting the actions of the Storting and Michelsen returned to Stockholm with a delegation to discuss the final dissolution. On September 23, 1905, after some minor trade and border concessions, Norway was allowed to become an independent nation. However, Prince Carl insisted that his candidacy also be placed before the public and in November 1905 it too was overwhelmingly passed. Carl was then enthroned as King Haakon VII of Norway. Michelsen’s careful deliberation had paid tremendous dividends for the Norwegian people even though, as a conservative, he preferred a constitutional monarchy under a prime minister to an outright republic. He had nonetheless successfully navigated the most precarious six months in Norwegian history and was toasted as a national hero and the father of his country. He continued on in office for another two years in declining health and finally quit politics altogether in 1907. Michelsen then resumed his shipping activities but in 1909 he helped organize a new party, the Liberal Left, but declined to serve as its leader. Following World War I he also established a world-recognized institute for scientific, historical, social, and political research. He died in Fjosanger on June 28, 1925, the most influential Norwegian prime minister of the 20th century. The system of government he installed remains intact to the present day. Further Reading Barton, H. Arnold. Sweden and Visions of Norway: Politics and Culture, 1814–1905. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 2003.