Terp, Holger: Danish Peace History - Det danske Fredsakademi

Introduction
When the history of peace disappears, myths are created. The most important is the
myth that all agreed with the policy of their rulers, and yes, there was no opposition.
The early Danish concepts of peace and pacifism have yet to be fully investigated.
Little has been written in the international academic literature about peace work in
Denmark. “The Biographical Dictionary of Modern Peace Leaders” has only two
Danish entries 1 . Professor Gene Sharp discovered one of many Danish publications on
non violence 2 . The history of peace work and pacifism in Denmark is nearly non
existent before 1849.
The much learned Canadian professor of history Peter Brock (1920-2006) 3 fails to
find one Scandinavian pacifist in his “Pacifism in Europe to 1914”. The volume of
Brock could have been titled, 'Religious Pacifism in Europe to 1914' from 1972 an
update of Hirst's “The Quakers in Peace and War” from 1923 4 . Peter Brock knows the
history of the peace movement including the history of the radical and political parts
of the movement. He has read Bart de Ligt, Jacob ter Meulen and the learned
publications from the Norwegian Nobel Institute 5 . In “Pacifism in Europe to 1914”
there is on p. 508 one promising reference to Norway and one reference to a
Norwegian publication: August Schou: “Historie de l'internationalisme” vol. II and III.
Brock has no direct references to Danish and Norwegian pacifism, even though Schou
in Vol. III refers to Fredrik Bajer and in the chapter §3 Le movement de la paix
organisé Danemark, has a short history of Bajer and the Danish Peace Society. In vol.
II August Schou and Christian L. Lange tells the story of Norwegian peace apostle
Anders Kempe, but they also overlook the story of Jesper Baltzarsen Könecken.
Two years before the publication of “Pacifism in Europe to 1914”, Peter Brock had
discovered the Danish conscientious objectors law of December 1917: “In no country
could non-religious objectors gain official recognition until in 1917 Denmark instituted
an alternative service system for which no religious test was required”.
Then Peter Brock did not ask the simple question: why was the Danish conscientious
objectors law written as it was? Could the answer be because of great politically based
1
Biographical Dictionary of Modern Peace Leaders / Editor in chief: Harold Josephson. - Westport,
Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1985. - 1133 pp.
2
Kamp uden Vaaben : Ikke-Vold som Kampmiddel mod Krig og Undertrykkelse / Niels Lindberg ;
Gammelgaard Jacobsen ; Karl Erlich. 1937.
3
Brock, Peter: Freedom from War : Nonsectarian pacifism 1814-1914.
Brock, Peter: Pacifism in Europe to 1914.
- Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1972 - 556 pp.
Brock, Peter: Twentieth Century Pacifism.
- New York: Van Nostrand Reinold, 1970. - 274 pp.
4
http://www.fredsakademiet.dk/library/hirst.pdf
5
Lange, Christian Louis: Histoire de l'internationalisme : JUsqu'à la paix de westphalie (1648).
- Oslo : H. Aschenhoug & Co., 1919. - 517 s.
http://www.fredsakademiet.dk/library/lange.pdf