Christian Michelsen

Peter Christian Hersleb Kjerschow Michelsen ( born March 15, 1857 in Bergen, † June 29, 1925 in Fana ) was a Norwegian shipowner and quite liberal politician. It was March 11, 1905 to October 28, 1907 Prime Minister and thus the first of the independent Norway.

Michelsen belonged from 1891 to 1894 as deputy of the Venstre the Norwegian parliament, the Storting, to. In 1904 he was re-elected to the Storting, this time as deputy Samlingspartiet. In September 1904, he resigned as Finance Minister in the second cabinet of Francis Hagerup. After his resignation he could even run the government in March 1905.

Under Michelsens government, the Storting In May 1905, unanimously decided to set up consular offices in Norway and abroad. This led to conflict with Sweden, which was connected in a union with Norway. After the veto of the Swedish King Oscar II resigned Michelsen and his government. The resignation was not accepted by Oscar II. Oscar II was unable to find new members for a Norwegian government. The Storting took the occasion to declare, that King did not comply with its obligations as a Norwegian state. Then the resolution on the dissolution of the Union and on the extension of powers of attorney for the government Michelsen was unanimously adopted on 7 June 1905 the Storting. The Storting suggested that a Swedish prince should ascend the Norwegian throne. The Swedish king rejected the unilateral action of Norway. The Swedish Parliament urged against the fact that the decision of the Storting conducted a referendum in Norway and the conditions for the dissolution of the Union by separate Swedish-Norwegian negotiations should be clarified. This proposal was adopted by the Norwegian government. In the referendum on August 13, 1905 368 392 Norwegians voted for and only 184 against the dissolution of the Union. With the Treaty of Karlstad was the peaceful dissolution of the union between Sweden and Norway. Michelsen was therefore the first Prime Minister of independent Norway. Short term he took next to the Prime Minister's Office also the finance and defense minister, until he resigned in the fall of 1907 because of disputes in his coalition. He withdrew from party politics, but founded with Fridtjof Nansen 1925 Fedrelandslaget as conservative - national collection organization.

Michelsen was awarded the Grand Cross of St. Olav's Order and the Borgerdådsmedalje. He also got quite a few high Order by foreign governments.

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