Marcus Thrane

Marcus Thrane

Marcus Møller Thrane (14 October 1817 – 30 April 1890) was the leader of the first Norwegian labour movement, later known as the Thranitter movement, wich at its height had approximately 30,000 members making it the third largest labour movement at the time, second only to those in France and the United Kingdom, and the largest counting per capita (Norway had only 1.4 million inhabitants).

Early life

Thrane was born in Christiania in 1817. Shortly after his birth (in December the same year) his father (named David), a merchant and Managing director in Norges Rigsbank, was arrested for involvment in corruption, a case that devestated the family's reputation. Later, only fifteen years old, Thrane was orphaned and had to move in with friends of the family.

In 1837 Thrane left Norway and traveled illigaly to France through Germany and Switzerland. He was arrested, but released after two months. Thrane stayed in Paris for several months before returning to Norway in December 1837.

After finishing artium in 1840 and a brief period as a student of theology, Thrane and his newly wed wife Josephine (born Buch) moved to Lillehammer in 1841 where they run a private school. In 1846 Thrane moved his teaching to Åsgårdstrand, but moved again the year after.

In March 1847 Thrane came to Åmot in Modum where he began work as a theacher for the workers children at Blaafarveværket and it was here he experienced his first political awakening. However, in April the year after the company was experiencing difficulties and Thrane together with 250 workers were sacked.

The family then moved to Drammen, the hometown of Josephine, where Thrane became the editor of the local newspaper Drammens Adresse, but because of his radical meenings, expressed in articles and leaders, he was fired after only five months. At this time Thrane had already begun his political activities.

Political activities and the labour movement

On December 27 1848 Thrane founded Drammens arbeiderforening (Drammen labour union) with 160 members and the folowing year several other labour unions were initiated under a national party organisation and in May Thrane printed the first edition of the paper Arbeiderforeningernes Blad.

In May 1850 the union delivered a petition to the king signed by 13,000 members. The union asked for universal voting, universal mandatory military service (not just for those without property), equalnes to the law, bether schools, low or no border taxes on necesary goods such as grains, and a special support for poor farmers in the form of farmable land on reasonable terms. In November the gouvernment gave a desmissive answer to the petition. As a result the unions national conference in February 1851 voted to seek a revolution and, although Thrane maneged to get the vote changed, the gouvernment ceiced the opportunity and arrested him and other leaders on June 7. Thrane and almost 200 other members were sentenced on June 25 1855, Thrane to four years of prison in addition to the four years that had passed before the sentence was final.

The imprisonments and internal tension resulted in the end of the movement and Thranes attempts of revitalising it after his release from prison on July 17 1858 were unaffective.

Post political life

After the end of the movement and his political involvment Thrane became a photographer and, after Josephines death in 1862, he imigrated to the U.S.A where he once again was politicaly active among emigrated Scandinavians. He returned to Norway for a brief visit in 1883 and held a number of lectures, but, disapointed by the moderate interest, he returned to the U.S.A. where he died on April 30 1890.

Legacy

Although his movement only existed for a few years Thranes work was an important early contribution in the politication of the Norwegian worker and the Norwegian Labour Party (founded in 1887) sees him as one of its founding fathers.