International Rivalry and Political Economy in Small European States, c. 1750-1814
Perspectives on Norwegian Independence in 1814.
The men leading the Norwegian uprising against the treaty of Kiel in the spring of 1814, quickly had to
face difficult decisions. The most central question for those who assembled at Eidsvoll to decide on a
Norwegian constitution in April and May was whether Norway would be able to sustain itself as an
independent state. This was what caused the major divide between the representatives. The Unionists
argued that the international situation was too dangerous and volatile and the Norwegian economy too
weak to uphold Norwegian independence. They wanted negotiations with the Swedes, and a union
which secured a favorable, liberal constitution. The party advocating full independence differed
however, appealing to the patriotism of the citizens and casting doubt on the Unionist’s civic virtue and
love of country.
The dilemma at the heart of the Norwegian constitution making process in 1814, illustrates in a
quite dramatic way the interconnectedness of the economy with that of politics and morality in Europe
at the verge of modernity. It serves perhaps first and foremost to emphasize the importance of foreign
policy and the very volatile and competitive international system of states, but it also brings to the fore
the tendency of ethical imperatives to infiltrate economic considerations. Norwegian independence was
also a matter of the moral strength of the nation. Brought together, Norway’s difficult situation in 1814
thus underscores a point which has been made with increasing strength within the history of political
and economic thought in recent years. Our tendency to view the economy as a separate sphere
institutionally distinguishable from the state with its own discourse and terminology fails to capture the
historical reality of Early Modern Europe. Doctrinaire questions searching for coherent and reified
economic systems of thought resembling our own, like mercantilism or liberalism, stands in danger of
obscuring our understanding of the way economic issues were entangled with politics as well as
morality.
Against such a backdrop and with the upcoming 200 years anniversary of the Norwegian
constitution in mind, this seminar aims to shed new light on Norwegian independence by exploring
broadly the role of political economy in Norway in 1814, as well as in 18th Century Denmark-Norway and
other small European states or kingdoms struggling to maintain their position in an increasingly
competitive international environment. A mix of young scholars as well as established researchers will
explore questions about the significance of a large population, of the balance of trade, of increasing
luxurious consumption, of growing scientific knowledge as well as the rise of credit, finance and banking.
Program
Venue: Conferenceroom “Bergen”
Radisson Blu Scandinavian Hotel, Holbergsgate 30, Oslo
http://www.radissonblu.no/scandinaviahotell-oslo
Thursday 12. December 2013
12.00-13.00: Lunch
13.00-13.15: Introduction by Håkon Evju and Martin Austnes
13.15-14.00: Halvard Leira, Norwegian Institute of International Affairs.
The Breakdown of the Body Politic and the Emergence of Specified Fields of Politics.
14.00-14.45: Thomas Krogh, University of Oslo.
Big State, Small State: Rousseau’s Struggle with the Modern Political World.
15.00-15.45: James Stafford, University of Cambridge.
Anglo-Irish Union in Friedrich von Gentz's Historisches Journal (Berlin, 1799-1800).
15.45-16.30: Dan Charly Christensen, Roskilde University.
Did the Enlightenment in Scandinavia embrace a New Economic Doctrine along with Political
Constitutionalism? - The European Origins of Danish Agricultural Reforms.
16.45-17.30: Ola Mestad, University of Oslo.
The Relation between Movable and Immovable Property in the Norwegian Constitution of 1814.
Friday 13. December 2013
09.15-10.00: Jakob Maliks, Norwegian University of Science and Technology.
Power in Numbers. On the Concept of Population in Late Mercantilist Economic Discourse.
10.00-10.45: Leif Runefelt, Södertörn University.
Gray Peasant, Blue Peasant - the Global Market for Indigo and the Ethics of the Gray Coat in Sweden
c. 1800
11.00-11.45: Maria Halle, European University Institute.
The Ethics of Consumption: A Study of the Debates in the Society for Civic Virtue (Copenhagen
1785).
11.45-13.00: Lunch
13.00-13.45: Ernst Bjerke, University of Oslo.
Cameralism and the Natural Sciences in Enlightenment Denmark-Norway.
13.45-14.30: Bård Frydenlund, University of Oslo.
The Norwegian Export-Economy and the Politics of the Merchant Patricians in Eastern Norway.
14.45-15.30: Martin Austnes, University of Oslo.
Dano-Norwegian War-Finances and its Aftermath. The Struggle to Establish a Norwegian Bank,
1814-1816.
15.30-16.15: Håkon Evju, University of Oslo.
The Ideological Dimension of the Split between Unionists and Independence-Men at Eidsvoll in
1814.
16.15-16.30: Odd Arvid Storsveen, University of Oslo.
Concluding Remarks on Behalf of the 1814-Research Project at the University of Oslo.