Lecture in Stavanger, March 1934: New Age Thoughts and Views

Public meeting in Stavanger March 1934.

By Dr. Gulbrand Lunde.

The Nasjonal Samling in Oslo recently organized a series of lectures entitled "Den nye tid". And it is, in reality, that it is not possible to understand NS and its goals until one has become aware that we are living in a time shift, that there is a new era that is breaking through.

It is characteristic of such a time shift that only a few people are aware of what is happening. This is how it is in reality even now. The Norwegian people do not have their eyes open to what is happening around them. Most people are probably aware that we are living in turbulent times, but few are aware of how profound this crisis is. Because we are not only going through a temporary economic crisis, but also a political and social one.

And in reality, this political and social crisis is so profound that we can describe it as a social crisis, a great spiritual crisis, which will bring with it a change in our whole outlook on life. It is one of our greatest tasks to seek to explain these things and to open our countrymen's eyes to what is happening around us and what is happening in our society.

I said we are in a time shift. What primarily catches the eye are the conditions in the technical area. We can say in a few words that our technology has today been developed to such perfection that unlimited quantities of goods can be produced, more than sufficient to satisfy everyone's needs. While in the past there was often a shortage of goods, we now have an abundance of goods, or at least could have, if our machines went full steam ahead.

When there are still thousands in our country who suffer hardship, this is not due to the inability to create products that can meet their needs, but it is due to the inability to distribute these products, to organize production and sales. The crisis in the technical and economic area is thus a crisis of redundancy. Because production and sales do not cooperate as planned, our society has found itself in the great difficulties we have today, especially the great unemployment with all the difficulties it brings with it for the unemployed and for society as a whole.

I mentioned that liberal capitalism asserts the unrestricted freedom of the individual in the economic area. Yes, a French politician even stated as the slogan of liberalism: "Enrich Eder". And this slogan became fundamental, not only for the individual individuals in society, but also for the politics of the various states. Liberalism led to the development of capitalism in such a form that capital has become a power not only in the state, but also over people. The money has become a means of the most brutal abuse of people's freedom and rights. There are many people who take advantage of unemployment to pay their subordinates such small wages that it is a shame. The most skilled had the right, it was said, but in reality that means the one who could most brutally beat down his competitors and work his way up at the expense of the others. This freedom for the individual has led to the oppression of the growing working class. For this person, freedom does not apply in the same way as for the other individuals in society. The leading positions are not always filled with the most capable men, but often with inferior individuals, either because of acquaintances, or wealth, or by people who have recklessly understood how to force their way.

The workers have no direct interest in their work, because they receive no direct share in the proceeds of it. They have a specific salary which is regulated according to the maximum tariff. It is characteristic of the bourgeois attitude to object that the worker today can live as well as the employer lived in the last century. But that is not the essential thing. The workers join today as a class, yes, as an underclass. This that the free initiative also applies to the worker is not correct. We see it best if collective price agreements are reached for the workers. There is a maximum limit to what the workers can earn.

The most diligent and skilled worker earns no more than the incompetent. Some may object that the most skilled worker earns more with piecework. That is also correct, but only to a certain extent because the piece rate cannot exceed the hourly rate by more than a certain percentage. I’m not saying that it’s like this everywhere, but it must be enforced that way in the class struggle. The workers must join as an underclass. They bear this stamp of inferiority in our society. This is an injustice, and changing these conditions is the first step toward creating labor peace in our society today. The liberal-capitalist system has created this injustice, and thus the socialist labor movement, although it has gradually fallen into the hands of Marxism. Marxism is therefore a true-born child of liberal capitalism, and Marxists seek to exploit the difficulties our society faces for their own purposes. Despite their crisis policy and their slogan of the whole people working, their goal during a social upheaval is to implement a communist state where there is no freedom for the individual, and the state becomes the sole owner of property. Moving from private capitalism, we arrive at something even worse—an all-powerful state that allocates work according to need without regard for the individual. It represents the most absolute lack of freedom imaginable.

The liberal capitalist system provides the best development opportunities for selfish materialism, and Marxism, which is directly derived from liberal capitalism, is also materialistic. The struggle that takes place between liberal capitalism and Marxism in our society is therefore fundamentally a struggle for material goods. However, both of these systems are doomed. Just as little as you can build a lasting system that protects unrestricted self-interest, just as little will a system that is based on class struggle and oppression of other classes, as well as oppression of freedom, lead to success.

What is now gaining ground everywhere in the world, and which is also beginning to emerge in our society, is the new perspective on life: that cooperation and solidarity are needed.

Class struggle alone will not lead us anywhere.

Instead of fighting, the entire population must work together. And this collaboration must take place in a selfless manner. We must understand that promoting our own selfish purposes when it affects others in society is futile. Because if it affects a part of our society, it ultimately affects all of us. Our society is like a large organism. If a single part is not in good condition, the whole organism suffers.

The first condition, therefore, is to create justice in society. We must remember that any work carried out, regardless of its nature, is equally valuable and necessary for society to continue. Every worker in society must also understand that their work is valued as highly as anyone else’s. Workers should be directly involved in the profits to foster their interest in their work.

All abuses on the part of speculative capital must be prevented.

Once we have created justice in our society, it naturally follows that there will be peace. The turmoil in our working life stems precisely from injustice and selfishness.

I analogize our society to a large organism. In such an organism, each individual part has its own special function, and this also holds true in our society. Each individual part of society has a specific function to attend to. For our society to flourish and perform to the best of its ability, it is necessary that each individual be enabled to carry out their particular task in the best possible way. In our time, with ever-increasing specialization in all areas, this applies to a greater degree than ever before. Practically, this means that each individual in society must find their place where their abilities and aptitudes can best come into play. We can achieve this by providing more specialized school education that takes into account pupils’ special abilities, whether those abilities lean toward practical or spiritual directions. Our goal should be to fully develop the rich abilities and opportunities within the Norwegian people. All workers, both mental and physical, in our society must collaborate, each in their own position, toward the common goal: creating good and spacious conditions for everyone in our country. We believe that such a solidary society can be built without class struggle. It must happen through social unity. The people must rally around these demands. That is what the Nasjonal Samling wants.

We recognize the difficulties in our society today, but we do not want to discard all established traditions. Like the Marxists, we refrain from disregarding the fundamental principles upon which Norwegian society has been built over a thousand years—namely, individual freedom and property rights. Our intention is to continue building upon the existing foundation, adapting it to the demands of our times. We have embraced ideas from various other parties and movements without bias, selecting what we deem good and right. In our program, we have outlined a vision for future Norwegian politics that respects our rich traditions while accommodating contemporary developments.

Cooperation on a fair basis is the most crucial new aspect. To achieve progress through reconciliation efforts, we must anchor ourselves in the ethical and moral values of the Norwegian people. We appeal to the innate goodness in individuals, encouraging those who are willing to make sacrifices for the betterment of fellow countrymen facing hardships. Our goal is to unite all positive and constructive forces within our nation for a cohesive reconstruction effort, as articulated in our program. Unlike the bourgeois parties, which often resemble the Labor Party as class-based entities, we reject the notion of mere civic gatherings. It is not the parties that should come together; rather, it is the people. Furthermore, the bourgeois parties have yet to demonstrate their ability to effectively address the challenges we face.