Fra klassekamp til landssvik / From class struggle to treason

The great shift in the labor movement's struggle against the interwar economic crisis, unemployment, and fascism is often dated to 1933, with Martin Tranmæl as the father of the change in strategy. What is not so well known is the role of the trade union movement. Even less well known is the man who stood at the helm of the trade union movement in the turbulent years from 1925 to 1934. Hallvard Olsen's name is completely forgotten by many, despite the fact that he steered the LO ship through crisis, unemployment, and attacks from the right for almost ten years.Naturally, the mistakes made during the occupation when Hallvard Olsen joined the National Union, which ended in betrayal of the country and exclusion from the National Organization, can explain this. The betrayal during the war overshadowed Hallvard Olsen's efforts for the Norwegian labor movement in the years up to 1934. With this political biography, Nils-Henning Hontvedt has wanted to draw a more holistic and complex picture of Halvard Olsen's life as a shop steward and top leader in the trade union movement. Perhaps the presentation can also help to shed light on the man's historical mistakes. In a time of conspiracy theories and ideological confusion, it is more important than ever to learn from history.