Kingdom of Denmark

The Kingdom of Denmark is a Nordic country and is the southernmost of the Scandinavian nations. Denmark lies southwest of the Kingdom of Sweden and south of the Norwegian State and is bordered to the south by the Greater Germanic Reich. Denmark is a member of the Einheitspakt, due to its status as a German puppet state.

History

Early modern history

Denmark has a long history of feuding with its neighbors. They lost Norway to the Swedish in 1814, and their southern territories were taken by Prussia (later the German Empire) following the Second Schleswig war in 1864. Denmark declared neutrality in the First World War; after Germany was defeated, South Jutland was returned to Denmark.

A very controversial issue in the 1930s, in the face of German aggression, was the disarmament of the Danish military. In 1938, Prime Minister Thorvald Stauning decided that Denmark would not be capable of defending itself from a German invasion, an opinion shared by other politicians. Instead of increasing the military budget, he decided to instead cut it down and save the money for other projects, a move criticised by more right-wing politicians.

World War II

When the war first broke out, Denmark declared its neutrality. Nevertheless, on 9th April 1940, Wehrmacht soldiers crossed into Denmark and met very little resistance. The Danish government quickly issued pamphlets warning Danish citizens of the events and to not resist German soldiers or engage them. In 1943, the Board of Permanent Secretaries (Departementschefstyret) effectively took over the day-to-day running of the country.

Post-war

In 1952, amidst unrelenting unrest, the various Permanent Secretaries privately met and decided to demand Parliament be reopened and with it the return of democracy. Parliamentary elections were held on the 24th of August, 1952, which came to be known as Liberation Day for Denmark, a day of celebration and remembrance of the victims of World War II and the post-war government.