Abstract
The Scandinavian Association in Christiania, established in 1864, sought a new view of Scandinavism on the basis of Norway's historical and political situation after the Danish defeat by Germany in the Second Schleswig War in that year. This article studies the arguments of L. K. Daa, the central member of the Association, both during the First Schleswig War (1848-50) and the 1860s, and concludes that the unique ideas of his earlier argument shaped the discussion in the Scandinavian Association. Daa demanded the delinking of contemporary political relations from the historical discussion of “nationalities”; meanwhile, he pointed to the ethnic relatedness of Norwegians, Swedes and Danes. He held an “open” view of the nation, appreciating its ethnic development through underlying fusion and interaction. Daa's early arguments, such as his pessimism over the future of small nations, emphasis on military power of states and a Sweden-oriented integration plan, all of which were taken over by the Scandinavian Association. Daa was also well-known as a central figure of “the Patriots”; in this capacity, he had praised the inherent freedom and self-dependence of Norwegians in his young days. His influence on the Scandinavian discussion reveals the diverse ideological basis of Scandinavism in Norway.
