other · Scandinavia and the Baltic

Reichskommissariat Norwegen

1940 CE – 1945 CE · capital Oslo

German civilian occupation regime in Norway in 1940-1945, headed by Josef Terboven, with Vidkun Quisling's collaborationist government.

Origins

Germany invaded Norway on 9 April 1940. Vidkun Quisling, leader of the fascist Nasjonal Samling, proclaimed himself head of government the same day, but the Germans soon pushed him aside. King Haakon VII and the government refused to surrender and went into exile in London, and in April 1940 Hitler appointed Josef Terboven as Reich Commissioner.

Rule and society

Terboven held real power from Oslo, banning all parties except Nasjonal Samling. In 1942 Quisling became Minister-President of a collaborationist government, which tried to Nazify schools and the church but met mass resistance from teachers and clergy. Norway's resistance sabotaged the heavy water plant at Vemork, and in 1942 Norwegian Jews were deported to Auschwitz.

Decline and legacy

German forces in Norway surrendered on 8 May 1945, and Terboven killed himself. Quisling was tried and executed in October 1945, and his name became a byword for traitor. The legal government returned and King Haakon VII came home to the Kingdom of Norway in June 1945.

Connections (2)

  • Kingdom of Norway was conquered by Reichskommissariat Norwegen1940 CE – 1945 CE
  • Reichskommissariat Norwegen was a protectorate of Nazi Germany1940 CE – 1945 CE

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Reichskommissariat Norwegen. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/reichskommissariat-norwegen
MLA
“Reichskommissariat Norwegen.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/reichskommissariat-norwegen. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Reichskommissariat Norwegen.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/reichskommissariat-norwegen.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Reichskommissariat Norwegen’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/reichskommissariat-norwegen (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻