Viking Magazine - December 2014 - 26

} The First Nobel Peace
Prize was awarded in
1901. Since then, 95 Peace
Prizes have been handed
out to 128 laureates-
103 individuals and
25 organizations.
} 16 women have won the
Nobel Peace Prize. The first
woman laureate, Nobel's
friend Bertha von Suttner,
received the Peace Prize
in 1905. It was 26 years
before Jane Addams became
the second female
Peace Laureate.
} Despite Norway's
continued reputation as
peacemaker, only two
Norwegians have
won the Peace Prize:
Christian Lange (1921) and
Fridtjof Nansen (1922).
} The average age of a
Nobel Laureates is 62. 2014
winner Malala Yousafzai,
17, is the youngest to date.
} Only one Peace
Laureate, Vietnamese
politician Le Duc Tho, has
declined the award.
26 VIKING DECEMBER 2014 sonsofnorway.com
contention in the union between
Sweden and Norway, and could
have sought to use his prize to stave
off war. " In the middle of the 1890s
there was a very critical period in the
discussion of the dissolution of the
union with Sweden, " says Stenersen.
" In Sweden, some circles thought that
a military attack should be one of the
alternatives. Given the contentious
relationship between Norway and
Sweden, there was fear war could
break out. If Norway
got the prize, that could
be a kind of platform
for negotiations for a
peaceful solution to
the conflict. "
Another theory
centers on Nobel's
personal relationship
with peace activist
Bertha von Suttner,
and his admiration
for Norwegian writer
and peace activist
Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson.
" The other theory,
A LASTING TRADITION OF PEACE
The king not only opposed Nobel's will,
but his decision to give a Norwegian
committee the right to award the prize.
" This gave Norway an element of a
foreign policy, which was the big issue
between Norway and Sweden in the
1890s, " says Lundestad. " Foreign
policy is the issue that ultimately
tore the union apart in 1905. "
While, according to Lundestad,
Nobel's decision to entrust Norway
with the Peace Prize
was " marginally
influential " in the
peaceful dissolution of
the Norwegian-Swedish
union in 1905, there
is no doubt the prize
has shaped Norway's
identity at home and on
the world stage since its
inception.
General view inside the Oslo
City Hall during the Nobel Peace
Awards ceremony.
which is not contrary to the first one,
is that through his friend, von Suttner,
Nobel knew about the strong interest
of the Norwegian parliament in peace,
arbitration and mediation, " says
Lundestad. " The Swedish national
assembly showed no interest in peaceful
work, so influenced by von Suttner, he
probably felt a Norwegian committee
would be most appropriate. "
Nobel's connection to peace activists
may have even given him the idea to
include an award for peace among his
prizes. " The Swedish-Norwegian king
was very opposed to Alfred Nobel's
will, " says Lundestad. " He said the
famous words, 'there must be women
behind this.' He was absolutely right,
there was a woman behind it. "
" The Peace Prize
has been a very
substantial part of the
reputation of Norway
as a peacemaker, " says
Lundestad. " We are used to seeing
Norwegian institutions playing a role
on the international stage, and in a
sense, that has made it natural for
Norwegians to have strong views on
international affairs and also believe
that they can make a difference.
Norwegians are very proud of the fact
that the Peace Prize is awarded
in Norway. "
The Norwegian Nobel Institute
was founded in 1904 to aid the Nobel
Committee in selecting a Laureate. In
addition to extensively researching each
nominee, the Institute hosts seminars
and conferences on peace-related topics
throughout the year. The library housed
within the institute stocks resources on
war and peace throughout history.
PHOTO COURTESY OF POOL / SCANPIX NORWAY / SIPA USA
http://www.sonsofnorway.com
Viking Magazine - December 2014

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