Transcripts from the Norwegian trial of Vidkun Quisling in 1945 as a historical source

Abstract

The Second World War was a pivotal period in Norwegian history, symbolized by such extreme figures as King Haakon VII, a tireless opponent of collaboration with the Germans, and Vidkun Quisling, a collaborator with the enemy. The latter was put on trial after the end of the war as a result of the Norwegian government's efforts to punish traitors and eradicate the movement that Quisling had created from Norway. Norwegian issues still occupy a marginal place in Polish historiography, and information about Quisling is reduced to general statements. This article familiarizes the Polish reader with the transcripts from the trials of Vidkun Quisling - Straffesak mot Vidkun Abraham Lauritz Jonssøn Quisling (Criminal proceedings against Vidkun Quisling), assesses the value of the transcripts as a historical source and on their basis, reconstructs the course of the trials against Norway's greatest traitor. The publication or references to it do not function in the Polish scholarly circulation. The published transcripts concern the two trials that took place against Quisling, i.e. before the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court. They include the indictment, the statement of the accused, the speech of the defence counsel and the questioning of witnesses. It is not just a transcription of the court hearings, but a publication supplemented by documents referred to by the participants in the trial, which include material from Norwegian and German archives. Straffesak is a unique document of the history of the war in Norway, distinguished not only by its meticulousness and accuracy, but above all by its comprehensive coverage of the issue. The content of the transcripts provides the reader with a wealth of information about the process. It provides an insight into the line of defence adopted by Quisling's lawyer and fully reveals the views of the accused himself. Reading the transcripts also brings a very interesting picture of the Norwegian occupation period.