Podcast: The Danish decolonisation of Greenland, 1945-54 [Podcast]
This podcast seeks to unfold the decolonisation of Greenland, from the early discussions after the Second World War to the recognition of Greenland as a Danish county in 1954.
Immediately following the Second World War, a global discussion on the colonies was initiated by the newly established United Nations. Greenland had been linked to Denmark since the arrival of the missionary Hans Egedes in 1721, and the country was governed as a Danish colony. In the years between 1945 and 1954, the question over Greenland’s legal status became an important element in Danish UN policy. Through negotiations with the UN, the Danish government persistently attempted to retain Greenland as part of the Danish realm and it succeeded. From 1953, Greenland was recognised as a Danish ‘amt’ or county, on an equal footing with those in Denmark, and was therefore no longer considered a colony by the UN. The Danish Constitution (Grundloven) was amended to reflect this on June 5th 1953 and the United Nations recognised the change of status in 1954. The article is read out by Brian Witcombe.