Danmarks historie før 1945

For omkring 400 år siden var Danmark et stort rige. Kongen styrede også Norge, Island og dele af det, der i dag er Sverige og Tyskland. I dag er Danmark et mindre land på ca. 43.000 km² med ca. seks millioner indbyggere. De første mennesker kom hertil omkring 12.500 f.Kr. og levede af jagt og fiskeri. Omkring 4.000 f.Kr. begyndte de at dyrke jorden og holde husdyr. Fra omkring år 700 opstod de første rigtige byer, fx Ribe.

About 400 years ago, Denmark was a large kingdom. The king also ruled Norway, Iceland and parts of what is today Sweden and Germany. Today Denmark is a smaller country of about 43,000 km² with about six million inhabitants. The first people came here around 12,500 BC and lived by hunting and fishing. Around 4,000 BC they began to farm the land and keep livestock. From around the year 700, the first real towns appeared, for example Ribe.

Vikingetiden varede fra ca. 750 til ca. 1050. Vikingerne sejlede på togter til bl.a. England, Irland, Frankrig og Rusland. I 1013 erobrede kong Svend Tveskæg England, og i ca. 30 år havde England danske konger, bl.a. Knud den Store. Før kristendommen troede danskerne på asernes guder, fx Odin, Thor og Freja. Kong Harald Blåtand blev døbt omkring 965. Han rejste Jellingestenen, som fortæller, at han samlede Danmark og gjorde danskerne kristne.

The Viking Age lasted from about 750 to about 1050. The Vikings sailed on raids (togter) to places such as England, Ireland, France and Russia. In 1013, King Sweyn Forkbeard (Svend Tveskæg) conquered England, and for about 30 years England had Danish kings, including Cnut the Great (Knud den Store). Before Christianity, the Danes believed in the Norse gods (the Æsir), for example Odin, Thor and Freja. King Harald Bluetooth (Harald Blåtand) was baptised around 965. He raised the Jelling Stone (Jellingestenen), which says that he united Denmark and made the Danes Christian.

I middelalderen (ca. 1050–1500) kæmpede kongen og stormændene om magten. Kirken blev rig, og omkring 1250 var der næsten 3.000 kirker i landet. Samfundet var delt i fire stænder: gejstlighed, adel, borgere og bønder. Omkring 1350 døde ca. hver tredje dansker af pest. Kalmarunionen fra 1397 samlede Danmark, Norge og Sverige, og Margrete 1. var den vigtigste person bag den. Ved reformationen i 1536 blev Danmark protestantisk, og kongen blev leder af kirken og overtog dens jord.

In the Middle Ages (about 1050–1500), the king and the magnates (stormænd) fought for power. The Church became rich, and around 1250 there were almost 3,000 churches in the country. Society was divided into four estates (stænder): the clergy, the nobility, the townspeople and the peasants. Around 1350, about one in three Danes died of plague. The Kalmar Union (Kalmarunionen) of 1397 united Denmark, Norway and Sweden, and Margaret I (Margrete 1.) was the most important person behind it. With the Reformation in 1536, Denmark became Protestant, and the king became head of the Church and took over its land.

I renæssancen var Danmark ofte i krig med Sverige. Christian 4. var konge i næsten 60 år og byggede bl.a. Rundetårn, Børsen og Rosenborg. I 1658 tabte Danmark Skåne, Halland og Blekinge. Efter nederlagene fik landet en ny styreform: I 1660 blev kongemagten arvelig, og i 1661 blev kongen enevældig. I 1788 blev stavnsbåndet afskaffet, så bønderne selv kunne vælge, hvor de ville bo og arbejde. Mange bønder fik deres egen gård.

During the Renaissance, Denmark was often at war with Sweden. Christian IV (Christian 4.) was king for almost 60 years and built Rundetårn (the Round Tower), Børsen (the Old Stock Exchange) and Rosenborg, among other buildings. In 1658, Denmark lost Skåne, Halland and Blekinge. After the defeats, the country got a new form of government: in 1660 the king's power became hereditary, and in 1661 the king became an absolute ruler (enevældig). In 1788, stavnsbåndet (the rule that tied peasants to an estate) was abolished, so the peasants could choose for themselves where they wanted to live and work. Many peasants got their own farm.

I 1848 opgav Frederik 7. enevælden, og den 5. juni 1849 fik Danmark sin første grundlov. Folket kunne nu vælge Rigsdagen, men kvinder, fattige og mænd under 30 år fik først stemmeret i 1915. I 1864 mistede Danmark Slesvig og Holsten. Fra 1840'erne kom der jernbaner, og efter 1870 kom der mange fabrikker og en ny arbejderklasse. Partier som Venstre, Socialdemokratiet og Det Radikale Venstre blev dannet.

In 1848, Frederick VII (Frederik 7.) gave up enevælden (absolute monarchy), and on 5 June 1849 Denmark got its first grundlov (constitution). The people could now elect the Rigsdag (parliament), but women, poor people and men under 30 did not get the right to vote until 1915. In 1864, Denmark lost Slesvig and Holsten (Schleswig and Holstein). Railways came from the 1840s, and after 1870 many factories appeared, along with a new working class. Parties such as Venstre, Socialdemokratiet (the Social Democrats) and Det Radikale Venstre (the Social Liberals) were founded.

Danmark holdt sig neutralt under 1. Verdenskrig. Den 9. april 1940 blev landet besat af Tyskland. Regeringen samarbejdede først med tyskerne, men i august 1943 stoppede samarbejdet på grund af modstand fra befolkningen. Den 5. maj 1945 blev Danmark officielt befriet af britiske soldater.

Denmark stayed neutral during the First World War. On 9 April 1940, the country was occupied by Germany. At first the government cooperated with the Germans, but in August 1943 the cooperation stopped because of resistance from the population. On 5 May 1945, Denmark was officially liberated by British soldiers.