Oppgjøret

Oppgjøret is a Norwegian term meaning "the settlement" or "reckoning." In historical usage, it refers most often to the post-World War II legal purge in Norway, known in Norwegian as rettsoppgjøret, the reckoning with those who collaborated with the German occupation from 1940 to 1945. The aim was accountability for treason, collaboration, and wartime acts, and to reestablish public trust and legal order after the occupation.

The purge encompassed investigations, trials, and sentences conducted by ordinary courts with wartime and peacetime jurisdictions, including high-profile prosecutions of government officials, military officers, and civilian collaborators. The proceedings led to a range of penalties, such as imprisonment, confiscations, bans from public service, and, in some cases, the death penalty. Vidkun Quisling, the leader of the occupation regime, was tried and executed in 1945; many other accomplices were convicted.

Contemporary assessments highlight that the oppgjøret was a critical element of Norway's postwar reconstruction and national memory, but also a subject of debate regarding due process, scope, and the severity of penalties. It influenced postwar politics and ongoing discussions about justice, reconciliation, and the treatment of individuals who had supported or benefited from the occupation.

Beyond its historical use, oppgjøret can denote any form of societal or political settlement or reckoning between opposing sides, especially in the context of addressing grievances, debts, or past wrongdoing.

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