Oppgjørene

Oppgjørene, often referred to as rettsoppgjøret, is the Norwegian term for the post-World War II legal and political reckoning against collaborators and others linked to the Nazi occupation of Norway (1940–1945). After liberation in May 1945, Norwegian authorities initiated investigations, trials, and sanctions aimed at ensuring accountability for treason, war crimes, and collaboration.

The process targeted a wide range of actors, including members of the fascist Nasjonal Samling party, officials who served under the occupation, civil servants deemed disloyal, and individuals who profited from or supported the regime. Key measures included criminal prosecutions in ordinary courts and special commissions, dissolution of the Nasjonal Samling party, and the confiscation of property acquired through collaboration. The cleansing also extended to reforms intended to restore public trust, governance norms, and the rule of law.

The main phase lasted through the late 1940s, with some cases continuing into the early 1950s. The scope and pace of the oppgjørene varied by case, but the process involved tens of thousands of investigations or arrests, thousands of convictions, and a minority of executions and long prison sentences. Vidkun Quisling, the leader of the occupation regime, was executed in 1945, illustrating the severity of some outcomes.

Today, oppgjørene remains a debated aspect of Norway’s postwar history, reflecting tensions between justice, due process, and reconciliation. The term is primarily used in Norway to describe this period of reckoning and its long-term impact on Norwegian society and memory.