Posted on 12/08/2006 11:24:32 AM PST by Leifur
Here are the basics of the history of Iceland. With a special emphasis of US - Icelandic connections and the US military presence here and its end in this year, and the disillusionment of many Icelanders, specially on the right, because of this towards the US wich they have supported for long time.
874: Scandinavian/british isles vikings and their celtic slaves began settling the country.
930: Mostly settled, the Icelandic Free State was established, a governing system without a king or any executive branch whatsoever. A very individualistic system of governance, that ensured peace and prosperity here for 300 years. Its main body was the Althing, establised this year.
1000: Christianity established as state religion instead of Paganism. Due to pressure from the norweegian king, but was easy as propably the majority of the population where christians, that is the former celtic slaves. Most of their descendants had soon become subsistance farmers here as the system had quicly made slavery obsolete as a practical institution.
1264: We lost our independence to the Norweegians, because of a small civil war that the Norweegian King had fueled. Taxation due to the church was most likely instrumental in destabilising the system, creating rivaling chieftaining families.
?: The Kalmar Union between the Danish and Norway made us subjects to the Danish.
1550: The execution of Jón Arason (every Icelander can trace him as their ancestor) the last Chatholic bishop by the Danish established Lutherianism as state religion.
This was followed by ever more oppressive system of government aimed at making us a tax colony of Denmark, in wich the church was instrumental in destroying many cultural institutions. That hand in hand with worsened weather, and then many volcanic eruptions made us very few in numbers and poor.
Thus the current population can all trace their ancestors together in the 8th to 10th generation.
summor of 1809: Winds of change reach Iceland, a young Danish adventurer establishes a short lived republic here based on the ideals of the American and French revelutions. Was possible because of the countries isolation due to the Napolonic wars, but Denmark had become an ally of Denmark. The british sent a warship here, and arrested this man and sent him eventually to Australia and put danish control here back. But this brought new thinking to the country.
1830: Icelanders began effectively championing for Icelandic freedom, but not with weapons. The Icelandic Free State was romanticed and the idea was to reestablish it.
1845: We managed to make Althing (wich had run continously since 930 except for few years prior to this) a advisory body to the Danish King.
1874: Iceland got its own constitution and more freedom in commerce
1901: Home rule established.
1918. All but independence reached, as the Kingdom of Iceland, with the Danish king as head of state. The Danish were still though responsible for foreign affairs.
?: During WW2 the british establish a presence here after Denmark is overrun by the Germans. Later, six months prior to the attack of Pearl Harbor and the formal participation of the US in the WW2, the US reliefs the British here and become our protectors by establishing a military presence here. Shortly before the Normandy invasion there where ca as many military men here as there were male Icelanders, or about 70 thousand man.
1944: Iceland declares independence, but we had had de facto independence (under US protections) since the Germans overran Denmark.
1952: US establishes a cold war base here (and Iceland joins NATO even though we don´t have a military) after having left the country briefly (officially) since the end of WW2 (never completely though), with the support of the nationalistic right (as in independence nationalism/patriotism of those that sought for our independence), but this move split the formerly majority independence movement between the right wing Independence Party (wich I am a member of and is supported by about 35 to 40% of the nation) and those nationalists/patriots that loathed a foreign military presence here but they eventuelly migrated to the left and became the basis of the communist movement here.
This move split the nation in half and surged the support of leftwingers, and due to the socialistic influence our economy spiralled over the next forty years, although with brief relatively good years in between because of high prises of our main export, fish. There was huge inflation here in this time, measured in three numbers.
1992: Mr. Davíð Oddson the head of the Independence Party became Prime Minister. He liberalised the economy, privatised most state run industries and paid down nearly all of our foreign depts, wich were considerable. Our quality of life surged so today we are number 4 in the world of countries with the best quality of life.
2003: Iceland is part of the Coalition of the Willing. Just a week prior to the general election the US declare that they are going to move their airplanes from Iceland, but according to the defence treaty (established in ´52) they were responsible for the air defence of the country. Thankfully, Davíð Oddson, managed to prevent this information getting out and also managed to get this decision reverted, but it propably did not help in concentrating his efforts to the upcoming elections, in wich we reduced our majority.
2005: Davíð Oddson steps out of government, wich is though still run by the Independence Party and its coalition partner.
2006: The US moves its military presence away from the country in a sudden move, leaving us defenceless even though the defence treaty is formarly still in place. This disillusions many staunch supporters of the US here on the right, who had defended the US and its presence here during the whole Cold War, and the Iraqi and Afghan invasions. Specially how sudden this came, how we came to know about it and many other things, specially how unwelcome our moves of promising to pay for and gradually taking over many aspects of the defences here, by learning from and with the help of, the US in defending ourselves, wich we haven´t done for centuries.
2007: Iceland heads for general elections in the spring, but most projections predict that the current, long held coalition will lose its majority to the anti-american left, under the control of people who had championed against the US presence here during the Cold War and claimed that they were only here for their own gain, but not to protect us as, the right claimed and beliewed until their departure.
The US achievements in engineering and science are well known, and it looks like they might be traced back to Icelandic heritage. Your American relatives are successful in the fact that they can provide for their families. Our families are healthy and prosperous and we have good homes, and are the backbone of our society.
So, Iceland did good, you sent off emigrants to a new world, and we found our calling, science and engineering. We are not famous celebrities, but, we are raising sound families, we have conservative values, and you can be proud of your American cousins.
Sorry can´t find him. I tried also the most likely icelandic equivelant, Arthúr, and the first Arthur is in 1812, but he is a Dillon, not Richter. All the rest are named Arthúr, an Icelandication of the name propably.
But I must be off, good night, good luck with this. Feel free to contact me if you dig something else up I can look up.
She never learned it, herself. And that IS too bad!! If I'm correct, your language is like no other!!!
She did love Iceland, and I know that she always felt very close to it.
Since you guys seem to have such a similar look, it's wonderful that it's a beautiful look!
"Home schooling is not legal here in Iceland"
This is a shame. God speed to your country!
Yes, this is the good thing about the US, you don´t have feminism destroying families like here. We used to have strong families, but in a single generation or so they have managed to change that it seems. Best wishes and good night,
Leifur
We have a similar concern about maintaining our identity- that all immigrants to our country become true Americans by learning English. You are wise to require all to learn to speak as Islanders. You will not be able to keep Iceland totally the same -but then it has gradually changed over the last 1000 years. Keeping the language is important. I love how you design acceptable words for new technology. About the thermal energy - exporting technology is a good idea. No reason why similar technology could not be used around Yellowstone National Park or in Hawaii. I was impressed by the greenhouses in the snow. By the way we totally loved Geysir and being able to walk up close to it. Old Faithful has too many fences.
That is very sad. It is indeed painful when a truly appreciative people are wounded by who they considered a friend. I believe the Icelandic people, like all people of Scandanavian origin, are very strong and will become stronger because of this. It must be seen as an opportunity for Iceland to grow its own defense capabilities. I'm from Canada, and I am sickened by the deterioration of Canadian forces becasue the Liberal government diverted defense dollars to social programs with the idea the U.S. would protect them militarily. Then Canada got to the point that they had to charter foreign military planes to transport their soldiers to Afghanistan. The new government is chagning all that now, and I think Iceland can do the same.
I believe what we really have here is an Icelanic Genealogy Group -- small but vibrant. My husband's g'f was 'Borgford' -- his name had been Johnson or something but they told him, at Ellis Island, there were already too many of those. He then named himself after the place where he had been born.
Our great-aunt, also a genealogist, has visited the relatives in Iceland.
That's unfortunately true, and more so that it should be. We need to get our constitutional "house" in order before we should bring any other states. The original intent of our federal government was to be a union of independent nations. Lincoln and FDR screwed that up.
Sadly we would loose the establishment of Christianity here as the mainstream religion
"Separation of Church and State" is also an example of tarnish on our Constitution. IIRC Rhode Island and Maryland had state churches. It takes a liberal to read "Congress" as state governments.
I have been a fan of Iceland since before the Fischer-Spassky match. I almost got a chance to visit there a few years ago with the US military but it never happened. I have since retired; maybe I should visit.
Questions:
1. How is the internet connection there? Broadband easy to get?
2. What is the standard of living?
3. Do you allow long term visitors?
sorry to pester you with questions, but I rarely get to meet an Icelander :-)
I guess I am not the only one around here, who does not see Lincoln as a hero.
Yes, I agree with you, this is a great forum.
I just apoligise for doupting what you obviously knew, it just didn´t sound plausible to me, that is until you said that your ancestor came through Germany, and later of course when you mentioned the name Richter, wich though not a very common name here (you see only about 10% of the population have any family name whatsoever, but many of them are old and well established families) is a name I do recognise.
I even wonder if the Richter´s here are generally aware of their ancestor coming initially from Ukraine.
Be welcome to come and then do contact. Maybe you should send them at islendingabok.is an email and ask them to give them a copy of their records about your family.
Thank you for kind words, and of course I agree with you on the neccasity for learning the local language and adapting to the society that is in place. It is specially important for such a small nation as mine with such a fragile culture do to its long time isolation and smallness.
Thank you for kind words, and I am happy for you and your new, united conservative front that is hopefully just starting to reshape Canadian politics. I think nothing is as important for conservative voters that the right is pretty much united, a big united party tends to be more conservative on the whole and more free market oriented, than many small right winged parties that often end up chasing each others to the center and towards unresponsible populism.
The welfare policies of the social democrats, and sadly in some cases by liberals in the right winged parties have changed your formerly correct view of the scandinavians as strong people. The welfare system makes us weak.
But I see a little bit of a difference beeing week despite relative size and wealth like the rest of the scandinavian countries, or beein truly tiny like Iceland, with the same population as small town in most countries.
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Thank you for kind words, our country and its beuty altough rugged, makes us proud. I did not know about this song, I must find it.
I must say it surprises me how many here have Icelandic forfathers, although a large portion of our people went to the new world, they weren´t exactly in great numbers.
About the Johnsson, as Icelanders generally don´t have family names, he was propably son of Jón, thus Jónsson, but as you say, the immigration officials, who of course could not let them keep their patrinomical system (sigh) or didn´t understand it, wanted as you say a little more easily distinguisable family name than Jonsson, thus this name, wich I would guess is or was originally Borgfjord, wich refers to Borgarfjörður, wich is a fjord (actually two) here in Iceland.
I have sometimes wondered if it would not have been better if all the icelanders, beeing rather related in comparison to the rest of the world, had just adopted a one, common family name. It would not have been to far off, they all beeing in some sense a one big family.
If they had done that, they could have also used their patrinomical system also, at least within their own communities, with the added common family name for government purposes.
I think the name Íslendingur, or the anglicised version of it, without the dot, Islendingur, would have been best, as it simply means, an Icelander in Icelandic. Thus your ancestor, as I don´t know his first name I am going to fabulere here, so if he was f.e. named Borgar Jónsson, he could have been named officially:
Borgar Jónsson Islendingur and then he would have had a son, and called him, as is common practise in Iceland as his father, and the childs grandfather as Jón and then his name would have been:
Jón Borgarsson Islendingur, and thus that tradition could have been kept down the generation naming the first son as his grandfather and so on.
Yeah, this basis of the US, that it is essentially a union of many in fact rather independent nations is lost to many here in Europe. Thus they think it is somehow wrong that it are essentially the states that choose the president through the system of electoral college (or whats its name).
They don´t know anything else than a centralised state, and even now when they are throwing all their histories in the garbage bin with the creation of Europeland (EU) they are, despite claims of local control, doing exactly the same thing, with ever more centralisation in Brussel.
I didn´t know this about these two states, I had only heard about Massachussets having a state religion. But beware, state religion is a very fragile thing, and its most likely result, like you can see in Europe, is a church without any religion at all, if any it is some kind of humanism where Jesus is nothing else than a good man, or as many claim, the first socialist.
The most likely result is that now when christianity has succesfully been eradicated as a living religion and a part of people´s identity, the church and state will be abolished, and then the few of us that truly are christians will have to hide with our beliefs and traditions, as they, just like in the US are outlawed from schools and other governments and public forums. With it most of what is truly Icelandic and traditional in our culture will propably disapear.
You should visit, hopefully we will keep you as a fan if you do ;).
1. The internet connection is propably one of the best in the world, as Icelanders are propably the best connected people in the world if compared to percentage of population connected to the Internet.
2. The standard of living is one of the best in the world, I think I heard recently we are in 4. place according to some world survey.
3. I asked my family and according to them the answer is Yes. You could though not get yourself a job while beeing here, but I think you could stay as long as you want if you pay for it and follow the laws.
Just remember, despite upcoming lowering of sales taxes (actually Value Added Tax) on every food items from their previous either 14% or 24,5% to 7% in three months (two months prior to general elections, hopefully it will help my party in the elections ;) ) prices here are generally very high.
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