Political developments after 1905

In 1905, two referendums were held in Norway, one to approve Parliament's decision to dissolve the union between Norway and Sweden, and the other to determine whether the country would remain a kingdom or become a republic, with Prince Carl of Denmark being offered the throne. This second referendum was at the Prince's request; he would agree to become King of Norway if this was the will of the people. The result was a clear majority in favour of remaining a kingdom, and so Prince Carl of Denmark became King Haakon VII of Norway.

The union with Sweden between 1814 and 1905 had been symbolically important, signalling that Norway was not completely independent. However, its dissolution was quite insignificant in a political sense, since very few laws had to be changed in either country to accommodate the new situation. The main constitutional changes in Norway were simply that Norway now had its own king, as well as full control of its own foreign policy: the 1905 Government included a foreign minister for the first time in the country's history.

At the turn of the twentieth century, Norway was experiencing rapid industrial growth, basically due to the extensive exploitation of many of its waterfalls for hydroelectric power. This led to a substantial increase in the working-class population, as many people moved from the countryside to the towns and cities to find work, which in turn led to increased electoral support for the Labour Party. During World War I, economic and social questions increasingly moved to the political forefront. The times were difficult for a large portion of the population and there was serious social unrest, which led to even stronger support for the Labour Party.