Greenland as a Penal colony?
- Thread starter Malone
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He - he, in a sense it was as Hans Egede couldn't get enough volunteer settlers the king gave him a number of prison inmates and loose women to go ahead with.
The simple answer is yes, but there was a many good reasons, it didn't up that way.
1: How Denmark saw the Inuit. Denmark saw the Inuit as radical different from how other countries saw the natives of their colonies. Denmark saw them as Danes. This was rather unique even in the Danish colonial empire, but the rason for this was that Denmark had claimed Greenland siunce the union with Norway began. This meant that Denmark saw no reason to Danify Greenland as it already was Danish in the view of Danish state. As for the Inuit their interaction with the Danes was mostly positive.
2: Any penal colony simply depend on the need for unskilled labour. The problem was that the Danish policies for Greenland didn't have a need for unskilled labour, the Inuit was already better hunters than most Danish criminal, and the Danes which dwelled in Greenland was usual skilled.
3: While agriculture was possible in Greenland Denmark saw little reason to establish it, the Danish economic policies on Greenland was based on hunting and whaling in the 18th century, hunting and mining in the 19th century and fishing and industrialisation in the 20th century.
I think no. 1 are unlikely to change, in fact the establishment of Danish control over Greenland more or less build on it. So let's look at the other.
I think we will start with creating a interest in local farming in Greenland. So let's start with creating that interest. In 1742 Anders Olsen a Norwegian arrived in Greenland, Olsen planned to create a European settlement in Greenland, it didn't end that way, instead he became a local administrator. In 1753 he founded a trading post, but he did in a area where agriculture was not really possible. But let's say that Anders Olsen in the 11 years between 1742-53, he end up explore the inland valley's of far southern Greenland. Here he find Qinngua Valley (known as Paradise Valley to the Danes), the valley are home to the only natural forest on Greenland. This inspire Anders Olsen to question whether agriculture would be possible on Greenland, in the kitchen gardens of the local Danes, they already grow their own potatoes. So he contact the crown in Denmark to support a experimental farm (not in Qinngua but in one of the other valleys close to the sea), the crown end up deciding to support Olsen. He tries to hire Norwegians and Icelanders to help setting it up, but few are interested in the hard work in setting up a farm in even more marginal land than their homeland. The Danish crowns decides to send some prisoneers to Olsen's farm. So in 1752 Olsen set up the experimental farm (Skovgaard). Olsen mostly focused on sheep, while the prisoners grew potatoes, hay and experimented with other crop. It wasn't a big success, but it created a small mixed population producing a surplus of food. The farm also planted timber plantages, creating a few artificial forests. But mostly the experiment was forgotten until the 1770ties. In the early 1770ties the Danish state invested in a whaling company on Greenland. The whalers was forced to return to Europe in the winter. But someone became aware of the Skovgaard, and it was suggested that agriculture could be expanded there to feed the whalers through the winter. So Anders Olsen was made responsible for expanding the settlement. Andersgaard now became centre of several farms being set in the same region, while a port (Hvalhavn) was founded for the ships. The new farms was settled with Danish criminals. The result was a increase in agricultural output, but it was limited. The food production was expanded to fishing too. All this lead to a more successful whaling adventure and by 1800 Greenland had become home to around 2000 settlers beside the 5000 natives. There was little conflict between the two groups as the Inuits was hunters, while the Danes was herders, farmers and fishers, and the there was enough work in the whaling fleet for the Inuit to buy food, instead of killing the Danes sheeps.
The Napoleonic Wars changed everything, the colony was isolated for years under the Danish-English Wars. But as Denmark lost Norway, the Danish state decided to develop its oversea possessions further. Some of the agricultural developments was introduce to Iceland, where the more frost resistant Greenlandic potato was a success. Another grop from South America was also introduced; the quinoa. Which would see a expansion of agriculture on Greenland and Iceland. Denmark also began to expand the coal mines on Disko Island. In general it was in this period that large numbers of Danish criminals was send to Greenland. Enough that by 1848 the population was split between 9000 Danes and 9000 Inuits, but with the establishment of Democracy in Denmark the banishments of criminals to Greenland stopped. This lead to several decades of slow development. But as Denmark lost Schleswig-Holstein a new wave of improvements on Greenland, hydroelectric power was introduced and the first iron mines was set up at Godthaab (Good Hope; today's Nuuk) and Greenland saw a influx of Danish miners. As such by 1900 Greenland was home to 25.000 Danes and 11.000 Inuits. Greenland had begun to change in the inland valleys, there was farms and timber plantages. The Inuit already many with Danish ancestry begun to adopt the Danish language and the the difference between Danish and Inuit Greenlander had begun to break down, many of the Danes also had Inuit ancestry. In fact the main difference between the group from Disko Island to the southern tip of Greenland had become mostly a question of lifestyle. There was attempt to set up a agricultural colony on Svalbard, but the climate was to hostile, but the Danes did end up setting up a fishing village and mining villages, the result was that Denmark ended up claiming the island.
Denmark continued to develop Greenland through the 20th century. Greenland saw occupation by the Americans under WWII, and American bases was established in the Post War period, in 1953 Grenland was fully integrated into Denmark, there was little demand for autonomy, as the population felt Danish.
Greenland today
Greenland by 2017 are home to 160.000 people. Around 35.000 identify as Inuit. Danish are the mother language of 140.000 people, while around 20.000 speak the three Greenlandic Inuit languages. The population are 95% Lutheran with the minority being mostly non-religious.
Political Greenland are one of the six Danish regions. East Greenland (Tunu), North Grønland (Avannaa) and North East Greenland (Upernavik) are semi autonome municipalities with the three Greenlandic languages as co-offical languages. The rest of Greenland are split up in several munipalities. The municipality reform which set up Greenland as one region, gave the Greenlandic Region more power versus the municipalities and Danish state than in Denmark. This was necessary because it also needed to control the local infrastructure and education. Greenland have one university in Godthaab. It only offer theology in the native Inuit languages (only east and west Greenlandic). The only other tertiary education which are offered in Greenlandic languages is teaching. there's four native high schools one in Tunu, one in Avannaa, one in Upernavik and at last one in Godthaab using West Greenlandic (the most common spoken dialect).
Godthaab are regional capital and are home to 80.000 people. The vast majority are Danish, but around 10.000 identify as Inuit.
The main green export of Greenland are raw material, fish, wool and aluminium (aluminium are mentioned separate, because it's not mined on Greenland, but instead the large hydro power of Greenland are used to process it from raw material into aluminium).
One thing I made that short resume based more or less on no butterflies or outside effect. It could be argue that some of the thing I did would make major changes to history.
1: Earlier arctic agriculture. Arctic agriculture are fully possible, the reason it's so rare are that it's too labour intensive today, so none of the arctic states (which are all developed states) have any interest in it. Here it develop at a point where labour are pretty cheap. So we could see large population in Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Canada and Alaska.
2: Greenland producing steel, could result in a more industrialised Denmark, that would have effect on Danish politics and development. We could see a stronger socialist movement, resulting in the conservatives keeping a tighter grip on power. A Denmark ruled by conservatives in 1918 (if WWI still happens) would result in Denmark with a border much further south.
3: With a weaker liberal movement in Denmark, we would likely see a much more militarised Denmark, especially as Denmark would have more money to throw in the military.
4: Iceland which would be more developed and likely with a greater influx of Danes, could result in a large Danish minority, this could make it harder for Iceland to seek independence from Denmark, especially if Icelandic industry build on imports from Greenlandic mines.
1: Earlier arctic agriculture. Arctic agriculture are fully possible, the reason it's so rare are that it's too labour intensive today, so none of the arctic states (which are all developed states) have any interest in it. Here it develop at a point where labour are pretty cheap. So we could see large population in Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Canada and Alaska.
2: Greenland producing steel, could result in a more industrialised Denmark, that would have effect on Danish politics and development. We could see a stronger socialist movement, resulting in the conservatives keeping a tighter grip on power. A Denmark ruled by conservatives in 1918 (if WWI still happens) would result in Denmark with a border much further south.
3: With a weaker liberal movement in Denmark, we would likely see a much more militarised Denmark, especially as Denmark would have more money to throw in the military.
4: Iceland which would be more developed and likely with a greater influx of Danes, could result in a large Danish minority, this could make it harder for Iceland to seek independence from Denmark, especially if Icelandic industry build on imports from Greenlandic mines.
Deleted member 97083
Any more details on arctic agriculture? I wonder if it's something the Soviet Union could have pursued.
I like the TL @Jürgen - if you saw the Weekendavisen this weekend you noticed the article regarding the changing of Greenland status of part of the Kingdom into a colony by Hermod Lannung (R) to make Denmark party to the UN charter to de-colonize. There was also quite some on it in Dansk Udenrigspolitiks Historie vol.5 though in a more descriptive manner.
Greenland was from the outset as you describe a Kings land inherited from the dual-monarchy of Denmark-Norway and the inhabitants thought at the outset in 1721 to be the descendants of the Norse of Viking and Middleage.
Denmark also had a policy of protecting its inhabitants from the outside world limiting foreign i.e. non-Danish presence or tourism in Greenland.
Could prison inmates and prostitutes be though of a workers resource and a scheme of utilizing such in Greenland it could have been the case. Thinking of the Danish policy towards the Inuit there would probably be some limit on the numbers sent to Greenland and the possible interaction between penalcolonists and Inuit to protect the Inuit from adopting bad ways! That was one of Hans Egedes misgivings on the use of criminals and prostitutes in Greenland. However given the go at some approved project might well pave the way.
On the Disko Island coal - its quite low quality as it is porous and soon turns to dust having been mined. You'd need some modern dust-fired stoves to really make it useable. In old days in Greenland British coal was imported to be mixed with the Greenland one because of the low quality.
Greenland was from the outset as you describe a Kings land inherited from the dual-monarchy of Denmark-Norway and the inhabitants thought at the outset in 1721 to be the descendants of the Norse of Viking and Middleage.
Denmark also had a policy of protecting its inhabitants from the outside world limiting foreign i.e. non-Danish presence or tourism in Greenland.
Could prison inmates and prostitutes be though of a workers resource and a scheme of utilizing such in Greenland it could have been the case. Thinking of the Danish policy towards the Inuit there would probably be some limit on the numbers sent to Greenland and the possible interaction between penalcolonists and Inuit to protect the Inuit from adopting bad ways! That was one of Hans Egedes misgivings on the use of criminals and prostitutes in Greenland. However given the go at some approved project might well pave the way.
On the Disko Island coal - its quite low quality as it is porous and soon turns to dust having been mined. You'd need some modern dust-fired stoves to really make it useable. In old days in Greenland British coal was imported to be mixed with the Greenland one because of the low quality.
You can grow potatoes in southern Greenland. Quinoa too. I think a few other crops are doable. But that's probably not what you mean?
Even the Norse knew enough about irrigation to grow grass for hay to feed their animals during winter. The downside would be the effects of climate being colder than today which may well limit limited agriculture in Greenland.
No, the point are that arctic agriculture are fully possible today, but there's a good reason I call it labour intensive. It's next to impossible to mechanise arctic agriculture, so you need a large number of labourers compared to agriculture further south. This is why it's not a thing even in USSR or modern Russia the price for labour is simply too high to make it worth it.
On other hand before the introduction of mechanised agriculture and easy/cheap transport, arctic agriculture have some benefit, it enable a higher population in arctic areas and outside the seasons where work is needed, it free up large number of labours. As example if this is introduced to Norway, Sweden or Finland, you will increase the population of the northern part these countries, and in the summer and winter they will have large amount of people who can work in the mines or work as lumberjacks (summer only).
What I suggest happens here are that Denmark which was on the forefront from the 18th century to develop agriculture into a science and a academic discipline turn their eyes toward develop technics and crops which can be used in arctic and subarctic climate. The main poroplem with arctic climate was the lack of staple food. There's lot of crop you ca grow in the arctic, but they deliver relative few calories. The potato was the stable food which could sever as a base. So the Danish state here invest in develop technic to grow potatoes in a arctic climate. But they also introduce the other crop; quinoa. The quinoa are perfect adapted to grow in arctic conditions, but it suffer from its growth season falling on the wrong time and lack of European knowledge about it. But if the Danes find out about the crop in the 19th century (quite likely) and breed it to have the correct growth season. It will together with the potatoes grow into the stable crop in arctic areas.
A main different from OTL are that the penal colonist are not settled together with the local inuit, they're settled away from them. So Denmark can send a significant amount without them running into conflict. Of course some will happen anyway, but as the Inuit tended to have large surplus of women (many men died young in hunting accident), the familiar bond between the Danes and Inuit will serve to limit conflict.
On the Disko Island coal - its quite low quality as it is porous and soon turns to dust having been mined. You'd need some modern dust-fired stoves to really make it useable. In old days in Greenland British coal was imported to be mixed with the Greenland one because of the low quality.
Yes you're correct, but in OTL it was mined on Greenland in the late 18th century, so it did have some worth and beggars can't be chooser. Denmark won't fuel its industrialisation with Greenlandic coal, but the Greenlanders will use it.
It was hot enough to grow potatoes, it was just too cold to grow the traditional Norse stable crop (barley, oats, rye and wheat). The penal colonists will likely mostly have irrigated and drained field of potatoes, quinoa and grass (hay), while vegetables will be grown in kitchen gardens.
The acidic and hummus rich soil of Greenland will be needed to treated in a specific way. Greenland soil are hummus rich because the cold work against breaking organic substance down. It tend to drain to easily, so high lying areas becomes too dry and low lying areas becomes swampy. This make it necessary to drain low lying areas and irrigated high lying areas. The next thing you need are keeping the heat, this are done by limit the wind, so the farmers need to build windbreaks/shelterbelts. these will likely mostly be build of rocks around relative small fields. There will also be experiments in using trees, some places with success. We will likely see many hardy species of trees being imported to Greenland and used in this manners. Some may have success in spreading (sometimes even with ome little human help) to the inland valleys as wild forests. The result will be the creation of hotter microclimate in the inland valleys. The Danes may introduce some wild animals from hotter climates in these forests; moose, deer and beavers. Forests on Greenland are viable in a relative small areas but that area is still the size of Denmark because of the enormous size of Greenland.
Of course it will be used locally as OTL but not on an industrial scale as it is low quality. In that respect Spitzbergen coal will be quite another story.
It doesn't really need to be on industrial scale, it just need to be enough that people don't need to use wood for fuel or import it. You can create a system where a lot of men migrate to Disko every winter to work in the mines, migrate back to their farm in the spring, work as whalers or fishermen in the summer, return to their farm in autumn and harvest the crops.
In that respect Spitzbergen coal will be quite another story.
I think if Denmark decides to set up a fishing port on Svalbard, I think coal mines will follow. In fact Greenlandic iron and Svalbard coal could fuel a Danish industrialisation. Denmark only used 4 million tons of coal in 1950, Sveagruva on Svalbard alone today produce that much coal. I imagine that Svalbard could end with 5000-10.000 people, most would likely just work there a short period in the coal mines before returning home, but something like 2000-3000 would live there permanently.