Independent Greenland after WWII?

Economically, not possible. It could be independent in name only, supported by Canada, the US, the UK, or even Denmark;).
 
Why not? Back in '46 the bauxite mines were still running at full speed, and I'm sure independence would speed up the discovery of those mineral and oil deposits they're looking into now. They've also got a robust fishing, textile, and whaling industry.
 

Valdemar II

Banned
They also got less people than some city blocks (20 000 in 1945), completely lacked a native intelligensia at the time, and in 1945 the majority of the population lived of hunting and was spread over the entire island in small settlemets of a 3-4 families spread out on a territorium the size of Mexico. And most of the industry was build up after it was fully integrated into Denmark in 1953.
 
Yeah, we're talking about a country with the economic power of Lichtenstein - a country you can RENT.

The Inuit almost certainly don't care who 'owns' the territory, and the rest of the population wouldn't make a decent sized town.
 
Not very the only way it could really occur would be if the Soviets were able to take Denmark.

Or Denmark sells it to the US, and the US spins it off as an independent state in the post-war because the island has little economic or strategic value. Though even if independent the island would definitely remain an economic and security dependent upon either the US or Canada. In 1945 the island is just too poor and too resource starved to be a viable state
 
Same here. How plausible is this?

Not at all; the Iceland government had the interest and ruling of Iceland only. The other North Atlantic dependencies were ruled by plenipotentiaries!

Greenland was a colony prior to 1953; only the effects of WWII made for Denmark changing the status incorporating it as an Amt. Part of being able to sign the United Nations charter and stick to its part on decolonization.

Even if local Inuit/Greenlanders had been admitted to hunter councils (fangerråd) - local "governing" bodies that was about the closest thing to democracy in Greenland and nobody deemed them able to rule themselves.

Denmark wanted to protect the locals from foreing bad influence thus didn't allow anybody to enter except with specific permit.

So it was viewed as a piece of museum you had to protect and only gradually allow its inhabitants to govern themselves! ;)
 
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