Editing Denmark (section)

== History ==
{{Main|History of Denmark}}
{{Hatnote|Also related: [[History of the Faroe Islands]] and [[History of Greenland]]}}

=== Prehistory ===
[[File:Solvognen-00100.jpg|thumb|left|The gilded side of the [[Trundholm sun chariot]] dating from the Nordic Bronze Age]]

The earliest [[Archaeology of Denmark|archaeological finds in Denmark]] date back to the [[Eemian|Eem interglacial period]] from 130,000 to 110,000 [[Anno Domini|BC]].{{sfnp|Michaelsen|2002|p=19}} Denmark has been inhabited since around 12,500 BC and agriculture has been evident since 3900 BC.<ref name="foreign ministry">{{cite web|last=Nielsen|first=Poul Otto|date=May 2003|url=http://www.um.dk/Publikationer/UM/English/Denmark/kap6/6-1.asp|title=Denmark: History, Prehistory|publisher=[[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Denmark)|Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark]]|access-date=1 May 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051122020555/http://www.um.dk/Publikationer/UM/English/Denmark/kap6/6-1.asp |archive-date=22 November 2005}}</ref> The [[Nordic Bronze Age]] (1800–600 BC) in Denmark was marked by [[Tumulus|burial mounds]], which left an abundance of findings including [[lur]]s and the [[Trundholm sun chariot|Sun Chariot]].

During the [[Pre-Roman Iron Age]] (500 BC&nbsp;– AD 1), native groups began migrating south, and the first tribal [[Danes (tribe)|Danes]] came to the country between the Pre-Roman and the [[Germanic Iron Age]],{{sfnp|Busck|2002|p=20}} in the [[Roman Iron Age]] (AD 1–400).<ref name="foreign ministry" /> The [[Roman province]]s maintained [[trade route]]s and relations with native tribes in Denmark, and [[Roman currency|Roman coins]] have been found in Denmark. Evidence of strong [[Celtic nations|Celtic]] cultural influence dates from this period in Denmark and much of North-West Europe and is among other things reflected in the finding of the [[Gundestrup cauldron]].

The tribal Danes came from the east [[List of islands of Denmark|Danish islands]] ([[Zealand]]) and [[Scania]], today Skåne in Southern Sweden, and spoke an early form of [[North Germanic languages|North Germanic]]. Historians believe that before their arrival, most of [[Jutland]] and the nearest islands were settled by tribal [[Jutes]]. Many Jutes migrated to [[Great Britain]], according to legend some as mercenaries of [[Brythonic languages|Brythonic]] King [[Vortigern]], and formed the south-eastern territories of [[Kent]], the [[Isle of Wight]] and other areas, where they settled. They were later absorbed or [[ethnic cleansing|ethnically cleansed]] by the invading [[Angles (tribe)|Angles]] and [[Saxons]], who formed the [[Anglo-Saxons]]. The remaining [[Jutes|Jutish]] population in Jutland assimilated in with the settling [[Danes (tribe)|Danes]].

A short note about the ''Dani'' in ''[[Getica]]'' by the historian [[Jordanes]] is believed to be an early mention of the Danes, one of the [[ethnic group]]s from whom modern [[Danes]] are descended.{{sfnp|Busck|2002|p=19}}<ref>{{cite web |author=Jordanes |translator=[[Charles C. Mierow]] |date=22 April 1997 |title=The Origin and Deeds of the Goths, chapter III |url=http://www.acs.ucalgary.ca/~vandersp/Courses/texts/jordgeti.html#III |access-date=1 May 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060424044148/http://www.acs.ucalgary.ca/~vandersp/Courses/texts/jordgeti.html#III |archive-date=24 April 2006 |url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Danevirke]] defence structures were built in phases from the 3rd century forward and the sheer size of the construction efforts in AD 737 are attributed to the emergence of a Danish king.{{sfnp|Michaelsen|2002|pp=122–123}} A [[Younger Futhark|new runic alphabet]] was first used around the same time and [[Ribe]], the oldest town of Denmark, was founded about AD 700.

=== Viking and Middle Ages ===
{{Main|Viking Age|Kalmar Union}}

[[File:Ladbyskibet.jpg|thumb|The [[Ladby ship]], the largest ship burial found in Denmark]]

From the 8th to the 10th century the population of the wider [[History of Scandinavia|Scandinavian]] region was called [[Vikings]] by non-Scandinavians. While they mostly lived of agriculture, fishing and trade, they were excellent sailors and would travel as far as Iceland, Greenland and Canada. They traded in all parts of Europe, down to Constantinople and beyond, but would also raid local settlements and set up colonies in far-flung places. The Danish Vikings were most actively raiding the eastern and southern [[British Isles]] and [[Western Europe]]. They settled in parts of [[England]] (known as the [[Danelaw]]) under King [[Sweyn Forkbeard]] in 1013, and in [[France]] where Danes and Norwegians were allowed to settle in what would become [[Normandy]] in exchange of allegiance to [[Robert I of France]] with [[Rollo]] as first ruler.<ref>The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. "Sweyn I". Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Jan. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Sweyn-I. Accessed 8 April 2025</ref> Some [[Anglo-Saxons|Anglo-Saxon]] [[pence]] of this period have been found in Denmark.<ref name="Lund">*{{cite web|last=Lund |first=Niels |date=May 2003 |url=http://www.um.dk/Publikationer/UM/English/Denmark/kap6/6-2.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060510174200/http://www.um.dk/Publikationer/UM/English/Denmark/kap6/6-2.asp |archive-date=10 May 2006 |title=Denmark – History – The Viking Age |publisher=[[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Denmark)|Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark]] |access-date=24 June 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Denmark was largely consolidated by the late 8th century and its rulers are consistently referred to in [[Frankish language|Frankish]] sources as kings (''reges''). Under the reign of [[Gudfred]] in 804 the Danish kingdom may have included all the [[Lands of Denmark|lands]] of Jutland, [[Scania]] and the Danish islands, excluding Bornholm.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UmFrVUb5DSwC&pg=PA76|title=Christianization and the Rise of Christian Monarchy: Scandinavia, Central Europe and Rus' c. 900–1200|first=Nora|last=Berend|date= 2007|publisher=Cambridge University Press|via=Google Books|isbn=978-1-139-46836-7}}</ref>

[[File:Jellingsten stor 1.jpg|thumb|left|upright|alt=Large stone containing a carved depiction of Jesus Christ|Larger of the two Jelling stones, raised by [[Harald Bluetooth]]]]

The extant Danish monarchy traces its roots back to [[Gorm the Old]], who established his reign in the early 10th century.{{sfnp|Stone|Bain|Booth|Parnell|2008|p=31}} As attested by the [[Jelling stones]], the Danes were [[Christianised]] around 965 by [[Harald Bluetooth]], the son of [[Gorm the Old|Gorm]] and [[Thyra]]. It is believed that Denmark became Christian for political reasons so as not to get invaded by the [[Holy Roman Empire]]. A rising Christian power in Europe, the Holy Roman Empire was an important trading partner for the Danes. As a deterrent against this threat, Harald built six [[fortresses]] around Denmark called [[Viking ring fortress|Trelleborg]] and built a further [[Danevirke]]. In the early 11th century, [[Canute the Great]] won and united Denmark, England, and [[Norway]] for almost 30 years with a Scandinavian army.<ref name="Lund" /><ref>Whitelock, Dorothy. "Canute (I)". Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Jan. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Canute-I. Accessed 8 April 2025</ref>

Throughout the [[High Middle Ages|High]] and [[Late Middle Ages]], Denmark also included [[Skåneland]] (the areas of Scania, [[Halland]], and [[Blekinge]] in present-day southern Sweden) and Danish kings ruled [[Danish Estonia]], as well as the [[duchy|duchies]] of [[Schleswig]] and [[Holstein]]. Most of the latter two now form the state of [[Schleswig-Holstein]] in northern Germany.

In 1397, Denmark entered into a [[personal union]] known as the [[Kalmar Union]] with [[Norway]] and [[Sweden]], united under Queen [[Margaret I of Denmark|Margaret I]].{{sfnp|Stone|Bain|Booth|Parnell|2008|p=33}}<ref>The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. "Kalmar Union". Encyclopedia Britannica, 12 Mar. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/place/Kalmar-Union. Accessed 8 April 2025</ref><ref>Folke, Hans, Anderson, Robert T., Nokkentved, Christian, Anderson, Stanley Victor, Linton, Michael I.A.. "Denmark". Encyclopedia Britannica, 4 Apr. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/place/Denmark. Accessed 8 April 2025</ref> The three countries were to be treated as equals in the union. However, even from the start, Margaret may not have been so idealistic; treating Denmark as the clear "senior" partner of the union.<ref name="Lauring">Lauring, Palle (1960) ''A History of the Kingdom of Denmark'', Host & Son Co.: Copenhagen, p. 108.</ref><ref>Norman, Lennart T.. "Margaret I". Encyclopedia Britannica, 1 Jan. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Margaret-I. Accessed 8 April 2025</ref> Thus, much of the next 125 years of [[History of Scandinavia|Scandinavian history]] revolves around this union, with Sweden breaking off and being re-conquered repeatedly. The issue was for practical purposes resolved on 17 June 1523, as [[List of Swedish monarchs|Swedish King]] [[Gustav I of Sweden|Gustav Vasa]] conquered the city of [[Stockholm]]. The [[Protestant Reformation]] spread to Scandinavia in the 1530s, and following the [[Count's Feud]] civil war, [[Reformation in Denmark–Norway and Holstein|Denmark converted]] to [[Lutheranism]] in 1536. Later that year, Denmark entered into a union with Norway.

=== Early modern history (1536–1849) ===
{{Main|Denmark–Norway|Danish overseas colonies}}{{More sources|section|date=April 2025}}[[File:Denmark-Norway in 1780.svg|thumb|Extent of the [[Denmark–Norway|Dano-Norwegian Realm]]. After the Napoleonic Wars, Norway was ceded to Sweden while Denmark kept the [[Faroe Islands]], [[Greenland]], and [[Iceland]].]]

After Sweden permanently [[History of Sweden (1523–1611)|broke away]] from the personal union, Denmark tried on several occasions to reassert control over its neighbour. King [[Christian IV of Denmark|Christian IV]] attacked Sweden in the 1611–1613 [[Kalmar War]] but failed to accomplish his main objective of forcing it to return to the union. The war led to no territorial changes, but Sweden was forced to pay a [[war reparations|war indemnity]] of 1 million silver [[riksdaler]] to Denmark, an amount known as the ''[[Treaty of Stettin (1570)|Älvsborg ransom]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.smb.nu/svenskakrig/1611.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011111014/http://smb.nu/svenskakrig/1611.asp |archive-date=11 October 2007 |title=Kalmarkriget 1611–1613 |access-date=4 May 2007 |publisher=Svenskt Militärhistoriskt Bibliotek |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.history.com/topics/scandinavia/kalmar-union |title=Kalmar Union |publisher=History.com |access-date=22 May 2025 |date=10 November 2009}}</ref> King Christian used this money to found several towns and fortresses, most notably [[Glückstadt]] (founded as a rival to [[Hamburg]]) and [[Oslo|Christiania]]. Inspired by the [[Dutch East India Company]], he founded a similar [[Danish East India Company|Danish company]] and planned to claim [[Sri Lanka|Ceylon]] as a colony, but the company only managed to acquire [[Tharangambadi|Tranquebar]] on India's [[Coromandel Coast]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/fort-dansborg-the-second-largest-after-kronborg-spotlights-the-danish-legacy/article67249632.ece |title=Fort Dansborg, the second largest after Kronborg, spotlights the Danish legacy |publisher=The Hindu |access-date=22 May 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.historytoday.com/archive/danish-east-india-company |title=The Danish East India Company |publisher=History Today |access-date=22 May 2025}}</ref> Denmark's large colonial aspirations included a few key [[trading posts]] in [[Africa]] and [[India]]. While Denmark's trading posts in India were of little note, it played an important role in the highly lucrative [[Atlantic slave trade]], through its trading outposts in [[Osu Castle|Fort Christiansborg]] in [[Osu, Accra|Osu]], [[Ghana]] through which 1.5 million slaves were traded.<ref name="guardian6nov2018">{{cite news |last1=Rawlinson |first1=Kevin |title=Prince Charles says Britain's role in slave trade was an atrocity |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/nov/05/prince-charles-says-britains-part-in-transatlantic-slave-trade-was-atrocity |access-date=6 November 2018 |newspaper=The Guardian |date=5 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181105232718/https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/nov/05/prince-charles-says-britains-part-in-transatlantic-slave-trade-was-atrocity |archive-date=5 November 2018 |url-status=live  }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/resources/the-transatlantic-slave-trade/ |title=The Transatlantic Slave Trade |publisher=National Archives |access-date=22 May 2025 |date=14 March 2023}}</ref> While the Danish colonial empire was sustained by trade with other major powers, and [[plantation]]s – ultimately a lack of resources led to its stagnation.<ref>{{cite book |editor1-first=James Stuart |editor1-last=Olson |editor2-first=Robert |editor2-last=Shadle |year=1991 |title=Historical Dictionary of European Imperialism |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-313-26257-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uyqepNdgUWkC&pg=PA167|access-date=15 May 2014}}</ref>

In the [[Thirty Years' War]], Christian tried to become the leader of the [[Lutheranism|Lutheran]] states in Germany but suffered a crushing defeat at the [[Battle of Lutter]].{{sfnp|Parker|1984|p=78}} The result was that the Catholic army under [[Albrecht von Wallenstein]] was able to invade, occupy, and pillage Jutland, forcing Denmark [[Treaty of Lübeck|to withdraw from the war]].{{sfnp|Parker|1984|p=79}} Denmark managed to avoid territorial concessions, but King [[Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden|Gustavus Adolphus]]' intervention in Germany was seen as a sign that the military power of Sweden was on the rise while Denmark's influence in the region was declining. Swedish armies [[Torstenson War|invaded Jutland]] in 1643 and claimed Scania in 1644. In the 1645 [[Second Treaty of Brömsebro (1645)|Treaty of Brømsebro]], Denmark surrendered Halland, [[Gotland]], the last parts of Danish Estonia, and several provinces in Norway.

[[File:Stormen på København (F.C. Lund).jpg|thumb|upright=1.25|The [[Assault on Copenhagen (1659)|Assault]] on [[Copenhagen]] on 11 February 1659 during the [[Second Northern War]]. Danish defenders under King [[Frederick III of Denmark|Frederick III]] successfully repelled the forces of the [[Swedish Empire]]. Painting by [[Frederik Christian Lund]].]]

Seeing an opportunity to tear up the Treaty of Brømsebro, King [[Frederick III of Denmark]], in 1657, declared war on Sweden, the latter being deeply involved in the [[Second Northern War]] (1655–1660), and marched on [[Bremen-Verden]]. This led to a massive Danish defeat as the armies of King [[Charles X Gustav]] of Sweden conquered [[Jutland]] and, following the [[March Across the Belts|Swedish March across]] the frozen [[Danish straits]], occupied [[Funen]] and much of [[Zealand]] before signing the [[Treaty of Roskilde|Peace of Roskilde]] in February 1658, which gave Sweden control of Scania, [[Blekinge]], [[Bohuslän]], [[Trøndelag]], and the island of [[Bornholm]]. Charles X Gustav quickly regretted not having ruined Denmark and in August 1658, he launched a [[Dano-Swedish War (1658–1660)|second attack on Denmark]], conquered most of the Danish islands, and began a two-year-long siege of [[Copenhagen]]. King Frederick III actively led the defence of the city, rallying its citizens to take up arms, and [[Assault on Copenhagen (1659)|repelled the Swedish attacks]].{{sfnp|Isacson|2002|p=229}}{{sfnp|Englund|2000|p=610}} The siege ended following the death of Charles X Gustav in 1660.{{sfnp|Stone|Bain|Booth|Parnell|2008|p=35}} In the ensuing [[Treaty of Copenhagen (1660)|peace settlement]], Denmark managed to maintain its independence and regain control of Trøndelag and Bornholm.{{sfnp|Frost|2000|pp=180–183}} Attaining great popularity following the war, Frederick III used this to [[King's Law|disband the elective monarchy]] in favour of [[absolute monarchy]], which lasted until 1848 in Denmark.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Ekman|first=Ernst|date=1957|title=The Danish Royal Law of 1665|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/237987|journal=The Journal of Modern History|volume=29|issue=2|pages=102–107|doi=10.1086/237987|s2cid=145652129|issn=0022-2801|access-date=27 March 2021|archive-date=23 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220123102335/https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/237987|url-status=live|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

Denmark tried but failed to regain control of Scania in the [[Scanian War]] (1675–1679). After the [[Great Northern War]] (1700–21), Denmark managed to regain control of the parts of [[Schleswig]] and [[Holstein]] ruled by the house of [[Holstein-Gottorp]] in the 1720 [[Treaty of Frederiksborg]] and the 1773 [[Treaty of Tsarskoye Selo]], respectively. Denmark prospered greatly in the last decades of the 18th century due to its [[Country neutrality (international relations)|neutral status]] allowing it to trade with both sides in the many contemporary wars. In the [[Napoleonic Wars]], Denmark traded with both [[First French Empire|France]] and the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|United Kingdom]] and joined the [[Second League of Armed Neutrality|League of Armed Neutrality]] with [[Russian Empire|Russia]], Sweden, and [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussia]].<ref>{{cite web|title=League of Armed Neutrality|url=http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803100056830|publisher=Oxford Reference|access-date=28 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924130430/http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803100056830|archive-date=24 September 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> British fears that Denmark-Norway would ally with France led to two attacks against Danish targets in Copenhagen in [[Battle of Copenhagen (1801)|1801]] and [[Battle of Copenhagen (1807)|1807]]. These attacks resulted in the British capturing most of the Dano-Norwegian navy and led to the outbreak of the [[Gunboat War]]. In 1807 much of Copenhagen was burned down as a result of these bombardments, including Vor Frue Kirke, the main Danish cathedral. British control of the waterways between Denmark and Norway proved disastrous to the union's economy and in 1813 Denmark–Norway went bankrupt.{{citation needed|date=October 2024}}

The union was dissolved by the [[Treaty of Kiel]] in 1814; the Danish monarchy "irrevocably and forever" renounced claims to the Kingdom of Norway in favour of the Swedish king.<ref>{{cite book|last=Jenssen-Tusch|first=Georg Friedrich|title=Zur Regierungsgeschichte Friedrich VI. Königs von Dänemark, Herzogs von Schleswig, Holstein und Lauenburg|page=166|year=1852|publisher=Verlag Schröder|language=de}}</ref> Denmark kept the possessions of [[Iceland]] (which retained the Danish monarchy until 1944), the [[Faroe Islands]] and [[Greenland]], all of which had been governed by Norway for centuries.<ref>{{cite book|last=Dörr|first=Oliver|title=Kompendium völkerrechtlicher Rechtsprechung : eine Auswahl für Studium und Praxis|date=2004|publisher=Mohr Siebeck|location=Tübingen|isbn=978-3-16-148311-0|page=101}}</ref> Apart from the Nordic colonies, Denmark continued to rule over [[Danish India]] from 1620 to 1869, the [[Danish Gold Coast]] (Ghana) from 1658 to 1850, and the [[Danish West Indies]] from 1671 to 1917.

=== Constitutional monarchy (1849–present) ===
[[File:Grundlovgivende rigsforsamling - Constantin Hansen full.jpg|thumb|The National Constitutional Assembly was convened by King [[Frederick VII of Denmark|Frederick VII]] in 1848 to adopt the [[Constitution of Denmark]]]]
A nascent Danish liberal and national movement gained momentum in the 1830s; after the European [[Revolutions of 1848]], Denmark peacefully became a [[constitutional monarchy]] on 5 June 1849. A new constitution established a [[Rigsdagen|two-chamber parliament]]. Denmark faced war against both [[Prussia]] and the [[Austrian Empire]] in what became known as the [[Second Schleswig War]], lasting from February to October 1864. Denmark was defeated and obliged to [[cession|cede]] [[Province of Schleswig-Holstein|Schleswig and Holstein]] to [[Prussia]]. This loss came as the latest in the long series of defeats and [[Danish Royal Enclaves|territorial]] losses that had begun in the 17th century. After these events, Denmark pursued a policy of neutrality in Europe.<ref>{{Cite web |title=History of Denmark |url=https://denmark.dk/people-and-culture/history |access-date=2025-05-24 |website=Denmark.dk |language=en}}</ref>

[[Industrialization|Industrialisation]] came to Denmark in the second half of the 19th century.<ref>{{cite book|last=Tellier|first=Luc-Normand|title=Urban world history an economic and geographical perspective|date=2009|publisher=Presses de l'Université du Québec|location=Québec|isbn=978-2-7605-2209-1|page=457|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cXuCjDbxC1YC&pg=PA457|access-date=21 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160412182836/https://books.google.com/books?id=cXuCjDbxC1YC&pg=PA457|archive-date=12 April 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[History of rail transport in Denmark|nation's first railways]] were constructed in the 1850s, and improved communications and overseas trade allowed industry to develop in spite of Denmark's lack of natural resources. [[Trade union]]s developed, starting in the 1870s. There was a considerable migration of people from the countryside to the cities, and Danish agriculture became centred on the export of dairy and meat products.

Denmark [[Denmark during World War I|maintained its neutral stance]] during [[World War I]]. After the defeat of Germany, the [[Treaty of Versailles|Versailles powers]] offered to return the region of Schleswig-Holstein to Denmark. Fearing German [[irredentism]], Denmark refused to consider the return of the area without a [[plebiscite]]; the two [[Schleswig Plebiscites]] took place on 10 February and 14 March 1920, respectively. On 10 July 1920, Northern Schleswig was recovered by Denmark, thereby adding some 163,600 inhabitants and {{convert|3984|km2|sqmi}}. The country's first social democratic government took office in 1924.<ref name="Politico">{{cite web|title=Lost in translation: Epic goes to Denmark|url=https://www.politico.com/story/2019/06/06/epic-denmark-health-1510223|website=Politico|date=6 June 2019|access-date=10 June 2019|archive-date=12 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200412163058/https://www.politico.com/story/2019/06/06/epic-denmark-health-1510223|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1939, Denmark signed a 10-year nonaggression pact with [[Nazi Germany]]. However, [[German invasion of Denmark (1940)|Germany invaded Denmark]] on 9 April 1940, and the Danish government quickly surrendered. However, as around 10% of the German army's foodstuff was supplied by Danish agricultural output and Germany wanted that supply line to continue, the occupation was more cooperative and less harsh than many other countries in Europe.  [[Denmark in World War II|World War II in Denmark]] was characterised by economic co-operation with Germany until 1943, when the Danish government refused further co-operation and [[Royal Danish Navy|its navy]] [[Operation Safari|scuttled most of its ships]] and sent many of its officers to Sweden, which was neutral. At that point the government fell. The [[Danish resistance movement|Danish resistance]] performed a [[Rescue of the Danish Jews|rescue operation]] that managed to evacuate several thousand [[History of the Jews in Denmark|Jews]] and their families to safety in Sweden before the Germans could send them to death camps. Some Danes supported [[Nazism]] by joining the [[National Socialist Workers' Party of Denmark|Danish Nazi Party]] or volunteering to fight with Germany as part of the [[Frikorps Danmark]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Rugg |first=Andy |title=Traitor Danes: most soldiers return heroes, but this lot came home total zeroes |url=http://cphpost.dk//culture/through-looking-glass/traitor-danes-most-soldiers-return-heroes-lot-came-home-total-zeroes |work=Copenhagen Post |access-date=30 January 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130129130650/http://cphpost.dk/culture/through-looking-glass/traitor-danes-most-soldiers-return-heroes-lot-came-home-total-zeroes |archive-date=29 January 2013 }}</ref> Iceland severed ties with Denmark and [[Founding of the republic of Iceland|became an independent republic]] in 1944; [[Liberation of Denmark|Germany surrendered]] in May 1945. In 1948, the Faroe Islands gained [[home rule]]. In 1949, Denmark became a founding member of [[NATO]].

[[File:Tratado de Lisboa 13 12 2007 (081).jpg|thumb|Denmark became a member of the European Union in 1973 and signed the [[Lisbon Treaty]] in 2007.]]

Denmark was a founding member of the [[European Free Trade Association]] (EFTA). During the 1960s, the EFTA countries were often referred to as the [[Outer Seven]], as opposed to the [[Inner Six]] of what was then the [[European Economic Community]] (EEC).<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Finland: Now, the Seven and a Half |magazine=Time |date=7 April 1961 |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,874317,00.htm |access-date=18 July 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111104144427/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,874317,00.htm |archive-date=4 November 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 1973, along with Britain and Ireland, Denmark joined the European Economic Community (now the [[European Union]]) after a [[1972 Danish European Communities membership referendum|public referendum]]. The [[Maastricht Treaty]], which involved further European integration, [[1992 Danish Maastricht Treaty referendum|was rejected]] by the Danish people in 1992; it was only accepted after a [[1993 Danish Maastricht Treaty referendum|second referendum]] in 1993, which provided for [[Opt-outs in the European Union|four opt-outs]] from policies. The Danes rejected the euro as the national currency in [[2000 Danish euro referendum|a referendum in 2000]]. Greenland gained home rule in 1979 and was awarded [[self-determination]] in 2009. Neither the [[Faroe Islands and the European Union|Faroe Islands]] nor [[Greenland–European Union relations#Outside the EU|Greenland]] are members of the European Union, the Faroese having declined membership of the EEC in 1973 and Greenland in 1986, in both cases because of fisheries policies.

Constitutional change in 1953 led to a [[unicameralism|single-chamber]] parliament elected by proportional representation, female accession to the Danish throne, and Greenland becoming an integral part of Denmark. The [[centre-left]] [[Social Democrats (Denmark)|Social Democrats]] led a string of coalition governments for most of the second half of the 20th century, introducing the [[Nordic model|Nordic welfare model]]. The [[Venstre (Denmark)|Liberal Party]] and the [[Conservative People's Party (Denmark)|Conservative People's Party]] have also led [[centre-right]] governments.