Jørgen Jensen (politician)

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Jørgen Jensen
Chairman of the Communist Party of Denmark
In office
December 1977 – 13 April 1987
Preceded byKnud Jespersen
Succeeded byOle Sohn
Personal details
Born18 January 1920
Copenhagen, Denmark
Died13 April 1987(1987-04-13) (aged 67)
Political partyCommunist Party of Denmark

Jørgen Jensen (1920–1987) was a Danish trade unionist and politician who headed the Communist Party of Denmark (CPD) for ten years between 1977 and 1987.

Early life and education[edit]

Jensen was born in Copenhagen on 18 January 1920.[1] His father was a worker.[2] Jensen was trained as a car mechanic.[3]

Career[edit]

Jensen began to involve in the trade union movement in 1940 and joined the CPD in 1945.[2] During his participation in the CPD the party was still illegal.[4] Jensen was among the leading figures of the All-Danish Committee for Peace between 1952 and 1962.[2] He was elected as a member of the CPD's central committee in 1955 and was a member of its executive committee.[2] He also led the trade unions committee of the CPD.[2] He became the chairman of a division within the metalworkers’ trade union in the Lyngby district of Copenhagen in 1962 and he was elected chairman of the automotive repair workers' trade union in 1969.[2]

Jensen was elected to the Parliament on 9 January 1975 for the CPD representing the Frederiksborg constituency.[1] He became the CPD's parliamentary speaker in 1977.[2] His tenure at the Parliament lasted until 23 October 1979.[1] He was named as the chairman of the CPD by the central committee in December 1977.[2] Jensen succeeded Knud Jespersen in the post and remained in office until 13 April 1987.[3] Jensen's successor as the CPD leader was Ole Sohn.[3]

Views and public image[edit]

Jensen was one of the CPD politicians who were loyal to the Soviet regime.[5] However, he also criticized it in relation to the working conditions in factories.[6] He was also close to the Polish United Workers' Party during his career at the CPD.[6] He criticized both the Socialist People’s Party and the Left Socialists in February 1982 arguing that they were supporting the Polish groups against the Communist regime in the country.[6]

Jensen was not regarded as a charismatic leader.[5] The Danish tabloid newspaper Ekstra Bladet nominated him as the "buffoon of the year" in 1981.[6]

Personal life and death[edit]

Jensen died on 13 April 1987 when he was serving as the chairman of CPD.[3]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "Joergen Jensen". Folketinget (in Danish). Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "Jørgen Jensen". Great Soviet Encyclopedia. 1979 – via The Free Dictionary.
  3. ^ a b c d Lars Andersen (8 September 2022). "Jørgen Jensen – politiker". Den Store Danske (in Danish).
  4. ^ Lasse Aaskoven (2022). "Foreign Occupation and Support for International Cooperation" (PDF). World Politics. 74 (2): 316. doi:10.1017/s004388712200003x. S2CID 248267466.
  5. ^ a b "Danske kommunister". Arbejdermuseet (in Danish). 29 January 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  6. ^ a b c d Thomas Wegener Friis; Władysław Bułhak (2023). "Denmark and Solidarność". In Władysław Bułhak; Thomas Wegener Friis (eds.). A Centenary of Polish-Danish Relations. Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag. pp. 173–175, 178. doi:10.25162/9783515134682. ISBN 978-3-515-13468-2.