Poul Hansen (politician)

Poul Hansen (born February 27, 1913 in Copenhagen , † August 13, 1966 in Virum ) was a Danish journalist and politician of the Social Democrats , who was, among other things, defense, finance and economy minister.

Life

Youth official and journalist

After attending school, Hansen initially completed vocational training as a carpenter like his father and during this time helped to set up the youth association of Socialdemokraterne Danmarks Socialdemokratiske Ungdom (DSU) in Hillerød . He also attended the university in Esbjerg and became secretary of the DSU in 1933 after the previous secretary Hans Christian Svane Hansen became chairman of this youth organization. At the same time he became a member of the board of the Social Democrats in 1933. Together with HC Hansen, he began the political debate with the youth associations of the Danmarks Kommunistiske Parti (DKP) and the Det Konservative Folkeparti . In 1937 he succeeded HC Hansen as the state chairman of the Danmarks Socialdemokratiske Ungdom and held this position until 1942.

He then became a journalist for the daily newspaper Fyns Social-Demokratie and was also involved in the Second World War as secretary of the information center of the labor movement ( Arbejderbevægelsens Informationscentral ).

Party secretary and parliamentary group leader

After the end of the war Hansen became party secretary of the Social Democrats in 1945 and held this position for more than ten years until 1956. At the same time he was elected for the first time as a member of the Folketing in the elections of October 30, 1945 and represented the constituency of Kalundborg there until his death . At the beginning of his parliamentary membership he became a member of the Defense Committee in 1946 and was also secretary of the social democratic faction in the Folketing between 1947 and 1950 and a member of the joint Scandinavian defense committee in 1948 . He was also editor of the party newspaper Verdens Gang from 1947 to 1952 .

In 1950, Hansen was the first brief chairman of the Social Democratic parliamentary group and held this position again between 1953 and 1956. At the same time he was from 1953 and 1956 both a member of the Constitutional Commission and the Foreign Policy Committee of the Folketing.

minister

Defense Minister

After Rasmus Hansen's resignation due to illness , Poul Hansen became Minister-President HC Hansen's new Defense Minister ( Forsvarsminister ) on May 25, 1956, and held this position for more than six years until November 15, 1962.

As Minister of Defense, he primarily dealt with the development of a new and comprehensive defense system, which should include a reduction in the length of service and, at the same time, an increase in defense efficiency. In 1959 a corresponding bill was presented, which also provided for the recruitment of volunteer staff and a number of technical improvements. The orientation towards defense policy met with rejection from the bourgeois parties, who criticized nuclear weapons in peacetime in particular and found support from some officers. After Hansen stated, however, that nuclear weapons would entail the stationing of US Army troops , the parties came closer together and, ultimately, in 1960, an agreement on nuclear weapons was reached. Subsequently, in March 1960 an agreement was reached with NATO on the establishment of weapons depots in Jutland .

Finance and Economics Minister

After the unexpected death of Hans R. Knudsen on Nov. 4, 1962 by Prime Minister Hansen was Jens Otto Krag on November 15, 1962 Treasury ( finance minister ) appointed while Victor Gram became the new defense minister.

As finance minister, he intended to implement an extensive tax reform that had become necessary, but this rejected the proposal of the bourgeois parties to increase property taxes , and in the course of the strong economic growth resulted in an increase in consumption taxes. In 1964 there were also extensive reforms in the arrears pay in the public sector. The increase in property taxes was suspended in 1963 under pressure from homeowners and due to the difficulties in recording it in the tax authorities and finally withdrawn in 1965.

In 1964, Hansen also presented proposals for a comprehensive tax reform with the introduction of a withholding tax , which provided for the retention of the right to input tax deduction. In May 1965 the bill was introduced in the Folketing, but it did not come into force until 1967.

At the same time he intended to reform the VAT . However, he had to resign as Finance Minister on August 24, 1965 for health reasons and was then replaced by Henry Grünbaum .

Hansen, who died almost a year later on August 13, 1966, was also Minister of Economics ( Økonomiminister ) in the second Krag government for a short time from September 26 to October 8, 1964 .

Publications

• En bygning vi rejser , 3 volumes, co-author, 1954–55

Web links

• Entry in Den Store Danske Encyklopædi (online version)