Viggo Hørup

Viggo Lauritz Bentheim Hørup (22 May 1841 – 15 February 1902) was a Danish politician, journalist and agitator. He was the father of Ellen Hørup (1871-1953). One of the most influential politicians of the Danish non-Socialist left wing.

Hørup was born in Torpmagle near Hundested, the son of a North Zealandian schoolteacher, but belonged to the relatively well-to-do middle class. Already as a student Hørup took interest in politics, early joining the party Venstre after a short conservative intermezzo. From the start he opposed both the middle and upper class of the capital and the National Liberal academic circles. After some failing attempts he was 1876 elected to the Danish parliament’s first chamber (the Folketing) and kept his seat until 1892. Hørup soon had a leading position in Left and is regarded as one of ”the five Left leaders” with only the leader of the more traditional farmer wing Christen Berg as his equal. During the constitutional struggle against the prime minister Estrup from Højre he became one of the central figures.

First of all Hørup was a social liberal and anti-militarist in the Danish parliament. He rejected the military defence as an unrealistic, dangerous and expensive protection of Denmark and he founded a long-standing scepticism against the army that has affected many Danes. Besides he sharply turned against all chauvinist and nationalist points of view (and against all that he regarded as such). His domestic political views seem to have been a parliamentarian rule but first of all the recognition of the peasants and the smallholders as socially equal persons. Though not a socialist himself he also co-operated with the Social Democrats and his uncompromising political view about equality impressed some workers and socialists.

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