The Neutral Ally

Since the Great powers had no desire for unrest in Scandinavia, they signed an agreement respecting Norway's neutrality.

Still, the political direction was clear: fearing Russian ambition in the north, the sentiment was that Norway should be neutral if war broke out, and rely on help from Great Britain if attacked.

In the early 1900s, Norway's merchant fleet was one of the largest in the world, and the country required vast supplies of oil, coal and steel to build and operate it.

The Allies started preventing the Germans from purchasing these fish stocks by overbidding them, but trade in other areas continued.

More than 1,500 Norwegian sailors died during this period,[2] creating an increasingly anti-German sentiment throughout the nation of Norway.