Greenland It is an island with a lot of history behind it. And that territory It was inhabited by both Amerindians and Inuis, until the arrival of the Kingdoms of Denmark and Norway, to which the United States joined.. Anyway, many involved in the small region of North America, which only seeks its independence.
But to understand the history of Greenland you have to go back to 15th centurywhen the expeditions by European settlers began. Given some failed attempts by Portugal in it 1500some time later it was Denmark’s turn.
Greenland: since when has it been controlled by Denmark
Between 1605 and 1607he King Christian IV of Denmark sent a series of expeditions to Greenland and the Arctic waterways to locate the lost East Norse settlement and assert Danish sovereignty over Greenland. However, climatic conditions and Arctic ice made the process difficult, so the expedition was quickly abandoned.
Although Greenland remained in the hands of various Inuit groups, the Danish Kingdom never forgot its objective, and attacked again in the 17th century. In 1721, A joint merchant and clerical expedition led by the Danish-Norwegian missionary Hans Egede was sent to Greenland, without knowing whether a Nordic civilization still existed there.. This expedition is part of the Danish-Norwegian colonization of America. As the years go by, the island was opened only to Danish merchants.
Then, in 1814with the dissolution of the crown union between Denmark and Norwayit was determined, through the Treaty of Kielthat the colonies would separate from Norway and come under Danish control. In 1931Norway occupied East Greenland, which was disabled, so finally both countries They submitted the situation to the Permanent Court of International Justice, which ruled against Norway..
The bad news for Denmark came in 1940when it lost its connection with the island, at the beginning of the Second World Warafter the occupation of Denmark by Nazi Germany. Just one year later, the United States occupied Greenland to defend it from a possible invasion by Germany, and remained in that state until [1945.
The war was a turning point for Greenland, which changed its system of government. On the one hand, Governor Eske Brun ruled the island under a 1925 law that allowed governors to take control in extreme circumstances; In addition, Governor Aksel Svane was transferred to the United States to head the Greenland supply commission.
The self-sufficiency and pseudo-independence obtained in this process led the island to create a great commission to discuss its autonomy with Denmark. In 1950 A final report -G-50- was presented in which recommended the introduction of a modern welfare state with the development of Denmark as a sponsor and modeland by 1953, Greenland became part of the Kingdom of Denmark on equal terms. Finally, In 1979 autonomy was granted.
Greenland: the day the United States wanted to buy it from Denmark
In 1946, the United States offered to buy the island from Denmark for $100 million.. Faced with the refusal of the Danish kingdom, the US looked for different alternatives, such as Thule air base that built in 1950and even an underground network of secret nuclear missile launch sites on the Greenland ice sheet, called Project Iceworm, between 1960 and 1966.
But with the Autonomy Law of 1979the rules of the game changed. Greenland began to operate under its own interests, and in 1985Greenland left the European Economic Community (EEC)by not agreeing with a series of regulations related to fishing.
Greenland today: from possible independence to Trump’s threat
He November 25, 2008Greenland approved the extension of its autonomy statute through a referendum on its self-government that grants it greater economic resources, control of its oil resources and the possibility of benefiting from the right of self-determination. A year later, he assumed responsibility for the self-government of judicial affairs, the police and natural resources, in addition to the town being recognized as independent under international law.
However, Denmark maintains an annual block subsidy of DKK 3.2 billion, although as Greenland begins to collect revenue from its natural resources, the subsidy will gradually decrease. This is considered a step towards full independence from Denmark.
Besides, donald trumpcurrent president of the United States, once again replicated a message he had given back in 2019, although with more pretensions. With the Thule base at your disposal, The Republican made the decision to annex Greenland to the United Statesno matter how, because it is “absolutely necessary in the interest of national security and freedom in the world”.
Source: Ambito
