{{Short description|Norwegian newspaper}} {{distinguish|Arbeidet}}
thumb|A Arbeideren newspaper '''{{Lang|no|Arbeideren}}''' ("The Worker") was a daily newspaper published in Oslo, Norway.
It was started on 2 November 1929 as the official party newspaper from the Communist Party. It lent its name from a Hamar-based newspaper of the same name, which had gone defunct on 4 October. More directly, it replaced ''Norges Kommunistblad'' which just had gone bankrupt.<ref name=npresse>{{cite book|last=Rønning|first=Ole Martin|editor=Flo, Idar|title=Norske aviser fra A til Å|series=Volume four of ''Norsk presses historie 1660–2010''|year=2010|publisher=Universitetsforlaget|location=Oslo|language=Norwegian|isbn=978-82-15-01604-7|page=39|chapter=''Arbeideren''}}</ref> Its first editor was Arvid G. Hansen, who had been the last editor of ''Norges Kommunistblad''. He remained in the chair until 1931.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|year=|title=Arvid G Hansen|encyclopedia=Norsk biografisk leksikon|first=Lill-Ann|last=Jensen|editor=Helle, Knut|editor-link=Knut Helle|publisher=Kunnskapsforlaget|location=Oslo|url=http://www.snl.no/.nbl_biografi/Arvid_G_Hansen/utdypning|language=Norwegian|accessdate=29 August 2010}}</ref>
Reinert Torgeirson was editor from 1931 to 1932,<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|year=1936|volume=6|title=Torgeirson, Reinert|encyclopedia=Arbeidernes Leksikon|editor1=Friis, Jakob|editor-link=Jakob Friis|editor2=Hegna, Trond|editor2-link=Trond Hegna|editor3=Juel, Dagfin |editor3-link=Dagfin Juel |publisher=Arbeidermagasinets Forlag|location=Oslo|language=Norwegian|page=788}}</ref> followed by Erling Bentzen. In 1934 he was fired for not following the directions of the Comintern, the superior organ of the Communist Party of Norway.<ref name=npresse/> Henry W. Kristiansen became the new editor-in-chief, having been deposed as party leader.<ref name=kristiansen>{{cite encyclopedia|year=2007|title=Henry Wilhelm Kristiansen|encyclopedia=Store norske leksikon|editor=Henriksen, Petter|publisher=Kunnskapsforlaget|location=Oslo|url=http://www.snl.no/Henry_Wilhelm_Kristiansen|language=Norwegian|accessdate=29 August 2010}}</ref> The publication was irregular, sometimes it came daily, sometimes weekly. From 1937 it was a daily newspaper, supported by the party while it siphoned support from other party newspapers,<ref name=npresse/> such as ''Arbeidet''.<ref>{{cite book|last=Terjesen|first=Einar A.|editor=Flo, Idar|title=Norske aviser fra A til Å|series=Volume four of ''Norsk presses historie 1660–2010''|year=2010|publisher=Universitetsforlaget|location=Oslo|language=Norwegian|isbn=978-82-15-01604-7|page=41|chapter=''Arbeidet''}}</ref>
Henry W. Kristiansen still sat as editor on 9 April 1940, when World War II reached Norway with the German invasion. The newspaper became controversial among many. First, because it strongly criticized the existing Norwegian Fascist party Nasjonal Samling as well as Fascism in general. For this it was confiscated on 25 April. Second, because it criticized the actions of the legal government, Nygaardsvold's Cabinet, and its alliance with Great Britain. The newspaper was edited out of "neutrality" concerns; this was because of the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact. As the invading Germans tightened their rule of Norway, ''Arbeideren'' was forbidden and stopped on 16 August 1940.<ref name=nkl>{{cite encyclopedia|last=Halvorsen|first=Terje|editor=Dahl, Hans Fredrik|editor-link=Hans Fredrik Dahl|encyclopedia=Norsk krigsleksikon 1940-45|title=Arbeideren|url=http://mediabase1.uib.no/krigslex/a/a3.html#arbeideren|accessdate=29 August 2010|year=1995|publisher=Cappelen|volume=|location=Oslo|isbn=|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110821151031/http://mediabase1.uib.no/krigslex/a/a3.html#arbeideren|archivedate=21 August 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> Kristiansen died in Neuengamme concentration camp in 1942.<ref name=kristiansen/>
After the war, ''Arbeideren'' never returned, and ''Friheten'' became the official party organ. ''Arbeideren'' was probed into during the legal purge in Norway after World War II for its criticism towards the legal government in 1940, but the case was closed since Kristiansen, and former board member of the newspaper Ottar Lie, were dead.<ref name=nkl/><ref>{{cite book|last=Pryser|first=Tore|author-link=Tore Pryser|title=Arbeiderbevegelsen og Nasjonal Samling|year=1991|publisher=Tiden|location=Oslo|language=Norwegian|isbn=82-10-03346-8|page=136}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
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Category:1929 establishments in Norway Category:1940 disestablishments in Norway Category:Communist Party of Norway newspapers Category:Defunct newspapers published in Oslo Category:Defunct Norwegian-language newspapers Category:Newspapers established in 1929 Category:Publications disestablished in 1940 Category:Daily newspapers published in Norway Category:Defunct daily newspapers