The Process of Formation of the Greenlandic Separatist Movement between 1964 and 1979

Abstract

The subject of the article is the history of the formation of the separatist movement in Green-land in the years 1964–1979. Its origin and development fall into the period of rapid socio-economic changes on the island, initiated by the Danish state. Their aim became the adaptation of the Greenlandic society, as well as the economy, to the conditions prevailing in the rest of the country. These changes were forced by the evolution of the island’s legal status made in 1953 under the new constitution of the Danish monarchy. The Greenlandic territory was linked by “legal community” to Denmark, becoming its administrative unit. The Greenlandic separatist movement was a grassroots social movement that originated among Greenlandic youth studying at Danish universities. Socio-economic, political, and cultural factors contributed to further dissatisfaction. Political and separatist activism made it possible for Greenlanders to gain autonomy in 1979. The different parts of the article present, among other things, a terminological analysis of the issue of separatism; the conditions for the emergence of the separatist movement are shown. The course of its activities, the dimension of its ideological assumptions, and its organisation are indicated. The article uses the analysis of primary and secondary sources, factor analysis, historical analysis and political science.