Childhood

Peder Furubotn was born in 1890 in Sogn in Western Norway. His father, Jørgen Furubotn, was from a smallholding in the mountainous country between Northern Hordaland and Sogn. He tried his hand as a dyer in the 1890s, but went bankrupt (hand dyeing could not compete with the new industrialised dyeing processes). Finding the road to the petty bourgeoisie closed, the farmer's son was obliged to seek a living employed as an ordinary hand at Vaksdal mill just outside Bergen. There he made a name himself as an Independence Day orator, member of the liberal party, and Sunday School teacher. His strong social awareness and interests led him to take part in the establishment of the first trade union at Vaksdal mill. When the owners learned of this initiative, they fired the whole union committee, including Jørgen Furubotn. For two years he had to beg for casual jobs in the district. Poverty left a distinct mark on Peder Furubotn's childhood home. His father was later to become a prominent Labour Party figure in Vaksdal, with positions of responsibility in the community and greatly respected in the district.

Peder Furubotn was the third of seven children. The family moved several times, but settled permanently in Vaksdal. It lies by the Osterfjord, where steep mountains drop straight into the sea, leaving just enough room for a flour mill next to the railway station - industry and railway communications combined. When the mill burned down in 1899, one hundred Germans came to rebuild it. At about the same time, the Voss railway was switching from narrow to broad-gauge tracks, and gangs of Swedish navvies were living in Vaksdal.

In his childhood, his strong individuality made Peder Furubotn ``difficult'', and his father's attempts to discipline him only made him even more rebellious - until his father gave up corporal punishment. When he felt offended, the lad would break with all the proprieties in his often shocking outbursts - no fear of authority there. His mother, on the other hand, was gentle and mild and gave him a lot of love. Among his playmates he stood out as a source of ideas, initiative and mischief. He was popular and displayed a strong sense of justice. His childhood friend Johan Eknes claims that he would never let anyone down.(1) He did so well at school that his teacher advised his father that he should ensure his son continued with his education. His father was willing but, as in so many working men's homes, money was short.

The social and political contrast between the mill hands and its owners was not the only source of conflict in Vaksdal; there was also a cultural clash between the immigrant labourers and the small farmers who had lived in the region for generations - typical of the clashes experienced in many rural Norwegian communities during the time of the growth of industry towards the end of the last century. In Vaksdal the confrontation found expression as in conflict and fights between the children of lower and upper Vaksdal.

At school the boy became acquainted with yet another source of division, hostility to the union with Sweden. The teacher devoted his lessons to building up the children's national pride, and during the breaks taught them how to fight - so that they could beat the Swedes when they were old enough. Although Peder Furubotn was born and raised in an outlying district, Vaksdal was not isolated from the impact of the emergent industrial society and the boy grew up bombarded by numerous different impressions.