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Vilhelm Buhl only served as Prime Minister for a total of 18 months, but due to his role during and after the German occupation of Denmark 1940-45, he has gone down in history as one of the most controversial Social Democratic Prime Ministers.
Wilhelm Buhl was born on October 6, 1881 in Fredericia and died on December 18, 1954 in Copenhagen.
He graduated as Cand. Jur. in 1908 and was employed as an assistant in the Copenhagen tax directorate the same year, where Buhl quickly advanced and became tax director in 1924. He was a member of the county parliament 1932-1939 for the Social Democrats, and then of the Danish parliament 1939-1953.
From July 1937 to July 1942 he was Minister of Finance, after which he replaced Stauning as Prime Minister in the coalition government after his death. He only managed to be Prime Minister from May to November 1942. After the liberation, he served as Prime Minister in the liberation government from May-November 1945. He was also minister without portfolio in the Hedtoft ministry from 1947-50 and chairman of the government’s finance committee during these years.
Vilhelm Buhl was widely recognized for his efforts in the development of tax legislation in the 1920s and 1930s. However, he is best remembered for his time as Prime Minister during the Occupation and in particular the so-called ‘anti-sabotage speech’ he gave on the radio on September 2, 1942. A section of the speech where Buhl calls on the population to report saboteurs to the Danish authorities attracted a lot of attention. The speech gave Vilhelm Buhl a negative reputation in the aftermath. He played a crucial role during the German occupation of Denmark 1940-1945, and led the negotiations with the Freedom Council on post-liberation reconstruction.
IN THE ABA
Vilhelm Buhl is the only Social Democratic Prime Minister who does not have archive material in the ABA. However, his private archive is located at the Danish National Archives, no. 05243.
The archive contains manuscripts, correspondence, personal papers, political material, etc.
Material about Buhl in other archives in ABA
Literature, photographs and posters
Literature about Vilhelm Buhl
Buhl in ABA’s photo collection
Buhl in the ABA’s poster collection
