Democracy and the Constitution

Theme about the Danish Constitution

Democracy and the Danish Constitution have been central themes for the Danish labour movement since the 1870s. In the early years of the movement, the Social Democratic Party and the trade union movement fought for the most basic democratic rights: freedom to assemble and freedom of speech

Later, the struggle for democracy came to focus on expanding the democratic framework provided by the Constitution to include women, the poor, and the young. For other parts of the left, an important political theme has been the interpretation of the content and form of democracy.

Since 1872, the labour movement has also actively participated in the celebration of Constitution Day and for a number of years, the Social Democratic Party held annual Constitution Day celebrations.

Other parts of the left have also used Constitution Day celebrations as platforms for various political struggles, including the EC/EU resistance, the fight for democratic rights such as women’s or youth suffrage, and also in the fight against fascism.