SEVERING THE TIES – ICELAND'S JOURNEY FROM A UNION WITH DENMARK TO A NATION‐STATE
At the time of the foundation of the Icelandic republic in 1944, most Icelanders regarded the dissolution of the union with Denmark as a natural conclusion of a long struggle for freedom. The fact is, however, that the idea of self‐determination only emerged in the early 19th century, gaining total hegemony a century later. This article explores this sudden paradigm shift in the Icelandic political discourse.