Martin Tranmæl

Martin Olsen Tranmæl (1879 - 1967) was a radical Norwegian socialist leader.

Martin Tranmæl, the son of a farmer, started working as a painter and construction worker. In the early 20th century, Tranmæl lived for a while in the USA where he came into contact with the American workers movement. When he moved back to Norway he became active in the Norwegian Labour Party where he soon became one of the main leaders of the Party's left wing and worked for many different socialist papers.

Tranmæl became a Communist after learning of the Russian Revolution of 1917, and he attended Comintern meetings in Russia and encouraged the Norwegian Labour Party to join the Communist International organization and accept the Twenty-one Conditions for membership. Eventually Tranmæl lead the Norwegian Labour Party out of the Comintern after a conflict with its chairman Zinoviev in 1923. The Party was split in two and the Communist Party of Norway was formed that year by people who wanted to stay in the Comintern. But Tranmæl and the Norwegian Labour Party still supported the Soviet Union for many years.

During World War II and the German Nazi occupation of Norway, Tranmæl lived in exile in Stockholm, Sweden. He had many friends there like Zeth Höglund and Ture Nerman.

After the war he returned to Norway, and while still a socialist, had more moderate views and supported the Norwegian membership in NATO in 1949.