Word: quislingism
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Dates: during 1940-1949
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After the fight came into the open on Easter Sunday, when all but 60 of the 1,100 ministers in 97%-Lutheran Norway's State Church quit their posts rather than cooperate with the puppet regime, Vidkun Quisling lost round after round.
Having so few clergy to back him, Quisling issued a decree authorizing laymen to preach in the churches. He could not round up lay preachers.
Next Quisling ordered the pastors to resume office. They refused.
Then Quisling said the pastors could resign-but only if they first got permission from his Church Ministry. None did.
Quisling was finally forced to repudiate his threat to arrest all pastors who did not withdraw their resignations by 2 p.m. Saturday, and early reports indicated that the resigned pastors had been able to conduct their Sunday services as "free clergymen" without Quisling or Nazi interference.