Background
Martin Tranmæl grew up in a middle-sized farm in Melhus, in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway.
Martin Tranmæl grew up in a middle-sized farm in Melhus, in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway.
Tranmæl became a Communist after learning of the Russian Revolution of 1917, and he attended Communist International meetings in Russia and encouraged the Norwegian Labour Party to join the Communist International organization and accept the Twenty-one Conditions for membership.
He started working as a painter and construction worker In the early 20th century, Tranmæl lived for a while in the United States of America where he came into contact with the American workers movement. Eventually Tranmæl led the Norwegian Labour Party out of the Communist International 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 Communist International.
He participated in the Left Communist Youth League"s military strike action of 1924. He agitated for it through the newspaper Arbeiderbladet, and was convicted for this crime and sentenced to 5 months days of prison.
During World World War II and the Nazi occupation of Norway, Tranmæl lived in exile in Stockholm, Sweden.
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. After the war he returned to Norway, and while still a socialist, had more moderate views and supported the Norwegian membership in North Atlantic Treaty Organization in 1949.