ABSTRACT
The great Norwegian political scientist Stein Rokkan focused on the interaction between time and space in his work to develop a generalized map of the political systems of Europe. Time was crucial in determining what effects critical historical events, their sequence and how they evolved, had on political developments. The Reformation, the national revolution, the Industrial Revolution, and the Russian Revolution were critical junctures in the evolution of all European national political systems. Norway entered the 1990s with a minority coalition government that included the Center Party, the Christians, and the Conservatives. The decade ended with a minority coalition that included the Center Party, the Christians, and the Liberals. Norwegians have long been aware that they belong to a small nation. Until 1905, they fought to leave the union with Sweden and to establish an independent state, knowing fair well that they would never gain parity with their Swedish brethren.
