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404:. She became a member of the Danish Parliament for the Social Democrats in 1947, and three years later she became Minister of Ecclesiastical Affairs from September until October 1950. The Social Democrats regained power in 1953, and she was Minister of Ecclesiastical Affairs until 1966 and Minister Cultural Affairs from 1966 until 1968 during three different governments led by the Social Democratic party.
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thorn in the side of her own party, especially in the debate about foreign policy. She was just like
Denmark in a foreign policy dilemma: Since 1864 when Denmark was defeated by the Germans the tradition had been that it was too small a country to focus only on military capacity, instead it had to concentrate on socio-economic gains internally. But now Denmark was a member of
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generation after World War II searching for a new set of values. They had five children, and during the 1930s Bodil Koch was a stay-at-home mother and the wife of Hal Koch. They challenged the traditional idea of the nuclear family, and eventually she saw the ideal family as two working adults and a number of children who all participated in cooking and debating.
384:(The People's Work or National Commitment). The goal of Folkevirke was to mobilize and educate women about democracy on a local, regional, and national level. Women all over the country, from Copenhagen to rural areas in Jutland participated in study groups and gave speeches about the problems of the Danish society.
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Bodil Koch was highly respected for her work, also by her opponents in
Folketinget, and her biographer Birgitte Possing, describes her as "a lady in her own right". She was a great speaker, spontaneous, and very outspoken — also in other political areas than her own. She was from time to time a
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with a master's degree in theology in 1929, the same year she married Hal Koch. Their fundamental beliefs combined the
Evangelical-Lutheran view of Christianity with Socratic humanism. Both had a strong interest in traveling and science and working for the common good. They were the icons of a whole
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In 1949, she grudgingly voted with her party for
Denmark's membership of NATO. In 1952 and 1955 she voted against the party line, first against foreign military forces in Denmark during peacetime and second against Western Germany's admission to NATO. She was against the Vietnam War and nuclear
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The last two years of her political career Koch was
Minister of Cultural Affairs (1966-1968). Her influence on cultural affairs was less than on ecclesiastical affairs, but she had always been interested and knowledgeable about culture and literature.
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Bodil Koch's engagement in political affairs took off during World War II with op-eds and articles in Danish newspapers and she gave speeches all over the country. In 1944, she and 8 other prominent women founded the grass root organization
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rearmament and agitated for an open debate about the relationship between the
Eastern and Western blocks during the Cold War in the 1950s and 1960s. Koch became worldwide famous for the first time when she in 1958 publicly criticized the
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and the alliance was in the middle of the Cold War. The policy of deterrence worked, but there was a fear in
Denmark that the country would be deleted from the map if retaliation was automatically set in action.
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As
Minister of Ecclesiastical Affairs, Bodil Koch implemented reforms of ecclesiastical legislation, and she was a fierce defendant of the freedom of preaching in the state church
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411:. She worked hard to modernize the church including the ordination of women. After her death her ideas and visions were incorporated the Danish Church Law of 1973.
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Folkevirke became Bodil Koch's stepping stone to
Folketinget. Now that she had been fighting for women to get into politics, she ran for office herself in the
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returned to the power in 1953, she again was appointed
Minister of Ecclesiastical Affairs. She held office until 1966, when she was appointed new
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309:(25 October 1903 – 7 January 1972) was the wife of a prominent professor, a Social Democrat, and a minister. She was married to professor
396:. It came as a surprise to many that she as a female, an academic, and practicing Protestant from Copenhagen could be elected in a rural area
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in the world and the third female minister in Denmark. She only held the office for six weeks, as
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resigned 30 October 1950 over a dispute on the continued rationing of butter.
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during the NATO conference in Copenhagen, May 1958.
328:and three years later she became the first female
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724:Ministers for ecclesiastical affairs of Denmark
644:Minister for Ecclesiastical Affairs of Denmark
617:Minister for Ecclesiastical Affairs of Denmark
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109:30 September 1953 – 28 November 1966
166:16 September 1950 – 30 October 1950
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55:28 November 1966 – 2 February 1968
648:30 September 1953 – 28 November 1966
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621:16 September 1950 – 30 October 1950
565:(Straight out. A portrait of Bodil Koch)
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675:28 November 1966 – 2 February 1968
587:. Aschehoug, pp. 377, 619–20, 741.
459:Possing, Dansk Kvindebiografisk Leksikon
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532:Hoffmann-Hansen, Henrik (2007-10-09).
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734:20th-century Danish women politicians
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535:Kirkeministeren med den røde vision
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563:Uden omsvøb, Portræt af Bodil Koch
554:. Dansk Kvindebiografisk Leksikon
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388:Minister of Ecclesiastical Affairs
330:Minister of Ecclesiastical Affairs
97:Minister of Ecclesiastical Affairs
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719:Ministers for culture of Denmark
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324:In 1947, she was elected to the
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714:University of Copenhagen alumni
709:Women members of the Folketing
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366:Bodil Koch graduated from the
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43:Minister for Cultural Affairs
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729:Politicians from Copenhagen
671:Culture Minister of Denmark
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561:Possing, Birgitte (2007).
558:. Retrieved on 2007-11-25.
545:. Retrieved on 2008-04-05.
317:in the Danish Parliament,
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551:Bodil Koch (1903 - 1972)
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368:University of Copenhagen
350:. She held office until
285:University of Copenhagen
681:Kristen Helveg Petersen
580:Skou, Kaare R. (2005).
415:A lady in her own right
394:1947 Folketing election
321:from 1947 – 1968.
90:Kristen Helveg Petersen
569:. Denmark: Gyldendal,
409:Danish National Church
637:Carl Martin Hermansen
501:Possing, 2007, p. 114
431:US Secretary of State
142:Carl Martin Hermansen
519:Possing, 2007, p. 15
375:Political engagement
548:Possing, Birgitte.
358:as prime minister.
348:Minister of Culture
246:Copenhagen, Denmark
602:Political offices
543:Kristeligt Dagblad
434:John Foster Dulles
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678:Succeeded by
651:Succeeded by
624:Succeeded by
582:Dansk politik A-Ă…
575:978-87-02-05970-0
354:in 1968 replaced
352:Hilmar Baunsgaard
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344:Social Democrats
315:Social Democrats
255:Social Democrats
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209:Personal details
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334:Prime Minister
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244:(aged 68)
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337:Hans Hedtoft
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242:(1972-01-07)
194:Succeeded by
176:Hans Hedtoft
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149:Succeeded by
124:H. C. Hansen
120:Hans Hedtoft
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85:Succeeded by
78:Hans Sølvhøj
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32:Koch in 1954
704:1972 deaths
699:1903 births
654:Orla Møller
585:(in Danish)
567:(in Danish)
556:(in Danish)
539:(in Danish)
319:Folketinget
294:Theologist
182:Preceded by
154:Orla Møller
137:Preceded by
73:Preceded by
693:Categories
527:References
382:Folkevirke
307:Bodil Koch
296:Politician
291:Occupation
227:Copenhagen
220:1903-10-25
20:Bodil Koch
342:When the
326:Folketing
281:Education
162:In office
105:In office
51:In office
311:Hal Koch
269:Children
264:Hal Koch
402:Jutland
398:Herning
231:Denmark
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261:Spouse
444:Notes
589:ISBN
571:ISBN
422:NATO
237:Died
214:Born
400:in
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218:(
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