Ording was born in
Kristiania as a son of theology professor
Johannes Ording (1869–1929) and Fredrikke Ording (1874–1966). He was a maternal great-grandson of
Andreas Hauge, He took his
examen artium in 1916, and subsequently enrolled at the
Royal Frederick University. In 1921 he joined the group around the periodical
Mot Dag, and when
Mot Dag was formalized as an organization, Ording became one of the prominent members.
Mot Dag was a revolutionary socialist group, and had a goal of attracting an elite of intellectuals. Ording was also the chairman of the
Mot Dag-affiliated organization
Clarté, and edited its periodical of the same name for a period. He graduated with the
cand.philol. degree in 1924, and continued his studies. He had a stay in France from 1926 to 1927, and took the
dr.philos. degree in 1930 with the thesis
Le Bureau de police du Comité de Salut public. Étude sur la Terreur. In 1936 he issued the book
Den første internasjonale. Arbeiderbevegelsens gjennombrudd 1830–1875, about the
First International. The same year, in 1936,
Mot Dag was absorbed by the
Norwegian Labour Party. Ording edited their periodical
Det 20de Århundre together with
Finn Moe, and also worked as a commentator in the
Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation. ==World War II==