Einar Hoffstad

He was born in Sandefjord to botanist and teacher Olaf Alfred Hoffstad (1865–1943); his younger brother was Arne Hoffstad (1900–1980), who became an editor and Conservative politician. Having finished his secondary education in 1913, Einar Hoffstad enrolled at the Norwegian Institute of Technology, where he studied until 1916. He subsequently worked as stockbroker in Sandefjord for a year, before being hired as editor of the stockbrokers' periodical Norsk Aktiemeglertidsskrift and the economy section of Verdens Gang from 1918 to 1919. In that same year he married the slightly younger Edith Eckblad, the daughter of a landlord. From 1919 to 1920 Hoffstad worked as a secretary in Norsk Næringsliv. He also began working at the economics periodical Farmand, advancing to co-editor in 1920. He was editor in chief of the periodical from 1922 to 1926 and from 1933 to 1935. Whilst having a break from his career at Farmand, Hoffstad edited the enterprise journal Forretningsliv between 1926 and 1933, which was acquired by Farmand in 1933. ==Political views==

As editor in chief of Farmand, Hoffstad was a classic liberal who argued against planned economy and egalitarianism. He stated that every society ought to "grant great freedom to commerce", and that inequality was "the condition for economic growth and creation of the necessities of life". Hoffstad was also vocal against parliamentary democracy, as he considered human beings "undemocratic from birth", maintaining they had an "instinctive need for a dictator". "Dollfuss, Mussolini, and Hitler are all very popular", he argued. Despite his earlier libertarianism, Hoffstad gradually began espousing fascist and corporatist viewpoints in the late 1930s. He also voiced his support for collectivist ideas, proclaiming that "the interests of the State and society should prevail over those of the individual". Hoffstad also welcomed the German occupation of Norway during the Second World War, stating that "Hitler's purpose is to create a new and happy Europe". In 1941 Hoffstad issued the pamphlet Vinner England krigen? ("Is England Winning the War?") together with Grundtvig Gundersen on the publishing house Heroldens Forlag, cover illustrated by Harald Damsleth. In it, the authors concluded: "There is no longer a question on whether England can win the war, England has already lost it". ==Works==

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