Ástandið

Ástandið (Icelandic: "the condition" or "the situation") is a term used in Iceland to refer to the influence Allied troops had on Icelandic women during the Second World War. At its peak the number of Allied soldiers equaled almost 50% of the native male population. Many of the foreign soldiers would court Icelandic women and estimates of the number of local women who married foreign soldiers goes into the hundreds. Such interaction between Icelandic women and foreign troops was not always well received and the women involved were often accused of prostitution and betraying their home country. Children born from such unions are known in Icelandic as ástandsbörn ("children of the condition/situation").

American soldiers training in Allied-occupied Iceland in June 1943

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Modern era Independence movement 1809–1847 Prohibition 1915–1989 Kingdom of Iceland 1918–1944      Act of Union World War II 1939–1944      British invasion of Iceland 1940      Allied occupation of Iceland 1940–1945           Invader relationships Founding of republic 1944 Iceland in the Cold War 1947–1991      Cod Wars 1948–1976      Anti-NATO riot 1949 Financial crisis 2008–2011 COVID-19 pandemic 2020–
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When the British military invaded Iceland in 1940, people gathered on the streets to see the troops and the fact that many Icelandic women were captivated by them did not go unnoticed. Immediately discussions began over what effect this would have and minimal interaction with Allied troops was encouraged, but this proved to be difficult as many Icelanders had jobs which in some way led them to interact with the troops. A committee was formed at the behest of the Icelandic government, which published a report noting the prevalence of engaging with prostitutes among the troops.[1] The Icelandic government tried unsuccessfully to reduce the Allied soldiers' encounters with Icelandic women but with time the issue lapsed, as all Allied forces evacuated the island upon the conclusion of the war in 1945.

American troops returned to Iceland in 1951 as part of the Iceland Defense Force during the Cold War. In order to reassure the Icelandic government, all American troops were now restricted to the Keflavík Air Base, which remained operational until 2006, when the US briefly left only to return in 2016.[2][3]