The Nordic countries have had a fair share of make-ups and break-ups. Back in the late 14th century, Sweden had had enough of its German king, Albrekt, and turned to Queen Margareta of Denmark-Norway for help. Albrekt was defeated and the Scandinavian countries Sweden, Denmark and Norway became the Kalmar Union.
It was strong in the beginning, but soon internal conflicts emerged. When the Danish Kristian was king, the Swedes were unhappy and wanted independence. King Kristian felt his power being threatened and organised the Stockholm Bloodbath. This led to Gustav Vasa revolting, and with help from German troops Gustav Vasa managed to overthrow king Kristian and Sweden became independent. In other words, Sweden made up with Germany to be able to break up from Denmark. About 200 years earlier, Sweden had broken up from Germany with help from Denmark.
The Nordic countries kept fighting with each other, leading to a lot of break-ups: Sweden lost Finland to Russia, and Denmark lost Norway to Sweden. In the beginning of the 20th century, Norway, Iceland and Finland became independent.
After the Second World War, Iceland, Denmark and Norway joined NATO. The Nordic Council was created — where the Nordic countries’ parliaments and governments work together — on the basis of shared interests in social, environmental and finance policies, as well as cultural similarities. For one thing, the Nordic countries stood out from the rest of Europe with their high taxes, intending to create a social safety net. In 2024, Sweden and Finland joined NATO. The strongest contributing factor to this decision was Russia’s invasion of Ukraine 2022 and the ongoing war.
After multiple break-ups, the Nordic countries have made up. Maybe, in order to make up, we had to break up. There’s a dichotomy to the terms. Looking at the Nordic region, it seems like friendships are made through enemies: Sweden and Denmark against Germany, then Sweden and Germany against Denmark. Iceland, Denmark and Norway joined NATO after the second world war, and Sweden and Finland joined during the ongoing war in Ukraine. It has always been about protecting one’s own.
Humans are gregarious animals. Selfish, greedy and proud. In a perfect world, I would like to think we have all made up and live in peace. No enemies, just friends. But is it yet another example of the classic yin and yang philosophy? Can there be light without darkness?
↓ Image Attributions
“people walking on sidewalk near brown building during daytime” by Loïc DIVAD // Licensed under Unsplash
