Why did a united Scandinavia not form?

[BlackCat]

There are several reasons to why scandinavia isn't a single state. Ahasverus has given one reason, though if we had butchered gustav vasa in the stockholmian bloodbath, sweden and norway would still be a part of denmark.

After that there was to big powers up north - sweden and denmark - wich was busy fighting each other and their neighbours.

That went on until napoleon hit. Those stupid brits forced us to join side whit him - strangely the evil swedes wasn't punished when the aftermath of napoleon was done despite the swedish king was some napoleonic croney.

Another reason why there hasn't been a Great scandinavia is that none of the great powers in the 1800's wouldn't allow the others to get control with the belts wich totally controls acces to the baltic sea.

As mentioned there was an attempt to make a union in the 1900-2000 but it didn't have a chance due to to the differences between the countries.

Akvavit - yeah, you should try it there are probably one that will make you feel good - try look at :

http://www.aalborgakvavit.dk/composite-279.htm

and don't trust those evil swedes and norwegians that try to lure you into traps Get some danish heerings - the come in many tastes.

[notyoueither]

They aren't united because the Danes are always trying to steal something from other people.

Other people, quite rightly, try to keep the Danes as far away as possible.

[RGBVideo]

Short-sightedness of the royalty led to a vendetta between Denmark and Sweden which was upkeeped for so long that Danes and Swedes ended up developing different national identities after nationalism was invented.

Now that I moved to Turku, it's still the same, except that now everyone even in Helsinki doesn't like me because I'm from here .

When did you move?

If Sweden lost its great power status because of one battle it never really deserved to be considered a great power in the first place.

You need to check out some maps of that war... Young Karl XII found himself from Turkey once the first string of battles in Russia were finished.

[molly bloom]

Originally posted by Colon
If Sweden lost its great power status because of one battle it never really deserved to be considered a great power in the first place.

It wasn't one battle- it was a series of wars and campaigns, in Russia, in Central and Eastern Europe and western Germany.

The Swedes had one of the greatest military minds, ever, in Gustavus Adolphus.

They had a fortuitous combination of a great warrior (Gustavus Adolphus) and a formidable chancellor- Axel Oxenstierna, who enjoyed an effective working relationship and a genuine friendship.

They beat the Russians, Poles, Danes, the Habsburgs, and Catholic Germans. They avoided becoming mere puppets of Cardinal Richelieu in the Thirty Years' War.

What they lacked were the resources and population of neighbouring states.

Axel O :

[Odin]

Gustavus Adolphus kicked Austrian ass.

Gustav:

(yes, I love playing Sweden in EU2 )

[Zkribbler]

Originally posted by BlackCat
...strangely the evil swedes wasn't punished when the aftermath of napoleon was done despite the swedish king was some napoleonic croney.

IIRC, the Swedes turned on Nappy and became part of the British-Austrian-Russian-Prussian alliance that kicked him out of power.

[Pekka]

and we, Finns, always fought at the spearhead of Swede wars. At least the succesful ones. THe ones that didn't go well was because of Swedes.

[Pekka]

by the way, everyone knows we've had fighting history with our neighbours in the east, but what you also should know is that winter war was not the first fight. When Sweden and RUssia squared off... that's right.

[Combat Ingrid]

Pekka, that reminds me of Lonely Planet's description of Belgium:

Belgium's big-gun neighbours France, Germany and England (which faces it across the North Sea) long favoured this little nation as a nice spot to kill each other.

[Pekka]

it's a pretty place to kill.

[Dinner]

And the beer isn't bad either.

[Chemical Ollie]

Originally posted by Pekka
and we, Finns, always fought at the spearhead of Swede wars. At least the succesful ones. THe ones that didn't go well was because of Swedes.

Gunfodder

[Pekka]

The BEST gunfodder there is.

[Odin]

Originally posted by Pekka
The BEST gunfodder there is.

[SpencerH]

The real reason (that is only secretly whispered to utlanderer) is that they couldnt agree on a meatball recipe.