Scandinavia (Cherry, Plum, and Chrysanthemum)

Kingdom of Scandinavia Kongeriget Skandinavien Timeline: Cherry, Plum, and Chrysanthemum OTL equivalent: Denmark (minus Greenland), Norway, and Sweden
Flag Coat of arms
Royal anthem:  Kong Christian stod ved højen mast
Location of Scandinavia
Capital		Copenhagen
Other cities		Stockholm; Christiania
National language		Danish
Ethnic groups		Danes; Swedes; Norwegians; Finns
Religion		Christianity; Irreligion; Judaism; Folk religions; Islam
Demonym		Scandinavian
Government		Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy
-	King	Frederik III
-	Prime Minister	Jonas Gahr Støre
Legislature		Rigsdag of Scandinavia
-	Upper house	Landsting
-	Lower house	Folketing
Establishment
-	Treaty of Stockholm	June 1, 1865
Currency		Scandinavian krone (SKK)
Time zone		CET (UTC+1)
Internet TLD		.sk
Calling code		+45

The Kingdom of Scandinavia (Danish: Kongeriget Skandinavien), usually referred as Scandinavia (Danish: Skandinavien), is a sovereign state located in Northern Europe which territories including the Jutland Peninsula, the Danish Archipelago and the Scandinavian Peninsula. Scandinavia is a parliamentary constitutional monarchy, and a political union which consisted of three constituent countries: Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, with powers to manage internal affairs being devolved from the central government to its constituents. Scandinavia borders West Germany to the south via Jutland Peninsula, and borders the Soviet Union to the northeast and Finland to the east via Scandinavian Peninsula.

Scandinavia is a highly developed country with a high standard of living and ranks very highly in measures of quality of life, education, health care, civil liberties, economic competitiveness, income equality, gender equality, prosperity, and human development. It maintains a social welfare system that provides universal health care and tertiary education for its citizens.

Behind the USSR, Scandinavia is the second-largest country in Europe, spanning over an area of 943,523 square kilometres (364,296 sq mi). Scandinavia is a founding member of NATO, OSCE and the United Nations as well as a member of the Council of Europe, the World Trade Organization and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Scandinavia joined the European Community on January 1, 1995 but rejected Eurozone membership following a referendum.

Politics and government

Amalienborg, the residential complex for the Scandinavian monarch and the royal family.

Politics in Scandinavia operate under a framework laid out in the Constitution of Scandinavia that establishes a sovereign state in the form of a constitutional monarchy, with a representative parliamentary system. The monarchy is constitutional and as such, the role of the monarch is defined and limited by the constitution. The monarch officially retains executive power and presides over the Council of State (Statsrådet), the privy council of the realm. In practice, the duties of the monarch are strictly representative and ceremonial, such as the formal appointment and dismissal of the Prime Minister and other Government ministers.

All three supreme branches of government of Scandinavia (legislative, executive, and judiciary) are housed in the same location: Christiansborg Palace. The palace is located on the islet of Slotsholmen in central Copenhagen, Denmark. The name Christiansborg is thus also frequently used as a metonym for the Danish political system, and colloquially it is often referred to as Rigsborgen ('the castle of the realm') or simply Borgen ('the castle'). Also, several parts of the palace are used by the Scandinavian monarch, including the Royal Reception Rooms, the Palace Chapel and the Royal Stables.

Christiansborg Palace, the seat of the Scandinavian government.

Legislative power is vested in the bicameral Rigsdag (Rigsdagen) with 786 members, consisted of an upper house (Landsting) and a lower house (Folketing). It is responsible for passing acts, adopting the state's budgets, approving the state's accounts, appointing and exercising control of the Government, and taking part in international co-operation. Bills are submitted by the Government to the Folketing or by a member of the Folketing. Members of the Landsting are not permitted to propose legislation by themselves. If it is passed by the Folketing, the bill would be sent to the Landsting for review or revision. Most bills, however, are passed unamended by the Landsting and then sent directly to the Monarch for royal assent.

As the executive branch, the Government of Scandinavia (Regeringen) is responsible for proposing bills and a budget, executing the laws, and guiding the foreign and internal policies of Scandinavia. The Government operates as a collegial body with collective responsibility and consists of the Prime Minister (Statsminister) and other cabinet ministers. The Prime Minister presides over the Government and is formally appointed by the Monarch. In reality, the appointment of the Prime Minister is determined by their support in the parliament. The Monarch only conventionally select the Prime Minister after a leader has gathered support from a majority in the Folketing and an approval from the Landsting.

A courtroom inside the Supreme Court of Scandinavia at the Christiansborg Palace.

Scandinavia has a civil law system with some references to Germanic law. The judicial system of Scandinavia is divided between courts with regular civil and criminal jurisdiction and administrative courts with jurisdiction over litigation between individuals and the public administration. The kingdom does not have a single unified judicial system, with its constituent countries (Denmark, Sweden, and Norway) each have their own system. However, decisions by the highest courts in Greenland and the Faroe Islands may be appealed to the Danish High Courts. The Supreme Court of Scandinavia (Højesteret) is the highest civil and criminal court responsible for the administration of justice in the realm.

History

The Reformation (1523–37)

During the 14th to 16th centuries, Denmark, Sweden and Norway were united into a series of personal unions, called the Kalmar Union (Kalmarunionen), under a single monarch. The three countries were to be treated as equals in the union. Thus, much of the next 125 years of Scandinavian history revolves around this union, with Sweden breaking off and being re-conquered repeatedly until the Regent of Sweden, Gustav Vasa, conquered the city of Stockholm and elected king of Sweden by the Swedish nobility on June 17, 1523. After crowned the King of Sweden, Gustav embraced Lutheranism and slowly broke contacts with the Papacy. Gustav suppressed aristocratic opposition to his ecclesiastical policies and efforts at centralization.

Gustav's contemporary, Christian III of Denmark, also embraced Lutheranism, resulting to a civil war in Denmark until 1536. In 1536, Denmark became officially Lutheran and established the Danish National Church (Danish: Folkekirken) as the state church. Opposition against the Reformation also occurred in Norway as the local clergy fought back against Christian III. All church valuables, including the land owned by the church, were transferred to the respective monarchs of Sweden and Denmark. After the failed rebellion, Norway was demoted from an independent kingdom to a puppet state by Christian. Scandinavia soon became one of the heartlands of Lutheranism. Catholicism almost completely vanished in Scandinavia, except for a small population in Denmark.

Dano-Swedish rivalry (1537–1818)

On August 29, 1596, Prince Christian was crowned as King Christian IV of Denmark, eight years after the death of his father King Frederick II. During his early reign, Denmark–Norway had a reputation as a relatively powerful kingdom at this time. The kingdom grew wealthy because of the increased traffic through the Øresund. Under his long reign (1588–1648), Christian IV has become known as "the architect on the Danish throne" because of the large number of building projects he undertook. Many of the great buildings of Denmark date from his reign. During the early 17th century, Sweden gradually expanded at the eastern Baltic after the Polish–Swedish War (1600–1629) and the Ingrian War (1610–1617).

In 1611, Christian IV attacked Sweden for the supremacy of the Baltic Sea. Though Denmark soon gained the upper hand, it failed to accomplish his main objective of forcing Sweden to return to the union. The war led to no territorial changes, but Sweden was forced to pay a war indemnity of one million silver riksdaler to Denmark, an amount known as the Älvsborg ransom. In 1643, Sweden, under the command of Lennart Torstensson, suddenly invaded Denmark without declaring war. Denmark was defeated and ceded to Sweden the Norwegian provinces Jemtland, Herjedalen and Älvdalen and the Danish islands of Gotland and Øsel. Despite the defeat, the Danes remember Christian IV as one of the great kings for its wartime leadership.

Following the Torstensson War of 1643, Sweden emerged as a great power, while Denmark continued to experience defeats. Sweden was able to establish control of the Eastern bank of the Øresund, formalized in the Treaty of Roskilde (1658), and gain recognition of her southeastern dominions by the European great powers in the Treaty of Oliva (1660); but Sweden was barred from further expansion at the Southern coast of the Baltic. Sweden came out of the Scanian War with only minor losses largely due to France forcing Sweden's adversaries into the treaties of Fontainebleau (1679) (confirmed at Lund) and Saint-Germain (1679).

Napoleonic Era (1794–1815)

On June 6, 1809, King Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden was toppled by a coup led by Lieutenant-Colonel Georg Adlersparre. The new king Charles XIII accepted the new, liberal Constitution, which was ratified by the Riksdag of the Estates the same day. Charles was childless, so in order to secure the succession to the throne, someone had to be adopted as his heir. With Adlersparre's interference, Frederick VI of Denmark was elected the heir. When Charles XIII died in 1818, Frederick was elected by the Riksdag to the throne and became King Frederick II of Sweden. Under Frederick, Denmark and Sweden were brought again into a personal union.

Scandinavian Unification (1864–65)

The Scandinavian students celebrated the formal establishment of a united Scandinavia

After the Second War of Schleswig in 1864, Denmark was forced to cede Schleswig and Holstein to Prussia following the Peace of Prague. In 1865, Denmark, Sweden and Norway signed the Treaty of Stockholm that established a union called the United Kingdom of Scandinavia with Christian IX of Denmark was elected "King of Denmark, Sweden and Norway, the Wends and the Goths, Duke of Schleswig, Holstein, Stormarn, Dithmarschen, Lauenburg and Oldenburg" with regnal name Christian I.

Started from late decades of 18th century, simple men with little education replaced professors and professionals in positions of power in Scandinavia. The peasants, in coalition with liberal and radical elements from the cities, eventually won a majority of seats in the Folketing. In 1890, King Christian I asked Arvid Posse, a member of Landsting from Left Venstre Party, to form a government. This began a tradition of parliamentary government, and no government since 1890 has ruled against the majority in the Parliament.

World War I (1914–18)

Scandinavia mostly remained neutral at the start of World War I. However, the government of Enevold Sørensen finally declared war against Central Powers in 1917. After the defeat of Germany, Scandinavia retook the region of Northern Schleswig from Germany. The resulting 'reunion day' (Genforeningsdag) is celebrated every June 15 on Valdemarsdag. Scandinavia also participated in the Allied intervention in the Baltic countries against the Soviet Red Army during the Russian Civil War.

Interbellum era (1918–40)

Arvid Lindman (1862–1937)

In 1920, the Agrarians emerged as a main conservative force in Scandinavia, enabled them to form a majority government with Arvid Lindman as prime minister. Lindman's government attempted to recover and revitalize country's economy that hardly challenged by the economic crisis brought on by the war. With supports from the Social Democrats and the Radical Liberals, the universal suffrage was introduced in Scandinavia in 1921. Despite Lindman's successful social and economic reforms, the Social Democrats able to form a minority government in 1924 with the Radicals with Hjalmar Branting as the country's first Social Democratic prime minister.

After 1924 election, the Agrarians and the Social Democrats emerged as two main political forces in Scandinavia, while the Radicals usually acted as a third party, shifted themselves in coalition with both sides. Most of Scandinavian conservatives, mainly from the Højre and the Old Venstre, were rallied behind the Agrarians. On other side, the Social Democrats was able to transform itself from a class-based party into a popular party, despite an earlier split by the Scandinavian Communist Party.

Thorvald Stauning (1873–1942)

Following the wake of Great Depression in Scandinavia, the Social Democrats gloriously won the 1929 election and able to form the first Social Democrat majority government with Thorvald Stauning as its prime minister. Under Stauning, Scandinavia developed a social welfare state for the first time. Stauning also formed a major political compromise with the Agrarians and the Radicals, that would last until 1940 and brought political stability in Scandinavia at the wake of political radicalism in Europe.

Traumatized by the nightmare of World War I, Scandinavia proclaimed itself as a neutral country in 1934. Scandinavia recognized and established the commercial relations and economic cooperation with the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in 1936, as well as signed a 10-year non-aggression pact with Nazi Germany in 1939. However, despite declared neutral, Scandinavia formed a military alliance with Finland and Estonia known as "Northern Entente", in 1937.

World War II (1940–45)

Early war events (1940–41)

John Christmas Møller spoke on BBC Radio denouncing the occupation.

After Germany's invasion of Poland and Czechoslovakia in 1939, World War II broke out in Europe. Amid being neutral, Scandinavia faced a danger of invasion since it was wanted to be included into the Greater Germanic Reich by the Nazis. The Scandinavian government was pressured by the United Kingdom and France to re-arm and to impose the iron ore embargo against Germany. The embargo was issued in February 1940, resulted to the German invasion to Scandinavia in April 1940.

The Scandinavian government and military were not prepared for the German surprise attack. Greater Copenhagen was easily captured after six hours of fighting, although the military and naval resistance lasted for two months. The armed forces in the north launched offensive against the German forces in the Battles of Narvik, until they were forced to surrender on June 10 after losing British help diverted to France during the Germany's invasion of France. Elements of Scandinavian government led by John Christmas Møller fled to London, while King Christian II remained in Copenhagen throughout the occupation.

In exile, the Free Scandinavian forces were formed, consists of the soldiers and officers deployed outside Scandinavia or who had fled with Møller. Through the BBC Radio service, Møller regularly spoke out against the occupation and encouraged sabotage and other resistance activities. During the occupation, Scandinavian resistance movement fought the German occupation forces with both civil disobedience and armed resistance including the destruction of Norsk Hydro's heavy water plant and stockpile of heavy water at Vemork, which crippled the German nuclear program.

Further readings