What was life like in Sweden before? How did Sweden rise?

Speaking of Swedes, people always give the impression that they are introverted, gentle and hardworking, and at the same time they have the stigma of indifference, depression and Stockholm syndrome. However, something happened recently, which made many people in China realize the powerful side of Swedes. In fact, more than 0/000 years ago, the Swedes were already very powerful. China and Sweden are far apart and have no contact since ancient times. Therefore, China people's impression of Sweden has not been formed for a long time. It can be said that blind people touch the elephant, and it is inevitable that one does not know the other.

Pirate corps

Swedes first stepped onto the historical stage, not in Sweden, but in Western Europe.

On June 8, 793, equivalent to the ninth year of Zhenyuan in Tang Dezong, China, the Lindisfarn Monastery on an island off the British coast was suddenly attacked by a group of barbarians. They boarded the grotesque boat, then rushed into the monastery with knives, cut everyone they saw, grabbed gold when they saw it, and turned God's secluded home into a raging fire. From then on, Europeans called these people "vikings", which means "pirates" in old English.

Later, these barbarians attacked many monasteries and towns in Britain, France, Germany and Italy. They not only invaded the coast, but also entered the inland along the river and once besieged Paris for many years. They killed and set fires along the way, robbed wealth and had no scruples. They came and went by clipper without a trace, and the king of Europe could do nothing about them.

Gradually, the vikings were no longer satisfied with the lifestyle of grabbing and leaving, and began to emigrate from the north to western Europe, establishing several overseas Viking countries. Vikings gradually accepted the gospel of God, became Catholics, and even took part in the Crusades, which not only seized territory, but also washed away their history of aggression. As a result, the cruelty of Viking pirates was gradually forgotten and joined the mainstream society in Europe.

In eastern Europe, the vikings came to Russia. In 862, Ryurik, the leader of the Viking Guard, captured Novgorod City, established the Ryurik Dynasty, and began to rule Russia. The vikings in eastern Europe, like the vikings in western Europe, gradually gave up looting and settled down, converted to the Orthodox Church, and merged with the Eastern Slavs.

The rise of the country

Vikings are the common ancestors of modern Scandinavian nations, and they are gradually divided into Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Iceland and other countries. An overview of the formation of the Swedish nation is as follows:

The first is the living area. There are many tribes in eastern Scandinavia. From 970 to 995, Eric, the Swedish tribal leader "the victor" in Stockholm, launched a war of conquest, defeated the army of Uppsala regime in the north and incorporated Uppsala into Sweden. His son orlov (995- about 1020) conquered the Godland region in southwest Sweden. At this point, the main living areas in Sweden have been formed.

The second is religious belief. Nordic people originally believed in polytheism and regarded Odin as the main god. Today, Hollywood often talks about Norse immortals such as Odin's sons Thor and Loki, and makes superhero movies to deconstruct and reinterpret Norse myths. However, influenced by German missionaries, orlov converted to Catholicism. He and his successors may force the Nordic people to be baptized and convert to Christ by force.

The third is the political system. Nordic tribes are fighting endlessly, and the Swedish regime is also very unstable. Sweden has merged with Denmark, Norway and other Nordic countries. /kloc-At the end of 0/4, Queen Margaret I of Denmark unified Northern Europe and established the Kalmar Union including Denmark, Norway and Sweden. The Kalmar Union is very similar to the Polish-Lithuanian Federation mentioned above. The nobles of all countries elect a king to rule each country at the same time, but the internal affairs of each country are still fragmented. 1523, Sweden rebelled and broke away from the Kalmar Union, and the predecessor of modern Sweden was finally formed.

Northern empire

1523, Gustav Vasa led the Swedish nobles to rise up against the Kalmar Union and win, thus establishing the Vasa dynasty. Since then, Sweden has become independent.

The early monarchs of Vassar dynasty did a lot. During the reign of Gustav Vasa (1523- 1560), the religious reform in Europe was in the ascendant. 15 19, German Martin Luther published "95 theses", openly criticizing the Vatican and establishing Protestant Lutheranism. Gustav Vasa categorically accepted Protestantism, making Sweden the first country to convert. He used Protestantism to attack Catholicism, nationalized a large number of real estate, established a hereditary monarchy, established a bureaucratic system, and formed a huge standing army.

After Gustav Vasa's death, there was a struggle for the throne. Finally, Prince John (1568- 1592) won the throne. John's ruling style is conservative. He tried to restore Catholicism, but failed. John's son sigismund (1592- 1604) took an active part in the Polish-Lithuanian presidential election and became the king of Poland. However, living in Poland for a long time and leaning towards Catholicism led to changes in China, and Charles IX (1604-1611) came to power.

Gustav Adolphus (1611-kloc-0/632), son of Charles IX, is an outstanding expert in synthetic operations of various services and arms. He pioneered the coordinated tactics of artillery, riding and stepping, and brought out the strongest army in Europe. With the help of elite soldiers, Sweden conquered Estonia, defeated Poland, which wanted to restore the Swedish throne, and seized the Russian seaport. Sweden was also involved in the Thirty Years' War in Europe. As a result, the great king was killed in the battle of Luzon.

Gustav Adolphus's daughter Christina succeeded to the throne (1632- 1654). Although she ended the Thirty Years' War (1648) and won Pomerania and Bremen, a free city on the south bank of the Baltic Sea, she was more concerned about knowledge and religion. 1654, Christina converted to Catholicism, gave up the throne and moved to Rome until 1689. However, the Pope was very rude to the convert, calling her "a queen without a kingdom, a Christian without faith, and a woman without shame".

Unlike his cousin, Charles X (1654- 1660) was a war maniac. During his tenure, Sweden once again defeated the joint forces of Poland and Denmark and marched into Warsaw. One day, Charles X caught a cold and insisted on reviewing the troops in the ice and snow. As a result, the cold worsened. After improper treatment, it developed into pneumonia and sepsis, and eventually died.

Charles Xi (1660-1697), the son of Charles X, created the most glorious years in Swedish history. 1678, Sweden ended its war against Holland and Denmark, which was dragged by France, and began to enjoy peace. 1693, the Swedish parliament officially declared that the kingship was not restricted by the parliament, and Charlie Xi realized absolute autocratic rule. Using unlimited power, he established a centralized and powerful government.

Return to its original shape

Karl xii (1697- 17 18), the son of Charles Xi, inherited his father's great talent and great ambition, but his ambition collided with another famous monarch, Peter I of Russia. 1700, Russia joined forces with Denmark, Norway, Poland and Saxony to challenge Sweden and launched the Great Northern War, which was defeated by karl xii one by one. But when Peter I asked Sweden for peace, he refused arrogantly and was determined to wipe out the Russian army in one fell swoop. However, contrary to expectations, the Russian army defeated karl xii in the Battle of poltava in 1709. The latter went to Turkey alone for help and provoked the Russian-Turkish war with his impeccable tongue. However, Russian troops besieged Sweden from Finland and Poland, and karl xii was besieged. He was killed at 17 18 by a shell that came from nowhere. 172 1 year, Russia and Switzerland stopped fighting, and Russia seized St. Petersburg and its surrounding areas.

After karl xii's death, the Swedish Parliament seized power again, ending absolute autocracy. At the same time, some Swedish nobles and officers, ashamed of being defeated by Russia, formed a "military hat party" leading parliament, urging them to take back their homes. 174 1, 1756, Sweden went to war with Russia twice, but both ended in failure. Not only did he not return to his native land, but he also lost Finland and the southern bank of the Baltic Sea. 200 years of awesome empire has come to an end.

Enlightened civilization

After the collapse of the Swedish Empire, Swedes had to concentrate on their internal affairs. Gustav III (177 1- 1792) overthrew the aristocratic parliament and rebuilt the absolute monarchy. Autocracy not only did not hinder Sweden's progress, but it was more conducive to political democratization by suppressing aristocratic privileges and opening government positions to civilians. Since then, Sweden has entered the era of "enlightened autocracy". If Poland had learned from Sweden earlier, it would not have died. )

During the period of "enlightened autocracy", although Sweden did not carry out military expansion, it continued to participate in European wars, including obstructing the French Revolution, confronting Napoleon, and even going to the United States to support American independence. Internally, the economy has developed rapidly by establishing an academy of sciences, promoting education and promoting free trade.

The sustainability of Swedish autocracy is deeply influenced by the king's personal ability. 1809, Gustav iv (1792- 1809) was forced to abdicate, and the Swedish parliament returned to power, forcing the new king Charles XIII (1809-18). Charles XIII originally intended to restore the royal power, but due to poor health, it could not be implemented, so he managed to maintain the constitutional monarchy in Sweden.

18 14 years, due to personal relations, Charles XIII succeeded to the throne of Norway and became the charles ii of Norway. Sweden and Norway merged. The merged new country has once again become a big European country. However, Norway finally broke up with Sweden peacefully in 1905, and the territory of Sweden was restored again.

Charles XIII had no children, and his family was facing disaster. Therefore, Charles XIII was forced to choose to adopt a son as his heir. This candidate was somewhat unexpected-he chose Bernadotte, the French Imperial Marshal who was related to the Swedish royal family. He succeeded to the throne as King Carl XIV of Sweden in 18 18. Because of the change of language, "Charlie" has gradually become "Carl" in Swedish. Although his surname is Bernadotte, in order to appease the Swedes, he adopted the title of "Vassar Dynasty". Karl XIV studied the ruling style of his former master Napoleon and pursued a conservative and autocratic policy, which met with many objections. During Carl's regency, he won the status of a permanent neutral country for Sweden in 18 14. 1844, Karl XIV died.

Social pioneer

The social traditions in northern Europe are different from those in continental Europe. In ancient times, there were many famous lady sovereign in Northern Europe. A large number of women participated in pirate looting, so that female pirates became the unique imprint of Nordic culture. After accepting Catholicism, Swedish society was in line with Europe and learned that men are superior to women. Men are the masters outside and women are the masters inside.

However, excellent traditions will not be easily erased. During the reign of Oscar I of Sweden in Sweden (1844- 1859), Sweden took the lead in introducing the equal inheritance system between men and women in Europe. During the Karl Xv period (1859- 1872), Sweden was the first to declare that adult women were independent individuals and were not dominated by their husbands or other men. In this way, women can engage in various social occupations and live independently in society. During the reign of Gustaf V (1907- 1950), Sweden finally passed the law of equal universal suffrage for men and women in 19 19, thus becoming one of the first countries in Europe to grant women universal suffrage. (The other is Russia 19 17)

Nowadays, there are almost as many men (so-called housewives) who don't work in Sweden, which is one of the few countries in the world with the same participation rate of men and women. Swedish women are very eye-catching in all walks of life.

Sweden has also implemented a unique socio-economic model. This model not only has the shadow of ancient pirates helping each other, but also has the dual influence of liberalism and socialism. This model is characterized by private ownership, free investment and trade, high taxes and welfare, protection of trade unions and collective bargaining. The Swedish model ensured the high growth of Swedish economy in the decades after the war, and maintained a high living standard and a low gap between the rich and the poor.

But Sweden's economic system is not perfect. The Swedish model has been successfully implemented in a highly integrated small country, and it is difficult to replicate in other countries. In today's increasingly turbulent economic situation, the Swedish model cannot remain unchanged. In the early 1990s, there was a real estate bubble in Sweden, the real estate price evaporated by two thirds, and the financial system was in chaos. Nowadays, due to the impact of the crisis and the rigidity of the economic system, there are signs of economic recession, rising unemployment rate and widening gap between the rich and the poor in Sweden. To make matters worse, the disorderly influx of a large number of immigrants has worsened social security in Sweden and disrupted the job market. In recent years, some Swedish politicians began to reform the economy, reduce labor protection and further open the market in an effort to restore the competitiveness of the Swedish economy.

Discourse hegemony

Although Sweden is rich, it is only a small economy in scale. After all, it has a population of only10 million, and its nominal GDP ranks 23rd in the world. But Sweden's position in the international discourse power is much higher than this.

Nothing can better reflect Sweden's right to speak internationally than the Nobel Prize. The Nobel Prize was established by Swedish scientist Nobel in 1900 with his own legacy. He is the inventor of modern explosives, and has increased the power of gunpowder by dozens of times, so that it can be used for mining, road construction and, of course, war. It is said that Nobel regretted the large amount of explosives used in the war in his later years, so in addition to science and technology awards such as physics, chemistry and biology, the Nobel Peace Prize was specially set up to reward those who made contributions to world peace. Everyone has to admit that the Nobel Prize is the most influential evaluation benchmark in the world, at least in the field of science and technology.

However, we should also see that Sweden, as a country with developed high-tech industries, is also a major arms exporter in the world. Fighters, ships, missiles, chariots, etc. Produced in Sweden, it has a small and exquisite design and occupies a place in the world weapons market. Some weapons accidentally or intentionally fall into the hands of dictators, terrorists or other militants, adding a touch of "peaceful countries" to the world war.

Perhaps it is a regret for the life of a pirate, or perhaps it is a pain in the long night. Today, Sweden has become the base camp of the "white left". Animal protection has become an absolute political correctness, and the refugee crisis has been rendered as a gospel here. Swedes' meticulous care for refugees in the Middle East has reached an unreasonable level: refugee cases are rarely reported and refugees are not handled; When refugees commit crimes, the victims accuse themselves of crimes committed by their own people. After being exposed by the police, they cried and cried, which aggravated racial discrimination ... it is said that they are all to prevent "racial discrimination." No wonder Stockholm syndrome is called this name.

Such a "generous" Swede is a little petty in some ways. If the China tourist incident in early September is not completely wrong for the Swedes, at best, it is the improper law enforcement method, and China tourists themselves are also responsible; Then, a few days later, Swedish TV broadcast a news film insulting China, which was entirely based on a narrow revenge mentality.

In fact, it is not difficult to explain this behavior that is completely incompatible with the "white left" thinking at first glance. The object of "white left" and "care" is always the weak; In the relationship between "Bai Zuo" and his caring objects, "Bai Zuo" is always a strong person who stands on the commanding heights and gives alms to the beneficiaries. China is a big country in the East, and China tourists are not "refugees" or "weak people", so the veil of "White Left" peace and friendship was immediately lifted and replaced by crazy abuse and insult. This is also a psychological imbalance in the process of western decline.