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The Story of Scandinavia

From the Vikings to Social Democracy
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Brief Description
In The Story of Scandinavia, political scholar Stein Ringen chronicles more than 1,200 years of drama, economic rise and fall, crises, kings and queens, war, peace, language, and culture. Scandinavian history has been one of dramatic discontinuities of collapse and restarts, from the Viking Age to... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
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An epic new history of Scandinavia, from the Viking Age to the present day

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

In The Story of Scandinavia, political scholar Stein Ringen chronicles more than 1,200 years of drama, economic rise and fall, crises, kings and queens, war, peace, language, and culture.

Scandinavian history has been one of dramatic discontinuities of collapse and restarts, from the Viking Age to the Age of Perpetual War to the modern age today. For a thousand years, the Scandinavian countries were kingdoms of repression where monarchs played at the game of being European powers, at the expense of their own populations.

The brand we now know as Scandinavia is a recent invention. During most of its history, Denmark and Sweden, and to some degree Norway, were bloody enemies. These sentiments of enmity have not been fully settled. Under the surface of collaboration remain undercurrents of hatred, envy, contempt, and pity.

What does it mean today to be Scandinavian? For the author, whose identity is Scandinavian but his life European, this masterly history is a personal exploration as well as a narrative of compelling scope.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781474625210

Publisher: Orion Publishing Co

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 05 September 2024

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Weidenfeld & Nicolson

Illustration: At least one line-drawn map

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 34.0mm

Width: 128.0mm

Height: 196.0mm

Weight: 360g

Pages: 496

About the Author

Stein Ringen is an international scholar of Norwegian origins. Since 1990, his base has been at the University of Oxford, where he is Emeritus Professor of Sociology and Social Policy. He is currently a Visiting Professor of Political Economy at King's College, London, where he now lives.

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