Manchester University Press
1 The eight quills of the swan
Abstract
This chapter focuses on the eight-quilled swan of Nordic co-operation depicted in the logo of the Nordic Council, representing the five nation states of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, and the three Home Rule territories of the Faeroes, Greenland and Åland. It offers a broad introduction to the changing geo-politics of the Nordic region and views co-operation and, more frequently in an historical light, conflict between the member states in a longitudinal perspective. Iceland is the only Nordic state never to have applied for membership of the European Community (EC)/European Union (EU) and, distinctively in the region, has a special relationship with the United States through its 1951 Defence Agreement. Of the three languages in the Nordic region that are not Indo-European, Finnish and Sámi belong to the same language family. The Scandinavian languages are most clearly related to the other Germanic languages, including English, German, Dutch and Frisian.
Abstract
This chapter focuses on the eight-quilled swan of Nordic co-operation depicted in the logo of the Nordic Council, representing the five nation states of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, and the three Home Rule territories of the Faeroes, Greenland and Åland. It offers a broad introduction to the changing geo-politics of the Nordic region and views co-operation and, more frequently in an historical light, conflict between the member states in a longitudinal perspective. Iceland is the only Nordic state never to have applied for membership of the European Community (EC)/European Union (EU) and, distinctively in the region, has a special relationship with the United States through its 1951 Defence Agreement. Of the three languages in the Nordic region that are not Indo-European, Finnish and Sámi belong to the same language family. The Scandinavian languages are most clearly related to the other Germanic languages, including English, German, Dutch and Frisian.
Chapters in this book
- Front matter i
- Contents v
- List of tables vii
- Preface ix
- List of abbreviations xi
-
Part I Scandinavia past and present
- 1 The eight quills of the swan 3
- 2 Nation-building and state-building, 1809–1944 25
-
Part II Parties in developmental perspective
- 3 The emergence of the Scandinavian party system(s) 51
- 4 The historic strengths of the five main types of party 72
-
Part III Parties, voters and social change: w(h)ither the Scandinavian party system model?
- 5 The ‘earthquake elections’ of 1970–73 and the emergence of new party types 101
- 6 Party system change since 1970 133
-
Part IV The Nordic model
- 7 A Nordic model of government? 151
- 8 The Nordic welfare model 170
-
Part V Legislative–executive relations in the Nordic region
- 9 The Nordic parliaments 193
- 10 ‘Fairly strong standing committees’ and ‘influential party groups’ – a distinctively Nordic mix? 209
- 11 Nordic government(s) 229
-
Part VI The strategic security environment
- 12 The changing security environment of the Nordic region 259
- 13 ‘Reluctant Nordics’, ‘reluctant Europeans’, but ‘moral superpowers’? 297
- Epilogue 340
- Index 344
Chapters in this book
- Front matter i
- Contents v
- List of tables vii
- Preface ix
- List of abbreviations xi
-
Part I Scandinavia past and present
- 1 The eight quills of the swan 3
- 2 Nation-building and state-building, 1809–1944 25
-
Part II Parties in developmental perspective
- 3 The emergence of the Scandinavian party system(s) 51
- 4 The historic strengths of the five main types of party 72
-
Part III Parties, voters and social change: w(h)ither the Scandinavian party system model?
- 5 The ‘earthquake elections’ of 1970–73 and the emergence of new party types 101
- 6 Party system change since 1970 133
-
Part IV The Nordic model
- 7 A Nordic model of government? 151
- 8 The Nordic welfare model 170
-
Part V Legislative–executive relations in the Nordic region
- 9 The Nordic parliaments 193
- 10 ‘Fairly strong standing committees’ and ‘influential party groups’ – a distinctively Nordic mix? 209
- 11 Nordic government(s) 229
-
Part VI The strategic security environment
- 12 The changing security environment of the Nordic region 259
- 13 ‘Reluctant Nordics’, ‘reluctant Europeans’, but ‘moral superpowers’? 297
- Epilogue 340
- Index 344
