Geographically and environmentally, most Nordic countries are located near the Arctic Circle, and their natural conditions are relatively harsh. Sweden is the Nordic country with the largest land area in China, with a population of 9.02 million and an area of 449,000 square kilometers. Finland has a land area of nearly 340,000 square kilometers and a population of only 5.3 million. Nearly a quarter of the land area is located in the Arctic Circle, and two thirds of the land is covered by forests. Other countries, such as Norway and Denmark, have a population of only a few million, while Iceland has a population of just over 300,000. Therefore, the Nordic countries can be regarded as real "small countries and few people". Geographically, the Nordic countries are Russia on one side and continental Europe on the other. If a country wants to survive and develop, it must exert its political wisdom and creativity. "Since we are put in the gap between East and West by God, we must learn the art of living in the gap." That's what the Nordic countries say and do. The special geographical location and environment make the Nordic people form a national character and culture with Nordic characteristics. This is particularly evident in Finns: introverted, self-disciplined, low-key, full of political wisdom, full of national pride and self-esteem.
Historically, Nordic countries do not have as long a history as western and eastern European countries, nor do they have as splendid ancient civilizations as some southern European countries. Finland is still in the primitive commune stage in the 12 century, and has not yet formed a national form. /kloc-was ruled by foreign countries from the second half of the 0/2nd century to the beginning of the 20th century. It was first ruled by Sweden, and then occupied by Russia in 1808. 19 17 became an independent country after the October Revolution. After Finland's independence, in order to safeguard its national independence, the "Soviet-Finnish War" broke out with the former Soviet Union in 1939, and it started again in 194 1 year. Finland suffered heavy losses in World War II, with a population of less than 4 million. After the war, the Finnish people bore the burden of healing the wounds of war, carrying out economic construction and paying huge reparations. In the gap between the East and the West, they carefully handle their relations with big countries. The long history of alien rule has made Finland's independent thought deeply rooted in people's hearts, and self-reliance and self-improvement are of extraordinary significance to this country.
The earliest written record preserved in Sweden was in the late Middle Ages. In the ninth century, Sweden entered the Viking period, mainly engaged in maritime trade and plunder. In 1930s, Swedish industry began to develop and became a supplier of iron ore and timber to some countries in Western Europe. It declared neutrality during World War I, but the British economic blockade caused food shortage and domestic turmoil, so domestic disputes continued. The world economic crisis in 1930s dealt a heavy blow to Sweden, with the unemployment rate soaring and the gap between the rich and the poor widening. After World War II, the Swedish government adopted an economic intervention policy, gradually established a social welfare system, and gradually implemented universal employment, universal pension, universal medical insurance and universal free education, becoming a typical high welfare country.
Culturally, an important feature of Nordic countries is the relative dilution of religious consciousness. Nordic countries have basically not gone through the historical period of the integration of politics and religion. Compared with continental Europe, Catholicism has almost no trace in northern Europe. The sects that influenced Northern Europe were mainly Christian Lutheranism after the Reformation in Europe, and the privileged thoughts and hierarchical concepts of the old religion had relatively little influence on the Nordic countries. There is no tradition of the integration of politics and religion, nor has it been baptized by the Renaissance. This cultural atmosphere makes the Nordic countries have a weak sense of hierarchy, but a strong sense of equality and social commoners. Although there are Orthodox and Lutheran churches in Finland, a survey shows that the proportion of Finns participating in church activities is the lowest in Europe, less than 4%. The same is true of Sweden. Although most people believe in Christian Lutheranism, only about 65,438+00% people often participate in church worship activities, and even fewer people participate in church worship ceremonies and actively participate in church affairs.
As we know, the early development of European capitalist countries mostly depended on plunder and colonization, starting from primitive accumulation of capital, where blood and tears were shed, while Northern Europe did not experience bloody primitive accumulation of capital on a large scale like some countries in Western and Southern Europe. In the early days of capitalist development, they were actually marginalized, mainly through maritime trade and even pirates. After the two world wars broke out in Europe, the Nordic countries gradually realized the contradictions and disadvantages of capitalism. From the Second World War to the Cold War between the two camps, Nordic countries began to explore new paths in order to achieve economic development and social justice at the same time and avoid the defects of capitalism. In this way, under the influence of the eastern and western systems, they gradually formed their own unique development path through exploration according to their own characteristics. Therefore, on the whole, the institutional characteristics of northern Europe are inseparable from the specific national conditions of the Nordic countries, such as being less damaged by war in history, being located on the edge of Europe, having a small population, being relatively rich in resources, and spreading ideas more widely in civilian society, and so on. The special climate, geographical location and other natural conditions, as well as specific social, historical and cultural traditions, have made the Nordic countries embark on a development path different from other European countries such as Western Europe, Southern Europe and even Eastern Europe.