History has it that Sweden and Norway had previously been united under the same crown on two occasions, from 1319 to 1343, and briefly from 1449 to 1450 in opposition to Christian of Oldenburg who was elected king of the Kalmar Union by the Danes.
The Act of Union, which was given royal assent on 6 August, 1815, was implemented differently in the two countries. In Norway it was a part of constitutional law known as Rigsakten, and in Sweden it was a set of provisions under regular law and was known as Riksakten.
Norwegian history and culture were glorified in the literature of the period. Norwegian farm culture served as a symbol and focus of nationalistic resistance to the forced union with Sweden. A growing sense of nationalism also influenced political affairs.
(Derry, T.K. (1973), A History of Modern Norway 1814-1972. Clarendon Press, Oxford).
Following growing dissatisfaction with the union in Norway, the parliament unanimously declared its dissolution on June 7, 1905.
This unilateral action met with Swedish threats of war. A plebiscite on August 13 confirmed the parliamentary decision by a majority of 368,208 to 184.
Negotiations in Karlstad led to agreement with Sweden in September 23 and mutual demobilization. Both parliaments revoked the Act of Union October 16, and King Oscar 11 of Sweden renounced his claim to the Norwegian throne and recognized Norway as an independent kingdom on October 26.
The Norwegian parliament offered the vacant throne to Prince Carl of Denmark, who accepted after another plebiscite, had confirmed the monarchy. He arrived in Norway on November 25, 1905 taking the name Haakon VII.In an interview, Michael Klingberg, Programme Manager of the Voksenaasen, described the historical relationship between Sweden and Norway as a longstanding one dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries.
He said that Sweden and Norway governments were under the same king because there was no parliament at that time.
He recalled that the two countries separated in 1905 and that Norway celebrated its 100th birthday in 2005 but Sweden chose to mark it.
He said during the separation, there was a tensed situation but not armed struggle though there was military buildup from both sides but then everything was smooth.
According to him, relations between the two Scandinavian nations have been more intense than before since 1905.
However, in terms of development, he observed that Norway was quite richer in the 1920s trading in forestry and other similar products but Sweden developed industrially. He said although by the Second World War both countries were developed they were not very rich.
"Norway took off in the early 1970s because of the oil as the richest even in the world. Sweden doesn't seem to have that industrial advantage anymore due to world decline generally."
He noted there are more commonalities but also there exist some differences between the citizens of the two. For instance people in cities from both countries may be the same but people in rural towns in both countries may differ.
He recalled that traditions of industrialization in Sweden differ from that of Norway because the latter had only three classes and not nobility."Sweden in 18th and 19th century had a class of nobility that even spoke French so it was more culturally-oriented than Norway. Consequently, Sweden had lots of inspired writers, musicians, painters, etc but it had its the bad side, they exploited the rural folks."
He said Norway has only one castle but Sweden has several remaining of the nobility. However, he said in the last century traditions have merged and Norway has come to grips with culture.
Mr. Klinberg emphasized the countries were converging and that there were more commonalities that differences. He said there are more big companies / brand names in Sweden than Norway such as Volvo.
Swedes are said not to be bureaucratic in decision-making, they make room for consensus building; Norway on the other hand the top guided approach is the other of the day and can easily be opposed by those affected.
He said while Norway is not part of European Union but Sweden.
On the other hand Sweden is not part of NATO but Norway is, indicating some of the political differences between the two.
Karl Einar Ellingsen, General Manager of Voksenaasen, said among the Nordic countries Sweden is the main land since it has a population of about nine million whereas Norway, Denmark and Finland has about half each.
He said Sweden produces a lot except oil and fish, commodities in which Norway dominates. However, unemployment rate in Sweden is higher than in Norway and that financially, the latter is in good standing than the former.
On Swedish-Norwegian Co-operation (SNC), Karl Einar described it as complementary and not that of a competition.
"The cooperation between the two countries is good and because we have different kinds of industry financing situation is different."
He added, "I wish we could be one country because we are so alike, though I don't know how that could happen."He emphasized that the two countries need to co-operate more at the international level, particularly on Africa.
Michael Klingberg also said SNC is very strong pervading all sectors.
"We are each other's biggest trading partner. Of course we are two separate countries with different laws so in some circumstances it makes difficult to take decisions. We are only limited by laws and different finance systems."
In his opinion, there are always sectors where co-operation could be enhanced; examples are research and development in academia where investment could be increased.
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