Scandinavia (Cherry, Plum, and Chrysanthemum)

The United Kingdom of Scandinavia (Danish: Forenede Kongerige Skandinavien; Swedish: Förenade konungariket Skandinavien; Norwegian: Forente kongeriket Skandinavia), usually referred to as the Scandinavian Union (Danish: Skandinavisk Unionen), or simply just as Scandinavia (Danish: Skandinavien), is a sovereign state including the Jutland Peninsula, the Danish Archipelago and the Scandinavian Peninsula. It is located in Northern Europe and also has the island of Greenland in Northern America under its administration.

Scandinavia is a parliamentary constitutional monarchy that consists of three constituent polities: Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Scandinavia is an unitary state, with powers to manage internal affairs being devolved from the central government to its constituent polities.

The Kingdom of Denmark borders West Germany to the south while the Kingdom of Sweden borders the Soviet Union to the northeast and Finland to the east. The island of Greenland in the Arctic Archipelago which is geographically a part of the North American continent, is has a maritime borders with Canada, making Scandinavia one of largest transcontinental countries in the world.

History
In 1397, Denmark entered into a personal union with Norway and Sweden, united under Queen Margaret I. The three countries were to be treated as equals in the union. Thus, much of the next 125 years of Scandinavian history revolves around this union, with Sweden breaking off and being re-conquered repeatedly until the Swedish King, Gustav Vasa, conquered the city of Stockholm on 17 June 1523.

The Protestant Reformation came to Scandinavia in the 1530s, and following the Count's Feud civil war, Denmark converted to Lutheranism in 1536. Later that year, Denmark entered into a union with Norway.

After Sweden permanently broke away from the Kalmar Union in 1523, Denmark tried on two occasions to reassert control over Sweden. The first was in the Northern Seven Years War which lasted from 1563 until 1570. The second occasion was the Kalmar War when King Christian IV attacked Sweden in 1611 but failed to accomplish his main objective of forcing Sweden to return to the union with Denmark. The war led to no territorial changes, but Sweden was forced to pay a war indemnity of 1 million silver riksdaler to Denmark, an amount known as the Älvsborg ransom.

Frederick IV became King of Denmark-Norway in 1808 and King of Sweden in 1809 that brought three countries again into a personal union. Following the Danish-British Gunboat War, Denmark-Norway went bankrupt and the Danish-Norwegian union was dissolved by the Treaty of Kiel in 1814. Norway gained its independence and the heir presumptive of the kingdoms of Denmark and Norway, Christian Frederick, elected as the King of Norway.

Christian Frederick assumed the Danish throne in 1839 and become Christian VIII. Denmark, Norway and Sweden once again been put into a personal union under the Danish throne. After the Schleswig War in 1851, Denmark was failed to gain control over Schleswig and Holstein which came under the influences of Prussia. The Danish defeat strengthened the tendency toward united Scandinavia. In 1852, Denmark, Sweden and Norway signed a treaty that a real union called the United Kingdom of Scandinavia with Frederick VII of Denmark was crowned as the King of the Scandinavians.

Started from late decades of 18th century, simple men with little education replaced professors and professionals in positions of power in Scandinavia. The peasants, in coalition with liberal and radical elements from the cities, eventually won a majority of seats in the Folketing. Even though constitutional changes had taken place to boost the power of the Landsting, the Left Venstre Party demanded to form the government, but the king, still the head of the executive branch, refused. However in 1901, King Christian IX gave in and asked Johan Henrik Deuntzer, a member of Venstre, to form a government. This began a tradition of parliamentary government, and no government since 1901 has ruled against a parliamentary majority in the Folketing.

Scandinavia mostly remained neutral at the start of World War I. However, the government of Vilhelm Herman Oluf Madsen finally declared war against Central Powers in 1916. After the defeat of Germany, Scandinavia took over the region of Schleswig-Holstein from Germany. The reunion day (Genforeningsdag) is celebrated every June 15 on Valdemarsdag. Scandinavia also participated in the Allied intervention in the Baltic countries against the Soviet Red Army following the request from Estonian independence leaders between 1918-1919.

In 1920, a new coalition government of Agrarians and Social Democrats was formed with Arvid Lindman as new Prime Minister of Scandinavia. Lindman's government tried to recover and revitalize country's economy that hardly challenged by the economic crisis brought on by World War I. Despite Lindman's successful economic reforms, the Agrarian Party performed poorly on poll in 1924 election where the Social Democrats won five seats more than the Agrarians and resulted to a Social Democrat minority government under Thorvald Stauning.

After 1924 election, the Agrarians and the Social Democrats emerged as two main political forces in Scandinavia. Most of Scandinavian right-wing politicians, regardless Conservatives or Liberals, rallied behind the Agrarians. On other side, the Social Democrats was able to transform itself from a class-based party into a popular party, despite an earlier split by the Scandinavian Communist Party.

Lindman briefly returned as Prime Minister from 1926 until 1929. Following the wake of Great Depression in Scandinavia, the Social Democrats won the 1929 election and able to form the first Social Democrat majority government, again under Stauning. Under Stauning, Scandinavia developed a social welfare state for the first time. Stauning also formed a a major political compromise with the Agrarians and its leader, Arvid Lindman, that would retain until 1940 and brought political stability in Scandinavia during interbellum years at the wake of political radicalism in Europe.

Traumatized by the nightmare of World War I, Scandinavia proclaimed itself as a neutral country in 1934. Scandinavia recognized and established the commercial relations and economic cooperation with the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in 1936, as well as signed a 10-year non-aggression pact with the Third Reich in 1939. However, despite declared neutral, Scandinavia formed a military alliance with Finland, Estonia, and Latvia, known as the "Northern Entente", in 1937.

Scandinavia was unprepared for the German surprise attack. Copenhagen was easily captured after a few hours and the royal family was evacuated to Bergen. The military and naval resistance lasted for two months. The armed forces in the north launched an offensive against the German forces in the Battles of Narvik, until they were forced to surrender on June 10 after losing British help diverted to France during the Germany's invasion of France. Several elements of Scandinavian government led by John Christmas Møller was fled to London, while King Christian X remained in Copenhagen throughout the occupation.

In exile, the Free Scandinavian forces was formed from the soldiers and officers deployed outside Scandinavia or who had fled with Møller. Through BBC Radio service, Møller regularly spoke out against the occupation and encouraged sabotage and other resistance activities. During the five years of occupation, Scandinavian resistance movement fought the German occupation forces with both civil disobedience and armed resistance including the destruction of Norsk Hydro's heavy water plant and stockpile of heavy water at Vemork, which crippled the German nuclear programme.