Name: Kingdom of Sweden-Norway
Flag/Badge:
Head of State: King Oskar, First of His Name.
Head of Government: Absolute monarchy (King Oskar, N/A). However, by the Instrument of Government, a Riksdag of Estates shares authority over Sweden-Norway.
Ideology: Pan-Scandinavian (refused to aid Denmark, dealing a sharp blow to the cause), monarch, conservative, pacific, agricultural
Military
Army Numbers: 35,000 standing army, recruited and paid by a feudal system.
Navy Numbers: Two fleets, with 13 ships of the line and 6 frigates apiece.
Army Equipment: Napoleonic-era firearms and cannons.
Naval Ship Types: Ships-of-the-line and frigates, but courting the idea of building an ironclad or two.
History, Expansion, and Economics
History: The Kingdom of Sweden was heavily monarchist and rejected French revolutionary rhetoric during its time. However, officers in the military, sympathetic to the Napoleonic cause, forced one of Napoleon's marshals onto the throne, establishing the Bernadotte dynasty. Sweden hit a major economic crisis, and capitalist-liberal opposition grew handily until 1840, despite monarchist attempts to subvert the movement.
The Point of Divergence began in the year 1840. In real life, the capitalist-liberal opposition took a majority and began passing reforms. Proposed reforms such as departmental decentralization, compulsory school attendance, the abolition of guilds, free trade and enterprise, and women's rights pushed through in quick succession. In 1866, this would lead to a dismantlement of the Estates-based parliament towards a representative parliament.
In this RP, the capitalist-liberal opposition fails to gain enough political momentum and loses the election handily. They lose their grasp on Swedish politics and never regain their momentum. The monarchy continues to suppress calls for reform, but this time the populace is still on its side. Capitalist-liberal opposition, desperate for some victory, found a home in Norwegian separatism. As a result, the monarchy pushes for forced integration with Norway, leading to larger tensions and the potentiality of civil war. Guilds, the absolute power of the monarchy, and the Estates are still very much in full swing.
Sweden has a population of 3,500,000, and a nation that belongs in the Middle Ages. Whether they can manage to survive in this new age is yet to be seen.
Territory: All contiguous territory on the Eurasian continent west of Finland.
Economic Description: With a 90% rural population, Sweden now looks very much like a medieval society transported through the centuries. Sweden's exports are fish, iron, and similar raw, unprocessed goods. Industrialism is shot to all get out, predominantly because capitalist enterprises are all but abolished by the people. Guilds, the last of their kind across the world, run trade within cities like mob bosses. Cities otherwise have total economic autonomy within their walls. The crown dictates what enters and leaves the country with an iron fist, and reaps plenty of personal benefits as a result.
However, at least the economic crisis that befell Sweden in the early 19th century is over. Sweden enjoys relative prosperity, and the monarchy makes political hay from the relative boom.
Historical Claims: Sweden used to own Finland. While they ceded Finland for the option to acquire Norway, they still haven't quite gotten over the loss. Further, Pan-Scandinavian sentiment gives Sweden-Norway a claim to Denmark and its holdings worldwide.
