Heritage and History of Sweden

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Introduction
The official name of Sweden is the Kingdom of Sweden. (Country.eiu.com) Sweden is located in the Northern portion of Europe and is a Scandinavian country. It borders the countries of Norway and Finland. Denmark is also nearby. Sweden is also the third largest country, in terms of physical size, in the European Union. The capital and largest city is Stockholm. Sweden has been a constitutional monarchy since 1809 and this continues to be the current government today. In 1921, universal suffrage was granted to all people of at least 18 years of age in Sweden. It sustains “one of the world’s most advanced social-welfare systems,” mostly due to the type of legislation that came about in the “post-war period.” (Country.eiu.com) This paper will focus on the type of government that Sweden practices and the country functions today.
Historical and cultural background
Sweden’s first inhabitants came sometime after the Ice Age. Around 8,000 BC, colder weather caused people to move out and leave the area. Then, thousands of years later, people returned back to the land. The extreme changes in the weather are an important part of the culture of Sweden. A lot of Sweden’s history also comes from the Vikings, which played an important role in types of trade and trade paths. During the Thirty Years’ War, Sweden’s government bureaucracy and financial system was developed. Gustav Vasa was an important Swedish monarch who helped establish “the foundations of the Swedish nation state in the early sixteenth century.” (Geographia.com) Gustavus Adolphus was another important figure that helped Sweden reach “a great power status” and gain many possessions. “One result of that experience has been a deep commitment to neutrali...

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...Press, 2004. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
“Sweden.” LonelyPlanet.com. Web. 27 November 2013.
“Sweden.” Wikipedia.org. Web. 27 November. 2013. < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweden>
“The Swedish Banking Market.” SwedishBankers.se. Web. 27 November 2013.
“The Swedish System of Government.” 27 November 2013. Sweden.se. Web. 27 November 2013.
“The World Factbook.” 6 November 2013. Cia.gov. Web. 27 November 2013.
World Nuclear News. “Swedish Resources World’s Second Largest.” 23 August 2012. World-nuclear-news.org. Web. 27 November 2013.

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