Why Are The Nordics So Rich?

[@Ellipsis115]

3:46 Why do I hear the faint sound of someone holding a leek?

[@HistoryScope]

A person of culture. Nice. We were wondering if people were going to notice this or not :D

[@HistoryScope]

For those wondering: the song is called 'Ievan Polkka'

[@Ellipsis115]

Also you're likely hearing it because it originated as a Finnish folk song before many a vocaloid and leek spinning bleach character got their hands on it, hence why those of culture at history scope took the opportunity to include it in this video.

[@christiandauz3742]

Imagine if the Scandinavians had an Endgame-Time-travel machine and meet their Bronze Age ancestors

[@alba4k]

@@HistoryScope Yeah, I did notice, wasn't sure if it was wanted or not

[@HistoryScope]

As some people have pointed out: the borders of Finland are incorrect. That's my fault. I made a map of Europe after WW1 and all maps are based upon that one... and somehow I never noticed that Finland's borders change.

[@benhalpin7306]

Countries' is pronounced the same as Countries. It's not "Countrieses".

[@renfors3931]

Norway declared independence from Denmark in 1814 I think, and then Sweden invaded because they got green lights from the 6th coalition in the Napoleonic wars. Then Norway declared independence for good in 1905. So they didn't really become independent until 1905.

[@amonra6466]

Naa thats the correct finnish borders dont worry about it trust me

[@subira8518]

Theres no minecraft server link in the description Its there now thx 4 fixin it

[@Vuosta]

Don't worry the map is cooler like this

[@larspeterthomsen9798]

It's almost as if reducing the power of the elites makes life better for people who are not the elites.

[@mindblower8774]

Delete this comment before the republican Americans come

[@ddandymann]

@@Luca-nu2zg The people aren't

[@ysteinberg5084]

@@Luca-nu2zg Us is above Sweden and Denmark, below Norway, for now.. I expect we'll see some dramatic changes pretty soon though.

[@kylenolan2710]

@@Luca-nu2zg, as an American, I detect your brainwashing. These are facts: The average Swede has a higher likelihood of becoming wealthy than the average American. All the Nordic countries have far higher upward economic mobility than the US and far, far lower downward mobility. All have far, far less poverty and therefore far less of all the many costly and destructive side effects. As for big homes, etc.? For some, but for many, shacks, tenements, or homelessness. Even then, you seem to put greater weight on having a McMansion than I would. I'm sorry. I'll take highly educated, poverty free, entrepreneurial, high tech, and opportunity over our sink-or-swim, corporatocracy.

[@Homievegetable]

@@Luca-nu2zg True the median income is a bit higher in the US but if you look at the actual income of your average middle class citizen with out taking the so-called 1% into account you drop below the rest of us

[@dromedda6810]

My great great granddad used to be a land owner for a few farms here in sweden, up until a friend of his needed someone who could handle the finances of his newly started lock factory, my great great grandad didnt believe that it would succeed but still agreed to help him whenever he had time over. eventually the factory was a success and my great great grandad gave all of his farms to his three sons and worked full time at the new factory as the chief of finances, which he had learned from selling and trading wood, food and animals from his farms. That company is still around today, and is one of the biggest manufacturers of locks. he later retired and bought back the farm he had grown up on, renovating it, hiring some farmers from town and going back to running these farms for another 30 years until he died at the age of 92.

[@chidoking09]

I live in Sweden bu damn

[@dromedda6810]

@el060248 i cannot confirm or deny

[@Backstaaab]

Whats the company?

[@LuciusFaith]

haha your padlocks are amazing! he did a good thing! your family can be proud to support such a noble endevour! it doesn't mean much coming from a good for nothing nobody like me but your famely have my heartfelt thanks for believing in him because that saved someone in the end!

[@yontimo10]

As a finn, I'm flattered that you gave us our pre ww2 borders

[@therealbnanabenboiofficial2537]

Se on kaunis!

[@MrWipeli]

Ennustus?

[@pekkapaunonen5245]

Karjala takas!

[@napolien1310]

Huh?

[@draphotube4315]

you guys should have kept those borders, the current ones look ugly at the south. :( All hail Greater Finland.

[@jamesl9371]

Poverty is expensive. So true. Brilliant observation. I wish every country would recognize this and follow the Nordic countries policies

[@gubasz2709]

yeah lets export misery to the third world! Brilliant.

[@williampearson6299]

Slavery

[@vesaruntti]

I hope not, you might be looking at collapse of these countries in near 20 years.

[@jamesl9371]

@@vesaruntti I don’t think so

[@jamesl9371]

@@vesaruntti but you might see the collapse of the USA

[@thegamerpokemon5767]

The education part is such a vital part in my opinion. I am currently a Norwegian studying Aerospace Engineering in England, due to England's speciality in such education. My government gives me a full loan (Tuition + Maintenance + Travel) for both my Bachelors, and my Masters that I'm about to complete. Not only that, once I graduate, I have the ability to turn up to 40% of it (based on my family's wealth) into a bursary, rather than keeping it a loan. This leaves me with a willingness to succeed and try my best, whilst also not having to worry about an overwhelming amount of debt once I complete my degree. Furthermore, once I finish my education, I am much more willing to return to Norway for a high-paying job with better benefits than I could ever hope for in the UK. I was shocked when I heard from my friends that English student finance doesn't give full coverage for a Master's degree. It still seems rediculous to leave some of my friends, with such high potential, without an easy source of funding to get better educated, and instead only my friends with more wealthy backgrounds or those able to earn a scholarship can become more skilled. Seems slightly backwards to me, as a Norwegian.

[@saattlebrutaz]

Nordic children do not score well on educational standards, except for Fins. Sweden does poorly. US children with European background do better than Scandinavians.

[@owenmiller1402]

as an american going through med school i am so jealous

[@zainulabdin1720]

As compare to England UK , Scotland is better in higher studies. University is free for citizens as well forigners! Scotland welfare state & structure is similar to Scandinavia. Taxes are bit higher than England 😊 love from Pakistan. Norway ❣️ is beautiful country

[@mrsoisauce9017]

I have a question. I’m an American currently attending Drexel University for electrical engineering, and I was thinking of doing a study abroad program in either Sweden or Norway (or both, if the funds allow for it. Seeing as though you’re studying engineering, do you happen to know if the Nordic countries are good in terms of EE? And if so, which one is better? Thanks

[@CensoredMercy]

I've always thought the same but unfortunately am not within the same system

[@FoakHome]

I'm Norwegian. I don't feel rich while here, almost the opposite for a Norwegian. But when I travel abroad... whoa.

[@xtremescript]

Travel more then :D

[@ragael1024]

come to my country where an old lady's pension was about 5€ 10years ago. she had no electricity, no heating system, and no idea that our dictator died a long time ago. and she was surviving. compared to her, i was a multimillionaire O_0

[@baileymoore7779]

@@ragael1024 I used to live in Belize (I'm American). My house was basically a screened in porch but my neighbors had dirt floors and sheets for windows but they were the nicest, most genuine and giving people you could meet.

[@rhythmandacoustics]

You mean when you travel to poor countries?

[@rageraptor7127]

I mean if your living a good life. You shouldn’t feel like your super rich. If you do. Then your not likely living in a fair system. Just earning enough to live a good life for both you and your country

[@clausstreh6801]

Small correction: Norway was in a personal union with Denmark until 1814. Norway then came under Swedish rule until 1905 although Norway did have it’s own Government and constitution during that time. The splitting up of Denmark-Norway was a consequence of Denmark being on the losing side of the Napoleon wars and Sweden being on the winning side.

[@hemmper]

The correction isn't small😅

[@chrisey7210]

@@hemmper Well it's small for the relevance of this video story

[@MortenHolck]

first thing i noticed....get the facts straight

[@daniellenskjold2921]

a personal union, controlled totaly by the Danish kings, norway was not equal to Denmark back then, Denmark was the leader of the union

[@_loss_]

One personal union to another

[@Reynir90]

An an Icelander, this video made me want to cry! Almost every point brought up there doesn't apply to Iceland anymore. We are moving rapidly away from the Nordic model, towards American neo liberalism, and I hate it! I lived for five years in Denmark and got my education there. Denmark does things so right, so well! We are so horribly corrupt in Iceland, with government assets and contracts going to uncles and cousins of our ministers, for free. Yet we keep voting in the same corrupt vultures every election. It's just terrible, and it's why I don't live there anymore and can't see myself ever going back. The Nordic model needs to be protected! It's the right way of doing things, but greed is rapidly taking it away from us, while the blame is being passed on to people who have done nothing wrong.

[@thli8472]

Sweden is going downhill as well. Sucks. But I thought you were all cousins :)

[@domenico_ginny6164]

⁠@@dfdf-rj8jrhey American here, our economy scales with our income so while we look rich most of us are struggling. I actually wish we were heading the direction of the Nordic model

[@asbjo]

Same with Denmark.... 20 years it been sliding towards US style economic structures..

[@33d672]

Same in Sweden. Only Denmark in my opinion does politics right. Iceland, Sweden we 2 does the most wrong. But Finland and Norway is also going in the american direction. I have huge respect for Denmark and thats why they have by far the best living standards in the nordics and least amount of corruption, despite norways gdp per capita is higher.

[@33d672]

@@asbjo Then you should see Sweden. You would be very grateful to live in Denmark. Our politicians just give the roles to their friends, and not the most qualified people

[@plasmavox]

"If small problems are left unattended, they turn into big problems." - History of 21st century USA

[@markusklyver6277]

@@tntfreddan3138 Funny how everything that goes wrong is because of the Social Democrats. It's almost like whoever is in power gets all the blame.

[@thetimelapseguy8]

@@tntfreddan3138 Nearly every country is having an energy crises, immigration crises, and rising fuel costs. Sweden ranks highly on average wages, quality of life and low wealth inequality.

[@tntfreddan3138]

@@thetimelapseguy8 Yeah, I mean, I earn a slightly below average wage at 175SEK/hour (about 17.5USD/h) and I work between 35 and 45 hours every week and usually evening shifts. But in December we literally had an energy crisis. People could barely afford to pay their electricity bill when they came in January. Our bill landed at 9400SEK (about 4x the usual amount and about half of a normal Swede's salary) and we turned off our heating, didn't watch TV and boiled water on the fire stove in the living room to not use electricity to heat the water in our shower. Norway boycotted Sweden and refused to export any electricity due to how irresponsibly our government handled it. Diesel now costs about 28SEK/liter. That's almost $11/gallon. Our government blames the war in Ukraine but the gas prices have only risen like this in Sweden. Oil was 70% more expensive in 2008 compared to today. but the gasoline and diesel we put in our cars is almost twice as expensive now and since new standards has been put in place for the fuel, our cars and trucks also use more fuel. Petrol has more ethanol in it now and diesel has more biodiesel and additives in it. Biodiesel and ethanol contains less energy than pure diesel and petrol and engines tend to run worse with it. Normal diesel engines can't even run on RME-diesel, so either ave to run on HVO100 or normal crude oil based diesel. Some older petrol engines can't run on the new E10 (95 octane) fuel since it contains more ethanol (up to 10%) than the old E5 (old 95 and current 98).

[@kungfreddie]

@@markusklyver6277 well it's true.. or.. immigration crisis were partly due to the right wing too... but I think it would have been stopped quicker if they stayed in power, and they wouldn't have handled it irresponsible. The left in sweden are under the boot of extremist.. kinda lika usa.

[@somekindofdude1130]

@@tntfreddan3138 imagine living in Greece and seein someone talking about refugee crisis....oh wait

[@conors4430]

Basically what it seems to come down to is, they see things as an investment, not as a cost, and have a more balanced understanding of how each part of the system can negatively or positively impact the next, whereas in other parts of the world it’s just dog eat dog competition rather than collective investment. It also helps that they seem to not let ideology get in the way of pragmatism or better outcomes. Other societies will say, we can’t do that because we can’t sell it to the population, whereas they seem to be a bit more open to the idea of, well whatever works. The drug war and crime being an example. The work that comes into my mind is just balance, they have a much greater understanding of how things balance out. The crazy thing is that if even a 10th of these policies were suggested in other parts of the western world especially, the media and political parties would be trying to convince everyone it was communism. When the evidence proves that it’s not. Good on them, but in a way this just makes me sad for what could have been in so many other places around the world. At a very fundamental level, a nation with a lot of economic inequality doesn’t stay a nation for very long because it just increases tension and results in bad societal outcomes which impact on everybody, rich, poor, powerful, powerless. As you say, other parts of the world think that the way to make people do better is to give them a more brutal life, but that has its consequences in cost and social harmony. And social harmony is too often seen as a fluff piece for hippies, rather than realising the insane cost of a society without it. And where that can end up

[@fredericchopin4821]

Very well put.

[@antonfriberg881]

In response to your comment about balance - there is a word in the Swedish language that can’t be translated to any other language in the world, basically Sweden is the only country in the world who has this word. The word is ”lagom” and the meaning of the word is ”not too much, not too little, just the right amount”.

[@oldskoolmusicnostalgia]

"Drug war"? Hmmm... Sweden for example has very different - and harsh - policies on drug use compared to Denmark. It's rather misleading of you to suggest those countries have a common framework for dealing with substance abuse.

[@daniel4647]

@@oldskoolmusicnostalgia The term substance abuse is also misleading as plenty of people use drugs without abusing them, and substance just means all physical matter. It's a term designed so government can control people without there being any rational reason behind it, often equating relatively harmless materials with extremely poisonous materials without there being any logical reasoning behind it.

[@carlkolthoff5402]

I believe the cold climate may play some role in creating the mentality of the people of the north. The winters here will make us freeze and starve to death if we don't act smart, cooperate and plan far ahead.

[@sinnoh1814]

There is an error at 0:55 , Norway declared independence from Sweden in 1905, We wrote our constitution on the 17th of may 1814 and entered a union with Sweden due to Denmark's loss during the Napoleonic war, The constitution gave us a lot of freedom and independence in general, which is why we celebrate 17th of may as that is the day we essentially became our own country again, tho we were still in a union with Sweden up until 1905

[@Elenrai]

I still love that you picked the Danish Kings brother to be King of Norway, that is such a dig at the Frenchies over in Sweden 😂 Even if your princesses are wild😊

[@informitas0117]

Damn right. Even me a wrecked schizophrenic can have an actual life here. I'm extremely grateful for my welfare state and everyone in it. When I were healthy I did my part, when I got sick they did their part.

[@chat-1978]

Damn right. I'm in Belgium from Greece which follows stupid American trends. It doesn't cost me anything for others to have a meaningful life and it is so useful if and when shit happens. If I didn't pay taxes, I wouldn't had a personal boat. Only problem is the darkness :)

[@midori9566]

I'm glad you can have good quality of life, that's what all countries should strive for. The US welfare state isn't that good compared to Scandinavia and Finland, really wish we took a lesson from them.

[@lars985]

king, hope you'll be able to help us when you're ready!

[@Dave-fp3uh]

​@@chat-1978 I live in the USA. I am a first gen American, work hard, climbed the economic ladder and do great. My parents had nothing and I was able to make the most of my opportunities. But the problem in the USA is that we import tons of immigrants (legal and illegal), most of them extremely poor and have to be subsidized with tons of welfare programs, but business are very happy to pay them low wages which at the same time, makes it difficult for blue collar middle class folks. So we are constantly trying to bring up people into the middle class. Northern European countries are very small in comparison. Most states here are larger than countries in northern europe. Plus we have many cultures and ethnicities, it is difficult to get it perfect on a large scale, I believe the more monoculture and smaller populations in northern Europe helps. And really the American system of welfare is a disincentive when trying to climb up, because they lose benefits, so people just don't try to become more productive if they are stuck in that range. Plus politics plays a big part in it all, you win votes if you give people free things

[@chat-1978]

@@Dave-fp3uh hi, as a person who had traveled a lot all over USA since 1985, I will tell you that you are wrong about many of your assumptions which are created to justify the situation. Europe had also immigration. Europe had also poor immigrants and often uneducated. Size doesn't matter, GDP per capita does. The main difference is the value of human life and basic necessities. Also, the perception of success. In my book, my success includes that I help the less fortunate through taxes and they don't have to resolve to begary, crime or my willingness to do charity. Their life is to a minimum guaranteed.

[@Peter-vj7bs]

Starting with the positive: I love the choise of Ievan Polkka as the background song :D Only commenting on the Finland part: As a Finn, the explanation weak upper class due to the ability of the lower class members to move somewhere else seems quite unlikely as moving away is still a huge task for a peasant. This is only a guess, but I'd attribute much larger influence to: * Finland being so poor during most of our history => hard to collect taxes from a starving population => the upper class has also not been able to get as much wealth * Finland has also been difficult to govern on large scale due to the extremely low population relative to the size of the country => harder to centralize as much power * Finland being part of either Russia or Sweden during most of its history => much of the excess wealth is being transported away and not left with the local nobility * Keeping the power less centralized has also been good for Russia or Sweden while governing it as the weak local nobility has less power to start a rebelion

[@MrSpritzmeister]

The explanation was fine although simplistic. People would move to the forest and live off the land due to the sparse population and large land area if the nobility would get too uppity. I’m sure same happened in Sweden and Norway too.

[@Wulfzz]

@@MrSpritzmeister How do you move to the forest to live off the land?

[@Wulfzz]

It should be noted that Sweden has not had a weak nobility throughout it's history. It has been incredibly powerful, especially relative to Sweden's size, as well as quite oppressive.

[@MrSpritzmeister]

@@Wulfzz you probably know the expression even though I misspelled “of”. Hunting, fishing, eating berries etc. Swedish nobility wasn’t very oppressive comparatively, Sweden didn’t have serfdom for example.

[@larrywave]

In finland you even needed papers of approval from the priest sometimes (papintodistus) if you didnt have them you could be arrested for vagrancy were you not employed

[@NorðmaðrFráNoregi]

As a Norwegian, I’m proud of the entire Nordic

[@nils191]

We're a mediocre populace that utilize the lowest denominator as an ideal, there's nothing to be proud of

[@NorðmaðrFráNoregi]

@@nils191 I know but still

[@carstenhansen5757]

@@nils191Janteloven keeps us level headed. For better and worse, as they say.

[@nils191]

@@carstenhansen5757 Keeps us low and weak; fragile and submissive. It's no wonder we bend backwards as a country, and are somehow surprised whenever others don't

[@carstenhansen5757]

@@nils191Would you rather be ruled, by the types like of Kim Young ill, Muhammed Gadaffi, or the Hungarian el presidente? It does keep people humble. But luckely, you're free to find a country, and mentallity that fits you.

[@kylenolan2710]

Basically, if an American wants to understand the Nordic model, they just need to look at what their country does and do the opposite. I'm a 63 yr old American engineer that has little and struggles financially because I was unfortunate enough to have a chronic illness. It's been decades of torture by a thousand cuts. My neighbors, coworkers, and even family have mostly been brainwashed into thinking that 'Murica is the greatest and are utterly oblivious to my predicament.

[@baronvonjo1929]

I'm only 22. I have noticed older Americans are definitely more patriotic. But I really struggle to understand the "America number one" stereotypes. Growing up in the 00s and 10s my generation was constantly told how terrible we are, how terrible this nation is, how awesome Europe is. Even older folks I know who were more patriotic types 10 years ago seem fed up with this nation. You only have to spend 2 second online to see the wave of Americans who truely hate this nation. I am truely astounded that the patriotic American stereotype still exists when the majority of Americans are not remotely liek that. I assume people keep the stereotype alive because they find it funny and also confirmation basis. I will say everyone once in a while people can be a bit patriotic here. But overall Americans especially the younger generations are embarrassed by this nation and loath themselves and everything about it. Me? I'm kinda just here. Life in general seems dissapointing.

[@bchittim1801]

Almost 1am where I’m at and I get a notification for History Scope and now there’s no time to sleep! Love your content Avery!!

[@ChrisAastrup]

Interesting video. As a Dane myself I would say that a lot of this only work because of the very low levels of corruption in our countries.

[@dansec6488]

11:37

[@FictionHubZA]

Very true. Many policies like the ones in Scandinavia exist in other places but fail because of corruption.

[@darrellfrancis2115]

This kind of feels like a chicken or the egg scenario, do Nordic countries have good governance because of low corruption, or do they have low corruption because of good governance. I would say, the relative weakness of elites in Nordic countries meant that there wasn't a class of people that could easily get away with high-level corruption. At the same time, relatively high incomes for the whole population reduces low-level corruption as, for example, government officials are less likely to take bribes if they feel financial secure.

[@Elenrai]

​@@FictionHubZAin fairness if we experience corruption, we just leave😂 it is genuinely a mindset, had a shit employer until recently, so I left and got the same job except better 😂 and my friends do the same, if they feel unfairly treated, they quit, so maintaining staff can be challenging😂

[@johanswede8200]

Trust and cooperation is the answer for success.

[@lucianodubois7034]

The way you set forth in 30 minutes a topic which could take you years to learn and understand from other sources is downright brilliant. It is not easy to find as well explained topics as in this video.

[@EmperorZelos]

I wanna point out that nordic and scandinavian are not synonomous. Finland is nordic, but not scandinavian.

[@mrwires232]

What is the difference?

[@Helperbot-2000]

@@mrwires232 scandinavia is specifically Norway Sweden and Denmark

[@mrwires232]

@@Helperbot-2000 why though

[@ChrMuslimThor]

@@mrwires232 ethnicity mostly, the majority population in Nor, Swe, Den are Northern Germanic peoples. With similar languages. Finland has a majority Finno-Urgic population.

[@EmperorZelos]

@@Helperbot-2000 Iceland too

[@felibunni]

Swede here, thanks so much for covering this. Just like all systems, it can't be perfect. For example, all the allowances from the government that is recieved for being unemployed can easily be abused at times for people who don't want to work, but at the same time it's way better to have *some* abuse it than to not have it existing at all in case you lose your job. It also makes the job market more competitive because employers aren't as afraid to fire people. There's always ups and downs to every system, but I am very proud of where I'm from and wouldn't change it for the world :)

[@sekkayjin3501]

As a French studying in Finland, I am litteraly choked by the quality of educational environment. Really guys you don't know the luck that you have.

[@otsogronberg6193]

Joo joo pääkii

[@sabinajoh]

Honestly, if I was offered to study in Finland I would. They are at the top of so many lists, they seem to have their shit figured out // Swede

[@Tingletonttu]

@@sabinajoh Honestly Sweden isn't very different from Finland. But you're always welcome here!

[@Tingletonttu]

@@sabinajoh There's also higher education offered in Swedish like Åbo Akademi in Turku.

[@magnusio5292]

Luck? Didn't you just see the video? Being smart gets you places.

[@Hovdingborka]

Great video! I live in Sweden and have never asked myself the question why we are a rich country, I just took it for granted. So this video is as informative to people outside the Nordic and in the Nordic. :)

[@peterowadiuk9702]

I am happy for that you took a closer look from your side of the fence and saw all the weeds on this side. Especially all of the non-productive ones .

[@francoiscarrier8745]

I am stunned by the simplicity of it :"Poverty is expensive. Very, very expensive". You are right saying it is not often talked about. I live in the United States where some politicians get away with saying poverty is somehow sign of moral shortcoming. Also if one is wealthy enough, one can also lobby governments to create a system where profit is privatized and risk is socialized.

[@RKH1502]

0:51 Norway declared independence from Denmark in 1814, not Sweden (though we did later declare independence from Sweden in 1905)

[@ShizukaOG]

*stop it already.*

[@Phreno_Xeno]

@@ShizukaOG Uh, why?

[@overjee]

This. Its a complicated period. After the Napoleonic wars, Denmark was forced to give up Norway to Sweden, however Norway declared independence from Denmark in 1814 and therefor wasn't Denmark's to give up. Sweden obviously didn't agree with this 4D chess move, so invaded Norway to annex them. Norway however fought back relatively well and managed to go into a Union with Sweden instead of annexation and got to keep their constitution. Later in 1905 with the liberals in power who were pro independence, they passed a law establishing a separate diplomatic service in Norway which was vetoed by the Swedish king, so the government resigned, the king in turn didn't accept the resignation and didn't appoint a new government, and so the Norwegian proclaimed independence as it was deemed that Norway without leadership was a breach of the constitution. A war almost happened, but luckily it all turned out well with not even the Swedish people being in favour of a war with Norway at the time.

[@fuqupal]

No. We declared independence from SWEDEN in 1814 and broke out of the (by then worthless and pointless) UNION WITH SWEDEN in 1905. Get your facts straight!!

[@birgervogt9017]

@@overjee A passive-aggressive declaration of independence based on a technicality and a loophole in the constitution, clearly the Norwegian way.

[@lunsen402]

As a swede i just wanna add a thing. The welfare system we have here in sweden has kind of been under attack the last few decades. Cut downs and privatisation has happend very rapidly and in my personal oppinion to the detriment of sweden after all things like healthcare and education are inelastic markets. As a teacher i would also like to mention that we have here in sweden a bitt of a teacher shortage, for stupid reasons mainly.

[@alexandrospatsikos512]

As right-wing ideology and extremism rises worldwide, I can truly see this pattern affecting even the stable democracies as yours. For good or for worse, everything is political and pretending that is not, would be a massive mistake. Swedes have to keep pushing to the left on economic issues. For themselves but also for other countries that want to turn into social democracies like you. The whole planet is at risk and capitalism fossil fuel profits are not gonna stop themselves

[@lunsen402]

​ i absolutly agree, sadly many swedes seem to have forgotten the whole "fight for you´re rights" thing. i´ve heard one to many times the whole "oh we won´t lose our rights, its not like we´re like 'them'" line from other (especially older) swedes (them in this case being china, the middle east or russia, basicly anywhere that is not white or not sufficantly white (in the case of slavic people (not saying russia is a democracy am saying though that slavic people arn´t naturaly despotic, neither are asians or arabic folks

[@Zzrik]

It also doesn't help that most of the taxes are coming from the pockets of every day Swedish working person,while the rich does indeed pay very little since there is no wealth tax.

[@InciniumVGC]

The cut downs and privatization happened cause they stopped being able to afford it. Welfare costs a lot of money to maintain.

[@lunsen402]

@@InciniumVGC Mostly becouse they lowered taxes on the rich and the coperations. Becouse swedish politisians are just as corupt and powerhungry as anywhere. Also becouse faulty new economic theories such as new public management became all the rage in the 90ts Should also be noted that basicly every study on the subject of welfare vs privitization shows that publicly run healthcare and schools and the like tends to be more efficent and cheaper as a whole.

[@blindedbliss]

23:30 - You also get a stipend/loan to cover living expenses, whilst studying (30/70 split - meaning that once you've passed 60 ECSC credits worth of relevant courses, you are forgiven 30% of the money you got). If you have dyslexia (or another reason you can't work part time during your studies, you also get an additional $350 or so, per month (stipend rules). You only start repaying the debt after you get a stable job and if you don't earn enough, the low interests of the debt is forgiven. So, you essentially have an interest free debt.

[@bjorsam6979]

Being swedish I feel entitled to an armchair opinion and I say yay, good video, well done! The Race to the Bottom has already brought severe problems to us in the last 40 years, with forced corporate tax-cuts, somewhat decreased wellfare and big money escaping taxes by way of havens or hq relocation. The Race to the Bottom also hampers efforts to be world leading in environmental protection. So far, we're doing ok. One potential problem is that we also live through a period of increased economic inequality which of course threatens our extremely high social trust. Social trust is a very important metric in this puzzle and I'm a bit miffed it never came up in an otherwise absolutely smashing explainer. The nordic countries have very low corruption. This can partly be explained by laws mandating open access to all governmental decisions, who voted for what and so on. Put otherwise, it could be copied elsewhere. At least in Sweden, authorities are very independent and run by experts. This could be seen during the recent C19 epidemic, when Folkhälsomyndigheten (roughly "authority for peoples health", not to be confused with healthcare) took the lead and the government more or less followed suit - for better or worse, depending on who you ask. But it has had the effect that many policies have been well anchored and seldom short sighted, because elections don't affect these decisions all that much. I should add the people in the Nordic countries also trust their authorities more than any other population in any other country. Anything to add?

[@Johan_g]

We had low corruption and social trust. Now this have been broken. And we don´t talk about why.

[@jessikapiche6097]

@@Johan_g why?

[@pugdad2555]

Was it low corruption? Or was it unknown corruption?

[@bjorsam6979]

Still low corruption in all the Nordic countries. Social trust levels are still high but wavering in some parts of society. We talk about why - a lot actually. Usual talking points are immigration, crime, segregated schools and of course the big one with neoliberal economics.

[@jessikapiche6097]

@@bjorsam6979 so... if i hear you right, you're saying your administrators got paid to allow shitty companies to sell their cheap stuff to the people, instead of buying local which would encourage the local economy. Your administrators get paid by illegal immigrant 'importers' and you end up supporting them with your taxes without anyting in return, since they never buy local either, importing all they consume from their own country... yeah i have seen that happen somewhere... And i guess, crime is going up because there is now issues that used to happened in poor countries because now there is a lot of people from those countries in your country and the local police can't do anything against it because they basically have their own language, their own mafia, their own rules...yes?... yeah... i think i know what is happening...

[@nickp.4995]

More people need to understand these concepts. Most countries are so fixed on short term gains and profits they don't understand this makes them bleed by a thousand cuts.

[@jasonallen3678]

Best comment

[@WorldWide2017]

Sounds like the US. Lol.

[@Jensth]

Yup! The Nordic welfare states are a product of an unbroken virtuous cycle. Actually, in my opinion, it started in the artistic period of romanticism. It was here that the nobility/rich started to have more sympathy for the poor. Then over decades the trust grew, and the noble class agreed to give away some privileges, to improve life for the underclass. From there trust grew, and one good thing laid the foundation for the next improvement..... The virtuous cycle was established. Now, similar things have happened in other countries, but then some shit happened. Violence is the show stopper! Thats why revolution never works. It fosters hate and mistrust = end of the virtuous cycle. Hope that makes sense :)

[@shueibdahir]

@@Jensthi agree with your last statement but most of this is bullshit

[@flyingzone356]

This video is so amazingly informative and educational. Thank you for your effort!

[@erichtomanek4739]

I'm glad you're using the old, correct borders for Finland. As they should be!

[@rightnow1445]

The strong and brave Finnish army should attack Putin now that he is tied up in Ukraine, and take back what is rightfully Finnish 🙂

[@jepjep8926]

@Russian Waifu russia is poor cope

[@ImJustBob]

Cope

[@Sodacacik]

you mean the correct border of sweden?

[@iamseamonkey6688]

for anyone wanting a more detailed overview of the pre-20th century factors that led to Scandinavian wealth, i recommend the video "how denmark invented social democracy" by Kraut

[@FictionHubZA]

Watched it multiple times.

[@circuitsandparts]

Nordic History is fascinating. Going as far back as the Viking Era, cooperation within Nordic societies were always superior.

[@inconspicuousiceberg9363]

Great and interesting video but you forgot the tiny collection of islands situated roughly between Iceland and Norway: Føroyar (The Faroe Islands). Granted it's part of the Danish kingdom, but they have a lot of autonomy. Keep making excellent videos, góði vinur.

[@HistoryScope]

At first it was part of the video but they were often exceptions in many ways and so we left them out of this video.

[@The-Lazy-Dane]

@@HistoryScope Though it is important to remember that even we danes barely remember that we own them, it is good that they have considerable autonomy because while we occcasionaly forget that we own Greenland, it is much more rare for us to remember that we own the faroe islands. So too stay true to danish history it is important to only show the faroe islands at most once, unless somebody reminds us of those islands. We do own alot of other islands, for example Bornholm which is south of Sweden

[@missa2855]

​@@The-Lazy-Danei don't think anyone forgets we own Færøerne or Grønland. It's just not something people actively think about, like people don't actively think about the bunkers on the coast but everyone knows they are there if you ask them.

[@dCash117]

I love how every other country in the world is just awkwardly ignoring this model

[@peterowadiuk9702]

That would cut into their bonuses if they would implement that model

[@noriantiri9310]

@@peterowadiuk9702 in some way the nordic economic model is not really applicable by itself instantaniously. It relies on the fact that the nordic population is already healthy and employed. In countries like France my home country for exeample our unemployement rate is simply too high to take this measures as they would be too costly. The nordic countries are engaged in a path that is can mostly be taken progressively

[@rickybuhl3176]

The culture of solidarity that it's built on, is far harder to reproduce than most appreciate. It isn't that nobody is trying or has tried - there are plenty "getting to Denmark" or trying. There are however icebergs along the way that require lifting together and that's tough for many even within their own country.

[@Nappse]

I think the model is only possible to implement after a major crisis or collapse. Living situations in the nordics got a lot better after WW2. Solidarity and the thought of helping your neighbour rebuilding their house, hoping they'd do the same for you are probably a huge factor we succeeded. It's built on trust, and cannot be implemented without it to begin with-

[@rickybuhl3176]

@@noriantiri9310 Historically that's just wrong. We had high unemployment, poor overall health and catastrophic suicide rates - we worked to this stage over a number of generations. It didn't start here, like anything you have to work towards it. 'It's not applicable to us because we wouldn't only get the benefits but would have to work for it' ?? cop-out.

[@rainbowappleslice]

Wow who knew that working together actually helps people?

[@violetevergarden5160]

0:50 Norway declared independence 17. May 1814 from DENMARK, not Sweden. We went out of our union with Sweden in 1905. Was in that from the end of 1814 - 1905 but we had our own government and everything separate except foreign policy and king. So we celebrate independence from Denmark, not Sweden cause they let/we fought for us to do our own thing!

[@feppfepp]

I think some important things are missing. Like the major offloading of people who could not be sustained by agriculture in the late 1800s. A fifth of the population moved to the US. This definitely helped create some of the lack of labour. Also, the economy was extremely unequal in the early 1900s, at levels closer to the US than one might think. A key development is the development of a strong worker movement in the 1910s and later.

[@Daijyobanai]

Other European countries had an exodus to the New World too, Britain, Ireland, Netherlands etc all populated North America. The difference is that 100 years later (than 1910) those countries are not the same as they were, whereas the US and UK appear to revel in their continuation of poverty, criminality and having a ruling elite through inherited wealth.

[@ArchiduquesaMA]

hearing this as someone from Argentina I can't believe countries this perfect are ever real

[@GhostSamaritan]

It's not like Sweden has the most rapes, gun murders, and bombings in all of Europe...

[@oliverbarbaros100]

I always wondered how the Scandinavian countries managed social democracy so well. They're virtually the pinnacle of the western world (in terms of education and satisfaction). I just wish more countries saw social welfare as the investment it is, instead of free money for the poor, which it never really was. I realise they were in a unique situation, but i feel this economic system has elements which could work really well if other nations adopted it.

[@75aces97]

They see social welfare as an essential structural expense. Too many policy hucksters in the US and elsewhere view education, health care, and other components of a functional society as optional expenditures. They sell it as though you can save money by not spending it on welfare. If your neighbor said their household can free up some spending money by not paying the electric, water, or heat bill, without simultaneously preparing an alternate source of water, electricity, or heating, you probably wouldn't call that a viable plan, or ever trust that person again as a useful source of information. Reality is, you pay for these things now or pay for the consequences of not doing so later.

[@trevailus9766]

I don't think the Nordic countries identify as western

[@ChrMuslimThor]

@@trevailus9766 yes we do.

[@antonnielsen10]

@@trevailus9766 Yes we most definitely do

[@thebronywiking]

@@trevailus9766 Let's see: We are rich capitalist countries in Europe. We use english more then the average Indian. Our countries are liberal democracies. Some of our countries are in NATO or EU, all are OECD. If you ask us we tell you that we are westerners. Historically we have been Christians, now we are secular. Etc.

[@jonahthrane812]

This is why the Nordics just need to become one strong nation. We are too few people. But if we can bind together, combine our GDP, we will utilise our resources much better. No one under another. All working together .

[@mrsh9588]

Sammála

[@jonahthrane812]

@@mrsh9588 hvad sprog er det? Svensk eller finsk tænker jeg.

[@mrsh9588]

@@jonahthrane812 Finsk- nei, islandsk :) Betyr enig

[@jonahthrane812]

@@mrsh9588 jeg gættede det betyde enig. Men havde ikke gættet islandsk. Men jeg synes selvfølgelig også Island skulle være i unionen. Hvis Norden investerede i elledninger fra Island, så ville islandsk geo strøm og mulige vindmøller være en meget vigtig del af Nordens økonomi. Mener det samme med Grønland, lille befolkning, men hvis vi investerer i Grønlands mineraler, så kunne Grønland blive en stor del af Nordens økonomi. Der er en masse potentiale i alle dele af Norden, og sammen kan vi udnytte den potentiale.

Uuuh... We're already doing that, aren't we? Without any union.

[@zakattack8624]

It's so depressing watching this video and then looking at the US, my state, and my city. We've been having a lot of theft, and the Mexican cartel has roots in my state. The little issue is now a bigger issue, and we just respond with more police force, with not much result.

[@ShubhamMishrabro]

I think if Mexico and countries under it get more developed durg violence will reduce a lot as people get huge money when making drugs compared to normal jobs.

[@Exotic3000]

Yes, the USA has some problems that are not going to go away!!

[@kevinbergin9971]

That's the Chicago way. (I took a guess.)

[@JohnnieKirkegaard94]

this is why more and more americans move to scandinavia and tbh i think its great that they do. The US system is so broken that it wont just change at this point. It would take severe government reformation and ALOT of money and many will be hurt in the now to ensure future benefits. In alot of ways ive always thought that people went to america to escape bad stuff now america has gotten worse than many of the places they escaped from but the idea of leaving is so beaten out of people due to america for the last 40ish years having done all they could to blind their people to the issues and throw fake issues at them. I hope USA learns and fixes its issues because the issues they do have are some that to a scandinavian seems almost as bad as when you look at places like russia and china.

[@JohnnieKirkegaard94]

@@ShubhamMishrabro honestly im not sure i agree. There are certain steps that america itself should have taken long ago which would have fixed most of the issues. (this is what other nations have been telling them for decades) first get rid of the guns. if normal people dont have them then theres ALOT less crime done with guns (it wont remove organized crime but most crime is not done by big organizations rather by poor people who see no other way out.) Then change to a more socially aware system that raises taxes for the rich and in turn set up safety nets for everyone. lastly education should be free paid through taxes so people dont have to spend most of their lives saving for their kids and paying off their own school debt. this is how most other countries did the exact same thing and saw HUGE improvements. when people are educated they rarely are poor especially in a system that doenst drop people when they fall and thus you would remove most of the need for those people to go and use guns and thereby reduce the amount americans need to arm themselves in defense of those people.

[@tessjuel]

3:00 There is another side to this too although it may mainly apply to Norway: Watermills. A stream that can be used to power a mill to make flour or saw up logs to planks was an extremely vauable asset before the industrial revolution. Anybody woh controlled one had a tremendous power over the people in the region. But Norway has 20,000 rivers(!). Back in the 18th century that was more than one river for every 50 inhabitant. There was no way a small elite could control all of that.

[@andrehunter1295]

Sadly Norway have politicians who chose to obey EU, building power cables over to EU. Also let EU control power in Norway thanks to ACER-TISA agreement, and now EU tapping our water storages summer time ment for enough clean power in cold winter times. And we are now forced to buy dirty power from EU, winter time for 300% higher prices. Norwegian people are against EU, but politicians have turned they back to their own people. It's insane how they obey EU, EU are not positive for Norway in any way, cost Norway billions. Still our politicians laying flat out and signing under everything EU proposing.

[@vignasimp2835]

@@andrehunter1295 were alrady EEA, why not EU so we can choose the policies we get?

[@hamstsorkxxor]

@@andrehunter1295 Sorry, but you can't blame the EU for this. Your gouverment and your hydropower business went through with this because they wanted to sell to a larger customer base. This means huge export earnings for Norway, but also costlier electricity bills. You can't have your cake and eat it.

[@cyan_oxy6734]

​@@andrehunter1295Norwegians crying about "dirty power" when you guys are one of the biggest importers for gas and oil in Europe. While it's nice that you guys invest in renewable energy it sometimes seems like you're the country of greenwashing.

[@Icyy4406]

Glad to see finland has an arctic coast, half of karelia and half of lake ladoga one again

[@wiseone1013]

I like the volume of knowledge and ease of understanding of these videos. Brilliant creator/teacher.

[@paungabriel9360]

I think this wonderful piece of knowledge complements itself very well with Kraut's video about Denmark. My friend you are truly a legend for making this video

[@HistoryScope]

I freaked out when I saw he made a video about the same topic, but luckily, his video mostly ends at the point where this one begins :D

[@scotandiamapping4549]

I love how most of the problems with the nordic model come from the fact that there are other places that dont use it

[@gonnaga9302]

Biggest problem with the nordic model is importing people who don't use it. Who believes the model works with paracites who only leeches of the model and neveer give back, because they are not in the culture and thus not understand the give and take part of the mode, and thus just suck and suck and suck and give nothing back. We really had some loud mothed tumors in the nordics killing the nordic culture, making it weak against viruses, bacteria, and paracites, and we are now dying. Both people and economics.

[@sarahfranco6802]

What do you mean?

[@kijangberburu5991]

​@@sarahfranco6802 he means that the only problem with this system was that there are still a lot of countries who weren't use such a system themself

[@sarahfranco6802]

@@kijangberburu5991 got it

[@nikolaievans2432]

@@kijangberburu5991 Nordic countries have a high social trust than most countiries

[@BoardroomBuddha]

As we say in Sweden, Tusen tack! Although the key to our success is that everyone accepts the system and works toward improving it. That isn't always the case these days...

[@mikitz]

For all those now flocking to moving to a Nordic country: be sure you have good education and the curiosity for learning new things, such as local customs and legislation. Otherwise don't bother.

[@formatique_arschloch]

Agreed 100%. No room for free-loafers.

[@SvengelskaBlondie]

@@horohousu We already have a few million of them, we don't need more

[@mrsh9588]

Icelandic here. The feason for the wealth is: 1. Little or no corruption. 2. Market economy where individuals can quite easily establish a legal entity and thus run a business. 3. Also, these countries have used their resources without the extremism that has tried to influence it, reason has been allowed to rule 4. the Nordic welfare state perspective. High taxes with little corruption means spending on health systems. It's not completely free though. This applies to more serious illnesses and not minor illnesses or injuries, in which case dental services are not subsidized. Calling the Nordic countries socialist is a big misunderstanding. They could not do so well without open market economies, high taxes, low corruption and rational use of resources.

[@susanwhite7474]

The cultural norm of little corruption is crucial. Agree that free trade makes the society as a whole wealthier

[@Herra_X]

In finland corruption is not your typical money in a brown paper bag corruption. Its subtle and not noticable and nobody really cares about corruption because that is how its always been. Finland is corrupt just like russia is and finland is also going bankrupt in the next 10 years.

[@kiwitrainguy]

One thing that really impressed me was how similar these countries are to my own - New Zealand.

[@Smirgelius]

Greetings from Finland. I've been to your country once 17 years ago, and felt the similarity. What's more: New Zealand and Finland have been frontrunners in voting rights for women! :)

[@DemiLot]

@@Smirgeliusdon’t forget Saudi Arabia and Pakistan Please 🥰🥰🥰🥰

[@Thomas-Bradley]

@@DemiLot You must be joking lmao

[@chulafferty6695]

Can you imagine that? A country who sees it's population as valuable rather than something to crush under one's foot like a bug. I believe we are finding out now that bugs are valuable to the continuation of the eco-system.

[@larshansen4557]

And then you got youself a dane as King, and a good one i think

[@marchelinogeorge]

At 4:53, the traction tires on the train are going backwards while the train itself is going forwards.

[@jhutt8002]

To put it simply: There's too few people in Nordic countries to let any of their potential go to waste. So we have to make sure we keep everyone on board and as part of our society.

[@Carewolf]

Industrialization started in the 18th century in Denmark with water powered factories. But that wasn't that interesting, it was very very small compared to other industrialising countries. What made a bigger difference to other countries was that 80% of the population, that is even most peasants, could read and write in 1800. As an odd result of military, religious and work traditions.

[@Spargue]

the train is going forward, but the engine wheels are going backwards 5:00

[@Astillion]

Excellent video. I love how in-depth you're going. And yet, it is a little bit simplified. Reality is always more complicated. I would like to point out one thing about welfare that you got wrong. I live in Sweden, so the following applies to Sweden. Welfare is in fact, in certain areas, based on your previous income. Unemployment benefits for example. If you've had a well-paying job when becoming unemployed, you'll get the maximum benefit, which is a decent amount. Last time I was unemployed I got the maximum amount, which is enough for a single person. But if you have not worked much, or not earned much, during the past 12 months leading up to your unemployment, you will get the minimum amount. And that amount can be below poverty level. Which I have also experienced after becoming unemployed after working only 4 months after finishing studies. This level of poverty did not make me a productive citizen, and it took years to get back to a normal life. And I lost some of my faith in the system as a result. What you get in retirement is also dependent on how much you've worked and how much you've earned. While most still get a good pension, there's a significant portion of the population that get very little in old age and have to live out their life in poverty. And overall Sweden and the other Nordic countries have been moving away from a collective mindset to a more individual mindset. People are becoming more selfish and wealth inequality is growing rapidly. I'm worried about the future. With all that said, Sweden and the other Nordic countries are great places to live. It is relatively easy to live a good life here. And the opportunities to become rich are good. I'm very lucky to have been born here.

[@bjorsam6979]

I agree with everything you wrote except I don't think there's any evidence to indicate increased selfishness. Go ahead and prove me wrong - I like to learn!

[@Astillion]

@@bjorsam6979 When I look at politics, there's been a shift from the collective to the individual. Politics have shifted to the right over the course of several decades. People want tax-cuts rather than programs that help the less fortunate in society. Wealth inequality has increased massively, and most people don't seem to care. And instead of helping the poorest, they are put under more pressure. I was unemployed myself and felt worthless. As I've become richer, I've experienced how much better I'm being treated by society. The rich get more privileges the richer they become, while the poor gets demands. The whole basis for the Swedish model, which is the cooperation between workers and employers has always been attacked from the right. But lately it's also being attacked from the Social Democrats, who want to interfere and put the labor market under political control. A lot of workers feel abandoned by the party that is supposed to represent them. There's more than this. And my sense is that Sweden as a whole is transitioning to a free market dominated society. I fear that collective bargaining will disappear or become rare in the future. Sweden is becoming more like the US, and the people are not united to stand up to this change. While many also welcome this change. What is your thought on this?

[@bjorsam6979]

@@Astillion Oh I think you're right. I have the same personal experience as you. The question is why all this has happened. I think the Race to the Bottom is the main villain in the story, because it always pushes towards the most exploitiation of everything. Some other contributors are psychological heuristics like e.g. our dislike of freeloaders which seems to be innate; our tendency to be situationalist when explaining our own behavious and dispositionists when explaining others; a widespread idea that higher economic incentives leads to more effort - the list goes on even though we (I'm a psychologist) know better. On another note, the times they are a-changin': neoliberalism has almost become a curse-word, young people in the west are voting ever more left (notable exception is Sweden) and IMF and the World Bank are talking inequality. Since Sweden has managed its GINI better I guess we are behind the curve here, protected from the fate of the USA where incomes PPP are stagnant since 40 years. We'll see what happens. Future might be brown and isolationist, all socialist, something new altogether or, I hope, socio-liberal democratic as in still productively capitalist but better at evening out disparities and providing for all than is the case today, and better at environmental issues too. The answer my friend is blowin' in the wind.

[@Astillion]

@@bjorsam6979 I agree. And the future is uncertain. There's a lot to be fearful of, but there's also a lot to be hopeful about. No matter what happens, it will be interesting to follow.

[@hurri7720]

Still I hope and believe we will stay the course in the future too.

[@tiaharukatrotta4881]

Being someone that lives very, very far from any of these countries and would love to live in any one of them, I feel glad that my half-baked layman theories about why are the Nordics so rich were totally correct: unions and syndicates, economic openness and having people that demand the governments to be actually productive and accountable, not just pretend to be. Also high populational mobility. For the third world cesspit of a country where I live to become level to Nordic countries, we would have to expend resources and spend through cultural mindframe changes equivalent to moving to another planet, and I'm not kidding. Pitty party over, sorry for bothering. (Not really over but whatever).

[@AmanKumar-de1kc]

Which country do you live in?

[@the_rohano]

Yeah South Africa is also awful

[@mikitz]

For a third world country, you have a hell of a long way ahead, but you have to start somewhere. Remember that Finland, for instance, used to be basically a third world country in the mid-19th century...

[@pugdad2555]

You gotta do what they do and start raping another country of their resources. Imagine if these "rich" countries actually paid the people in your country instead of the current warlord for your country's resources.

[@the_rohano]

@@pugdad2555 Your indoctrinated idea of why Africa is a mess saddens me... The African countries have more than enough resources, it's the short term thinking of the ruling class due to their own inability to foresee or plan for the future that causes the corruption and exploitation rampant in the continent. Same as in most countries, those in power keep their power by ensuring the masses remain stupid or distracted. The lack of proper government with an actual interest in growing their nation is the problem, some of which stems from white colonialism exploiting these countries and enforcing forms of government that tribal kings still cannot comprehend, but mostly it's due to leadership concerned only with themselves and their direct kin in spite of those they govern over. Affirmative action to the political majority. Social grants for having children instead of working. Corruption in every level of government. Complacent people who shrug when notable amounts of foreign relief funds are stolen, not a single person in need receiving a cent. Public displays of racism towards an ethnic minority taught to children during political rallies. ... The list can go on, all which can be fixed with actual effort and willingness, but that's not the plan for African dictators.

[@fredflintstoner596]

Mrs Richards: "I paid for a room with a view !" Basil: (pointing to the lovely view) "That is Torquay, Madam ." Mrs Richards: "It's not good enough!" Basil: "May I ask what you were expecting to see out of a Torquay hotel bedroom window ? Sydney Opera House, perhaps? the Hanging Gardens of Babylon? Herds of wildebeest sweeping majestically past?..." Mrs Richards: "Don't be silly! I expect to be able to see the sea!" Basil: "You can see the sea, it's over there between the land and the sky." Mrs Richards: "I'm not satisfied. But I shall stay. But I expect a reduction." Basil: "Why?! Because Krakatoa's not erupting at the moment ?"

[@kelvinpraises]

"It's in your seflish best interest to invest in your people." kurzgesagt History Scope

[@johnmaris1582]

Just like any investment, it doesn't guarantee return. So it is in your selfish best interest to choose whichever investment you see fit. That investment doesn't have to be in "your people".

[@JimmyRaab]

Please show this to the US... being more social doesn´t mean to become more communistic. Prevent poverty is actual making you rich ;)

[@sithlord5149]

A lot if people see poor as lazy an unmotivated which comes from the poor guy becoming rich with hard work and effort

[@GidzPaul]

You’re right.. Capitalism with social programs is the way.

[@Schmidty1]

@zee Social democracy of Scandinavia is the opposite of free market capitalism. Free market laissez-faire capitalism has never worked in the long term

[@dristmist7401]

Just mentioning the word socialism scares the shit out of americans.

[@dristmist7401]

@zee true, but with Scandinavia as the example, it can be used to improve a lot of things in a country. Like with all things it must be used with moderation. There's many shades of grey between black and white.

[@asbjo]

The Ross Scott reference earned you an instant subscription :D

[@PrinceWalacra]

The “secret” for being a rich country is taxing and investing the tax money in your people.

[@lealavaamalo4836]

Exactly, taxation is investment for the future.

[@romanski5811]

Do you oppose unnecessary violence toward animals or do you buy meat?

[@siyacer]

More like letting your citizens keep their earnings

[@romanski5811]

@@siyacer I agree. Taxation should be viewed like you're describing it.

[@suganthram7767]

What if the govt authorities decide to loot the taxes???

[@karamelx85]

This is so true.. I Lived in Norway for 10 years, moved there when I was 7 and now I live in Denmark where I got my education. Have a well paid Job, a house, two cars ,a beautiful Nordic Wife and two lovely Kids. Tax are High, but you still have more than enough money to enjoy life. One for all and all for one should truly be their MOTTO.. I always wonder why other countries don't do more for their citizens.

[@jasonlp4928]

18:32 Ross Scott jumpscare??? Subbed for the amazing taste (Ferengi reference too, plus all the knowledge).

[@ekos8282]

32:25 Well "peacefully" is little bit misleading since there was a civil war betweend reds and whites in finland. but then again workers were listened to in the end.

[@BRYCONIC]

As a person who grew up outside Richmond VA, THIS is exactly why i explain to folks we should not try to compare ourselves to Europe. Fundamentally the USA developed from very different circumstances. Proud to have some Scandinavian in me.

[@somethingandapie]

That's what she said!

[@lindareed8265]

We can still learn from other systems though. And the main reason the US has such inequality is because it was based on vicious, absolute inequality that we're still trying to undo. The sooner we leave behind the mentality of selfishness and bigotry, the sooner we can achieve something more like the Nordic countries.

[@BrageJohannesStyrvoll]

As a Norwegian, I have to point out that in 1814, we made our own law, and started the swedish-norwigian union. We actually didn't declare independance from sweden before 1905, and that was with a tiny war as well

[@_loss_]

You were initially annexed via treaty, then tried to fight a war with Sweden and failed, resulting in a personal union with Sweden where Norway got some sort of self-governance. The dissolution of the union had no war at all. What the hell do they teach you in Norwegian school?

[@ShubhamMishrabro]

24:39 this time period reminded me of rich people investing in tax havens to avoid paying taxes. You should do a video on tax havens in future. Right now there is a tax agreement going on between countries to reduce its impact

[@CutePuppy520]

This is a great idea. I have always been wondering how tax havens works

[@shubhsiddhartha9409]

after Finland got angry at history scope for adding them in the axis powers, he decided to make a video praising them

[@HistoryScope]

My gf did suggest removing Finland from the map a few times, though :D

[@libiroli]

Why were elites really forced to share wealth with farmers? At 2:51 you say "people could chop down some trees, build a boat and travel anywhere in the baltic..." but this seems like a big simplification? If elites wanted to control farmers sailing away, they would have. So why didn't they? What lead to a more balanced sharing of wealth from the start of industrialization?

[@marksawyer1522]

Great content as it always is. Explaining the topic in great detail but in a easy way to follow. People of all ages would find this enjoyable and educational at the same time.

[@edonovak9107]

Wow, this video makes me want to move to a nordic country even more than I already have

[@Pilsnor]

Feel free to come to Denmark, we need skilles labor in every category, so Im sure you can find something here 😊 if you are uneducated you can get the education you want here and stay 😊

[@eyvithorgeirsson6028]

As an Icelander who has lived a long time in Sweden, I would say that you’d probably be happier in Sweden. But feel free to visit Iceland, it’s probably one of the most beautiful countries in Europe, there’s a reason why there’s a booming tourism industry here.

[@ingislakur]

Come to Iceland =)

[@Pilsnor]

also iceland has the most iconic football (soccer) teams ever! I love iceland and know a few icelanders who lives in Danmark, sadly not alot of people are even aware that it was "danish" untill fairly recently, and is also a reason i think greenland could become independent if they want to go that way, but that is a whole other can of worms.

[@edonovak9107]

@@ingislakur I visited Iceland once, and it was my dream to move there :) however, with my income in Hungary, I would have to save up for a very long time just to be able to get started there :(

[@martinak8957]

I’m from Caribbean living in Iceland and wow! I love how their systems work here. It’s like butter!

[@thoughts4872]

They don't black people

[@Stopthehate7777]

It shows that they're not selfish, greedy, self-centred People. I take my hat off to them. Well done...if only other countries would learn from this outstanding Civilisation. It makes total sense to me.

[@XGD5layer]

The wars of the Nordics before the start of the 19th century beg to differ. We're lucky the circumstances developed this way.

[@XGD5layer]

@@Sn1zzle wait until I bring up the Vikings

[@CandleWisp]

​@@XGD5layerWait until I bring up Cain😅

[@sossololpipi9633]

@@XGD5layer a country did a bad thing in centuries past? how unheard of, it's not like every country's done that or anything

[@jannevellamo]

Norway is sitting on top of immense oil reserves, Sweden sold stuff to the Germans and the Allies during WW2. Finland isn't particularly rich, it just has a strict economic policy. Denmark is very fertile and it's surrounded by excellent fisheries.

[@Daijyobanai]

Britain and other countries also have oil reserves, but how they are managed and who benefits is a huge factor in why Norway is rich and the UK is currently on a spiral to poverty hell, and has always been poorer.

[@jannevellamo]

@@Daijyobanai Norway was smart enough to put its oil money into a special fund, in stead of dumping it all on the market, which would have caused the prices to skyrocket. The British oil money apparently went straight into the deep pockets of a bunch of fatcats, who made it disappear into offshore accounts and shell companies. The money probably still exists, but it's impossible to find and retrieve.

[@sarahfranco6802]

Thanks for the summary 😂

[@TheKyosanim62]

Denmark does have an excellent food sector, industrial companies and logistics, but the country has become so insanely rich over the last 25 years due to its world class pharmaceutical industry.

[@vwati]

17:54 ... That truth realization hit hard.

[@ilshyf]

Based on this video's interpretation, they ARE the true investors and the one who understands capitalism in the most balanced way. Everyone has a right to invest and to be invested and they implement this principle whenever it deems plausible and pay its due in financial AND symbolic way.

[@FjongFleron]

Yaaay! Another history scope video!

[@SimonRaahauge1973]

In Denmark we have a labour market education system, where workers are payed to upgrade their work skills, and not having to work at the same time. for example, if you work at a logistics center, you can take a course to become a qualified fork lift operator, thereby becoming a more valuble employee, and thereby secure your self a wage increase, without personal financial risks.

[@youtroop]

I miss a deeper analysis. What are the underlying human factors such as values? Comparisons with regions with similar geography would be helpful also.

[@HistoryScope]

Values are created by one circumstances. Hence why those circumstances were mentioned and how they led to the current wealth of the region

[@jrgenb8107]

Watching this as a dad in a paternity leave month 2/4 in Norway. I can confirm that our leave is great.

[@mekelius]

Yea we had a lot of independent farmers, but there was also a lot of rent-farmers, fieldhands and others who didn't own much and weren't in any way middle class. It's a really interesting question, and I think the different class structure definitely plays a part but I don't believe it fully explains the difference.

[@leanderfaurholt7118]

I like how u put the Kalmar unions flag as a way to illustrate the nordic region. It has been theorized if the kalmar union was still a thing it could be one of the most powerful unions on the planet simply cause of simmilar but powerful systems.

[@Arterexius]

Not just the systems. The cultural inheritance is similar too, as well as everybody being able to understand each others native tongue. On top of that, the businesses in each nation compliments each other and can encompass the needs for all citizens in the entire union, plus still being able to export abroad and the same goes for our resources. It's the number one unification that the EU doesn't want to happen and it's also the number one unification they're actively, although unknowingly, slowly working towards making. Something they should have seen coming with the united outcry of both Norway, Sweden and Denmark in regards to European minimum wage. And that's despite both Sweden and Denmark having strong worker union memberships, along with Norway not even being a full on member of the union. Yet they ignored the outcry, so now Denmark is looking into filing a lawsuit against the union, for breaking one of its own founding rules, which state that the EU cannot decide anything in regards to wages in its members own economies, which is exactly what the minimum wage decree does. So far Denmark have lost every lawsuit we've filed against the EU, so if we lose this one as well, I won't be surprised if Danish politicians, citizens and worker unions start talking about becoming a partial member, like Norway is. And Sweden would likely do the same

[@lucaeriksen]

@@Arterexius Sweden and Denmark made sure that Norway would never again join a union.

[@Arterexius]

@@lucaeriksen Norway is a part of NATO and a trading member of the EU. Norway just isn't a full on member of the EU, but the recent minimum wage directive from the EU, also have an effect on Norway, which is why both Norway, Sweden and Denmark heavily protested the minimum wage directive (and why Denmark now sues the EU at the ECJ for breaking the decrees put forth around the time Scandinavia joined the EU).

[@Arterexius]

@@lucaeriksen Oh, and I almost forgot about UN. Norway is a member of the UN too

[@lucaeriksen]

@@Arterexius nato is a defense alliance. Norway have agreements with the EU “EEA and EFTA” we are not a member of the EU.

[@Draktand01]

Thank you for contextualizing the Nordic systems of government with geopolitical and geoeconomic factors.

[@ADobbin1]

I don't know about finland or denmark but I've heard sweden has an incredibly high income tax compared to most western countries and so can afford a large social system while norway didn't waste the money they made from oil funding social programs like england did their oil money. They reinvested it for later use so now decades later they actually can have a decent social system.

[@viljakainu1548]

And Finland has higher tax rates than Sweden, even. Finnish households have been losing places in comparisons of net wealth, while Estonia has gone up quite fast due to their growth mindset. Sweden being able to afford the current system is a complicated question which hinges on being able to influence the non-European migrants so as to adopt Swedish values except for putting off having children. For Finland, the window of opportunity has gone. Only a few years ago the authorities revealed that there were 50% more 15-year olds than 1-year olds in Finland. So we are now afforded the chance to observe a Nordic welfare state entering the gemographic nosedive phase.

[@lealavaamalo4836]

Investing in children early is why these Nordic nations are successful. Longer parental leave. They got it right. Value investment in their people. Thank you for the video.

[@szakacsattila9985]

Well, that longer parental leave is nowhere close what you get in the mid/east part of Europe. My sister received 2 years of birth leave in Romania, and my wife got 8 months in Denmark.

[@BbBb-vd2sj]

As a Nordic person, I approve this message. Great video, thanks : )

[@Hi-lp7vp]

Which country? I am Swedish

[@peddfast]

For a channel named history scope, norway declared independence from sweden in 1905, and denmark in 1814.

[@petersvancarek]

Rule of acquisition 74: Knowledge equals profit (not power) I like this document, thank you.

[@robertturosik416]

This documentary was very informative. I can honestly say, as an American, I’m always worried about health care, and retirement. I would be just as happy as a Nordic citizen because they never have to worry about health care and retirement.

[@Bohosewdk]

I understand your worry. But let me ask you this: Would you be ok with paying roughly 50% of your earnings and maybe more, in taxes?! Pay 180% of what a car is really worth? If yes, then you'd be a happy northerner, If not, you haven't earned the right to healthcare and retirement. Everything you can buy in the US cost way more here. So in the end paying into a retirement plan and having proper insurance in the US, may end up being cheaper for you in the long run. But no-one ever tells americans that.

[@robertturosik416]

@@Bohosewdk I wouldn’t mind paying that at all. In fact I’m about to move to Canada.

[@Darca1n]

@@Bohosewdk You'd also earn more in most cases, be able to maintain better health since going to a doctor or dentist is affordable and this preventing future medical emergencies that may be more expensive, etc.

[@viljakainu1548]

If your retirement and old age -- with it's infirmities -- are still ahead of you, rest easily. The Nordic welfare model won't be around in the current form 20 years from now. It was a Ponzi scheme, and the birth rates killed it around 30-40 years ago. Save, invest, live somewhere with low taxes.

[@miak8103]

This is not the case anymore in Sweden… We pay a lot in taxes but still can’t count on to get what we’ve paid for! Sweden has forgotten how expensive property is!

[@thundershield]

Norway went from union with Denmark to union with Sweden in 1814. Got its own constitution snd parlament in the process. Norway declared independence ftom Sweden in 1905.

[@TheSimon253]

I really enjoy seeing the flag of the Kalmar Union used to symbolise the nordic region. It's probably a flag we should use more.

[@mattsmite8778]

It's used to symbolise Scandinavia, not the Nordics.

[@genericineverything7619]

I'd be interested to see an entirely new flag representing scandinavia as a whole The kalmar union flag doesn't really fit imo May be because of this whole "independence" thing that gustav vasa caused but yeah (It also kinda leaves finland and the sami in the dust)

[@teocikes621]

00:20 In this video Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia are still a thing. 🙈 I know this is a history channel but one would presume that 30 years would be enough to update the maps.

[@davidvandersterre]

Not being constantly at war with neighboring countries (or at all) has also played a large role I think.

[@guseppe6934]

Wat een geweldige oprechte channel is dit. Zeer informatief. 👌🏾👌🏾👌🏾

[@Nabium]

There are certain factors here not discussed. It's not a huge criticism, as I'm sure a short video like this never had the intention of being too complicated for viewers to hang on to. But, I'm gonna throw out there another factor important for Nordic success. Which is religion. This has three aspects; first it's Lutheran protestantism. People interested in economics will already have seen theories showing why protestant European countries are more successful than Orthodox and Catholic. The emphasis on work ethics is more valued in Lutheran countries. We even see that today, where the Nordic countries have programs directed on getting unemployed people back to work, programs which I have seen been dismissed in Britain and France as being "effectively slavery" because they force unemployed people to work without getting paid just for the the potential of maybe getting a future job. On this I must admit France and Britain are more humane than the Nordic countries, but it's a good example of how Lutheran work ethic influenced the Nordic cultures. You can also see the Lutheran aspect in America, where loads of different versions of Christianity exist. In America the Lutherans are considered a little more progressive and a little less judgemental than other denominations that exist side by side. Another aspect is the late arrival of Christianity. Christianity is a lot of things, but one of the most important things in European history is the ability to control the thinking of huge masses of people. Monopolization of truth. But with the exception of some Eastern people like the Lithuanians and Ossetians, Christianity came pretty late to the Nordic region. By the time it came, institutions had already been established. Like the Norse/Viking tradition of Things; which were meeting places where societal and political issues were being discussed by the public. A lot of these practises disappeared, like woman being equal to men in inheritance issues or allowed to divorce at will. But they came back quicker to the Nordic countries than any other European region, because the seeds were already there from the values and institutions that they inherited from the pagan Norse culture. Third aspect is the lack of religion. We think of this as a modern secular thing and all Europeans were Christian before. Which is a true generalisation. But even back when the Nordic were religious, they were always a little less. There were witch trials, but the scopes were less severe. There were persecution of other faiths, but, seeing how Sami religion survived to modern age it wasn't as effective. Cursing and premarital sex were not as big taboos in the Nordic countries. Religion just didn't permanate the society as much, even though it definitely did hold control, it just wasn't as strong of a grip. Which is why today, the Nordic countries are among the most secular and irreligious in the world. This lack of religion has freed the people and allowed them to think freely, with values of humanism and progressivism before tradition and concervativism.

[@-cj-3729]

Norway might have declared their independence in 1814, but they didn’t get it before 1905. Norway was ceded to Sweden from Denmark in 1814, forced by England.

[@_loss_]

Forced by the winners*

[@plasmavox]

The Nordic countries, the Netherlands and Switzerland are the places to be. What do they share? A strong sense of community, with a goal of a healthy, happy and liberal society in mind.

[@johncoyne5754]

Just say that you want a hive-mind and your willing to sacrifice people on the altar to achieve it

[@StillRooneyStarcraft]

@@johncoyne5754 Nordic countries are still very individualistic. Just look at how far they stand from each other at bus stops 😂

[@ChrMuslimThor]

@@johncoyne5754 ah yes, I forgot that I can't think for myself or have my own opinions. Go be a Russian trollbot somewhere else.

[@johncoyne5754]

@@StillRooneyStarcraft I tried but I couldn't find anyone at the stop

[@johncoyne5754]

@@ChrMuslimThor Wow you got two of the most popular fallacies in one reply! The classic straw-manned argument where you falsely characterize and misunderstand what someone else's point. And then the "if someone disagrees with me they must be a Russian troll" shield. The irony of you saying you can't think for yourself here is too rich.