Nils Hasselmo, president of the University of Minnesota, discusses the differences between Swedes and Norwegians. Hasselmo states that a once tense relationship is now a much more fun rivalry.
Nils Hasselmo, president of the University of Minnesota, discusses the differences between Swedes and Norwegians. Hasselmo states that a once tense relationship is now a much more fun rivalry.
SPEAKER 1: What are these differences between the Swedes and Norwegians? You look all the same.
SPEAKER 2: Well, I think that this may sound heretical, but I think we are probably pretty much the same too. But so are Minnesotans and Iowans, and I have noticed that there is a certain amount of rivalry between those two groups too.
SPEAKER 1: But that's just joking around, isn't it?
SPEAKER 2: Well, the Swedish-Norwegian relationship, of course, is also a lot of joking around now, although over the past 1,000 years it has had more serious aspects to it.
SPEAKER 1: Why did the-- seriously, why did the-- why have those tensions developed? What happened over the years to cause the rift between the Swedes and Norwegians?
SPEAKER 2: First of all, I would say over the last 1,000 years, the tensions have gotten considerably less. And Norway was part of Denmark, related to Denmark for many, many years. As a matter of fact to 1814. And Sweden and Denmark fought continuously for several hundred years about who was going to have the upper hand in Scandinavia.
And there were lots of actual warfare along the Swedish-Norwegian border at that particular time, but where the border went was very much in dispute. And I happen to have grown up just six miles from the Norwegian border, so I am very much aware of the fact that whether you're a Swedish or Norwegian, there is a matter of some dispute and kind of historical accident rather than any real differences.
Then in 1814, Denmark fought with Napoleon and Sweden was allied with the English. And as you may recall, the English actually got the upper hand. And after the peace treaty, the Danes were going to be punished and the Swedes are going to be rewarded.
And as a result, Norway was taken away from Denmark and was to be given to Sweden. The Norwegians, of course, did not want to be that kind of want to be that kind of a pawn. So they declared themselves independent in 1814, but were forced into a union with Sweden that lasted until 1905 and then was peacefully resolved.
But it left some lingering resentments as the Norwegians were trying to establish their national identity and their national independence. And the Swedes during the 19th century were certainly seen as an obstacle because the union was probably pretty one sided in favor of the Swedes at that time.
SPEAKER 1: But briefly, the rivalry here has been-- is more fun now than serious.
SPEAKER 2: It really is very much in that vein. And if you look, for example, at intermarriage among Swedish and Norwegian immigrants, you see that they marry each other much more than they marry any other groups. So I think Swedes and Norwegians basically recognize that they are very much the same, but--
SPEAKER 1: Thanks [INAUDIBLE].
SPEAKER 2: --they also enjoy having this friendly rivalry.
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