How could Sweden become a great power?

paxau

I know that there are a few Swedes on this forum and i think that most of them (including me) probably would like a greater Sweden or a Swedish Empire.:D

So I'm asking under which circumstances could there be a Swedish Empire as strong as the UK or Germany?
 

ljofa

Climate would be a major factor - say the period of global warming between 500 and 1000CE goes on for another 500 years. Sweden (and the other Nordic nations) are able to sustain a larger population and continue to expand rather than consolidate.
 

Chengar Qordath

Sweden was a quite strong regional power up until the Great Northern War, so moving them up to Great Power status probably would not be that hard. As others have suggested if Gustav Adolf II succeeds in his plans to turn North Germany into a Swedish-led protestant confederation that would go a long way towards fulfilling the goal. Denmark probably also needs to fall; control of the Skagerrak, Kattegat, and Oresund would allow Sweden to control the Baltic trade and substantially increase their power.
 

Grimm Reaper

As late as the Napoleonic Wars Sweden might have succeeded in uniting all of Scandinavia so if that actually happened then Sweden includes Iceland, Greenland, Faroes, Denmark, Finland, Norway AND Schleswig-Holstein unless Prussia goes for the two southern provinces.
 

paxau

Thanks everyone for your opinions on this matter.:)

I personally think that the key to much of our (Sweden) history is separate events.
For example: what if Gustaf Adolf II doesn't die at Lützen but of natural causes.:):rolleyes:

So i propose that if we change the most important event in Swedish history we can establish a Swedish Empire.:D
So can everyone please propose which 3 events in Swedish history that is the most important.:confused:

Here's my 3 most important events of swedish history.
1.Gustaf Adolf II dies at Lützen.:(
2. Håtuna Games and Nyköpings Banquet. (They are connected.) Sweden was almost in a civil war those years.:mad:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Håtuna_games
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nyköping_Banquet
3.
The Swedish loss at Poltava 1709.:(
 

Keenir

Banned
my vote goes to: union with Russia, which results in the Rus' elements of society being lost in favor of more Swedish elements.
 

Firestorm

Successful Swedish colonies in North America or Australia would help. Sweden actually did have colonies in the New World for a short period of time.
 

Fabilius

Firestorm said:
Successful Swedish colonies in North America or Australia would help. Sweden actually did have colonies in the New World for a short period of time.
Click to expand...

Weren´t they in the New York area before the Dutch took over?:p

In any case, a kalmar union under a Swedish leadership would do the trick. United Scandinavia perhaps winning a war against Russia and taking some land in north Germany could be the most powerful nation in Europe.

Edit: Sorry, don´t mean Russia, I mean winning in the 1500s against Muscovy and preventing Russia from uniting. From that point on, Sweden can dominate the baltic.
 

Fabilius

Fatstalin said:
Actually, they were located in present-day Deleware but were indeed taken by the Dutch in the mid-17th Century.
Click to expand...

Thanks, it´s very funny. Do you know if any Swedes stayed in the dutch colonies or even when the british came?

Edit: Naaah, seems the british threw them out.
 

Max Sinister

Banned
How much coal is in Sweden / Scandinavia?

Seriously, I wonder what'd happen if Gustav Adolf managed to break the HRE and form a Protestant federation with all the German states, led by Sweden including all of Scandinavia.
 

paxau

One interesting thing is that it actually was a Belgian king who took the initiative of colonizing Congo what if it was a Swedish king who took that initiative.
 

paxau

Archdevil said:
Well, it didn't exactly turn Belgium into a great power.

That POD is a bit late I think.
Click to expand...

I think that Sweden would benefit more from having colonies in Congo because Sweden have a lot more potential to become a great power than Belgium.:)
 

Dr Pervez Hoodbhoy

Banned
A personal union with Poland-Lithuania in the 1590s would be an even better starting point. But you have to solve the whole Catholic-Lutheran thing.
 

zoomar

Archdevil said:
Well, it didn't exactly turn Belgium into a great power.
Click to expand...

It does raise some interesting questions. Is there any way to speculate on what sort of colonizing power Sweden would have been? If Sweden was able to to establish substantial colonies in Africa, South Asia or the Americas in the 16th-18th centuries, what would be their purpose? Because of the small population of Sweden, I would imagine trade and resource exploitation, rather than settlement of excess population. Would this put Sweden on a collision course with Britain, France, or Spain? Perhaps such conflicts could could create a completely unexpected trajectory for Sweden, especially if they were able to win one or two.

I think Sweden's best route to great power status would be, as others have observed, becoming a continental power based on union/dominion over protestant north Germany, the Baltic states, Norway, and Finland. If they could manage to conquer all the Baltic coast, Russia (or part of it) might easily become subservient. They were oh, so close, but lost their nerve.
 
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