A thought. Historically, England and the Netherlands were horrified by the idea of either Sweden or Denmark gaining control of the Sound, since the Baltic was the source of naval supplies necessary to maintain their respective fleets. Hence the opposition to Sweden's attempt to conquer Denmark in the 17th century.
My question, then, is what would happen if there was a single Scandinavian state. Would its location give it weight out of proportion to its heft?
Would there be earlier development of American sources of hemp, timber, etc?