Sweden

Product Description

Sweden is a synthesis of the natural & cultural wealth of all Scandinavia: immense forests, placid rivers & rushing streams, & the midnight sun over the empty fjords & white sandy beaches, & the ancient, nature-filled cities where a multi-racial population embraces tolerance & co-operation. Now that it is a member of the European Union, Sweden is a country in full transformation. Since Albin Hansson began to build a society based on wellbeing for all in the 1930s, many things have changed. The original & perhaps inimitable ' Swedish model' has adapted as much as possible but was unable to survive in the end. The welfare economy has changed & the society that grew up with it. Swedish industry requires a large market to stay afloat & that means Europe. Although most of the population is permeated by the ideals of the welfare state, they increasingly look to international customs & behaviour, fashions & culture. As in other Scandinavian countries, the cultural cement of an increasingly multi-racial society follows from common adhesion to traditional values: respect for state institutions, pride in the country's ancient & noble nation, & an unwavering love of nature. The natural environment is considered a national heritage or as a national 'genetic' inheritance. The immense forests, ice-covered lakes, slow-running rivers, romantic fjords & white sandy beaches are close to the heart of every Swede.