Denmark
Denmark As one of the oldest states in Europe, Denmark has not only witnessed many great philosophical, religious, and literary periods that were experienced all around the globe, but they also contributed immensely. Beginning with the Viking Age, Denmark arose as a historically significant state in Europe around 800 AD (Samuelsen). Despite experiencing many secular and nonsecular changes over the centuries, Denmark has developed a rich culture and globally respected name. Today Denmark is an internationally recognized dominion, know for everything from fabulously low unemployment rates to sleek and modern arcitulutal design (Badenhausen).
Emerging in the 9th century, Denmark originated with the Viking Age around 800 AD; Christianity was introduced to Denmark in 826 AD (Samuelsen). Eventually, Denmark was a segment of the vast
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empire ruled by King Canute in the 11th century: the empire consisted of modern-day Denmark, England, Norway, Sweden, and Finland (Samuelsen). However, the empire disintegrated after King Canute’s death, but the country was restored as a European superpower in the 13th century by Valdemar II (Samuelsen). Margaret I, daughter of Valdemar II, conquered many great things during her rule over Denmark: she successfully joined two kingdoms- Denmark and Sweden- during her reign; she assumed power after the unexpected and early death of her son, Olaf II; and she linked three kingdoms through the Kalmar Union of 1397 (Samuelsen). Harrison 2 Unfortunately, the Kalmar Union loosely linked the kingdoms of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden through a personal agreement constructed under the Danish royal dynasty (Jespersen). The Union was used to make political decisions for the three kingdoms, however the measures decided upon by the assemblies rarely affected the customs and culture of the Scandinavian commonwealth (Jespersen). The final Danish dynasty to rule while the Union was in effect was Christian II; despite King Christian’s attempts to preserve the life of the Union, the Union officially died when the Swedish separatist movement hailed a new king of Sweden in 1523 (Jespersen). Despite the Reformation’s origin of 16th century Germany, the ideas of Martin Luther heavily altered the culture of Denmark and eventually lead to the Danish Reformation (Jespersen). King Christian III was ruler over Denmark when the country saw the death of the Catholic church and the birth of the Protestant church (Jespersen). The Danish Reformation was heavily aided by the works of Hans Mikkelsen and Christiern Pedersen, two Danish authors and journalists who pioneered the Danish translation of the Bible (Framtid). Denmark has also produced its fair share of incredible secular writers. Hans Christian Andersen, for example, was a remarkable storyteller and author; Hans wrote The Snow Queen, the fairy tale that inspired Walt Disney Animation Studio’s Oscar winning animated film Frozen (Guerrasio). Denmark’s celebrities have not only contributed to the Protestant Reformation and literary Romanticism movement, but they also arguably invented Existentialism (Salmon). Theologian and philosopher Søren Kierkegaard critiqued the Danish church system while unifying the relationship between existential conditions and the claims of religion (Jespersen). However, not all impactful Danes existed centuries ago: Jørn Utzon, Bille August, and Peter Høeg all made their contributions to Denmark’s international notoriety in the Harrison 3 twentieth and twenty-first centuries (Salmon). For instance, Jørn Utzon’s architectural talent has gifted the world with many wonders, including the Sydney Opera House (Salmon). Denmark has also produced Ole Kirk Christiansen, the creator of an ingenious, small-scale architectural wonder: Lego (Badenhausen). Perhaps the notorious Denmark lifestyle has contributed to the country’s staggering successfulness.
According to the Gallup World Poll, Denmark is the leader in daily positive experiences and at least half of Danes are thriving in both financial well-being and community engagement (Buettner). The key to their overwhelming happiness seems to be found in their ability to create time for self fulfilment; over ninety percent of Danes belong to a club geared toward a specific interest or hobby and more than forty percent volunteer for civic groups (Buettner). The self assurance and confidence experienced by Danes is not only encountered on an individual level, but by the country as a whole. Denmark has matured into a European economic superpower over the last decade despite the global recession of 2009 (Thompson). Denmark has also recently made great strides in the literary world too: Denmark publishes more books per capita than any other country in the world expect Iceland (Thompson). Undeterred by a relatively small population of only five and a half million, Denmark remains a well respected, globally recognized Scandinavian
superpower. Denmark’s success is not only contributed to by its people, but also its geographical location: in the heart of northern Europe (9). As part of the Jutland peninsula, Denmark is surrounded by neighboring countries with equally rich cultures, histories, and economies (9). The countries of Germany, Norway, and Sweden surround Denmark and create a superfluous economy by contributing approximately thirty-seven percent of Denmark’s exports and Harrison 4 thirty-four percent of the nation’s imports (9). Denmark shares a forty-one mile border with Germany which clarifies and explains Denmark’s strong German ties and influence; despite Danish being the country’s official language, the country’s principal tongue is German, and it is spoken by an estimated thirty thousand Danes throughout southern Denmark (9). Denmark’s relationship with Germany is often equated to the relationship that Canada and the United States shares: “near, numerous, not intentionally threatening” (9). Denmark’s vast coastline has created a wide variety of impactful opportunities for the country over the past thousand years from ancient, pillaging vikings determined to terrorize their way to power to medieval settlers tied to the coast by rich farmland and advantageous fishing to modern-day Denmark fighting the European Union tooth and nail for a permanent ban on foreigners from buying their coastal homes for vacation purposes (9). One of the most prominent parts of the Danish coastline also happens to be the nation’s capital, Copenhagen (9). Copenhagen not only accounts for twenty five percent of the Danish population, but Copenhagen is the governmental, administrative, economic, and cultural heart of the country (9). The capital city has become an internationally acclaimed transportation hub with a free port and a bustling airport (9). Denmark’s global contributions began in the ninth century and have continued to grow over the past thousand years. Beginning as roving Vikings that terrorized medieval Europe, Denmark has since blossomed into a society full of well-educated, well-respected authors, architects, and artists (Thompson). Today, the Danes have created a unique mentality that is globally envived. Seemingly everything about Denmark contributes to their historical significance and their modern successes, for example: offering government paid maternal and paternal leave, being Europe’s longest standing monarchy, and even their highly industrialized Harrison 5 economy (Buettner). In conclusion, Denmark is an internationally recognized and respected kingdom for a wide variety of advances in topics ranging from archaic literature and art to modern culture and policies. Harrison 6 Works Cited 1. Badenhausen, Kurt. “Denmark.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, Dec. 2017, www.forbes.com/places/denmark/. 2. Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Valdemar II.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 21 Mar. 2018, www.britannica.com/biography/Valdemar-II. 3. Buettner, Dan. “The Search For Happiness.” National Geographic, Nov. 2017, pp. 30–59. 4. Guerrasio, Jason. “The Story Behind the Story of Frozen | Disney Insider.” Oh My Disney, Insider, 15 Apr. 2016, ohmy.disney.com/insider/2013/07/30/the-story-behind-the-story-of-frozen/. 5. Framtid, Stiftelsen Skånsk. “The History of Scania in a Nutshell.” SSF - History Nutshel, www.scania.org/sidor/nutshell/eng_part01.htm. 6. Jespersen, Knud. A History of Denmark. Palgrave, 2018. 7. Salmon, Mark. Culture Smart! Denmark: Kuperard, 2012. 8. Samuelsen, Anders. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark. “Danish History and Culture.” Denmark in Ukraine, ukraine.um.dk/en/about-denmark/danish-history-and-culture/. 9. Thompson, Wayne C. Nordic, Central, & Southeastern Europe 2013. Stryker-Post Publications, 2013.
Vikings’ settling down in Iceland and Greenland were important reflection of Viking expansion and they caused Viking civilization to extend on these two islands. Vikings were people from Scandinavia. For many reasons, such as the authoritarian policies of Harald Fairhair (Paine, 2013), the geographical features that lacking of lands for agriculture but having abundant trees for shipbuilding, Vikings were forced to expand into the sea. The two locations’ providing Vikings with lands undoubtedly provided them more chances for surviving.
There’s so many different kinds of people who have had a huge impact on how and why we live our lives the way we do today. Some have even risked their lives by disobeying the law so they can accomplish what they feel is right, and some have made a difference even without putting their life on the line.Walt Disney was very influential to U.S culture in the 1950’s because a lot of major animated movies were released in this decade, the construction of Disneyland was started and finished and many other non-animated projects during this decade.
Folklores are stories that have been through many time periods. Folklore include Legends, Myths, and Fairy Tales. Legends are traditional tales handed down from earlier times and believed to have a historical basis. Myths are ancient stories dealing with supernatural beings, ancestors, or heroes. Fairy Tales are fantasy tales with legendary being and creators.
The media has been a part of the daily life of the American people for the longest time, because of this fact, the media influences the decisions and views of how people should live. One big part of the media that tends to start to develop a sense of how the day-to-day American should live is Disney. Since kids are the main source of Disney’s billion dollar industry children have become an important dimension of the social theory (Giroux 1999: 65). “Within this context, television emerges as a consumer-oriented medium that reflects advertisers’ desire to reach a young, upscale, and primarily White audience” (Goodale1999; Henderson and Baldasty 2003: 100). As a result other races and ethnic groups other than white Americans are often put aside when it comes to the social media view of how Americans should live.
Question 4: In a region as relatively prosperous as Western Europe, it can be difficult to deem one nation more successful than another. Collectively, Western Europe probably enjoys a higher level of well-being than any other region. However, upon closely examining the details of the political systems of Western European countries, it is evident that are benefits and drawbacks to every system.
By the sixteenth century, Europe had seen many changes in leadership, arts, sciences and lifestyle. Religion was the next area to make a transformation in European society. For centuries the Catholic Church had been the center of European religion until Martin Luther and John Calvin called for change. Luther and Calvin courageously spoke out against the Catholic Church to show that there were other ways to live a Christian life.
The Europeans heard many stories about other places in the world and the riches that they had. For example, kingdoms like Africa and Asia. The Roman Catholic church sent ambassadors on a mission to tell people about their religion and bring people to it but also realize that there were many people who lived in these areas so selling and trading things would benefit them. Which then gave them the opportunity to acquire new wealth in the busy area of Europe that they never knew about. They also wanted to expand after the black plague had occurred. The exploration led to discover the Indian ocean which worked as a bridge to exchanging. And around the Indian ocean came cities which self-governed. Being that the cities were dependent on each other
According to the Oxford dictionary, culture is defined as the customs and beliefs, art, the way of life and social organization of a particular country or group. The particular country will be America. The American culture is full of values that prides itself on individualism, equality, and control. American culture has its own set of cultural values but these values couldn’t have been shaped by themselves without the influence of other cultures and their way of life. For example, the Greek Culture has greatly impacted our language and government views.
In contrast to Denmark the USA society is made from vast diversity; diversity in class, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, geography and diversity in ideas. Despite of the clear differences between USA and Denmark societies what they have in common, or what all societies have in common, is that we are all humans. For this reason, we all have the same basic needs, like subsistence, protection, love, education, identity, full development of our personality, freedom, health and even leisure; witch should be protected over any other aspect in life. It is true that the economic system of Denmark, sound too good to be true, it is also true that this goodness has a price to be paid and this price is higher taxes. The money paid in taxes is returned to taxpayers as basic services which provided the entire society the fulfillment of their basic
Denmark is considered the happiest country, unlike the United States. However, with a few changes Americans can truly be happy. We need to start focusing on others, thinking of ways in which to help others. Be more family oriented, spending fewer hours in the office. We need to be content with whatever we have and less power-driven, trying to outshine the other person. Money is important but it should not be the driving force behind someone’s happiness. Happiness should not be about the how much money we have, the car we drive, or the house we live in or the expensive clothes and jewelry that we have it is about making others happy. This is clearly seen in how the Danes live their lives. If Americans started thinking this way people would be much happier. Happiness should be about giving back, making others happy and also savoring in whatever makes us
Since 1375 queen Margaret I. of Denmark fought to gain power in Denmark. At the back of her head she maybe had the idea of also the idea of reigning over the two other kingdoms, namely Sweden and Norway. It was a hard competition with reversals but in the end, she succeeded. The crown of Denmark was hers. In the period of 1375-1385 she also claimed the true power in the country for her son Oluf. When Margaret’s husband Haakon VI of Norway died in 1380, her son Oluf ascended the throne. After Oluf pass...
The culture of Denmark is both traditional and modern. Denmark is known for being the happiest country in the world and the Danes were considered to be the strongest and tallest of the Nordic tribes. It is not certain where the Danes originated from, but some believed they came from the southern part of the Scandinavian peninsula ("Denmark." Encyclopedia Americana). Most people in Denmark are Evangelical Lutherans (“Denmark” CIA World Factbook). The Evangelical Lutheran Church “is an institution with deep roots in Danish history, and people rally to it in times of grave crisis, such as World War II, but it is hardly a vital social force. It engages extensively in social work, however, and parish clergy still collect vital statistics for the state. Attendance at church services is extremely low” ("Denmark." Encyclopedia Americana). The Danish language is similar to Norwegian and Swedish and the Latin alphabet is most commonly used ("Denmark." Encyclopedia Americana). Education is very important to the people of Denmark and they are very lucky that the government provides them free education (Murphy). Beginning at the age of seven, children begin Folkeskolen, a primary school, where they learn math, history, geography, science, art, music, physical education, and religion ("Denmark." Encyclopedia Americana). They also study and learn Danish, German, and English languages (Murphy). After attending Folkeskolen for nine years, some students move on to high school and some choose a trade school ("Denmark." Encyclopedia Americana). Many adults also attend high school in Denmark to learn more about sports, history, culture, or literature (Murphy). The people of Denmark eat many of the same foods ...
Beyond these global trends, there are a number of trends unique to Denmark that have resulted to an increase in inequality. The decades leading up to the Great Divergence in Denmark have a significant relationship with how the economy would behave in the years after. During World War I, Denmark experienced a marked increase and abrupt decline in inequality due to a lack of economic preparedness for a drawn-out conflict resulting in a volatile market (Atkinson & Søgaard, 2016, pp. 283). Danish preparedness for World War II allowed for less of a major impact to the economy and a further decrease in inequality throughout the Great Compression. A major part of their fiscal policy after the war was the trend of rising marginal tax rates (Atkinson
In the Africa, lies the country Somalia, which is located on east coast of the continent. Its capital, Mogadishu, however has inconveniently brought its own problems, from colonization to politics, disagreements arise, causing tension throughout the country. Somalia’s historical background and culture ultimately lead to the war in its capital, it lead to the War of Mogadishu.
Norway is wrapped up in a blanket, it’s now 7:30- almost a full 12 hours since Iceland had found Denmark. And yet he still can’t pull himself out of his bed, his body is so numb. His head pounds. His eyes flutter shut and he wishes that this is all just a dream. But he knows whether he sleeps or not the reality is still there. Denmark is dead.