|
|
Post by MarshalBraginsky on Jan 1, 2018 3:02:32 GMT
I know I had made this thread much earlier in the now-defunct otherhistory site, but I needed new input to this topic.
Many althistorians that I've encountered have a big spot in their hearts for Sweden, due to its progressive nature, but recently it has become the center of controversy and that is all what's wrong with progressivism gone wild, hence its reputation as a left-wing utopia.
So with this in mind, how can Sweden become an actual communist dictatorship, with gulags and rather harsh and brutal crash course introduction to modern industrialization? With a PoD during the 1910s to the 1940s, how can the Swedes get a stronger communist movement that will result in Sweden becoming actually communist in everything instead of OTL where they're practically communist in everything but name.
|
|
|
|
Post by steve59 on Jan 1, 2018 19:11:53 GMT
I know I had made this thread much earlier in the now-defunct otherhistory site, but I needed new input to this topic. Many althistorians that I've encountered have a big spot in their hearts for Sweden, due to its progressive nature, but recently it has become the center of controversy and that is all what's wrong with progressivism gone wild, hence its reputation as a left-wing utopia. So with this in mind, how can Sweden become an actual communist dictatorship, with gulags and rather harsh and brutal crash course introduction to modern industrialization? With a PoD during the 1910s to the 1940s, how can the Swedes get a stronger communist movement that will result in Sweden becoming actually communist in everything instead of OTL where they're practically communist in everything but name. I would say strongly socialist but definitely not communist and I suspect most/all Swedes would vigerously object to the latter definition. |
|
|
|
Post by MarshalBraginsky on Jan 3, 2018 4:03:01 GMT
That might be the case, but Sweden's disturbing left-wing like behavior is something that most skeptics in the skeptic community often cite as an example of utopia gone wrong.
|
|
|
|
Post by Krall on Jan 3, 2018 6:04:09 GMT
That might be the case, but Sweden's disturbing left-wing like behavior is something that most skeptics in the skeptic community often cite as an example of utopia gone wrong. If this thread drifts into discussion of current politics it will be moved to the Political Discussion forum. If you actually want to discuss possible alternate scenarios you should avoid expressing these controversial political opinions and focus on the AH. |
|
|
|
Post by MarshalBraginsky on Jan 4, 2018 4:33:50 GMT
Apologies.
Back to the AH at hand, would a Swedish entry into WWI do the trick? Although having both Sweden and the Ottoman Empire into the war would have been a huge game changer for the Central Powers, it's a lot harder to find a good PoD that would allow Sweden to have a much stronger center-left to left-wing movement there.
Alternatively, the cheaper method and shorter scenario would have been for the Soviet Union to push on towards Finland in the Continuation War of 1944 (a northern "Bagration" that focuses on operations in the Baltic region rather than the push towards the Balkans and the Pannonian Plains). However, this would require for the Germans to play a much harder defense in the Ukraine and the Dnieper River region.
|
|
|
|
Post by steve59 on Jan 4, 2018 17:17:26 GMT
Apologies. Back to the AH at hand, would a Swedish entry into WWI do the trick? Although having both Sweden and the Ottoman Empire into the war would have been a huge game changer for the Central Powers, it's a lot harder to find a good PoD that would allow Sweden to have a much stronger center-left to left-wing movement there. Alternatively, the cheaper method and shorter scenario would have been for the Soviet Union to push on towards Finland in the Continuation War of 1944 (a northern "Bagration" that focuses on operations in the Baltic region rather than the push towards the Balkans and the Pannonian Plains). However, this would require for the Germans to play a much harder defense in the Ukraine and the Dnieper River region. I can't really see the latter. Even if Germany did a lot better, which really requires something happening to their greatest handicap, a certain Austrian, central Europe is so much more important than Scandinavia to the Soviets. Both in terms of its resources and population and in denying such to the western powers. Also it would mean leaving Berlin and the vast bulk of Germany to the western powers, which while expensive for them would be a big diplomatic swing. Also Sweden stayed neutral during the war, albeit at times swinging a little in the German favour. If you mean the Soviets conquering Finland and then pushing on into Sweden I think even the Americans would be deeply unhappy about that while Chruchill would be appoplective! I could see L-L being cut pretty much immediately, especially since the western powers would be paying the butcher bill in central Europe. |
|
|
|
Post by MarshalBraginsky on Jan 12, 2018 4:35:03 GMT
That is true, and 1917 still wouldn't be enough. Unfortunately I have no knowledge of Swedish politics from the late 19th century to the early 20th century.
|
|
