The Shortest History of Scandinavia

Shortest History

by Mart Kuldkepp

From the Stone Age to 'Scandimania – an illuminating journey through 14,000 years of Nordic history
Outsiders have long viewed Scandinavia as special, from the ancient Greek myth of a place 'where the Sun goes to rest' to the admiration held today for the region's universal welfare, equality and peacefulness. But the story of Scandinavia is also one of expansion and religious strife, of war and occupation, of famine and plague.
From the first peoples who followed the ice sheet north at the end of the last Ice Age to Viking expeditions, from Cold War bridge-building to ranking as the happiest nations in the world, Mart Kuldkepp masterfully charts the story of the wider Nordic region as he ranges from Finland in the east to Iceland and Greenland in the west.
As formerly neutral Finland and Sweden join NATO in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, this timely history untangles myth
from reality, exploring the region's geopolitics and asking whether life in Scandinavia is quite as hygge as it might seem.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

278 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 3, 2025

Reviews

[Marie Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Comprehensive and effective starting point for any curious of Scandinavian culture and history. The prose was easy to follow as well as the historical explanations.

I particularly enjoyed the sections on the Kalmar Union, the birth of the “Scandinavian exceptionalist”welfare state and the Nordic European integration. The part about Norway’s independence from Sweden in 1914, known as the only bloodless successful independence movement is quite fascinating actually (I didn’t know it had happened this way). The book was filled with many fun facts ranging from musicians, artists, scientists but also some about the royal families of Scandinavia (particularly the Bernadotte dynasty in Sweden).

All in all, lovely book to learn more about the region, I’d really recommend!

[Kaupo Lepasepp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Skandinaavia ajaloo ülevaade kompaktses ja ülevaatlikus vormis, fookuses erinevate riikide võrdlev ja seostatud areng samadel perioodidel. Sobib nii algajale teemasse sisenemiseks kui ka teadjale muidu killustuma kippuva teadmise raamistamiseks. Ladusalt kirjutatud, ja tekkib veel palju teemasid, mida tahaks edasi uurida-lugeda.

[Stewart Monckton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent short history - although the central sections of the books is so very dense with the names of kings etc that I found it hard to keep track of who was who. Some form of graphical representation of this period would have been good in my opinion.

Scandinavia is not all good news - even in its modern form, so I liked this book as it felt balanced.

SM

[Ryan Harris · Rating 3 out of 5]

My main takeaway from a book about the history of Scandinavia was that Australia should align with the European Union and Canada. Bring on the free trade deal!

Notes:

Thinking about US going crazy and China being non-democratic, can the EU rival them as economic powers in terms of leading the world? As an Australian, I’d rather be aligned with the EU than the US right now. Carney's speech at Davos seems to have had a massive impact. 'A rupture, not a transition.'

*

Not a particularly interesting or revelatory book but so easy to read that it just felt relaxing.

Quotes:

But the closer we are to the present day, the harder it is to see clearly which events are of major historical importance, and the easier it is to get lost in the minutiae of detail. Still, what we know is that the contemporary Scandinavian states are some of the happiest nations in the world, frequently topping rankings for gender equality, environmental sustainability, participatory democracy and more. To some extent, their success is a product of a long series of coincidences.
Yet it has also been determined by the actions and decisions of Scandinavians themselves, always active agents in their own destiny.

[Hamid · Rating 3 out of 5]

A brief work that boldly attempts to take a serious look at an interwoven Scandanavian history from beginning to now.

I found this very readable, fast-paced but naturally thin. I kept finding myself looking back at interesting events or characters that were breezily discussed, for example, Johann Struensee. Tantalising stuff. I also feel that the book was too inward-looking. There's hints at Scandinavia's impact on the world, in mentions of various authors, Alfred Nobel or a very late mention of ABBA. But most of Scandinavia is told firmly in European terms. So you end up with little to nothing about the Rus or various baltic settlements, the service to the Byzantines, interactions with Arabs and Muslims etc.

Saying that, the book has served its purpose as an introduction. Various topics of interest have been noted. Sadly, the suggested bibliography at the end of the book isn't comprehensive (though it does note some interesting works). It's a good first step for a reading of the region.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book, including the writing style with its clarity and conversational tone. Considering the time span and subject matter, there is an astonishing depth of information in what is actually a relatively concise book. The book was very even-handed with each era and country treated equally with no undue emphasis on one or another. The book is mostly well-paced but at times I felt it was too detailed, yet, it was still difficult to put down. This is a great introductory book for anyone interested in the history of Scandinavia. Thank you to Netgalley and The Experiment for the advance reader copy.

[Megan Craddock · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Thank you so much to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the chance to review an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

Like the other shortest history books, Kuldkepp gets right to the point, highlighting aspects of Scandinavian history. As the title alludes to this is meant to be an easy read introducing and giving a basic overview of the history of Scandinavia, if you are looking for in-depth this is not for you. For me this was the perfect amount. Just enough to answer basic questions and to give me an idea of other aspects I might want to read more about later. The pace is easy to follow which keeps the reader engaged and interested. I highly recommend this book!

[Leon Spence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not the best of the 'Shortest' books (for me Sheila Fitpatrick's history of the Soviet Union ticks that box), but nevertheless extremely accessible as a high quality primer for someone with just a little knowledge.

The author expertly outlines how Scandinavia has become a group of highly developed, progressive and, most importantly, happy countries that could clearly not have arrived at that point without their fair share of failures (regional imperialism) and the (dis)advantages of geography.

As ever the Shortest series is an excellent place to go to build knowledge.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Parte da premissa que existe uma unidade linguística e cultural de uma história partilhada e nem sempre pacífica, permeada por períodos de concórdia e discórdia entre 5 países que formam a Escandinávia: Dinamarca, Suécia, Noruega, Finlândia e Islândia. É estimulante comparar Portugal com estes países, que são alfabetizados há 500 anos, têm matérias-primas e fontes de energia e proximidade aos grandes centros comerciais e políticos europeus, e que conseguiram criar consensos para a implementação de políticas públicas bem-sucedidas, mesmo que cada vez mais postas em causa.

[Patrick Tullis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the 4th book in the “Shortest History” (the others being Japan, Italy, and France), and the Shortest History of Scandinavian is the least interesting of the four. There are some interesting chapters, yet my main critique is that the book comes off more as a list of events that happened. There are times the author explains or adds commentary on certain events. Those are the best parts of the book. Overall it’s a mixed bag. Check it out if you are interested in a short read about this area of the world.

[Shiny Ruins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mart Kuldkepp's Shortest History of Scandinavia is a robust introductory primer on the history of the region. Informative and well-mapped out, it is an excellent starting point if one wishes to learn the history of the region. It balances the need for brevity (which is a feat unto itself) with explaining important events/figures without feeling rushed.

All in all, as someone who knew very little history of the region, I found this very helpful.

[Jarrett Connolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

I mean what you see is literally what you get. A spark notes version of the entire history of the Scandinavian people and civilizations. It does a really good job of it too and doesn’t eliminate too many details to keep in line with its gimmick. I think this would be a great first read to someone getting into the history of Scandinavia.

[Alana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent research and clear explanations of political, cultural and world events impacting Scandinavia. Enveloping 5 countries into one book was hard for me to follow at times (was it Norway or Sweden who signed what agreement, which led to ... , etc?) and I only skim read a lot of it.

For readers more focussed than me, this would be an excellent resource.

[Keith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rather dry

[Luke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Broad-reaching and insightful, but a little dry and there are a couple of mistakes. Overall, a good introduction to Nordic history.

[Allan Aksiim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lühike ja ülevaatlik, samas paratamatult pinnapealne. Eestikeelses tõlkes mitu häirivat kirjaviga.