Little land: how Denmark’s history defines the nation today

It seems that one of the defining characteristics of being Danish is to feel you are a member of a small nation.

During the Viking and Middle Age periods, Denmark was a relative superpower, with territory spanning modern day Norway, south Sweden and northern Germany.

A series of failed military campaigns during the 1800s however meant that much of this land was lost, and my the 1860s, only a fraction was left.

Faced with a crisis, the remaining Danish population had to define what it now meant to be Danish.

They could no longer rely on the narrative that Danes were great warriors (after such humiliating losses on the battlefield) and so instead had to define what it meant to be Danish.

The result? A constitution and general psyche premised on tolerance, equality and co-operation.

To explore this story, and what this means for modern day Denmark, we speak with critical historian Asser Amdisen (who was behind this viral video of explaining the whole of Danish History in (almost) 1 minute).

He also brings in a critical view of Danish society today: saying how Danes think they are better than the stories they tell themselves.

Sam and Josefine discuss these points, and also bring in anecdotes of their own, such as the story of the Danish Protest Pig (pictured) that acted as a symbol of Danish resistance for the population when living under Prussian rule.

If you're interested in learning about Denmark's past, and how this influences the present day, then we hope this episode helps!

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This episode is sponsored by Talent to Denmark's "State of Denmark" campaign.

Denmark is actively looking to attract international talent to move to the country. If you're interested to learn more about jobs in (one of) the happiest countries in the world, head to www.state-of-denmark.com/wtd

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You can also learn more about What The Denmark on our website, Facebook and Instagram @whatthedenmark