Scandinavian defence union
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A Scandinavian defence union that would include Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark was planned between the four countries after World War II. Finland had been fighting against two of the superpowers of the time, Denmark and Norway had been occupied by Germany between 1940 and 1945, and Sweden, while having escaped the horrors of occupation and war, had still felt the effects of the war. All four countries were unanimous that a united defence would be of utmost importance to prevent a repetition of the terrors that a new war would bring, even if the specific details of the nature of the union would have to be negotiated.
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[edit] The position of Finland
Finland, which had fought two wars against the Soviet Union and one war against Nazi Germany, had close relations with the other Scandinavian countries. After the Continuation War where the Soviet Union forced Finland to sue for peace, but failed in its goal of conquering and annexing the country (in a manner similar to the Baltic States), Finland became neutral and retained democratic government and market economy. However, as the country shared 1300 kilometers of border with USSR, the position of the Soviet Union could not be ignored in Finnish politics. Regarding the Finnish membership in the Scandinavian defense union, far reaching discussions on state-level were made with the other candidate countries. These discussions were abruptly ended, when Sweden made a specific requirement, that approval from the Soviet Union must be received if Finland is to join. The Soviet answer was bluntly negative and Finland stayed neutral. In 1948, Finland had signed the YYA Treaty with the Soviet Union, and according to the Soviet point of view, this agreement prohibited Finland's membership in any alliances that it could consider being of military nature, even in those created for defensive reasons. Interestingly, the YYA treaty did not stop the Soviet Union from creating the Warsaw Pact in 1955.
[edit] Norway and Denmark join NATO
The other three Scandinavian countries would, if they had entered into an alliance, have remained separate sovereign countries but acted as a single bloc in foreign policy and security issues. The proposed union was being discussed by a joint Scandinavian committee during the winter of 1948-1949, but the Cold War tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union, and preparations for a western alliance that would result in the North Atlantic Treaty proved that the efforts were in vain. When it became known that the western alliance would not be able to supply the Scandinavian countries with armaments before meeting their own pressing needs, this issue ultimately proved to be the turning point for Norway, which resigned from the talks. Denmark was still willing to enter into an alliance with Sweden, but the Swedes saw few advantages in this and the proposal fell. Norway and Denmark subsequently became signatory parties of the North Atlantic Treaty and members of NATO.
[edit] The basis of Swedish neutrality
Sweden chose not to join NATO, despite a fierce debate on the issue. One of the strongest proponents was Herbert Tingsten, editor-in-chief of Dagens Nyheter, the largest newspaper in Sweden, who used the editorial to argue why Sweden should join. He found a great opponent in the foreign minister of the time Östen Undén, who argued that Sweden should stay non-aligned and remain neutral in case of war. An aspect of this which is often ignored is the position of Finland. Had Sweden opted to join NATO, it seems likely that the Soviet Union would have been compelled to secure a more firm hold over Finland, which would have locked the country behind the iron curtain and created a frontline between NATO and the Warsaw Pact straight through the Baltic Sea. It may even seem odd that Finland, which prior to 1917 had been a part of the Russian Empire, unlike its neighbours the Baltic states had been left on the outside not only of the Soviet Union but also outside the Soviet bloc and the iron curtain. The position of Sweden as a member of the western world was not in doubt, but it could not, based on the choices it had made on foreign policy, join the western military alliance.
