The
flag of Sweden or the Sveriges flagga in Swedish has a color combination of blue with a yellow Scandinavian cross that extends the whole breadth of the flag. This color arrangement is believed to have been culled from the present coat of arms of Sweden devised in 1442 that of blue with a cross pattee of gold and patterned after the Danish flag. Blue and yellow has been the color of Sweden, dating back to at least king Magnus Birgersson's royal coat of arms of 1275.
Sweden has always maintained a policy of armed neutrality that is why it never was drawn into war for the past two centuries. For the moment it has managed to keep unemployment at an all time low; Sweden has probably the lowest birthrate registered among countries in the world; and the lifestyle of its residents has raised life expectancy to be the world's highest.
Success for Sweden has been attributed to the correct blending of socialism and capitalism, particularly relative peace in the labor front as cooperation between the government and labor union had been maintained. The labor unions in Sweden represents 90% of workers and to address labor unrest, the government levied high taxes to finance advanced social programs from education to health and child care and even subsidizing paternal leave.
But, this has not been always the case, Sweden had also its share of economic problems. During the 80's, immigrants from Asia, Africa, Latin America joined the Swedish utopia that further put strain to an otherwise expensive social programs that led to cutbacks in 1991. Only stringent economic controls in 1994 eased the situation and by 1998 it has manifested signs of finally having a turnaround.
by:
The Flagman
