The North Will Rise Again! A Sweden AAR

[jackelgull]

Hi, this is my first AAR in a long time, so please go easy on me.

Some notes: I used savescumming in this game alot, so if that bothers you well, sorry. I also used some mods, one is my own personal mod that tweaks the AI economic performance so it builds more construction sectors if it has money in the investment pool, which helps midsized and smaller powers alot, and also adds more resources to Africa and Asia so it's possible to industrialize as a backwards nation in those regions, and also cause the world could use more resources. The others are Additional Production Methods which give farms a bunch of new PMs and lets canneries use meat and fruit instead of just fish, Complete Pop List, Plantations can use Fertilizer and Tools and Theresa's Communist Overhaul mod which adds some new laws to the economic system law category and makes all the laws in the economy section create institutions. None of them make the game easier neccessarily, I just think they're fun.

Anyways let's begin shall we?

Economy:

The year is 1836 and Sweden isn't doing too hot. With a GDP of a whopping 3.7 million, our economy is about the size of Belgium or Bavaria. Our frst order of business is to build more tooling workshops and iron mines, as well as more construction sectors. In anticipation of this, the capitalists in our nation are building a furniture manufactory to chase our people's demand for chairs they can sit on and ponder the meagreness of our existence.

Technology:

Our first order of business is researching atmospheric engines, which will greatly increase our iron output and thus increase construction. However, this will require coal, and somehow I don't think our 8 coal mines in Skania will be sufficient for our needs ...

Government:

This is Johan Bernadotte, the current king of Sweden. A man who sees himself as part of the landed classes, he is an ambitious demagogue. Currently Sweden is ruled by a fairly conservative government made of the Landowners, the Church and the Armed Forces.

In order to meet his ambitions, the king is leaning on the Armed Forces to pass colonial exploitation. Plundering the riches of Africa to bring wealth and glory to Sweden is truly what the times call for! While his aims are not solely related to colonies abroad, the diplomatic situation in Europe is unfortunately not amenable to his other goals ...

Currently, there is a debate raging about the ethics of colonial exploitation, and as the king would like to say, why is it so wrong to make use of the riches the Africans themselves seem to have no interest in. The mineral wealth of the continent doesn't belong in the hands of those too ignorant of its value to extract it!

Diplomacy:

In the year 1836, Sweden much to everyone's shock, made a play for North Africa, trying to muscle in on the Spaniard's long standing trading rights and privileges within the kingdom of Morocco. The Spaniards were outraged, and lodged many diplomatic protests, but in the end, decided not to get involved in the field of battle against the Swedes.

A look at the Moroccan market:

A look at the Moroccan market reveals what the Swedes may have been thinking - with an abundance of cheap fabric, it would greatly benefit our burgeoning textile industry, and further more as it has no native luxury furniture production, it would be very helpful market for our luxury furniture

And of course, a port in Morocco would be an excellent stepping stone to our next conquest:

Benin, a prime piece of land in West Afica. With all the iron and coal a mid sized power could want. As well as sugar and dyes to feed our consumer industries. The children yearn for the mines, and the Swedes, well the Swedes yearn for the fruits of imperialism.

 

[jackelgull]

Coming back in 1840 and let's see the state of the nation:

Construction:

We are happily plodding away at getting some textile mills running as well as another tooling workshop.

State of the economy:

With a GDP of 5.4 million, we're now at the same level as Portugal or Mexico. We're really moving up in the world aren't we?

Government:

The former king Karl Johan Bernadotte died, and with the ascension of his son, a new more liberal cabinet has been formed ... Although given the fact that the leader of Intelligentsia is an authoritarian I somehow doubt this will be too liberal, and furthermore, Oscar Bernadotte is a romantic styling himself in the fashion of the Enlightened Despots of the past. For now no great governmental reform shakes the realm, just a simple building of Swedish power.

Institutions:

A look at our institutions: We have colonial exploitation passed to immediately take advantage of our rpize in Benin. Also the economic management institution is cause of the Communism overhaul mod I mentioned. This is what you get for having interventionism.

Diplomacy:

The war to reassert Swedish hegemony over Denmark is an example of the capricious and shifting nature of European Diplomacy in the aftermath of the concert of Vienna. In 1836, when Swedish diplomats had floated this idea, the Austrians, the French and the British had protested in the strongest of terms even threatening war (I savescummed after a day 1 war for Denmark didn't workout). In 1840 however the diplomatic winds had shifted quite a bit. The Austrians no longer held an interest in the fate of Schleiswig Holstein after shifting their diplomatic efforts in other areas, and the British while wary of the Swedes rising ambitiions decided they much prefered them to the Russian and the Prussians. But the bigget diplomatic shift of all was the French, who had gone from seeing the Swedes as a country that must be contained to a natural ally. This shift was a result of the treaty of Casa Blanca 4 years ago, in which the Moroccan king signed over all sorts of commercial rights and privileges to Sweden and granted them exclusive use of the port in Casa Blanca. Sweden had France mediate the treaty in their official capacity as "the suzerain of North Africa" thus validating the French position, and undermining the Spanish one. The result was that Sweden made a friend of the French and an enduring enemy of the Spanish. Thus when the Spanish tried to interfere with Swedish hegemony in Scandanavia, the French were willing to step in and humiliate them. In this way conflicts over the colonies in Africa were to begin to spill over to affairs in Europe.

Now let us look at the military heroes of the reunification of Scandanavia:

The commander of Sweden's small but capable navy is one Carl Nordenskiold. A man who's father was a minister, Carl grew up believing in the moral authority of the Church, and that perhaps God before King was what was needed for Sweden. Luckily his political ideas are a minority. He is an experienced naval commander and an ambitious man, surely he will drive off any Spanish fleet attempting to disturb our shores.

Axel Morner on the other hand, the commander of Sweden's professional military is a career officer, and a royalist. However, despite his years in the army he doesn't seem to be a very good general. But nevermind, one works with the generals one has, and not the ones they wish they had. Perhaps he is simply here because the former king liked his royalist politics, but he is commanding the Swedes, the best soldiers in the world! He cannot fail (plus the French will probably be doing most of the work but don't tell the Swedes).

Researching Percussions caps so Sweden can build up its own supply of ammunition and maintain skirmish infantry

 

[HistoryDude]

First of all, no one cares if you savescum or cheat, especially if you do it for narrative or RP reasons.

Let's hope that Sweden can reunify Scandinavia.

Going after North Africa as a country in Northern Europe is an interesting strategy, considering that Swedish ships would have to cross vast distances to get there. I suppose they could get away with sailing around Britain and through the Atlantic...