Norway: Life Above the Arctic Circle


Norway used to be one of Europe's poorest countries.  This was certainly true until after World War II, when the northern part of the country had to be totally rebuilt due to the Nazis' policy of total destruction as the German military made their retreat southward.  The Norwegian people showed a commendable national spirit of sharing the burdens of reconstruction, that "culture of equality" that I described in my previous blog.  Norway aligned itself with the other Scandinavian countries, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Iceland, in establishing a welfare state that provides a high quality of life to all, regardless of income.  That high quality of life is based on: free education through the university level, free healthcare for all, a highly developed public transportation system (roads, bridges, tunnels, trains, and this Hurtigruten water taxi service), and an extensive energy industry.