The Nordic Secret

A European Story of Beauty and Freedom

How do societies go through major technological, economic and structural changes peacefully?

The ways in which Denmark, Norway and Sweden went from feudal agricultural societies to industrialized democracies were exceptionally peaceful. In the process, they climbed from the bottom of the European economy around 1860 to the very top as of the 1930s and have remained prosperous and progressive ever since. Finland made a similar journey after 1918 in just 30 years. They also invented Scandinavian design and are often ranked among the world’s happiest peoples.

The Nordic Secret explores how the Nordic countries invented a new kind of education, developed everybody’s potential and changed their fate. The inspiration came from Germany, France, Switzerland, the US, and the UK, and the transition began in a farmhouse.
As new technologies and globalization are revamping our societies again, what can we learn from the past and how can we approach human development and meaning-making in times of great change?