ABSTRACT
Within Scandinavian historiography political Scandinavianism has been written off as a romantic movement, its supporters as idealists and its goal as utopian. The prime example hereof has been the events surrounding the Danish defeat in the Second Schleswig War in 1864. By examining the ideology, the policies and the practical politics of the Scandinavianists prior to, during and in the aftermath of the war, I will argue that this master narrative is wrong. This will be done by combining an analysis of the period's nationalism, international relations and high politics. The first two show that political Scandinavianism was shaped by the so-called threshold principle, the Scandinavianist's approach to international relations was a realist one, and that there were windows of opportunity for a Scandinavian union in 1864.
