Finland
was united with Sweden from the early
Middle Ages until 1809 when it became a grand duchy of Russia.
At first the Romanov Dynasty respected
Finland's autonomy but Alexander III
pursued a policy of Russification of national minorities. This included
imposing the Russian language and Russian schools on the German, Polish
and Finnish peoples living in the Russian Empire.
After the
1905 Revolution in Russia Nicholas
II gave permission for the Finns to elect a parliament chosen
by universal suffrage of both sexes. A further period of repression
after 1910 stimulated growth in Finnish nationalism and taking advantage
of the breakdown of authority during the Russian
Revolution, the Finns proclaimed their independence on 29th July
1917.
Russia
lost all control over Finland after the new Bolshevik
Government signed the Brest-Litovsk Treaty.
In July 1919 Finland adopted a democratic and republican constitution.
Over the next few years Finland was involved in border disputes with
Sweden and with Russia.
Fascist
groups twice attempted coups in Finland during the 1930s but although
these were both put down, the government agreed to pass anti-communist
laws.
In the
late 1930s Joseph Stalin became concerned
about the Soviet Union being invaded from
the West. Stalin argued that Leningrad was only thirty-two kilometres
from the Finnish border and its 3.5 million population, were vulnerable
to artillery fire from Nazi Germany.
After attempts
to negotiate the stationing of Soviet troops in Finland failed, Joseph
Stalin ordered the Red Army to invade
on 30th November 1939. Adolf Hitler, who
also had designs on Finland, had under the terms of the Nazi-Soviet
Pact, was forced to standby and watch the Soviet Union build up
its Baltic defences.
Although
the advance of Soviet troops was halted at the Mannerheim Line the
Finns lost more that 20 per cent of their soldiers in three months.
In March 1940 the Finnish government signed a peace treaty in Moscow
that surrendered 16,000 square miles of territory to the Soviet
Union.
Although
the world was now aware of Stalin's shrewdness in foreign affairs,
Finland's small army of 200,000 men had exposed the Soviet Union's
poorly trained and equipped Red Army.
David
Low, First casualty (27th February, 1940)
(1)
Manchester Guardian (30th November,
1939)
Though
according to foreign reports the Red forces this morning launched
their promised "help for the Finnish people" against their
democratic Government - led by Socialists, the Kremlin's particular
detestation - the Russian people remained ignorant until late tonight
of the fact that their Government had involved them in actual warfare
with their tiny neighbour.
Speculation
on the soviet objectives in foreign quarters here turns on the question
whether the campaign will be pursued after the seizure of the Karelian
Ishmus, the islands in the Gulf of Finland, Hanko, and the northern
most peninsulas, which were demanded in the negotiations, or then
propose a peace, to be concluded with a new and more compliant Finnish
Government.
Certain
foreign quarters believe that the hostilities may serve as a justification
for the seizure of the Finnish copper and nickel mines, both of which
metals are solely needed in the Soviet Union. The production of Finnish
copper is largely exported to Germany, which took 12,000 tons in 1938,
but the nickel is controlled by a Canadian concession, and is exported
only from Petsamo.
(2)
Manchester
Guardian (1st December, 1939)
Russia
invaded Finland early yesterday morning, and at once began to try
to enforce submission by air attacks.
The Finnish
Government resigned early this morning. It is reported from Copenhagen
that Dr. Tanner, the Finnish Finance Minister, who was one of the
Finnish delegates to Moscow, will form a new Government to open negotiations
with Russia.
News of
the resignation came after the Russian threat, broadcast from Moscow,
that unless Finland surrendered by three o'clock this morning Helsinki
would be completely destroyed.
A representative
of the United States Legation in Helsinki sent the information of
the Government's resignation to the American Embassy in Moscow, which
is expected to communicate with the Kremlin.
M. Erkko,
the Finnish Foreign Minster, in a broadcast to the United States last
night, said "We remain ready to work for a solution of the dispute
by conciliation."
The Soviet
Government yesterday rejected the United States' offer of its good
offices in settling the dispute; the Soviet Government did not think
they were needed. Finland accepted the offer.
The invasion
of Finland without any declaration of war has cause the greatest indignation
throughout the world, especially in other Scandinavian countries and
in the United States, Italy, and Spain. In the House of Commons yesterday
Mr. Chamberlain made a statement on the invasion.
(3)
Anthony Eden, speech in Liverpool
(29th February, 1940)
Not Russia only but Germany also, bears a terrible responsibility
for what is happening in Finland at this hour. Hitler and Ribbentrop,
these men and their policies alone made Stalin's aggression possible.
Stalin is the aggressor in Finland, Hitler the abettor.
It seems
strange to think now how many hours I used to spend listening to the
present German Foreign Secretary when he was Ambassador in London,
when he used to expound to me, as indeed he did also in public many
times, the dangers and horrors of Bolshevism. He was never tired of
expatiating on this theme. Soviet Russia, this untouchable with whom
Nazi Germany could not sit down at a conference table, this leprous
thing, this cancer. Many a time the British people were taken to task
because we, it was alleged, did not understand the extent of our peril.
We did not appreciate, we were told, the realities of the European
situation. Only Hitler could do that. He, alone, we were assured,
stood as a bulwark between Britain and Red Russia. But for the Hitlerian
St. George the Red Dragon would have swallowed us long since. So ran
the German fable with its many variations.
And what
has happened now ? The Red Dragon has taken the Hitlerian St. George
for a ride. It may be that one day in the not so distant future the
German Foreign Minister may have need to recall his own warnings.
(4)
Dr. Tomas Ries, Lessons of the
Winter War, National Defence College, Finland (2001)
The Winter
War erupted on 30 November 1939, when Stalin unleashed his Red Army
in an all-out assault against Finland. In August that year Stalin
and Hitler had divided eastern Europe between them in the Molotov-Ribbentrop
Pact, leaving Finland isolated in the Soviet sphere of influence.
During the fall Stalin demanded that Finland cede key parts of the
country to the USSR. When Finland refused to meet all his demands
Stalin unleashed his armies.
In the
winter dawn of 30 November four Soviet Armies with 23 divisions -
some 460,000 men with over 2,000 tanks - began advancing across the
length of Finland's 1,200 km long eastern border. Their objective
was to occupy the entire territory of Finland by the end of the year,
installing Moscow's puppet 'Terijoki Government' in Helsinki, and
establishing a new 'Democratic Republic of Finland'. Their troops
were issued with detailed written warnings not to cross into Sweden
once they had reached Finland's western border, and the 7. Army included
a military band for the victory parade in Helsinki.
Few at
the time expected the tiny Finnish nation of 3.6 million to survive.
But despite the odds Finland reacted with desperate determination.
On the one hand the country was determined to fight, and the full
field army of some 160,000 men had been mobilized and sent eastwards
into position along the front during the fall. On the other hand Finland
also was grimly prepared for the worst, and began sending her national
treasure - her children - to safety in Sweden, to cover the possibility
of a Soviet victory and Stalin's national extermination programmes.
Leaving at night from blacked out harbours along Finland's western
coast, in the gaps between wailing sirens warning of Soviet bombers,
none of the thousands of departing children or their parents remaining
behind knew whether they would see each other again.
(5)
Oleg Rzheshevsky, Europe 1939:
Was War Inevitable? (1989)
Finland's
war preparations and its anti-Soviet policy at home and abroad were
a threat to both the Soviet Union and Finland itself. Britain and
France took advantage of Finland's anti-Soviet policy to frustrate
Soviet efforts toward establishing a collective security system. During
the Anglo-Franco-Soviet talks Britain and France first refused to
give guarantees to the Baltic states and Finland and then came out
against extending such guarantees to the eventually of indirect aggression
against them. This played its role in the Finnish government's decision
to seek closer relations with Germany. Therefore, on June 20, 1939,
that government declared that it refused all cooperation with the
Soviet Union in case of German aggression against Finland and would
regard any Soviet assistance as aggression. The Soviet Union's efforts
toward providing Finland with a collectiove guarantee against fascist
Germany ended in failure. The blame for this lay with the Finnish
reactionaries but also with the British and French leaders making
common cause with them against the Soviet proposals.
(6)
Konstantin Tarnovsky, Illustrated History of the USSR (1982)
Faced with
the threat of war, the Soviet government proposed that the USSR and
Finland sign a mutual assistance pact and the border between the two
countries on the Karelian isthmus be moved westwards as a compensation
for which the USSR would cede to Finland a far larger territory of
South Karelia. But prompted by Germany on the one hand and by Britain
and France on the other and relying on the strong defence belt on
the Karelian isthmus - the Mannerheim line, the Finnish government
rejected the Soviet offer. On November 26, 1939, Finnish troops attacked.
Soviet territory with artillery fire. Red Army troops crossed the
border and broke through the Mannerheim line. In March 1940 the Soviet
border was moved 150 km from Leningrad to Vyborg under an agreement
signed at the Finnish government's request.
(7)
Christian Waselius, student, department of History, University of
Helsinki, Finland (14th January, 2002)
In the
article written by Mr. Tarnovsky it is said that "Finnish troops
attacked Soviet territory with artillery fire" on November 26th
1939. This incident that happened in the small village Mainila, was
made by Soviet troops and put up as a reason for the Red Army to attack
Finland. Finnish frontier guards also recognized the explosions on
the Soviet
side of the border. For that time being, the closest Finnish artillery
guns were placed so far away from Mainila that it would have been
impossible to reach the place with artillery gun fire. Finland´s
government wanted to negotiate and asked for a withdrawal of the troops
on both sides of the border. The soviet Foreign Minister Mr. Molotov
cut off all diplomatic connections with Finland and the Red Army attacked
Finland on November 30th 1939. The Soviet Union officially apologized
for the provocative artillery act in 1990.
(8)
Colonel Maltitsky of the Red Army took part
in the fighting in Finland in 1941.
It is significant that even in the wooded terrain, where close fighting
predominates, the Germans avoid hand-to-hand encounters and strive
to dislodge the Soviet sub-divisions from their positions solely with
the aid of fire. They have never been known to accept a bayonet charge
of the Soviet infantry. When launching an offensive the Fascist units
usually sustain heavy losses in manpower. Whenever successful, they
completely refrain from pursuit.
The Finns
practise different methods of warfare. They rarely attack the well-organized
defence and prefer cautiously to advance where resistance is weaker.
The Finnish offensive on an organized defence is easily routed with
heavy losses to them. In defence, however, the Finnish forces are
superior to the Germans.
In general,
the methods of offensive operations of the Finns consist in advancing
slowly but securing their positions. Usually, after occupying a district,
the Finns immediately try to fortify it. A scouting party then seeks
a new terrain and the units try to occupy the next district.
(9)
Manchester Guardian (2nd August,
1944)
It is officially
announced from Helsinki that President Ryti has resigned and that
he has been succeeded by Marshal Mannerheim.
Mannerheim
was appointed by decree and not elected, as is customary. Linkomies,
the Premier, moved in Parliament that Marshal Mannerheim should be
decreed as Finnish President. This decree also provided that what
was called "a great burden of functions on the shoulder of the
President" (Mannerheim is 77) should be transferred to the Premier.
A delegation
from the "peace opposition" asked Mannerheim to assume leadership
of the peace movement, according to a usually reliable Swedish source.
They said that a move towards peace would faithfully represent the
views of the majority of the country. The delegation reminded him
that the recent pact with Germany was made on the personal initiative
of Ryti, and that if he resigned it would not be incompatible with
Finland's honour to denounce the pact.
Mannerheim
held no office in the administration and thus had no responsibility
for the treaty keeping Finland in the war which Ribbentrop negotiated
with Ryti two months ago. The treaty was never submitted to Parliament.
Winter
War in Finland and the Media
History
of Finland
Virtual
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