Story about the city of Finland 10 sentences. Interesting facts about Finland
Official name countries - the Republic of Finland (fin. Suomen tasavalta). The inhabitants themselves call their country Suomi. Finland is located in the north of Europe and neighbors Russia in the east, Norway in the north, and Sweden in the northwest. The northwestern part of Finland lies on the Scandinavian Peninsula, sharing it with Sweden and Norway. Finland is washed by the waters of the Baltic Sea, as well as its two bays - Finnish, forming a maritime border with Estonia in the south, and Bothnia in the west. 1/3 of the country lies beyond the Arctic Circle.
The territory of the country is 338,430.53 km², providing the seventh place in Europe in this indicator. The time zone is UTC + 2 (during summer time + 3). In summer, Moscow and Finnish time coincide, in winter Finnish time is one hour behind Moscow.
Landscape
Perhaps the most recognizable Finnish landscape is associated with lakes. Their number is 187,888, with most of the lakes in the central part. Saimaa - the most large lake Suomi (1800 km 2, depth - 82 m). Another component of the picturesque landscapes is the islands, 179,584.
In Finland, there is an island city - Pargas. It is the only city in the country surrounded by water on all sides.
71.6% of Finland's territory is covered with forests, providing the country with the first place in Europe in terms of volume forest resources.
Climate
The climate in the country is temperate and varies from maritime to continental, with continental type predominating in the north of Finland. Due to the influence of the North Atlantic Current, the country can observe a balance of cold winters and warm summer. Medium annual temperature, calculated in the capital Helsinki, is 5.3 degrees.
Nature
More than 70% of Finland's territory is covered with forests, which makes the country the first in Europe in terms of forest resources. Finnish forests are rich in blueberries, raspberries, lingonberries, cranberries, and, of course, mushrooms - porcini, boletus, boletus, chanterelles.
The pristine nature of Finland is natural environment habitats for numerous wild animals and birds: bears, wolves, lynxes, eagles, cranes and swans, as well as for of the rarest kind seals - Saimaa. This seal lives only in Lake Saimaa.
An ideal way to get acquainted with the amazing fauna and flora of Suomi is to visit one of the country's 37 national parks, which are open to tourists all year round.
About 250 species of birds live in the forests of Suomi, such as partridge, black grouse, hazel grouse, black grouse, capercaillie. Salmon, perch, whitefish, zander, pike, vendace are found in rivers and lakes.
The snow-white whooper swan is the national bird of Finland.
Population
The population of Finland is 5,577,917 people. The vast majority of the inhabitants of Finland are Christians, belonging mainly to the Evangelical Lutheran (from 84.2 to 88%) or Orthodox churches(one%). The gender composition of the residents is 49% men and 51% women.
Cities
Music
There are enough festivals dedicated to opera and choral performances. In the city of Vaasa, located in western Finland, an international festival of choral music takes place at the end of May. In Espoo, every two years, in early June, the VocalEspoo festival takes place, and the Urkuyö&Aaria festival lasts throughout the summer. The Savonlinna International Opera Festival gathers opera fans from July to August, and the Chamber Music Festival takes place in Kuhmo in July.
Events dedicated to jazz can be singled out in a separate category. At the end of April, the April Jazz festival is held in Espoo, in July Pori Jazz, the oldest jazz festival in Finland, opens in Pori, in August, residents and guests of Turku gather at the Turku Jazz festival. And in Tampere, famous jazzmen and rising stars perform at the annual November Tampere Jazz Happening festival.
Among the many festival events, everyone will find something to their liking. Folk lovers can drop by the Helsinki Etno-Espa festival in August, pop music and dance lovers gather in July at the Suomipop festival in Jyväskylä. Theater fans come to Tampere every summer for the Theater Arts Festival. There are also mixed events: Jyväskylä Arts Festival, Music Festival in Turku, the Kotka Sea Festival, an international Flow Festival in Helsinki that combines music and visual arts.
Movie
cellular
The three main companies in the cellular market in Finland are Saunalahti, DNA and Sonera. If you are a frequent visitor to Finland and use your mobile phone extensively, consider getting a prepaid card from one of the local operators. These are prepaid SIM cards, when buying which you do not need to fill out an agreement and register, you do not need a subscription fee. Their validity period, as a rule, is limited and amounts to several months, but when replenishing an account for a certain amount, the action is automatically extended. SIM cards are sold in R-Kioski, in shopping centers or in specialized communication stores, the cost is quite affordable, despite the crisis. The most economical option is not to buy additional packages of calls and Internet, since the basic package provides an excellent connection in terms of price and quality. Read more about the offers of Finnish operators in our article.
Prices in Finland
Finland is one of the most expensive countries in the Eurozone, according to Eurostat. AT last years in Suomi, prices for food, services and clothing grew faster than the European average, and now the country is consistently ranked in the top four EU countries with the most high level consumer prices.
What prices should be guided by when traveling to Finland in 2017?
The average price of a liter of gasoline is 1.5 euros, diesel fuel- 1.4 euros. Travel to public transport Helsinki costs from 2.9 euros. For a ticket to the museum you will have to pay from 5 to 10 euros.
To drink a cup of cappuccino in a cafe, you need to pay 2.5-3 euros. An inexpensive lunch for one person will cost 10-15 euros, a dinner for two with alcohol - from 60 euros.
A Big Mac, which is sometimes used to determine the price level in a particular country, costs 4.1 euros in Finland.
The cost of rooms in the hotel starts from 70 euros. You can spend the night in a common room in a hostel for a fee of 20 euros.
In order to estimate the cost of a food basket, below are the average prices of basic foods in supermarkets:
- Milk, 1 liter - 0.8-1.2 euros
- White bread, 750 g - 1.9 euros
- Eggs, 10 pieces - 1.5-2 euros
- Salmon, 1 kg - 15-20 euros
- Potatoes, 1 kg - 1 euro
- Apples, 1 kg - 1.5 euros
- Juice, 1 liter - 0.8-1.8 euros.
For many goods and services, prices are reduced during sales and promotions held by trading companies, hotels, museums, etc. Also, when going shopping in Finland, do not forget about the possibility of returning part of the VAT. Read more about invoice processing, tax-free and electronic tax-free in our articles.
What to buy in Finland
Products
First of all, you should pay attention to Finnish food products, which are distinguished by a wide range, consistent quality, freshness, and sometimes a unique local taste.
In Finland, it is worth buying salted or smoked red fish, herring and red caviar. This can be done at any hypermarket or fish stores located near the Russian-Finnish border - Disa's Fish and Laplandia Market.
Almost as popular as fish, a Finnish product is coffee. The most recognizable and purchased types of coffee are Juhla Mokka, Presidentti and Kulta Katriina.
From dairy products, you should choose traditional Finnish sour-milk products - Lapland (another name is bread) cheese and salted butter.
One of the most popular edible souvenirs from Suomi is Fazer chocolate. First of all, these are sweets with Geisha nut crumbs, Fazermint mint filling, Marianne mint caramel with chocolate filling, toffee in chocolate icing Dumley. You can buy tiles with a more original taste, for example, with salted cashews, pears and cranberries.
A signature Finnish treat is unusual black sweets with licorice or salmiakki. The sweet-salty taste of licorice sweets is reminiscent of cough mixture; in salmiyakki, the aroma of ammonia is added to it.
If you find yourself at some city holiday or festival in Finland, you definitely need to buy a Finnish “meter candy”. Licorice cord is cut into pieces and each is packed in a bag. You won’t find such a souvenir in ordinary supermarkets, it will be a great gift.
It is worth bringing from Suomi jam from the northern forest berries, first of all - cloudberries and sea buckthorn. Culinary lovers should pay attention to the varied assortment of Finnish sugar, flour and spices.
As a present for a man, you can buy Finnish flavored vodka Koskenkorva, Saimaa or Finlandia. Connoisseurs of good beer will be happy with Lapin Kulta, and lovers of sweet alcoholic drinks will be happy with cloudberry, cranberry, lingonberry or sea buckthorn liqueurs. Do not forget that alcohol stronger than 4.7% can only be bought in specialized Alko stores.
From November to the end of January, the symbol of Finnish Christmas can be included in the shopping list - Gloggi, a non-alcoholic drink made from juice and spices, intended for making mulled wine.
Popular Finnish snacks will also become wonderful gastronomic souvenirs: Porkkanalaatikko carrot casserole, Lihapullat meatballs, Mustamakkara black pudding, Perunalastuja natural potato chips, as well as Karelian pies (they are also Finnish pies, kalitki).
For those who are forced to follow a gluten-free, lactose-free or other diet, it is worth choosing suitable products in any supermarket. Gluten-free products are labeled with a crossed wheat ear in a circle and the word gluteiiniton, lactose-free products are labeled with the word laktoositon.
clothing
From September 14, 2015, it is mandatory to submit biometric data, which includes 10 fingerprints and a photo (in addition to the photo for the questionnaire). Children under 12 years of age are exempted from submitting biometric data.
The number of trips to Finland should be higher than to other Schengen countries. The fact in which country you opened a visa is not so significant. The maximum stay on a visa is up to 90 days in half a year. Schengen gives you the right to visit other countries-participants of the agreement.
Everything about applying for a visa, including the addresses of the Finnish Embassy and its representative offices in the Russian Federation, can be found and.
- Install apps to help you on your journey. For example, an application with free offline maps from around the world Maps.me and a currency converter XE Currency.
- Free housing in Finland can be found using couchsurfing. Read our article on how to do this.
- If you come to Finland for a couple of days, then choose a hostel and a hotel. For a long period (a week or more) it makes sense to rent an apartment. This option is also great for traveling with children or a large group. An apartment is a regular apartment with a kitchen, so you can cook for yourself. The downside is that when you check in, you will have to adapt to the owner of the apartment, and, for example, it will be problematic to enter the apartment at night or in the early morning. You can rent an apartment both through Booking and using the Airbnb service.
- In Finland, the lowest prices for groceries are in the stores of the German Lidl chain and Prisma supermarkets.
- Many Finnish museums have days when admission is free for all visitors.
- Public toilets are open daily and all year round in parks and city streets. They are marked on the map, which is distributed at tourist information points.
The language barrier
Finns speak English very well, especially young people, so with the knowledge of this language you will feel quite comfortable here. In large shopping centers, the tourist information office and museums, you can also be served in Russian.
For the majority of the population, Finnish is their native language, only 6% speak Swedish.
To feel more confident, you can use our
Finland, our old northern neighbor. That is why it is very well known to many Russians. And yet, I think some interesting facts about Finland are still worth posting.
1. Finland is called “the country of a thousand lakes” without any exaggeration. There are about 190,000 lakes in the country! They occupy approximately 9% of the total area of Finland.
2. Well, once we started talking about water. So Finland has the cleanest drinking water. Of course, you can safely drink it from the tap. And to be calmer, you can remember that the Committee on water resources The United Nations recognized tap water in Finland as the cleanest in the world.
3. Finns also treat their police very well. The level of public confidence in the police is almost 90%. For reference, in Russia, the level of trust in the police at the beginning of 2013 was 13-15%.
4. Finland can also be safely called the country of a thousand islands. According to the latest data, there are 179,584 islands in the country!
5. In 2010 was in first place in the list " Top countries of the world" according to Newsweek magazine, and in 2012 became "the most stable country in the world" according to the American Foundation "Fund for Peace". It is also the country with the lowest level of corruption in Europe!
6. Finns are very big and passionate lovers of baths and saunas. Thus, there are 1.7 million baths and saunas for 5.1 million inhabitants. It turns out, approximately one bath for three Finns.
7. By the way, who would know. But it is the Finns who are considered the biggest coffee lovers in the world. During the year, they drink on average 2 times more coffee than Italians and 3 times more than Americans.
8. Approximately a quarter of the country is located beyond the Arctic Circle. But, despite the sometimes harsh climate, Finland is very popular with tourists. About 7-8 million tourists visit the country every year. And here you can see the northern lights and deer on the streets of cities)
9. Despite the fact that Finland is a very democratic country, in different time comics about Donald Duck were banned here (for the fact that Donald walks without pants) and Well, Wait a minute! (for excessive cruelty).
10. And also Finland, or rather its northern part of Lapland, is the birthplace of Santa Claus, the bourgeois Santa Claus. Here it is called Joulupukki. Literally - Christmas goat))
11. Finns are famous organizers of wonderful championships. It is here that competitions are held for carrying wives, for throwing a mobile phone at a distance, football in the mud, competitions for catching mosquitoes, throwing a boot and other funny competitions.
12. Since 2000, Finland has been ruled by a woman - Tarja Halonen. And on this moment 12 out of 20 Finnish ministers are women.
13. Vacation for Finns working in the civil service is 9 weeks. It is one of the longest in Europe!
14. In Finnish cities, you can easily meet hares. They are not afraid of people and are slightly larger in size than their forest brothers.
15. Finland has 2 state official languages - Finnish and Swedish. At the same time, many Finns understand English and German well. So tourists usually do not have problems in this country)
If you know more interesting facts about Finland, welcome to the comments!
Most people associate Finland with saunas and Santa Claus. Almost every Finnish citizen has a sauna at home. This is a national tradition, the same as reindeer breeding, the use of natural fur and leather. In Finland, there is an official residence of Santa Claus, who receives letters from all over the world. Finland is rich in forests, mountains and lakes. At the same time, you need to be prepared for a humid and cold climate, because this northern country. Next, we suggest reading more interesting and surprising facts about Finland.
1. Foundation Finnish life is sports and food.
2. The Finns use only the "buffet" at all solemn events.
3. Most Finns are surprised when they are asked about the buffet.
4. Finns don't like Switzerland.
5. Russia is also in the top three countries that Finns don't like.
6. Finns can drink more than ten cups of coffee during the day.
7. The working day in Finland mainly lasts until 16.00.
8. Cold cuts, sausages, sausages and pasta are the favorite dishes of Finns.
9. Finns love to cook soups based on sausages, carrots, potatoes and onions.
10. Finns cook only one soup based on sausages.
11. Finns cook fish soup based on milk.
12. By the color of the milk package, the Finns determine its fat content.
13. A German supermarket is considered the cheapest store in Finland.
14. In a cheap store, you can find frequent discounts on products that are coming to an end.
15. Separately from all products in Finland, high-quality, but expensive alcohol is sold.
16. Finns know how to make the most delicious ice cream in the world.
17. Finns do not spare money for sweets and therefore make large portions of ice cream.
18. In Finland, you can buy a small and salty watermelon.
19. When producing fish cakes, Finns always indicate the percentage of fish meat.
20. Finnish stores sell Soviet fish in tomato sauce without tails and eyes.
21. In Finland, you can buy condensed milk, sprats and squash caviar, well known to us since childhood.
22. Finns eat jam with meat or cereals.
23. Finns eat bread only with butter.
24. Finns don't know what to do with condensed milk.
25. Even small children in Finland love fast food.
26. The Finns make their little children wear diapers around the clock.
27. Local gas stations are a favorite place for entertainment for older Finnish children.
28. Finns very rarely use mayonnaise when cooking.
29. Children are allowed to eat enough of whatever they like.
30. When a child has a cold in the throat, Finnish parents wait until everything passes by itself.
31. Buran is a universal pill that Finns use to treat minor illnesses.
32. A mixture of samba and aerobics is a favorite form of fitness among Finns.
33. Finns of all ages and genders love to spend their free time in fitness clubs.
34. Nordic walking with sticks is a favorite sport for Finns.
35. In Finnish clubs, it is impossible to find such a type of relaxation as yoga.
36. Sauna, church and cemetery are the main places to visit at Christmas.
37. The Finnish church has a simple design with a small number of icons.
38. A woman can be a priest in a Finnish church.
39. Rice porridge, baked pork leg, vinaigrette, jelly and casserole are the main Christmas dishes.
40. Wine and beer are Finns' favorite drinks.
41. Finnish children love to drink lemonade.
42. Every Finnish house has a sauna.
43. Finding inner peace is the meaning of Finnish Christmas.
44. Finns prepare for Christmas in a special way.
45. At Christmas, Finns give home accessories.
46. On New Year's Eve, tin horseshoes are set on fire for good luck.
47. Beer and pizza are the main New Year's dishes.
48. Finns are very fond of using various fireworks and firecrackers on New Year's Eve.
51. Ski holidays start at the end of February in every Finnish school.
52. Finns love to spend their winter holidays skiing.
53. The main meaning of Finnish life is constant competition.
54. From an early age, Finnish children are brought up in a constant spirit of competition and victory.
55. Finns are always busy with something and just don't go for a walk.
56. Finns like to actively spend their free time.
57. " healthy image life” is a compulsory subject in every Finnish school.
58. Students have the opportunity to try everything musical instruments in music lessons.
59. Also in Finnish schools they study the basics of world religions.
60. Parents take the early sexual development of their children lightly.
61. At the age of eighteen, every Finnish teenager receives his own apartment for rent from the state.
62. A Finnish child at the age of 15 can have his own vehicle.
63. Teenagers love to come on a date on a tractor.
64. Every Finnish family has at least two cars.
65. Finns mostly choose German-made cars.
66. Finnish families are characterized by the same type of kitchen utensils, which are bought in only two shops.
67. Finns love to give something from dishes or home accessories for the holidays.
68. Sports or household items are the best gifts for Finns.
69. Even wealthy Finns can buy second-hand stuff.
70. Finns have a lot of fun talking about energy.
71. Finns can even wear things with holes.
72. Finnish brands are the favorite things of the locals.
73. Tracksuits are the favorite type of clothing for Finns.
74. Finns are characterized by reliability, practicality and convenience in everything.
75. It is difficult to find beautiful and sexy clothes for women in Finnish shops.
76. Today, Finns have become more respectful of other world cultures.
77. Utilities are the most expensive in Finland.
78. Even wealthy Finns save water.
79. Finns wash very quickly to save water.
80. Finns are very economical people.
81. They are used to protecting both their own and other people's property.
82. Most Finnish women choose African men.
83. On the streets of Finland you can meet Russians, Somalis and Turks.
84. They compare the Russian alphabet with the Japanese alphabet, which is very difficult for them.
85. Finns are very sociable people.
86. Finns are very fond of talking a lot.
87. Finns can tell a stranger everything about their family and their lives.
88. About family, about sports, about work - the main topics of conversation in Finland.
89. Finns are indifferent to art.
90. They do not like silence, so they always turn on the TV or radio in the house.
91. Finns don't like to drive at intersections.
92. Chocolate, strawberries and cucumbers are the favorite foods of Finns.
93. Finns support the local hockey and football team.
94. Moose, wolves and birds are the main actors in television news.
95. All films and programs on local Finnish television are in their original language only.
96. In Finland, a special kind of red cows are bred.
97. Finnish and Swedish are the official languages of Finland.
99. Mobile phone throwing competitions are held in Finland.
100. Education is free for everyone in Finland.
Finland was ruled by Sweden for 600 years. From 1809 to 1917 it was an autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland, which was part of the Russian Empire. In 1917 Finland gained independence.
Since the 12th century, Finland has entered the sphere of Western culture.
Since the 18th century, the country has developed a special relationship with Russia, and its history has been influenced by the changing balance of power in Europe and the Baltic region.
Part of Western Europe
Despite the eastern location of the country, culturally Finland developed as part of Western Europe. Since the expansion of the Roman Empire never reached the northern fringes of Europe, Christianity, in the form of the Roman Catholic Church, took root in Finland and Scandinavia only in the 9th and 10th centuries.
Simultaneously with the spread of Christianity, Finland became more and more closely a part of the Kingdom of Sweden. The rapprochement proceeded in stages, and in early XVI century, the southwestern part of the territory of modern Finland became integral part Sweden.
This has had a significant impact on further development Finland. The Western social system, Western values and practices based on them have taken root in the country. Everyday life. In parallel with this, a Swedish-speaking minority settled on the southern and western coast of Finland, which still exists in the country.
In 1527, finding that the state treasury was empty, the king of Sweden, Gustav Vasa, followed the example of the principalities of Northern Germany. The property of the Roman Catholic Church was seized with reference to the teachings of Martin Luther, according to which the church is a community of believers, and therefore its property should belong to the people.
The rift with the Pope deepened over the following decades, and thus the eastern part of the Kingdom of Sweden - Finland - became the farthest northeast territory of Protestant Europe. As a result of the Reformation movement, gradually, step by step, Finnish writing began to be created.
In 1584, a translation of the New Testament into Finnish was published by the church reformer Mikael Agricola. The modern Finnish language is based on a combination of dialects, primarily from Western Finland.
Russia and Finland 1500–1700 centuries
At the end of the 16th century, about 300,000 inhabitants lived in Finland. Half of them settled along the coast of the southwestern part of the country and lived by agriculture and fishing. The second half of the inhabitants were primarily engaged in burning agriculture, deer breeding and hunting in the vast and dense forests of the interior.
Of the seven cities in the country, mention should be made of the center of the episcopate of Turku, the gates of eastern Finland, Vyborg and Helsinki, founded by Gustav Vasa in 1550 as a competitor to Tallinn. Helsinki turned out to be a sad failure and really did not mean anything - its importance began to grow only in the second half of the 18th century thanks to the large sea fortress Sveaborg (since 1918 Suomenlinna) built on the outskirts of the city from the sea.
The geographical location of Finland as an outpost in the east of Sweden led to negative consequences. Since the 15th century, Russia has developed as single state, and has since waged recurring wars with its western neighbors for several centuries. One of the adversaries was Sweden, which grew during the 16th century into the dominant power in the Baltic Sea region, and then in the 17th century into strong player on the larger European stage.
During the Great Northern War (1700-1712), this role passed from Sweden to Russia, which was of decisive importance for Finland, because in 1703 the Russian emperor Peter the Great founded a new capital, St. Petersburg, in the eastern part of the Gulf of Finland at the mouth of the Neva, rapidly becoming a northern European metropolis.
The more St. Petersburg grew, the more important for both Sweden and Russia was the geopolitical position of Finland for security. The large defensive fortress Sveaborg (“Swedish fortress”) on the outskirts of Helsinki from the sea was built with the help of the French specifically to repel Russian expansion and the threat from the huge Russian naval base in Kronstadt.
Grand Duchy of Finland 1809–1917
As a result of the Peace of Friedrichsgam in September 1809, all of Finland was annexed to the expanding Russian Empire. A long period of peace and especially large social reforms carried out from the 1860s contributed to the gradual emergence of industry and trade.
However, when as a result of diplomatic chain reaction Russia and Sweden clashed again in 1808-1809, the Napoleonic Wars caused Russia and Sweden to clash again, the Russians surrounded the fortress and bombarded it, forcing it to surrender prematurely, and as a result of the Peace of Friedrichsham in September 1809, all of Finland was annexed to the expanding Russian Empire.
At the beginning of the 19th century, Russia was not in the administrative sense a unitary state, but rather resembled a patchwork quilt consisting of several states. Therefore, Finland, which was granted the status of an autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland, retained the Lutheran Church and the administrative culture of Sweden, and, in addition, even its own government - the Senate - and the Minister of State Secretary, who represented the affairs of Finland directly to the emperor. In addition, Emperor Alexander the First annexed the Karelian Isthmus to the Grand Duchy, which Russia had won back from Sweden at the beginning of the 18th century.
To strengthen the new union of states, Alexander the First decided in 1812 to transfer the capital of the Principality of Finland from Turku to Helsinki and at the same time ordered the city to be completely rebuilt.
A majestic center in the Empire style, familiar from St. Petersburg and Berlin, but new to Finland, was erected around Senate Square. Over the following decades, a lively administrative center with a regular layout rose up around it. The role and importance of Helsinki was enhanced by the transfer in 1827 to Helsinki of the University founded in 1640 in Turku.
Based on Swedish management culture
The Russian authorities saw Finland primarily as an outpost of the Russian empire in the northwest. In Finland, many also believed that the country would gradually merge with the ever-expanding Russian empire. But that did not happen. Swedish state structure, different from Russian culture state administration, and ongoing trade relations with Sweden contributed to the preservation of the special features of Finland.
The growth of the self-consciousness of the nation
When in the 1840s in Finland became widespread national ideas, a solid ideological basis for independent development was created. The pioneers were, first of all, the creator of the Kalevala epic (1835) Elias Lennrut, the poet J. L. Runeberg, the philosopher, senator J. V. Snellman, who fought for Finnish to become the first state language instead of Swedish in both management and culture .
AT late XIX centuries, nationalist ideas were strong among the people of Finland, many participated in various public organizations in which Finland was seen as independent in the future.
Economic development of the 1800 century
The favorable development of the economy also contributed to the development of the ideas of independence. A long period of peace, and especially major social reforms since the 1860s, contributed to the gradual emergence of industry and commerce. The sales market was located both in Russia and in Western Europe. The main engines of the economy were the food and paper industries. The standard of living rose rapidly, the population increased - in a hundred years the population has tripled. By the beginning of the First World War, the population of Finland was about three million people.
Proximity to St. Petersburg contributed to the development of the economy, at the same time, however, posing a threat in terms of security policy. As tensions arose between the great powers, Russia tried to tie Finland more closely to the empire, leading to prolonged political friction.
After Russia lost the war with Japan in 1905, the emperor had to agree to a number of reforms. In Finland, liberalization led to the creation in 1906 of a democratically elected parliament based on universal and equal suffrage. Finnish women were the first in Europe to gain political rights.
Independence and the Finnish Civil War
On December 6, 1917, the Parliament of Finland, on the proposal of the Senate, declared the country an independent republic. There was no power in the country capable of maintaining order, and two months later a civil war broke out. Finland's accession to Russia in 1809 was one of the results of a geopolitical chain reaction. Similar historical processes led to the complete independence of the country at the last stage of the First World War. Tired of three years of war, Russia was going through a period of devastation and chaos, and after the Bolsheviks seized power in Russia, the Finnish Parliament, on the proposal of the Senate, on December 6, 1917, declared the country an independent republic.
There was no power in the country capable of maintaining order, and two months later a civil war broke out, which was practically part of the chaos raging in Russia. In May 1918 the Finnish white army with the decisive support of the German units, it completely defeated the socialist rebels, who in turn received weapons from Russia.
After Germany was defeated in the World War, the original plan to turn Finland into a constitutional monarchy was changed, and a republican form of government was introduced in the summer of 1919. It existed unchanged until 2000, until the moment when the internal political rights of the president were limited.
The first three decades of independence were a test of strength for the young country.
The first decades of an independent state
The first three decades of independence were a test of strength for the young country. The country was doing well economically. Western Europe has largely replaced Russian market sales, culture went through a series of changes and received international recognition. Political development country was, however, complicated by the legacy civil war. Old wounds were not healed, and the domestic political field was for a long time split. In the early 1930s, the anti-communist tendencies of the radical right were so strong that the parliamentary system was threatened.
In the spring of 1937, however, a parliament was formed on a broad platform. He united the political forces of the peasantry and the working class and set the stage for a national consensus and a modern Finnish welfare state.
Winter War and Continuation War
However, in the autumn of 1939, the stable, peaceful period of the development of society ended abruptly. The Second World War. The Soviet Union demanded territorial concessions from Finland. Again, the proximity of Finland to St. Petersburg or Leningrad played a decisive role.
Finland did not make territorial concessions, and on November 30, 1939, the Red Army launched a large-scale offensive against Finland. The Finnish army managed, however, to stop the offensive. The Red Army, both in numbers and in the degree of armament, was many times superior to the troops of Finland, but the Finns had strong motivation, knew the terrain better and were much better equipped and prepared for combat operations in extreme conditions The winter of 1939-1940 was exceptionally cold.
In the vast forests to the north, the Finnish army surrounded and destroyed two Soviet divisions. winter war lasted 105 days. In March 1940, a peace treaty was signed. The Soviet Union was afraid that the Western allies would intervene in the war on the side of Finland, and Moscow at this stage limited itself to territorial demands on Finland and the creation military base on the leased lands of the Hanko (Gangut) peninsula, on the southwestern coast of the country.
Continuation War
Independence was preserved, but the Winter War left a deep mark on the minds of the Finns. The Western press treated Finland with sympathy, Sweden helped financially in many ways, but militarily the Finns were completely alone. It was a hard lesson. Since then, the leadership of the Finnish state and most of The people realized that neither the Western allies nor the northern neighbors would come to the rescue if only the independence and sovereignty of Finland were at stake.
Understanding this, President Risto Ryti and Commander-in-Chief of the Finnish Army Gustav Mannerheim in the winter of 1940–1941 tacitly accepted the German proposal to military aid. Neither one nor the other were adherents of Nazism, but both believed that military cooperation with Nazi Germany was the only salvation against the new aggression of the Red Army.
In June 1941, when the Germans launched Operation Barbarossa, the Finns were already absolutely ready for the offensive. The Red Army subjected many Finnish cities to aerial bombardment, so the Finnish government was able to call the offensive of the Finnish army, which began two weeks later, defensive battles.
Finland never entered into a political alliance with Germany, in the so-called Continuation War (1941-1944) she pursued her national goals. However, militarily it was clearly a joint war against Soviet Union. Germany retooled Finnish army, fought on the northern fronts of the country and supplied a significant part of the weapons and raw materials needed by the country throughout the joint war.
In June 1944, when the Soviet Union launched a powerful artillery bombardment and a massive offensive on the Karelian Isthmus in order to force Finland into separate peace, the support of the German troops helped the Finns stop the offensive of the Red Army at a decisive moment.
Shortly thereafter, the German army came under increasing pressure from two directions as a result of the Allied landings in Normandy, and this opened up the possibility of concluding an armistice agreement in September 1944 between Finland, the USSR and the allied states. The agreement was then consolidated by the Paris Peace Treaty of 1947.
Finland again had to make major territorial concessions and agree to the establishment of a large Soviet military base west of Helsinki. In addition, the country was forced to pay large reparations to the USSR and to prosecute the government that was in power during the war.
Finland's position in Europe during the Cold War was in many ways exceptional. Unlike the countries of Eastern Europe, Finland has never been occupied. Soviet troops.Finland's position in Europe during the Cold War was in many ways exceptional. Unlike the countries of Eastern Europe, Finland has never been occupied by Soviet troops. The country remained a Western democracy, and thanks to extremely rapid industrialization in the 1970s, it reached the same standard of living as the countries of Western Europe. This made possible the creation of the northern model of the welfare state. However, throughout the period cold war Finland had to take into account the security interests of the Soviet Union.
In April 1948, Finland concluded with the Soviet Union the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance. Under the terms of the treaty, Finland undertook to oppose any offensive directed against Finland or against the USSR through Finnish territory. The agreement was valid until 1991. Thanks to him, relations between the two countries stabilized, and the foundation was laid for a broad economic cooperation, which naturally contributed to the favorable community development Finland.
The negative side of the treaty was that it did not build trust Western countries to the policy of non-alignment, which was actively pursued by the Finnish government. Nevertheless, President Urho Kekkonen, who ruled the country for a quarter of a century (1956-1981), gradually managed to win international respect in this balancing act between East and West. The common border with the USSR, 1,300 kilometers long, was an irresistible geographical reality. So that Finland would not have to suffer much from this, the export-oriented industry was allowed to conclude profitable trade agreements with the EFTA (1961) and the EEC (1973).
In this way, Finland managed not to come into conflict with a strong eastern neighbor and at the same time to have ever closer economic ties with Western Europe. In early August 1975, the leaders of 35 European countries and North America to sign the final document of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe. The document recognized the political division of Europe. In Helsinki, it was agreed general rules games on human rights issues, which political dissidents of the countries of the socialist bloc seized passionately. The process started in Helsinki eventually led to the final collapse of the Soviet empire in 1991.
Such a sharp turn neither in Finland nor in many other countries could have been foreseen. Although the growth rate was not as strong as in the 1960s and 1970s, Finland continued to prosper well into the 1980s.
During the presidency of Mauno Koivisto (1982-1994), the governments of the country were in power for the entire period of office, which gave stability domestic politics country with a population of five million.
New technologies flourished. The dismantling of the state television and radio monopoly began. The same liberalization was also telephone networks, which generally created strong market conditions for the technological revolution of the 1990s in the field of both wired and wireless information communications.
As in many other countries, the release of transnational capital in the late 1980s caused the Finnish economy to overheat. This was followed by the collapse of the Soviet Union, a sharp decline in exports to the east and west, and incompetent financial policies.
Economic crisis of the early 1990s
All this led to a deep economic crisis in 1991-1994. In the worst period, unemployment reached about 20 percent of the entire working-age population. Entire industries went out of business, public debt rose to alarming levels, but the welfare state structures held on, and a strong economic boom began in 1995 that continued well into the next century. Coincidentally or not, Nokia has gone through the same growth curve and has now become a leading concern in the global market. In the early 1990s, this flagship of the Finnish industry was on the verge of bankruptcy.
Finland and the European Union
During the deepest economic crisis in the spring of 1992, the Finnish government decided to apply for membership in the European Union. The decision was based both on the situation in the Finnish economy and on aspects of security policy. In the union of Western countries, the vision of a common market was just ripening, with a single foreign policy and security policy. For a country like Finland, this seemed like a smart decision.
In Finland, not without reason, the internal political development of Russia was observed with concern. Two years later, an agreement was concluded on the terms of accession. In October 1994, a consultative referendum was held, and about 58 percent of Finns supported joining the European Union. Finland joined the EU on 1 January 1995.
At the first stage, membership in the EU was perceived as extremely important for the Finnish identity - it has always been important for Finns to maintain relations with the West and, in general, with Western civilization. This manifested itself clearly in 1998, when the parliament decided on Finland's participation in the single economic and monetary union of the EU with the introduction of the euro.
In the autumn of 1999, when Finland held its first EU presidency, the country was enthusiastic about the EU. Enthusiasm later waned, despite the fact that Finland is among the EU countries that benefited the most from membership, both economically and in terms of security policy.
The cooling towards the EU and its structures is caused by many reasons. First of all, the EU economy was not in the best shape in the early 2000s, and the eastward expansion of the European Union in the spring of 2004 brought new problems to the surface. An even more important reason why Finns have become more casual about the EU is the rapid changes in the world economy, as well as in information technology.
The European Union exists. Let's hope it stays for Europeans common home. And now it is much easier to move with words, sounds, images and, of course, just physically, for example, by plane to other continents and perceive the “big world” outside of European shores.
For a country like Finland, where computer technology is often childlike, this trend can be especially strong. Whatever the case, as we approach the second decade of the new century, Finland is doing well in this rapid cycle of change.
Text: Henrik Meinander, PhD, Professor of History, Head of the Faculty of History at the University of Helsinki.
Translation: Galina Pronina
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