finnish post civil war period - radicalism and reconciliation
divided nation
white finland
- appointments (school, police)
- detective central police --> supression of communist activity
- greater finland (suur-suomi) --> pan-finnicism / kinship ideology (finnish: panfennismi, heimoaate), karelian expeditions
- academic karelia society, lotta svärd
- white/civil guard
- svul, suomen valtakunnan urheiluliitto, finnish gymnastics and sports federation
red finland
- labor unions
- finnish social democratic party split in two ---> the finnish communist party which sought revolution, was founded in russia and operated underground in finland.
- finnish trade union federation, saj, suomen ammattijärjestö, was established in 1960
- organized strikes
- tul, työväen urheiluliitto, the finnish workers' sports federation
reconciliation policy
- finland remained a democracy throughout the interwar period.
- the rise in living standards supported the stabilization of conditions
- legislation supported consolidation
- especially our first president ståhlberg worked to unify the people after the civil war
reforms
- 1918-1919 amnesties for finnish red prisoners
- universal suffrage in municipal elections, 8-hour workday gradually
- crofters' act 1918 and land acquisition act 1922 – the opportunity for landless people to redeem their own land
- compulsory education act 1921
- language law 1922
- national pension act 1937
- red-soil government 1937
- in addition, progressive taxation, alcohol prohibition law
lapua movement
- right-wing radical movement – the goal was the total ban on communism → the underlying political irritation was the country's reconciliation policy – the achievements of the war of independence had been wasted
- an ideological inspiration came from europe
- supporters, especially the peasant population from ostrobothnia, but generally the wealthier people viewed the people from lapua movement positively
- drove communists and suspects to the east (deportations, "muilutukset")
what the lapua movement achieved
- in the summer contributed to the resignation of the government – a peasant march to helsinki as a means of political pressure
- political pressure of lapua movement caused president relander to dissolve the government ---> new parlament accepted anti-communist laws ---> communist activities were abolished
- influence of lapua movement still shows on presidental election when svinhufvud was voted to presidency in 1931
- lapua movement was banned after mäntsälä rebellion
- an official party, the ikl (isänmaallinen kansanliike, patriotic people's movement), was founded on ruins of lapua movement, which openly admired european fascists
more about communist laws in finnish: vasemmistolainen tiedonvälitys suomessa 1919-1956
finnish foreign policy
- treaty of tartu (finland-russia, not estonia-russia)
- league of nations 1920 and non-aggression pact with the soviet union 1932
- in the 20s, the policy of the peripheral states (other countries that broke away from the soviet union)
- in the 30s, the nordic trend
towards war
- situation in europe
- consultations with embassy secretary yartsev
- the molotov-ribbentrop pact! and it's secret additional protocol
- relations with ussr ended