Exactly this.
Defying almost every prediction, Finland was never swallowed by the Soviet Union. If we look at the root causes of that miracle, progressive policies instituted from the 1920s have to be among the most important reasons, arguably THE most important reason.
Defying almost every prediction, Finland was never swallowed by the Soviet Union. If we look at the root causes of that miracle, progressive policies instituted from the 1920s have to be among the most important reasons, arguably THE most important reason.
Reposted from
Aki Heikkinen
there was also deeper meaning here: when you own a plot of land and a house on it ... outright communism does not sound so appealing anymore.
postwar hearts and minds, Finnish style.
postwar hearts and minds, Finnish style.
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E.g. his complacency and idee fixe that Soviet assault, if any, would take place in Eastern Karelia and not directly along the Isthmus came extremely close to losing the entire war.
Mannerheim was also the prime candidate in several of the plots hatched to turn Finland into a quasi-fascist dictatorship, and he went along very willingly.
Aside from all that "the butcher of 1918" reputation, much of it earned.
International outrage stopped that plan.
There were just enough smart Whites who understood that Finland couldn’t remain independent unless the root causes of the Red rebellion were addressed.
That resistance was THE key reason that radicalized the Reds.
Everyone, including the remaining communists now forced underground, understood very well that such policies would spell the end of revolutionary radicalism.
Every time anyone mentions Finland, we all go like "torille" to the town square, is the literal meaning, to celebrate. Since we were just mentioned as the inventors of concentration camps in Europe, this is stated in a sarcastic way.
The stories from those camps of ours are horrible
Just like the so called "Donbass rebels" did in Ukraine.
This is a really interesting and educational thread by the way. I've never learned that from my close Finnish friends.
It was a desperate balancing act for national survival and while it worked for us, that time, there was a price to pay.