The Finns as fascists in disguise
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The idea of the Finns as fascists in disguise was an important theme in Soviet interpretation of events in inter-war Finland, as well as in Soviet propaganda, but the idea also gained some influence in many other countries, notably the Allied and the Scandinavian countries.
The idea is starkly contrasted to Finnish self-perception.
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[edit] Finnish view
The Finnish tradition is one of constitutionalism, legalism and democratic roots reaching back at least to the mid-16th century. The strong fear of Russia, that has dominated Finnish thoughts for many centuries, has chiefly been based in the fear that the free Finnish peasantry would become serfs, if put under Russian rule. In a tradition going back to pre-Christian käräjät (ting) courts, all men are to be equal to the law. The right for the peasantry to participate in the government's decisions on taxes, and the state budget at large, through elected representatives at the Diet, dates to the first half of the 16th century (although it was not until the mid-17th century that the political situation at the diets would give the peasantry any influence to speak of). Accordingly, it was only natural that Finland was second country in the world, after New Zealand, to introduce equal and common suffrage, including women, to a modern unicameral parliament in 1906.
After Finland was ceded from Sweden in 1809 and established as a separate Russian Grand Duchy, the main struggle between the governments of Finland and Russia was over Finland's constitution. For the Finns, the constitution of 1772 got a close-to sacred status, and its defense became one of the most important political issues. When, after Finland's independence, first a leftist rebellion in 1918 and then a rightist rebellion in 1932 were put down, the rebels' defiance of laws and constitution was the strongest argument the government could use to rally the public and the armed forces.
Although it can be discussed exactly how far back the succession of constitutions reaches; according to a typical Finnish perception, the constitution and the democracy have survived through evolution for many centuries and through more turbulent events than in most other countries.
[edit] Foreign views
In most recent decades, foreign observers may have perceived the Finns as markedly more patriotic and militarist than surrounding western nations, chiefly as a legacy of the Winter War, which may enhance prejudices and pre-perceptions of the Finns as right-wing leaning.
Although the polarization between political orientations and language groups have abated considerably since the 1930s, the harsh debate is sometimes reflected in accounts on Finnish affairs in a way that doesn't really compensate for idiomatic differences. Finnish language usage is considerably more colourful than for instance English, German or Swedish; and the way Finnish anti-Communists or Socialists, or Fennomans or Finland-Swedes express themselves may lead a foreign observer to exaggerated conclusions.
Finnish management style is easily compared with that of Sweden, since many Finns have worked or studied in Sweden, and since cross-owning of companies is particularly pronounced between Finland and Sweden. In comparison, an average Finnish management appears as more authoritarian, rather similar to a Danish or French, and more influenced by officers of the reserve, than what's typical for Sweden. In the eyes of Swedish employees with no experience of other foreign management styles, the difference is typically perceived as "less democratic". This is rather obvious, since surveys indicate that the power distance in Sweden is the shortest in Sweden; i.e. comparing any country to Sweden yields the result "less democratic".
[edit] The Continuation War
However, the chief reason why foreigners today associate Finland with the concept of Fascism is most probably Finland's World War II history, when Finland fought three wars:
- The Winter War, attacked by the Soviet Union that was supported by Nazi Germany;
- The Continuation War, when the Wehrmacht had contributed to Finland's defense both in terms of munitions and troops, and Finland after the Red Army's attack found herself in the position of co-belligerence with the Third Reich that a few days before had commenced Operation Barbarossa;
- The Lapland War, when Finnish troops, in accordance with the armistice conditions after the Continuation War, by force evacuated northern Finland from German troops that initially had arrived as defenders of Finland.
Due to many reasons, Finland's association with Nazi Germany during the Continuation War attracts more attention than her successful keeping of distance to Nazism and the Nazis, her separate and clearly stated goals for the war (the Sword Scabbard Declaration), and the other two wars when Finland and the Third Reich were adversaries.
[edit] The Lapua Movement
One of the points, where Finnish self-perception differs the most from foreign views is with regard to the Lapua Movement's failed Mäntsälä Rebellion. For most Finns, president Svinhufvud successfully defended Finland's constitutional democracy. However, both in contemporary Sweden and in the Soviet Union, the events leading forward to the rebellion are given greater importance than its actual failure. The Lapua Movement had successfully influenced the political agenda in Finland for many years, and leading Finnish monarchists and anti-parliamentarians as Svinhufvud and Mannerheim, were championed by the Lapua Movement, which didn't improve their reputation; neither in Sweden, nor in the Kremlin.
[edit] The Åland Crisis
Åland had been a part of the Korsholm Castle county since the middle ages. In 1634 the islands were made part of the Åbo and Björneborg County. The county became part of the Russian Empire within the Grand Duchy of Finland in 1809, when Sweden was forced to cede vast areas in the Napoleonic Wars.
When Finland declared its independence in 1917, the newly established state inherited the Åland islands. During the civil war in 1918, some Russian troops were still stationed on the islands, causing serious instability and nervousness. This anxiety in the local population, and in the other Scandinavian states, resulted in a Swedish occupation and 7135 people (of a total population of approximately 22500 at the time) signing the address for Åland joining the kingdom of Sweden. The fear of Russia finally resulted in a German occupation of the islands. In the mean time, the Finnish press was playing with the idea of an exchange of land areas between Sweden and Finland. The areas in question of this exchange would have been the Swedish speaking Åland for Sweden and some Finnish speaking areas of Norrbotten and Västerbotten to Finland. The response from the Swedish government was bluntly negative to any exchanges of this nature.
In 1921 the question of Åland was brought to the council of League of Nations. The council decided unanimously, that the islands would remain a part of the republic of Finland, but stated that the native population's rights to their own language had to be preserved, that the area had to stay demilitarized and that Åland was granted autonomy during peace time.[1]
The actions of the main participants in the crisis served to develop a degree of alienation from each other and the relations between Finland and Sweden were cooled down for a few years.
[edit] The Civil War
While a Soviet perception is coloured primarily by refugees from the Finnish Civil War, who would have no or little contact with Finland after the war, the perception in the West, and particularly in Scandinavia, was dominated by the bloody aftermath, when the rebels, their families, and alleged sympatisants were treated rather harshly, signified by about 12,000 killed in concentration camps and at least 7,000 murdered in their home villages and towns, which shocked wide segments of the opinion in Scandinavia, particularly in Sweden. However, in the civil war, terrorism was mutual; both Reds and Whites would summarily execute anyone seen as a "class enemy" or "communist rebel", so drawing conclusions from the actions of the victorious side only is rather misleading. The Swedish perception of Finland, in this as in many other cases, have had a strong tendency to influence how the Finns are perceived in other Western European countries.
