Finnish Democratic Republic

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The Finnish Democratic Republic (Finnish: Suomen Kansanvaltainen Tasavalta) was a short-lived Soviet puppet regime in those minor parts of Finland that were occupied by the Soviet Union during the Winter War. Its government was known under the name of the Terijoki Government. The Soviet Union argued that it was the only rightful government for all of Finland that was capable of ending the Winter War and restoring peace; in fact Suomen Kansanvaltainen Tasavalta is regarded as a puppet government.

It was established on December 1, 1939, in the then-Finnish border town of Terijoki (which is now Zelenogorsk, part of the Saint Petersburg recreation area in Russia). During its lifespan Otto Ville Kuusinen was chairman and head of government.

On March 12, 1940, it was merged with the Karelian ASSR within the Russian SFSR to form the Karelo-Finnish SSR, a Soviet republic in its own right.

[edit] See also

• Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic, an earlier Soviet aligned state which existed for several months in 1918.