DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF FINLAND 1920-1945
During the Revolution, Finland was ruled by the revolutionary deputy committee, called “People’s Delegation (Kansanvaltuuskunta) and the executive power rested upon the Supreme Workers council that had presentation from the Social democratic party, the main trade unions and from the red guards. People’s Delegation was led by Kullervo Manner who remained as the Finnish supreme leader until 1934, although the Nominal head of the state was Edward Gylling from 1920 to 1935. The Finnish Social Democratic Party was dissolved in its last congress in 1919 during the height of the Civil War and subsequently replaced with Communist Party of Finland (Suomen Kommunistinen Puolue; SKP) , while some opposition (Led by Väinö Tanner) remained with the old party that was declared as counter revolutionary and its members were persecuted as traitors. Tanner eventually fled to Sweden along with the remaining of the old Monarchist Government.
The constitution of Red Finland and the official name as Democratic Republic (Kansanvaltainen Tasavalta) was officially accepted in the first assembly of the People’s Congress (Kansaneduskunta) in 12th of May in 1920
Recovery from the war and revolution period took long time both socially and economically. Lot of the former elite, nobility and upper class had fled to west (Or Japan in case of Far East) including many of the intelligentsia. The war-economy and the revolution had torn down both agricultural and industrial production into fraction what they used to be in 1914. Key elements of Finnish revolution had been the socialization of the banks, heavy industrial dynasties and freeing the tenant farmers from their land lords and confiscating the lands of noble land lords. Generally the revolution had not interrupted on the middle class and the small business, as well as not against peasants themselves as a class, though bulk of the counter-revolutionaries became from these circles. The 1920 Constitution issued “workers councils” as way to control the economy and despite private land owning and owning of capital was not banned, all enterprises became de facto controlled by these councils, and thus by party cadres, though the Soviet concept of heavy government planning took long to adjust into more pragmatic Finnish system outside the heavy industry that wasn’t as prominent as in Soviet Union.
These policies brought the Finns often odds within the Marxist-Leninist purists in Comintern, and the early relationship of Finland and Soviet Union was a struggle between concept of Socialistic world order, where Finns most predominately supported each nations independent route to socialism and self-government, opposed by Trotskyist view of “world government” and all nations joining Soviet Union. In more pragmatic level, Finland signed its first “Treaty of Friendship, Co-operation and mutual co-existences” with Romanian Socialistic Republic as early as 1918 and this treaty constituted as the bulk of Finno-Soviet relationship up until 2nd world war. Soviet side often regarded Finland as their satellite, where as Finnish side prompted for alliance between two equal powers, despite the huge imparity between the countries. This position brought its share of friction, especially regarding Finnish policies among the Mongolian and Tuvian soviet Puppets that Soviets sometimes saw as an attempt to move them away from Soviet sphere of Influence into Finnish one. In 1929 Otto Kuusinen became the Finnish Secretary of Foreign affairs and largely due his personal influences, most confrontations inside the communist bloc were avoided.
By 1933 most major powers had recognized Finnish Democratic Republic; though the Finnish presence in international politics remained as small as it had been before. Finnish participation in Comitern actions was mostly done by Kuusinen and Yrjö Sirola, and predominately focused on causing communist uprising in Lithuania. First attempts of agricultural collectivization was conducted in 1932 which led to a series of dissident incidents and into failing agricultural production and general chaos among the rural areas as the government imposed price control over agricultural goods that eventually led to loss of income among many peasants. These cultivated in an open insurgency in little town of Mäntsälä, in Northern Uusimaa province. The rebellion was brutally crushed and blame was officially set for the counter-revolutionaries operating in Sweden, but in a secret party meeting, Kullervo Manner accused the soviet policies of Proletarian Dictatorship and generall Marxist-Leninist principles as cause of the incident and the collectivization was brought to halt, as the Party was well aware of the problems agricultural mismanagement could bring to Finland, which was already dependable of Soviet Food imports.
The ideological drift continued until 1934 when Kullervo Manner’s wife, Hanna Malmi again attacked the Soviet policies among them accused the Trotsky and Lenin from failing to oppose the rise of Fascism in Europe. Soviet Union answered with ultimatum to cut all relationships as well as indirect threads of wars, which led a more pro-comintern fraction of CPF to impose coup, where Malmi was moved from the central committee and expelled from the People’s deputy and assigned as Finnish Ambassador of Tuvian People’s Republic. When Manner himself didn’t support these actions, he himself was voted out from the Central Committee and Replaced by Yrjö Sirola. Manner became the head of Coal mine combinate in Vorkuta, Far Northern Urals.
Edward Gylling, a strong supporter of Manner and Malmi was also seated out from the task of Presidency and replaced with Hannes Mäkinen in 1935. During the crisis, Otto Kuusinen was send as the Finnish negotiator to Moscow to ease down the tensions and it is often claimed that he received the orders to initiate this coup directly from Trotsky and Stalin.
In Far East, the first post-civil war armed conflict took place in 1929, in Manchuria where Chinese warlords tried to expel the joint Fenno-chinese ownership of the Trans-Manchurian railway. The Rise of Japanese Empire and its occupation of Manchuria coused great deals of Concerns for Finland. The newly created Manchukuo puppet engaged series of clashes with Mongolia and with Soviet troops stationed there, thus increasing the tension among the Amur as well. First incident Between Japan and Finland became in 1937 along the Island of Kantsa (Kanchazu) on Amur when Japanese army sunk one Finnish gunboat and expelled Finnish troops from the Island. In August of 1938, much severe fighting begun around Lake Kaasa (Khasan), near Korean Border. Finnish border guards begun to fortify a hill in the western Bank of the Lake, supposedly claimed by Japan. Japanese forces initially drove Finnish units out from the hills, but after mobilization of the Finnish Far East Army under command of General Toivo Antikainen, and a resulting Finnish counter offensive drove Japanese out from the hills.
Internally, the Finnish relationship with Soviets begun to be fictitious. Finland did not actively participate in the Spanish Civil war, aside sending volunteers to the international brigades. Sirola died in heart attack in 1936, and after series of internal power struggle, Oskari Tokoi succeeds in power, in much of relief to Kullervo Manner and his supporters. Offically describing themselves as “Independency” fraction, tough labeled as “stubbornness” fraction by their opposition (Finnish term for Independency, Itsenäisyys rhyming with the term Itsepäisyys, eg. stubbornness). Under this fraction, Finland begun to take more and more steps away from subordinating into Soviet puppet hood, which by much was begun to be conducted by Stalin who gained more and more power in the Soviet hierarchy. Mostly the struggle was taken place inside Comintern, where Finnish stand called more open and decisive moves against Fascisms, most notably the German Nazis, where as the Soviet side often brought up this as disguised Finnish cultural chauvinism and seeking of restoring the former Grand Duchy’s borders.
In summer of 1939, Manchukuo and Japanese forces in Manchuria begun increased build ups against Finnish border. The Japanese “Strike North” fraction was eager to revenge the humiliation of the previous year and seek Casus Belli for invasion of Finnish Far East that it regarded easy target for strategic strike against inferior Finnish forces. The disputed “64 villages” , series of Manchu habited villages in Finnish side of the Amur river turned out to be the excuse for such armed conflict, when the Manchukuoan forces begun to support dissident actions among the ethnic Manchu’s and sending troops across the Amur to support the revolters in their fight against Finnish police and Border guard forces. Finnish internal troops were first dislodged, but after the Amur Flotilla and army units arrived, the Manchu troops were expelled. Japanese send more troops to the area, as well as their air units to drive away the Gunboats, and they re-entered to region once more.
This time Finland mobilized their whole Far Eastern Army, and after series of Battles in August, General Antikainen drove the Japanese across the Amur once again in 24th of August.
In Same day, Soviet Union published their Molotov-Rittendrop Non-aggression-pact with Germany that infuriated the Finnish leadership and caused lot of concern in regarding Stalin’s and Hitler’s actions towards Finland. The treaty’s secret clauses gave Eastern Poland to Soviets, but let Germans claim the Lithuania, that Finland regarded as part of its patrimony.
In fear of war in west brought Fins to negotiate peace in Far East, and after their prestigious victories, Japan and Finland signed their own Non Agression Pact, that led Japanese seek southern invasions instead of trying to challenge Finnish forces.
When German Invaded Poland, Soviet Union declared neutrality and occupied its share of the Polish soil. Finland begun to transfer its troops from Far East to Europe, and mobilize its forces in slow pace. Meanwhile, the Fascists Quisling fraction had rose power in Scandinavia, and in Treaty of Copenhagen in late August of 1939, it agreed to close the Baltic Straights in favor of German policies. This lead to Finnish fear of Joint Scandinavic-German invasion of Finland after Poland. Finland begun to pressure Lithuania to give it military bases and allow Finnish troops to be positioned in its soil. This pressure lead Lithuania yielding, and by early 1940, when German’s attention had turned westwards, Finland conducted coup in Riga, effectively leading to Annexation of the country back in Finnish rule. Awhile Finnish part feared Stalin to conduct actions against Tokoi’s power, but the Japanese invasion of Soviet controlled china took away the change to conduct such operation. Finnish relationship between Soviet Union however remained almost hostile until the Operation Barbarossa, when all Fascist Nations attacked Soviet Union as well as Finland.
Germans and especially Scandinavia were not pleased of the Finnish annexation of Lithuania, and while Hitler might have been able to persuade Fins to join in attack against Soviets, they choose to drive away Fins from Baltic and invade the European possessions of Finland, while promising the Finnish-Proper and Åland to Scandinavia.
Though Finland was more aware of the Fascist invasion than perhaps Stalin was, it was still ill prepared to face such fierce force of the Blitzkrieg that had mauled French and Poland down in previous years.
German invaded in 22th of June in 1941 The Finnish defenses in Baltic included 34 divisions of the Baltic Front, mastered in two Armies. There was another 16 Divisions in Finnish proper against Scandinavia. The Finnish forces were not able to stop the German Army Group north, and after devastating defeats (that included loss of almost entire Finnish armored corps) It had to retreat from all of Baltics. After Germans crossed the Daugava (Väinäjoki) River, the Finnish defence line was prepaired in The lake Peipus to stop Germans taking the Capital at Pietari. These actions also failed and Germans pushed across the Narva River to the river Laukaa (Lugi) while Capturing Novgorod and crossing the River Volkhov. Meanwhile in 25th of July, Scandinavia declared war on Finland and begun invading the Ålands and advance in Lapland toward Finland-Proper.
Politically the invasion took toll on the Finnish Communist Party. Tokoi was ousted from the leadership and Otto Kuusinen took charge. He immediately reassured the old alliance with Soviet Union who was also under attack recognizing that Finland and Soviet Union can only survive the war in together as well as seeking all help available from western allies. A joint military leadership was organized, where the Finnish front was divided into Northern, Baltic and North-Western Fronts.
By December, Germans managed to push through all Finnish defense lines, and encircle Pietari with capturing of Pähkinälinna and the Southern Coast of Lake Ladoga and Advancing trough Karelian Isthmus toward River Taipale. Meanwhile the Scandinavians occupied Rovaniemi and tried to push towards Murmanni, but they were halted there before the winter. Finnish Fronts were now reorganized as the Isthmus Front in Karelia, the Pietari Front in the besieged Capital, and the Volhova Front along the river Volhova.
Finnish Capital and government moved to Archangelsk and the Besieging of Pietari became the most destructive siege of whole history, where 600,000 civilians died. The population of the Capital was 1.5 million in 1939, but it rose to about 4 million while refugees from Baltic and Novgorod begun fleeing toward the Capital away from Novgorod region. Initial evacuation plans by the Finnish army did not take account of the Capital to be besieged and the chaotic months precluding the siege also brought people from Finnish-Proper to mass into the capital in fears of Scandinavian landings. Most of Finnish navy was also trapped in the city and the Germans and Scandinavians occupied the Gulf of Finland from its Islands to control a maritime blockade as well. Finnish army was badly mauled in the Initial Barbarossa assault, and the losses to Air and Tank units were most severe and effectively halting changes of counter offensives in Finnish fronts. The vast Wilderness in Lapland front prevented Scandinavians to maneuver pass the few roads and railroads, and the warfare turned into sort of stationary guerilla warfare where the frontlines were stable only around the major towns and communication junctions, while raiding parties from both side ventured deep into each territory. In Baltic Seas, while the German heavy Units and Luftwaffe kept Finnish fleet trapped in
The Finnish Far East Army arrived Europe in December of 1941 but was put into defense of Moscow where they were arriving via the Soviet Siberian railway instead of the Finnish one in North. Basically all of Finnish war effort in WWII focused on breaking the siege of Pietari. In following years, Fins tried to break the German Lines from Karelian Isthmus and from the Volkhov. in winter of 1942, while the land offensives fails, Fins manages to capture Suursaari and Lavansaari Islands with invasions cross the ice with land units. In the Following summer, Kriegsmarine and Scandinavian naval units cannot blockade the city’s maritime approaches as well and almost 1 million civilians are evacuated via sea lanes, while almost 100 000 dies in German bombings of these shipping’s that are conducted with every possible vessels. Initially Finnish Army is commanded by Civil War heroes Marshall Ali Aaltonen and Emil Haataja, but Aaltonen died during the retreat from Tallinn in the Juminda mine barrages and Haataja is replaced with Akseli Anttila, the Defence secretary from Kuusinen’s Administration. The city’s defences were commanded by General Tuure Lehén and the Volhavan Front by General Eylf Matson and Toivo Antikainen was in charge of the Karelian front.
In early 1943, the Operation Kipinä (Spark) General Antikainen managed to capture the City of Siestarjoki, at Gulf of Finland shore and advance trough coastal railroad to the besieged city, and the Finnish forces manages to keep this land line open through the summer of 1943. Towards January 1944, the Finnish army had managed to building up its forces and creates new armored formations as well as building up strong Air Forces together with Soviet Air armies that were operating in Finnish fronts. The Strategic Operation No.1 Was the Finnish campaign to end the siege of the City all together by attacking the German armies in Karelian Isthmus. The operation manages to trap the Germans in their own encirclement after The Volhovan Front manages to Capture Pähkinälinna and cross the Neva towards the City and With simultaneous attack from the Karelian Isthmus, the German armies are destroyed and the siege broken. In the following summer, Finnish army first invades the Åland Islands as well as pushes up north in Lapland which together with a pro-Western Coup in Scandinavia to outset Quisling leads to a Scandinavia to seek peace with Finland and the allies. Another offensive in the Baltics drives Germans first from Pihkova and Novgorod back to the Baltic provinces, and the later summer/autumn further pushes the Germans away from Estonia and Livland, Encircling Large German army to the Kurland and allowing Finnish troops to enter East-Prussia. After one year of great success, the Finnish army was exhausted by the three, the Pietari Front is officially dismantled and most of its units are allocated to reoccupying the Lithuania and as well as prepare to be send back to Far East. The Volhovan Front is renamed 1st Baltic Front and took control over the Kurland Siege, where as the Isthmus Front and the Finnish troops from Lapland make up the 2nd Baltic front that continues advance to Germany’s northern Coast along with Soviet final invasion of Germany.
In Yalta Conference, Finland and Soviet Union had agreed to begun land war in Manchuria against the Japanese forces. Finland initially sough of capturing Manchuria, but the Allied only agreed on restoring the pre-1905 borders, with returning the southern Sakhalin, Kuriles and Port Arthur. The Finnish invasion forces included 24 divisions and together with the Soviet forces from Mongolia Attacked Manchuria two days after USA had dropped atomic bomb to Hirosima leading into rapid Japanese capitulation. The numerically Strong Japanese army in Manchuria offered little resistance to the Finnish troops that were mostly veterans from the Pietari Front.
In Europe, after surviving the German atrocities and the Nazis plan to replace “Asiatic and Mongol-breed” Finnish population with their own “superior” race with plans to starve the Finnish and Soviet population to death, together with the horrors of the besieged Pietari, the general consensus among all finnish politicians, military and the general population sought revenge. Finnish delegate in the Allied planning pushed for “destroying Germany as nation for good” and that East-Prussia as whole was to be given to Finland. Ultimately Finland only gained the city of Konigsberg (renamed as Sirolankaupunki) and its surrounding areas, rest of the East-Prussia going for Poland. Finnish 2nd Baltic Front tried pillage as much “war-reparations” as possible, and after the German capitulation, Finland and Soviet Union demanded huge war reparations in terms of payment by the East German Government and by confiscating large deposits of materials, sometimes including even complete factories, that were dismantled and transferred back to Finland.
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