Main periods of Finnish history 1: Finland as a part of Sweden and Russia

Finland was a part of Sweden for about 600 years. During that time, changes and developments in Swedish society, legislation and administration also had an impact in Finland. Sweden turned from Catholicism to Lutheran faith through the Reformation. The wealthiest part of the population participated in the Riksdag of the Estates (Diet of Sweden), that voted and decided on new laws.

Finland became part of the Russian Empire in 1809, when Sweden lost the war against Russia. During the Russian rule, Finland gained self-governance. The Finns were allowed to preserve the laws of Sweden, the Lutheran faith, and the privileges of estates.

During the Russian rule, Finland’s economy, industry, cities, transport connections, legislation, and central administration, as well as education and foreign trade developed. The 19th century was a time of great change. Finland became industrialised and roads, railways and factories were built. At the end of the century, the idea of Finland as a nation was born.

During World War I, Finland declared its independence in 1917. Russia, who experienced the revolution, recognized Finland’s independence. Shortly after, Finland had its own civil war in 1918. Social inequality and poverty were the underlying factors of the civil war.

Under Swedish rule, Christian faith and Swedish model of government came to Finland

Before the time of the Swedish rule, Finland was populated by people who had come from different places and in different times. They lived in small communities and didn’t form a nation or state. Sweden annexed parts of land that’s now called Finland spanning 12th-14th century.

Under Swedish rule, Catholic Christianity spread to Finland. Finland was a part of the Swedish Empire for over 600 years. The changes that took place during those centuries in Sweden and Europe, such as the Reformation and the Enlightenment, were also visible in Finland. When Sweden was at war, soldiers were also to be sent from Finland to Swedish troops.

The laws were passed in Riksdag of the Estates

During the Swedish rule, Finland participated in the diet made up of the four estates. The Riksdag of the Estates was a legislative assembly that started in Sweden in the 16th century. However, the estates represented only the highest social classes and the most prosperous section of the population. Most of the people did not belong to any estate.

Reformation meant Protestant faith replaced Catholicism

As a result of the Reformation, in the 16th century, parts of Europe moved from Catholicism to Protestant faith. In Sweden and in the eastern part of the empire, this meant Lutheranism, which is one of the Protestant Christian denominations. The Reformation aimed at reforming the doctrines of the Church but also had political goals. Through the reformation the power of the King of Sweden grew when he became the head of the church instead of the pope. In addition, much of the Church’s substantial property was transferred to the state.

During the Enlightenment, the rule of law and human rights were developed

At the end of the 17th century, the Age of Enlightenment began in Europe. During this period, the power of the monarch and the great influence of the Church were reduced. Attention was given to human rights and the aim was and establish constitutional states, meaning states governed by law. With the rule of law, all people would have human rights, political rights and the right participate in civil society. In Sweden, for example, torture was banned as a means of interrogation. During the Enlightenment, important objectives were the right to vote, freedom of speech and freedom of religion.

Colonialism increased prosperity in Europe but made colonies poorer

At the same time as the human rights were discussed in Europe, many European countries practiced colonialism. Under colonialism, the state conquers entire countries or regions of countries on other continents and uses their resources, such as labour and natural resources. Colonialism also affects the local customs of conquered countries or regions, such as language, religion and education.

The strong development and prosperity of the colonial states was partly at the expense of colonial exploitation. Colonising countries, such as Sweden and thus Finland, benefited from the natural resources, raw materials, and products of the colonies, as well as the trade associated with them. The goods and raw materials taken from colonies that were sold on the international market were often produced by slave labour.

During the Russian rule, autonomous Finland started industrialisation

Finland became part of the Russian Empire in 1809, when Sweden lost the war against Russia. During the Russian rule, Finland’s social development continued. The emperor of Russia gave Finland autonomy. Thus, Finland was allowed to keep its old Swedish laws and the Lutheran religion. Finland was also allowed to establish its own legislative assembly, The Diet of Finland.

Industrialisation caused people to move from country to cities

The 19th century was a time of great change in Europe. Europe was industrialised and mass production of good began. This needed a lot of workforce and raw materials. People moved to cities and abroad to find work.

Finland’s population grew from about one million to over three million. At the same time, agricultural production advanced, but was providing enough of food for only some parts of the country. In Finland, industrialisation did not take off until the 1880s when the paper industry started up. Finland exported mostly forest industry products.

The Socialists defended the rights of the workers

During the industrialisation of Europe, the development of society was influenced by socialism, among other things. The movement promoted the improvement of the workers' position. The socialists opposed the capitalist economic system in which all means of production are privately owned. Important issues were the equality of citizens, social justice, and women's right to vote. Trade unions and socialist parties were founded all over Europe. At the end of the 19th century, there were few factory workers in Finland, because industrial cities were small. In rural areas, the poor were underprivileged.

Roads and factories were built in Finland and schools were established

Finland had peace for a long time during the Russian rule. People were content when there were no wars and the society developed. Roads, railways, and factories were built in Finland. In addition, many schools were established in Finland where people learned to read and write. Ordinary people discussed politics, set up organizations and wanted to influence the society.

Nationalism gave birth to the idea of Finland as a nation

The 19th century was also the century of nationalism. According to the nationalism, every nation has its own language, religion and history, and every nation should have its own independent state. However, the states in Europe are made up of many ethnicities. Because of nationalism, there were rebellions and unrest in many European countries. In Finland, too, many began to think that Finns were their own distinct nation.

Finland got its own Parliament in the early 1900s.

The Diet of Finland was replaced by the parliament at the beginning of the 1900s. In 1907, the first parliamentary elections were held, in which all Finns over the age of 24 were granted the right to vote. The reform was a major step forward. In the elections, workers, rural poor, and women were able to influence Finnish politics for the first time. 

Finland was the third country in the world and the first country in Europe to give women the right to vote. Finland was the first country in the world to give all women the right to stand for election. 19 women were elected to the Finnish Parliament in the 1907 elections. They were the world’s first female members of parliament.

Finland became independent, but immediately got into a civil war

The World War I occurred in Europe between 1914 and 1918. During this period, Finland gained independence from Russia in 1917 and there was a civil war in Finland in 1918. Russia granted Finland independence peacefully. Russia also had a civil war between 1917 and 1922. After the war, Russia became the Soviet Union in 1922.

In the newly independent Finland, people disagreed strongly on how the state should be managed and developed. The socialists wanted to make extensive social reforms that would improve the conditions of the workers and the poor in the rural areas and develop democracy in the municipalities. The political right was opposed to the reforms and feared the influence of socialism in Finland.

Social conditions in the newly independent Finland were challenging due to, among other things, food shortages, unemployment, and significant political disagreements. These factors contributed to the emergence of the civil war. War broke out in January 1918. 

In the war, the Red Guards and the White Guards were fighting each other. The Reds were workers and the rural poor, and they belonged to the political left. The Whites were farmers, officials and teachers, and the politics they advocated was right-wing. However, not all citizens committed themselves to Reds or Whites, but many of them had a political standpoint between the two.

In the war, the White Guards were better managed and had more money for the troops. The short War ended in April 1918 when the Whites won. In the war, about 37 000 people died in combat, prison camps and executions. Many of the dead were Red. 

More information on Finnish history: Finnish history (infofinland.fi)

The video below describes Finland’s history over the last 100 years.

Video: Creating Finnish welfare (youtube.com) Finnish, English, Arabic, Sorani, Somali, Thai, Russian, Farsi