Suomen historian pääpiirteitä 2: Itsenäinen Suomi - yhteiskuntaorientaatio.fi
After the Civil War, the development of Finnish society continued
After the civil war in Finland in 1918, the rift between people was deep, even though not everyone had committed themselves to the Reds or Whites during the war. The war affected life in different parts of Finland, depending on how much support the Red or White Guards had received in each locality. Tampere, for example, was a city of the Reds and was particularly wounded by war.
For a long time, the war parties were suspicious of each other. The Reds had lost and were bitter because the war events were often presented from the perspective of the Whites in public discussions. The Whites thought they were fighting for Finland’s freedom and independence. According to the Reds, there was a class war in Finland, in which the poor social class sought to be on an equal footing with the well-off.
After the war, there were many reforms in politics aimed at improving the living conditions of the poor. For example, laws on compulsory education and progressive taxation were enacted during this period. The stability of the society was also improved by the fact that Finland was able to build new developments on top of former reforms. These included the universal suffrage and the eight-hour working time act, which had entered into force in 1917.
Political cooperation between the various parties was not easy, but in democratic institutions, people need to learn to compromise. Joint decision-making was also facilitated by the centrist groups, whose views were more moderate than those of the strictly right or left wing. At the same time, there was a growing confidence that changes could be made democratically.
In the 1930s, a severe economic depression spread throughout the world, with a shortage of everything, including food. The economy of many states deteriorated, and unemployment increased. The far right gained power in many countries because it promised to get Europe out of depression. The far-right supporters opposed democracy and wanted strong leaders. When the depression ended, living conditions improved greatly, but many European countries had become dictatorships led by the far right. Finland, however, remained a democracy.
The war against the Soviet Union caused heavy losses, but independence remained
The peaceful development of the society was interrupted when the Soviet Union invaded Finland in the autumn of 1939. Behind the attack were the Soviet Union’s demands that Finland cede territories, which Finland refused to accept. This war is called the Winter War.
Even though it was only a few decades since the Civil War, the Finns were now fighting together against the Soviet Union. The Finns had a common goal of preserving the independence. They wanted to forget the old differences, and the media emphasized the unity of the Finnish people. It gave people the strength to survive the war.
During World War II, Finland fought two wars against the Soviet Union, the Winter War and the Continuation War. In the Continuation war, Finland fought alongside Germany and tried to win back the land lost in the Winter War. After that, Finland fought the Lapland War against its former ally Germany.
As a result of the wars, Finland lost a lot of territory to the Soviet Union. People living in these areas had to leave their homes and were evacuated to other parts of Finland. For a long time, evacuated people were treated with suspicion because of different customs, dialects and religions. In the evacuation, they also had to leave a large part of their property in their old home.
Finland also had to pay large war reparations to the Soviet Union. In addition, Finland’s former allies, the Germans, who had become enemies at the end of the war, burned much of Lapland when they left Finland during the Lapland War. The reconstruction took a long time.
These wars were of great importance to the Finns. Nearly 100 000 soldiers were killed in the war. The wars brought the different parts of the people together and Finland remained an independent state. War experiences brought together the generations who shared the experience. They fought for their own country and, after the war, went through hard, poor times. Many people suffered from traumatic war events.
After the war, the construction of the welfare state began
After World War II, Finland had to follow the Soviet Union in its foreign policy in order to avoid occupation. Officially, Finland was a neutral country, but in practice, the interests of the Soviet Union had to be considered in its policy. However, Finland remained an independent country and benefited economically from trade with the Soviet Union.
After the wars, Finnish industry developed and the economy grew rapidly. The political will to build Finland a better, more equal and safer country was strong. All parties accepted the construction of a welfare state as their political objective. A key prerequisite for construction was sufficient economic growth. People were united by the experience of harsh living conditions, so everyone committed to the development of society.
Gradually, Finland became a welfare state, in which the state and municipalities were given a central role in ensuring citizens’ standard of living and livelihoods. The provision of tax-funded services and social security to all citizens gave people confidence in democratic decision-making and society and its institutions.
Finland changed from an agricultural society into a service and information society
Finland began to change from an agricultural country to an industrial and service society in the 1960s. Work in rural areas decreased as the use of agricultural machinery increased. People moved to cities. There were jobs in industry, services, trade, and transport.
An idea of a unified 9-year comprehensive school, which would be accessible to all children, was born. In the 1970s, comprehensive schools (peruskoulu) started educating Finnish children. As the education system developed, society became more equal, and Finland’s economy grew.
However, there were not enough jobs and housing for everyone, and many moved abroad to work. More than 400 000 Finns moved to Sweden in the 1960s and 1970s. Some returned when the work situation in Finland improved, while others remained in Sweden. Until the 2010s, Finns were Sweden’s largest group of immigrants.
Finland became as prosperous as the other Nordic countries, although in the 1950s, Finland was still very different from Sweden, for example. At the time, Finland as a country that had recently survived wars and war reparations was poorer and less developed than its neighbours.
The economy grew rapidly during the boom of the 1980s. The level of education was also rising fast. The Finns gradually became consumers who could afford to buy more than essentials: new clothes, furniture, trips abroad, and new cars. At the same time, housing prices rose.
Gradually the economy overheated. Prices went too high and eventually collapsed. This resulted in an economic recession at the beginning of the 1990s, which was particularly severe in Finland. Unemployment was high and banks and businesses went bankrupt. Welfare state services for citizens had to be reduced. The economic crisis had a profound impact on the Finnish people. The Finnish government had to take on a lot of debt in order to survive the depression.
The transition from an industrial and service society to an information society was made in the 1990s. Information and communication technology developed, the use of internet became more common and mobile phones became an important Finnish export product. Finnish companies became international.
Finland joined the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)
Politically, Finland continued its neutral and cautious line until the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991. After that, Finland quickly intensified its relations with Western Europe and the European Community. In 1995, Finland became a Member of the European Union.
Today, Finland uses the common currency of the euro area, euro. Finnish legislation must observe the directives and regulations laid down in the EU. As a Member of the EU, Finland participates in Europe’s common foreign policy and economic policy. Finland’s security policy is also widely implemented in cooperation with other EU countries.
Finland joined NATO in 2023. The Russian invasion of Ukraine in the winter of 2022 changed the attitudes of Finns toward NATO. NATO membership was seen as a safeguard against Russia’s threat in the Baltic Sea region and Northern Europe.
The most significant effect of membership was that Finland became a part of NATO’s common defence. Finland is now also covered by NATO’s security guarantees. Under security guarantees, each NATO Member has a duty to assist an ally that has been attacked.
Finland’s accession to NATO also meant that Finland ceased to be a militarily non-aligned country. In practice, Finland had cooperated with NATO for a long time, by, for example, participating in various joint military exercises.
Finland is one of the most developed countries in the world
Finland celebrated a century of independence in 2017. Over a hundred years, Finland has undergone major changes. An agricultural, poor country developed into a prosperous modern society. Finland became a liberal democracy with its constitution protecting the rights of all people. Finland is also a Nordic welfare state that guarantees the basic living conditions for all its residents.
Today, Finland is one of the most developed countries in the world. It is known around the world as a country with good governance and a well-functioning society. The state is safe and stable, and the average quality of life is good. In global comparison, Finland is well established in terms of social justice, gender equality and citizens’ equity. The education system is of high quality. In Finland, people trust the media, the police, the political system and the judicial system.
Finland needs more working-age population
Even though the conditions are good, Finland still faces different short- and long-term challenges in an ever-changing world. One of these is the deterioration of the demographic dependency ratio. This means that fewer children will be born in the country at the same time as people are living older and older. In Finland, as in other industrialised countries, there is an increasing number of elderly people and fewer people of working age in relation to the whole population.
The welfare state is primarily financed by taxes, and it is crucial that there are enough taxpayers. We need to consider how good education system, as well as social and health services can be provided in the future, as the numbers of working age people and taxpayers diminish while more people require services.
Sustainable development ensures good living opportunities and mitigates climate change
Another challenge for Finland is to secure sustainable development. Sustainable development is local, regional and global development that aims to preserve good living conditions for present and future generations. Sustainable development consists of reducing poverty, reducing economic inequalities, and protecting the environment globally.
Finland complies with the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It aims at eradicating extreme poverty and promoting sustainable society that takes environment, economy, and people into consideration in equal measures.
Finland has been the best in the world in achieving the goals of the Agenda. Finland has already achieved the goals of Agenda 2030 relating to the eradication of extreme poverty, provision of good education, access to energy, and energy efficiency.
But there is still more to be done. The aim is to consume less and more responsibly and produce less waste. It is important to reduce the carbon footprint of agriculture, industry, and energy production and to reduce inequalities between people.
Efforts to mitigate climate change need to be increased and intensified. Finland’s northern location protects Finns from the worst extreme weather phenomena caused by climate change. However, especially in Lapland, nature and livelihoods suffer significantly from climate change. Urgent measures to halt the loss of biodiversity are essential.
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