Finland : the facts

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FERG/4333
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[Melbourne : Australian League for Peace and Democracy,] 1939 Cecil Herbert Sharpley)
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FINLAND  

THE FACTS  

HISTORY.— From 1157 to 1917 Finland was  

dominated either oy the rulers of Sweden or  

the Tsars of Russia. The Kerensky Govern-  

ment refused to grant independence, but wher  

the Bolsheviks came to power in Russia, Fin-  

land became independent. The first nation to  

recognise Finnish independence was Soviet  

Russia. Finland in 1918 became Workers'  

Socialist Republic (but not Soviet)  

CIVIL WAR.— White Army under General  

Mannerheim (still Commander-in-Chief in  

1939) overthrew the Workers' Republic in  

1918 by calling in the aid of 12,000 German  

troops. In the White Terror the*/ followed,  

"some 15,000 men, women and children were  

slaughtered". ("Encyclopedia Britannica".)  

The White Government offered the Finnish  

throne to the German royal family, and Fin-  

land was becoming German colony. After  

the defeat of Germany by the Allies, the Brit-  

ish Government sent General Gough to Finland  

to organise intervention against the Soviets.  

In 1919 British warships were sent to the Bal-  

tic and attacked the Soviet fortress of Krons-  

tadt, near Leningrad. (See "Armed Interven-  

tion in Russia, 1918-22", by W. P. and Z. K.  

Coates.)  

INDEPENDENT AND DEMOCRATIC? — Fin-  

land is often referred to as "democratic and  

independent". But the Communist Party has  

been banned; the main trades union move-  

ment was dissolved in 1930; and criticism is  

limited by press laws. Finland has been depen-  

dent financially and in other ways on the big  

imperialist Powers. It is clear that Finland's  

independence and democracy exist to large  

extent in name only; it would be more aptly  

described as small semi-fascist State depen-  

dent to large extent on the big capitalist  

Powers.  

ECONOMIC CONDITIONS.— FinIand is main  

ly an agricultural country. Of the population  

of 3,600,000, only 162,000 were employed in  

industry in 1934—mainly in the timber indus-  

try. One-thousandth of the population holds  

one-fifteenth of the arable land.  

“The Finnish nation as whole is not very  

well-to-do. The biggest business firms are owned  

by foreigners, mostly American or British.  

The cost of living is high, and salaries are low  

when compared with those of other countries.”  

(Sylva Riite, Finnish girl writing in the “Aus-  

tralian Women’s Weekly”, December 16, 1939.)  

There was considerable unemployment  

during the world depression, but there is no  

unemployment insurance. Of the men  

inspected for military training in 1936, pe  

cent were suffering from tuberculosis.  

POLITICS. — The Social-Democratic Party  

the strongest, holding 83 of the 200 seats in  

1936. The Communist Party held 23 seats in  

1929, but was banned in 1930. fascist coup  

was attempted in 1932, but was defeated.  

Since 936, there has been coalition Cabinet  

of Social-Democrats, Agriculturalists and  

Liberals  

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http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-3053271608

APA citation

League for Peace and Democracy. (1939). Finland : the facts Retrieved June 18, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-3053271608

MLA citation

League for Peace and Democracy. Finland : the facts [Melbourne: Australian League for Peace and Democracy,] Cecil Herbert Sharpley), 1939. Web. 18 June 2025 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-3053271608>

Harvard/Australian citation

League for Peace and Democracy. 1939, Finland : the facts Australian League for Peace and Democracy,] Cecil Herbert Sharpley), [Melbourne viewed 18 June 2025 http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-3053271608

Wikipedia citation

{{Citation
  | author1=League for Peace and Democracy.
  | title=Finland : the facts.
  | year=1939
  | section=[2] p. : map ; 22 cm
  | location=[Melbourne
  | publisher=Australian League for Peace and Democracy,] Cecil Herbert Sharpley)
  | url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-3053271608
  | id=nla.obj-3053271608
  | access-date=18 June 2025
  | via=Trove
}}

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