Finland’s Wars with USSR
Finland was born out of WWI when Finland declared independence December 6, 1917. Located in northern Europe, Finland is a geographically remote country that finds itself a symbolic northern border between western and Eastern Europe. Considered a political vacuum until the 12th century when it found its western neighbor Sweden and the Catholic Church as well as its eastern neighbor Russian and its Greek Orthodox Church showing interest in this densely forested country subject to severe climate.
BACKGROUND
A short history indicates the area of what is now Finland was under the influence of Sweden prior to 1809. Under the sphere of Swedish domination, the Swedish legal and social systems took root in Finland.
The Reformation started by Luther in the 16th century reached Sweden and Finland. The Catholic Church lost out to the Lutheran faith. The Reformation opened a pat for a great rise in Finnish-language culture.
With increasing Swedish power, Sweden extended its realm around the Baltic and with Russian weakness put the Finnish border further east. When Sweden lost the short Finnish War of 1808-1809 to Russia, the Treaty of Hamina brought peace — but on Russian terms with Finland now
