Finland
From Kaiserreich
Revision as of 04:30, 1 October 2007
History
Finland gained her independence during the general collapse Russian Empire in 1917, and the country fought a brief, but bitter civil war soon after between the Reds, formed from various leftists activists, and the Whites, made up by conservative-nationalist opposition and the ‘official’ government. In the end the White forces won with the help of German support, and Finland became a monarchy under the rule of prince Frederick of Hesse, who assumed the name Fredrik Kaarle. After the civil war nationalist activism remained very strong, and various Finnish activist groups participated in so-called "Tribe Wars" from the United Baltic Duchy to Petsamo in the north, with the goal of creating a united Greater Finland. When the East Karelian national revolt of 1921 threatened to escalate into a full-scale war the Germans forced a peace between Finland and Russia and the Treaty of Tartu signed later that year established a compromise, giving Finland Petsamo but placing Karelia out of their reach. The treaty also forced Sweden to concede control of the Åland Islands, an act of coercion that has created much bad blood between the Central Powers and Sweden.
Finland had now reached a new height of expansion, but many were still dissatisfied. Rumours of a massacre of Karelians in Russia, worldwide anti-democracy sentiments and strong national activism served as the catalysts that gave birth to the Lapua Movement, which started as an anti-leftist organization but quickly developed much more ambitious aims. In 1932 the Lapua Movement gathered it's forces and started a revolt in Mäntsälä. Enjoying widespread support, most importantly from voluntary defence organizations, the Movement clearly presented a threat to the existing order. In response to this threat, Fredrik Kaarle I decided that it would be best to join with the movement rather than fight it, doing so by dismissing the parliament and requesting that the Lapua Movement to form a new government.
Four years later Finland is a nation that is internally stable but vulnerable to forces outside her borders. The Russians are worried by the Lapua movement’s ideological motivations, and angered by Finland's claims on their territory, the Swedes are not taking the way the Movement's treats the Swedish-Finnish minority kindly, and the Germans are beginning to worry that Finland might drag them into a new war in the north. Despite the growing tensions, can Finland turn the situation into an opportunity to finally bring the Estonians, Karelians, Ingrians and Cwens into the Greater Finland the Lapua movement so craves?
