Swedish rule ended in most of so-called Old Finland in 1721 as a result of the Great Northern War. Sweden ceded the remainder of Old Finland in 1743 following the Hats' War.
…with Russia, and France and Russia attacked Sweden in 1808. The war ended in 1809 with Sweden's surrender of Finland to Russia. In these circumstances certain groups of liberal officials and officers in Sweden's western army arranged a coup d'état, and on March 13, 1809, the king was overthrown.
Following the Swedish defeat in the war and the signing of the Treaty of Fredrikshamn on 17 September 1809, Finland remained a Grand Duchy in the Russian Empire until the end of 1917, with the czar as Grand Duke. Russia assigned Karelia ("Old Finland") to the Grand Duchy in 1812.
This took place three months after the German invasion of Poland that triggered the start of World War II in Europe. Sweden did not become actively involved in the conflict, but did indirectly support Finland. The Swedish Volunteer Corps provided 9,640 officers and men.
Another interesting point to note is that when Finland declared its independence in 1917 it had three official languages: Russian, Finnish, and Swedish. Law books printed in 1920 included the laws written in all three languages.
At the Treaty of Moscow (March 12, 1940), Finland had to cede Finnish Karelia and Salla, a total of 35,084 sq. km, to the Soviet Union, and "lease" Hango, with an additional 117 sq. km. In the fall of 1941, Finland regained these lost territories.
Finland as a part of the Russian Empire 1809–1917
Most of the laws from the time of the Swedish rule remained in force. During the Russian rule, Finland became a special region developed by order of the Emperor. For example, Helsinki city centre was built during Russian rule.
As tension increased between Germany and the USSR, Finland saw in Hitler a possible ally in gaining back its lost territory. German troops were allowed on Finnish soil as the Germans prepared for their invasion of the Soviet Union—a war that the Finns joined.
The Red Army was ill-equipped, poorly led, and unable to deal with the Finnish terrain and winter weather.
If Germany should decide to invade Sweden, the result would indeed be a costly victory for Hitler because of Germany8s great dependence on exports of Swedish iron ore. Thus the Swedes had in their economy their best weapon against German attack.
Finland operates the 1 GW Loviisa Nuclear Power Plant with Soviet technology, and (until May 2022) planned the 1.2 GW Hanhikivi Nuclear Power Plant with Russian technology.
In 1721, Russia and its allies won the war against Sweden. As a result, Russia was able to annex the Swedish territories of Estonia, Livonia, Ingria, and Karelia.
To put it simply, coastal warriors, who lived in modern Estonia, Finland and Latvia were also Vikings, and both archaeological as well as written sources prove it.
The main reason for Finland's siding with Germany was to regain territory lost to the Soviets in the Winter War of 1939 – 1940. As opposed to Axis Power states and affiliates, Finland granted asylum to Jews and had Jewish soldiers serving in its military.
Finland and Sweden share a long history, similar legal systems, and an economic and social model. Finland was part of Sweden for almost 700 years from around 1150 until the Finnish War of 1809 after which Finland became an autonomous part of the Russian Empire as the Grand Duchy of Finland.
In fact, Finland allied itself with Nazi Germany during the second world war not to prevent Soviet conquest but to win back territories lost to the USSR as a result of the winter war of 1939-40. The peace treaty that ended the war in March 1940 left Finnish independence intact.
Fighting in Finland's rough terrain that includes lakes, swamps and pine forests is incredibly difficult — as the Russians discovered after losing 300,000 men in the Winter War of 1940. The thousands of islands in its archipelago and shallow inlets also make it nearly impossible to invade from the sea.
Although already at war with Nazi Germany, Britain and France put together a combined force of 100 000 troops and 62 bomber aircraft to go to Finland's aid.
Finland never signed the Tripartite Pact, but was aided in its military assault on the Soviet Union by Germany from the beginning of Operation Barbarossa in 1941, and in its defence against Soviet attacks in 1944 prior to the separate peace with the Soviet Union in 1944.
The United States severed diplo- matic relations with Finland in June 1944 but did not declare war. After Finland signed an armistice with America's allies in September 1944 and expelled Germans from its territory, the United States appointed a U.S. representative to Finland.
With assistance from the Nazis, Finland briefly recaptured its lost lands, but from 1944 onwards the Soviet Union regained control.
Broadly speaking, it can be divided into three chapters: the Swedish period prior to 1809, the Russian period from 1809 to 1917, and the independent period from 1917 to the present day.
Swedish colonisation of Finland happened during the Northern Crusades from the 12th century until the 1350s. Colonisation focused on the Finnish archipelago and some of its coastal regions. The colonisation led to the beginning of the Swedish-speaking population of Finland. The settlers were from central Sweden.
In some places, the Finnish-Russian border is marked only by wooden posts with low fences meant to stop stray cattle. The fence, initially proposed by the Finnish Border Guard, is set to be built in stages ranging from five kilometres of up to 52 kilometres.