In Russian society, sometimes you come across people who claim that Finland, located in the north of Europe, has never been part of Russia. The question arises: is the person who argues this way right?
As part of the Russian Empire from 1809 to 1917, there was the Grand Duchy of Finland, which occupied the territory of modern Finland and part modern Karelia. This principality had broad autonomy.
In June 1808, Alexander the First issued a manifesto “On the annexation of Finland.” According to the Friedrichsham Peace Treaty of 1809, concluded between Russia and Sweden, Finland passed from Sweden to Russia. Finland became part of the Russian Empire as an autonomous principality. This agreement is the result Russian-Swedish war 1808 - 1809, which is the last of all the Russian-Swedish wars.
Under Alexander II Finnish language received the status state language on the territory of the Grand Duchy of Finland.
The highest official of Finland was the governor-general, appointed by the head of state, that is, the Russian emperor. Who was not the Governor-General of Finland from 1809 to 1917? And Mikhail Bogdanovich Barclay de Tolly (1761 - 1818), and Arseny Andreevich Zakrevsky (1783 - 1865), and Alexander Sergeevich Menshikov (1787 - 1869), and Platon Ivanovich Rokasovsky (1800 - 1869), and Stepan Osipovich Goncharov (1831 – 1912), and Nekrasov Nikolai Vissarionovich (1879 – 1940) and others.
It should be noted that the Friedrichsham Peace Treaty of 1809 regarding Finland was in force until 1920, since according to the Tartu Peace Treaty of October 14, 1920, concluded between the RSFSR and Finland, the state independence of Finland was recognized.
On December 6, 1917, Finland declared its independence. That is, a new country has appeared on the world map. In this regard, it should be noted that some experts believe that Finland was part of Russia from 1809 to 1920. But most historians and other experts claim that Finland was part of Russia from 1809 to 1917. I note that on December 18, 1917, by Resolution of the Council people's commissars RSFSR, which was established on November 7, 1917 as a government Soviet Russia, it was proposed to recognize the state independence of Finland.
Yes, Russia lost Finland. Yes, Russia sold Alaska to the United States of America. There is nothing to be done, this is the history of mankind. In the history of mankind there have been enough cases when a state loses something or, conversely, gains something.
From all that has been said, it follows that Finland was part of Russia from 1809 to 1917. That is, the Russians who claim that Finland has never been part of Russia are wrong.
Of the year
Category: Geopolitics
Text: Russian Seven
In a special status
Russia acquired its first experience in managing Finnish lands during Northern War. Having occupied the territory of Finland in 1714, Russian troops remained there for the next seven years. Russian military leadership tried with all its might to win over the Finns by announcing that it would guarantee local residents legal protection and will provide patronage. Insult civilian population, willful collection of indemnities, looting and any manifestation of violence were punishable death penalty.
The Grand Duchy of Finland became part of the Russian Empire during the last Russian-Swedish war of 1808-1809. The acquisition was supported the highest manifesto“On the conquest of Swedish Finland and its annexation forever to Russia.” “As a result, We commanded that the inhabitants take her oath of allegiance to Our Throne,” reported Alexander I.
According to the document, Russian government pledged to preserve the previous laws and the Diet of Finland. Later, based on the decisions of the Sejm, it was decided to leave the Russian military system settled here. The emperor ordered the tax and financial systems of the principality to be used only for the needs of the country itself, while monetary unit make Russian ruble.
Throughout the 19th century, the Principality of Finland had a fairly wide degree of autonomy, its own constitutional system and a calendar independent from St. Petersburg. The principality was governed by the Senate, which was only nominally headed by the Russian governor-general.
Historian, specialist northern countries Ilya Solomeshch notes that Finland was part of the Russian Empire with an absolutely special, unique status and a set of characteristics of a state. This, according to the historian, allowed representatives of the Finnish political elite talk about full-fledged statehood.
Beloved king
In the center of Helsinki Senate Square there is a monument to the Russian Emperor Alexander II. The king looking forward is surrounded by allegorical figures personifying his virtues: “Law”, “Peace”, “Light” and “Work”.
In Finland they really honor the Tsar-Liberator, who did a lot not only for the Russian, but also for the Finnish people. His reign is associated with the growth of the principality’s economy and development national culture. In 1865, he returned the national currency, the Finnish mark, to circulation, and two years later he issued a decree equalizing the rights of Finnish and Swedish languages.
During the reign of Alexander II, the Finns had their own post office, army, officials and judges, the first gymnasium in the principality was opened and compulsory schooling. The culmination of the emperor’s liberal policy towards Finland can be considered the approval in 1863 of a constitution that established the rights and foundations political system Principality of Finland.
When Alexander II was killed by Narodnaya Volya in 1881, Finland greeted this news with bitterness and horror, notes historian Olga Kozyurenok. In that fateful March, the Finns lost a lot, because none of the reigning Romanovs was as supportive of Finland as Alexander II. Using public donations, grateful Finns erected a monument to their idol, which to this day is one of the symbols of Helsinki.
Forced Proximity
With accession Alexandra III trends in the centralization of the country became noticeable, which largely affected the national outskirts. The authorities actively opposed the separatist aspirations of non-Russian peoples, trying to integrate them into the Russian cultural community.
In Finland, the policy of Russification was most consistently pursued since 1899 with a short break until the collapse of the empire. In Finnish historiography, this period is usually called sortokaudet - “time of persecution.” And it all started with the February manifesto of 1899, which established the right of the Grand Duke to issue laws without the consent of representative bodies Finnish authorities.
It was followed by: the language manifesto of 1900, which declared Russian the third language official language Finland after Finnish and Swedish; the law on conscription into the army, which eliminated individual Finnish armed forces and included them in the army of the Russian Empire.
It should also be noted that laws sharply limited the rights of the Finnish Sejm in favor of the Russian Duma, and subsequently dissolved parliament and intensified repressive measures against separatist movements in Finland.
Doctor historical sciences Yuri Bulatov calls such a policy forced, noting that tsarism in the future intended to develop a model for managing the Finnish lands that would allow simultaneous solution of several problems: “First, to ensure social stability in the Baltic region and minimize the risks of conflict situations both on religious and national grounds; secondly, to create a favorable image of Russia, which could become an attractive example for the Finnish population in the territory of the VKF, which remained part of Sweden.”
On the other hand, we must not forget about the deterioration of the international situation. Russia could still be threatened by Sweden; from the late 1870s, the Baltic region fell into the zone of interests of the growing power of Germany; there were also England and France, who attacked Finland during Crimean War.
Finland could well have been used by any of the listed powers to attack Russia, which would primarily threaten its capital, St. Petersburg. Given the inability Finnish army to resist aggression, the need for closer integration of the principality into the military-administrative structures of the empire became vitally important.
The vice is tightening
The systematic Russification of Finland began with the appointment of Nikolai Bobrikov as Governor-General of the Principality in October 1898. It should be noted that Russification was carried out primarily in the administrative and legal sphere and practically did not affect the areas of culture and education in Finland. For central authorities it was more important to create a unified legislative, economic and defense system.
Russo-Japanese War for several years shifted the priorities of the Russian Empire from west to east, but since 1908, on the initiative of Prime Minister Pyotr Stolypin, the Russian authorities continued their attack on Finnish autonomy, which caused sharp discontent from the nationalist circles of Finland.
In 1913, laws were passed on the allocation of a loan from the treasury of the Grand Duchy of Finland for defense needs, as well as on the equal rights of Russian citizens in Finland. A year later, a significant contingent of the Russian army was stationed in Finland to ensure security and order. In November 1914, classified materials were leaked to the Finnish press. Russian government, indicating the existence of a long-term program for the Russification of the country.
To freedom
The policy of Russification caused an unprecedented rise national movement and mass protests in Finland. A petition with 500,000 signatures was sent to Nicholas II with a request to cancel the February manifesto, but the tsar ignored it. In response, strikes and strikes became more frequent, and the tactics of “passive resistance” gained momentum. For example, in 1902, only half of Finnish conscripts showed up for military service.
Historian Ilya Solomeshch writes that at that time it was completely unclear to the St. Petersburg official what kind of Russification the Finns were talking about, because from the point of view of the authorities, it was about unification, and not about making Russians out of Finns. According to the historian, the policy of St. Petersburg was the gradual erosion of the foundations of Finnish autonomy, primarily through transformation and unification of legislation. However, in Finland this was perceived as nothing less than an attack on the foundations of sovereignty.
The actions of the Russian authorities in Finland, unfortunately, only contributed to the radicalization of the separatist movement. The rebellious principality turned into a channel for the flow of money and literature for the Russian left; one of the bases of the First Russian Revolution was created here.
In June 1904, Governor-General Bobrikov was killed in Helsingfors (now Helsinki) by Finnish nationalists, and the Russian authorities responded by crushing the Finnish secret society"Kagal", which fought against the Russification of the country.
World War, February and October Revolution liberated the separatist movement from the clutches of autocracy. After the emperor's abdication of power and the long absence of contenders for the throne, the Finnish parliament considered it necessary to choose supreme power in the country.
On December 6, 1917, Finnish independence was declared.
Separatism under the Tsar: who wanted to secede from the Russian Empire
After the abdication of Nicholas II in March 1917, the Russian Empire in its previous composition ceased to exist. Finland, Ukraine, Belarus and the Baltic states declared their autonomy. However separatist sentiments V individual regions Tsarist Russia were strong even before the revolution.Loss of Poland The Kingdom of Poland became part of the Russian Empire in the first half of the 19th century, when Prussia, Austria and Russia divided the Duchy of Warsaw. During the First World War, the Kingdom of Poland was occupied by German-Austrian troops. Germany and Austria-Hungary made a joint decision to create an independent state in the occupied territory, called the Kingdom of Poland. In essence, it was a puppet. Nicholas II, even before his abdication, de facto recognized the right to self-determination of Poland. This was a unique case in the history of Russia, when the Tsar for the first and last time with his royal will he “let go” of the sovereign’s estate to free floating.
Mazepa people are for secession IN last years During the existence of the Russian Empire on the territory of modern Ukraine, nationalists - the Mazeppians - became more active, demanding the separation of Little Russia from Russia. Widespread support among local population the ideas of an “independent Ukraine”, actively lobbied by Austria, did not exist. Opponents of the movement national self-determination claimed that among the Mazeppians a significant, if not most were not even Ukrainians, but Jews.
Armenian separatism At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, Armenian separatism began to manifest itself in Tsarist Russia. Russia gave a significant part Armenian population who moved from Ottoman Empire, where the Armenians began to be oppressed, lands in the Caucasus. There the settlers wanted to found an autonomous Armenian Republic. The separatists printed proclamations with corresponding appeals, and terrorist groups were ready to defend this idea with weapons in their hands. After Nicholas II, by his decree, ordered the confiscation of property Armenian Church(through it the rebels received weapons to the Caucasus) and close national schools, the Armenians began to carry out terrorist actions in which Russian officials died. Even the royal governor in the Caucasus, Prince Golitsyn, was seriously wounded.
The riots were provoked massacre. As a result, the king was forced to cancel his own decree.
Autonomy for Siberia Even Siberia wanted to separate from Russia; separatist sentiments arose here under Peter I. When the Siberian governor, Prince Gagarin, declared in 1719 that Siberia wanted to exist autonomously, the Russian Tsar ordered him to be hanged from a lamppost in Russian capital. However, in the 60s years XIX century, Siberian separatism again made itself felt: supporters of the creation of a separate Siberian state issued a proclamation demanding autonomy for this region of the Russian Empire. Many separatists paid for their point of view with years of prison and exile. remote places the same Siberia. In the 20th century, this movement continued to operate until the October Revolution and even for some time after it - Siberian separatists participated in congresses and meetings, developing a program for a future autonomous state independent of Russia. In July 1918, the Provisional Siberian Government adopted the “Declaration of State Independence of Siberia.” By 1920, the Siberian separatists, fragmented into small organizations, became independent political force were no longer perceived: they never managed to come to unanimous opinion about what they should be like independent state.
Before the beginning XIX century Finnish tribes never had their own statehood. This territory, inhabited by the Chukhon tribes Em and Sum, originally belonged to Novgorod, but from 1325 came under Swedish control.
After the Northern War, the Vyborg region was returned to Russia, but the rest of Finland remained under Swedish domination. Moreover, twice - in 1741 and 1788, the Swedes tried to regain these territories and even laid claim to St. Petersburg, but each time they were defeated.
In 1808, the last Russian-Swedish war to date broke out. In February 1808, units of the Russian army under the command of General Fyodor Fedorovich Buxhoeveden crossed the Russian-Swedish border and began an attack on the capital of the principality, the city of Abo. On March 10 (22), Abo was taken without a fight, after which almost all of Chukhonia was in the hands of Russian troops
In February 1809, the first meeting of the Sejm, an estate meeting of representatives of the peoples of Finland, took place in the city of Borgo.
The Sejm was asked four questions - about the army, taxes, coins and the establishment of a government council; after discussion, their deputies were dissolved. The conclusions of the Sejm formed the basis for organizing the administration of the region, although not all petitions of zemstvo officials were satisfied. Regarding the army, it was decided to preserve the settled system. The Russian ruble was adopted as the monetary unit.
Money of the Grand Duchy of Finland. While the Diet was in session, at the beginning of March 1809, Russian troops captured the Åland Islands and planned to transfer the fighting to the Swedish coast. On March 13 in Sweden there was coup d'etat, Swedish troops capitulated. A new, so-called Åland Truce, was concluded between the Swedish and Russian commanders-in-chief. However, Alexander I did not approve it and the war continued until September 1809, ending with the Treaty of Friedrichsham.
And on March 7 (19), the Sejm submitted a petition to the Russian emperor to admit the Finns to Russian citizenship.
According to the actual results of promotion Russian army, The Kingdom of Sweden ceded six fiefs (provinces) to Russia in Finland and eastern part Västerbothnia (from Uleaborg County to the Tornio and Muonio rivers), as well as the Åland Islands, in eternal possession Russian Empire. According to the Friedrichsham Peace Treaty, the newly conquered region became “the property and sovereign possession of the Russian Empire.”
They left it all to the Finns local government, and in 1860 they even introduced a Finnish mark equal to the French franc instead of the ruble. Unlike the Poles (See: The annexation of Poland to Russia), the Finns did not raise uprisings during the period of Russian rule, but at the beginning of the twentieth century, many Social Democrats appeared among the Finnish workers, who helped the Russian Bolsheviks in every possible way and gave them reliable shelters. The Russian Revolution of 1905 coincided with the rise of the Finnish national liberation movement, and all of Finland joined the All-Russian Strike. In 1906, a new democratic election law was passed, which gave women the right to vote. Finland became the first country in Europe to give women the right to vote.
Helsingfors at the beginning of the twentieth century. In the background is the Orthodox Assumption Cathedral
With the establishment of universal suffrage, the number of voters in the country increased 10 times, the old four-estate Sejm was replaced by a unicameral parliament. After the suppression of the revolution in 1907, the emperor once again tried to consolidate the previous policy by introducing military rule, which lasted until 1917.
Finland received independence from Lenin on December 18 (31), 1917, and already on January 27, 1918, the Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic was proclaimed in Helsingfors, which existed, however, only until May 16 - Soviet power overthrew in Finland German troops released after imprisonment Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. 8,500 supporters of the Workers' Republic were immediately shot, and 75 thousand ended up in concentration camps.
Since then, Finland has become a dangerous neighbor for us.
Despite the fact that Lenin personally granted independence to the Finns, Finland’s attitude towards our country was hostile throughout the interwar period, and from May 15, 1918 to October 14, 1920. There was even fighting between us and the Finns during the so-called First Soviet-Finnish War. This war ended on October 14, 1920 with the signing of the Tartu Peace Treaty between the RSFSR and Finland, which recorded a number of territorial concessions from Soviet Russia - independent Finland received Western Karelia up to the Sestra River, the Pechenga region in the Arctic, western part Rybachy Peninsula and most of the Sredny Peninsula. But already on November 6, 1921, the Second Soviet-Finnish war. Fighting ended on March 21, 1922 with the signing in Moscow of an Agreement between the governments of the RSFSR and Finland on taking measures to ensure the inviolability of the Soviet-Finnish border.
However, Soviet-Finnish relations did not improve after this. Even when in 1932 we concluded a non-aggression pact with Finland, the duration of this pact, at the insistence of the Finnish side, was determined for only three years. What Finland was going to favorable conditions definitely fight with Soviet Union, is also proven by the statements of the then Finnish officials. Thus, Finnish Foreign Minister Tanner wrote in his letter to Swedish Prime Minister Hansson: “Previously, when we thought about the possibility of being involved in a war with the Soviet Union, we always believed that this would happen under different circumstances - that Russia would fight somewhere else "(Tanner V. The Winter War. Finland against Russia. 1939 – 1940. Stanford (Cal.). 1957, p. 46). And Finland did not hide these intentions at all. So, on February 27, 1935, People's Minister Litvinov was forced to hand over a note to the Finnish envoy Irie-Koskinen, which stated: “In no other country does the press wage such a systematically hostile campaign against us as in Finland. In no other country is there such an open campaign for an attack on the USSR as in Finland" (Documents foreign policy THE USSR. t. 18. M., 1973, p. 143). When the second began in 1939 World War, it was already clear to the Soviet leadership that Finland would oppose the USSR regardless of who it fought with. Therefore, on October 5, 1939, Finnish representatives were invited to Moscow for negotiations “on specific political issues.” The negotiations took place in three stages: October 12-14, November 3-4, and November 9. For the first time, Finland was represented by the envoy, State Councilor J. K. Paasikivi, the Finnish Ambassador to Moscow Aarno Koskinen, Foreign Ministry official Johan Nykopp and Colonel Aladar Paasonen. On the second and third trips, Finance Minister Tanner was authorized to negotiate along with Paasikivi. On the third trip, State Councilor R. Hakkarainen was added. At these negotiations, for the first time, the proximity of the border to Leningrad is discussed. Stalin remarked: “We can’t do anything about geography, just like you... Since Leningrad cannot be moved, we will have to move the border further away from it.”
So it began Winter War which ended in the defeat of Finland. However, this defeat did not teach the Finns anything, and they came out against us together with the Germans. Naturally, they were defeated this time too, after which the Finns suddenly became wiser and Finland, while remaining a capital country, Finland became for us good neighbor and a reliable trading partner, which it remains to this day.
The Grand Duchy of Finland enjoyed unprecedented autonomy. Russians went there to work and sought permanent residence. Finnish language and culture flourished.
Accession
In 1807, Napoleon defeated the coalition of Prussia and Russia, or rather, defeated the Russian army led by the German Bennigsen. Began peace talks, during which Bonaparte in Tilsit (now Sovetsk Kaliningrad region) met with Alexander I.
Napoleon sought to make Russia an ally, and explicitly promised her both Finland and the Balkans. It was not possible to agree on a close alliance, but one of the main demands on Russia was to facilitate the naval blockade of England. For this, if necessary, a war with Sweden was implied, which provided the British with its ports.
In February 1808, the Russian army, led by the Ostsee resident Busgevden, entered Finland. Hostilities continued whole year under awkward leadership Russian generals of German origin. Tired of the war, the parties made peace on conditions that seemed obvious from the very beginning (it is not for nothing that in Swedish historiography the war is called Finnish) - Russia acquired Finland.
Grand Duchy of Finland: creation
Finland became part of the Russian Empire with the preservation of all possible rights and freedoms that existed before. Alexander I personally declared this: both at the very beginning of the war, and then at the Diet in Borgo (the Swedish name of the city of Porvoo, where the film “Behind the Matches” was filmed) even before the formal end of the war with Sweden.
Thus, the main Swedish code of laws - the General Code of the Kingdom of Sweden - has been preserved in Finland. The legislative body and supreme judicial body of Finland became the Government Council, independent from the St. Petersburg bureaucracy, and later the Imperial Finnish Senate, which held meetings in Swedish.
Main legislative body There was formally a Sejm, but it began to operate actively only from the middle of the 19th century. Governor-Generals were extremely nominal until late XIX century. Alexander I ruled the principality personally through a special committee, later transformed into a secretariat of state, headed by Finns. The capital was moved in 1812 from Turku (formerly Swedish Abo) to Helsingfors (Helsinki).
Simple Finnish peasant
Even before joining Russia, the peasants in Finland lived, in the words of Prince Vyazemsky, “quite fairly well,” better than the Russians, and even sold grain to Sweden. Thanks to the fact that the Grand Duchy of Finland did not pay anything to the treasury of the Russian Empire, the well-being of the people there, of course, improved significantly. A large stream of peasant walkers from nearby provinces went there: both Russians and Finns. Many sought to go to Finland for permanent residence. Peddlers were not liked in Finland; a village policeman could detain them without cause. There are eyewitness accounts that when the peddlers decided to run away, the policeman shouted: “Kill the damned Russians, nothing will happen to you!” The men also went to Finland to earn money: to factories, mines, deforestation, and were often hired for agricultural work. As Bubnovsky, a researcher of the Russian North, wrote, “The real granary of Karelia and its gold mine is Finland.”
Old Finland and new Finland
This episode in the history of the Grand Duchy of Finland shows how different the structure of the annexed territory and the Russian lands bordering it were. In 1811, Alexander I annexed the so-called Old Finland - the Finnish province - lands conquered from Sweden in previous wars - to the new principality. But legal issues arose. There was no serfdom in Swedish legislation, peasants were tenants with broad rights to land, and imperial order had already reigned in the Finnish province - the lands belonged to Russian landowners.
Because of this, the inclusion of old Finland into the principality was accompanied by conflicts, so acute that the Diet even proposed in 1822 to abandon the idea. However, the laws of the principality were nevertheless introduced on the territory of the province. Peasants did not want to become free tenants in Finland. Riots even broke out in a number of volosts. Only by 1837, those peasants who did not sign the lease agreement were evicted from their former lands.
Fennomania
In 1826, Finnish was taught at the University of Helsingfors. During these same years, Finnish literature flourished. Several reactionary years after European revolutions In 1848, the Finnish language was de jure banned, but the ban had almost no effect, and in 1860 it was lifted. With the cultural revival of the Finns, the national liberation movement is growing - for the creation of their own state.
Unlimited autonomy
Examples that confirm this definition, mass: autonomous legal system and its own legislature- The Sejm (which met once every five years, and since 1885 - once every three years, and received the right of legislative initiative), as well as separate army legislation - they did not take recruits there, but the Finns had their own army.
Historians and legal scholars also highlight whole line signs of Finnish sovereignty: separate citizenship, which the rest of the empire could not obtain; restrictions on Russian property rights - real estate in the principality was extremely difficult to buy; separate religion (Orthodox could not teach history); own post office, customs, bank and financial system. At that time, such autonomy rights for an annexed territory were unprecedented.
Finns in the Emperor's Service
As for the opportunities for Finns in Russia, by the time they joined the Russian army there was already a Finnish regiment operating, which in 1811 became the Imperial Life Guards Guards Regiment, a very deserved one. It consisted, of course, of representatives of the so-called “Old Finland,” but new Finns could also build a career in the Empire. Suffice it to recall Mannerheim, who, for the sake of military education, learned Russian and made brilliant career. There were many such Finnish soldiers. IN personnel The Finnish regiment had so many officers and non-commissioned officers that the latter were put into service like soldiers.
Restriction of autonomy and Russification: a failed attempt
This period is associated with the work of the Finnish Governor-General Nikolai Bobrikov. He submitted a note to Nicholas II on how to change the order in the too “sovereign” autonomy. The Tsar issued a manifesto in which he reminded the Finns that, in fact, they were part of the Russian Empire, and what they had saved internal laws, “corresponding to the living conditions of the country” does not mean that they should not live according to general laws. Bobrikov began reforms by introducing a general conscription in Finland - so that Finns would serve outside the country, like all citizens, the Diet opposed. Then the emperor resolved the issue single-handedly, once again recalling that Finland was subordinate to the governor-general, who carried out the policy of the empire there. The Seimas called this state of affairs unconstitutional. Then the “Basic provisions on the drafting of laws” were published for the Grand Duchy of Finland, according to which the Sejm and other structures of the principality had only an advisory role in lawmaking. In 1900, the Russian language was introduced into office work, and public meetings were placed under the control of the governor-general. As a result, in 1904 Bobrikov was killed by the son of the Finnish senator Eigen Schauman. Thus ended the attempt to “take control” of the territory.
Grand Duchy of Finland at the beginning of the 20th century
Taking this opportunity, the Seimas radically modernized legal system Finland - the four-estate system was replaced by a unicameral parliament. The electoral law passed in 1906 established universal suffrage and gave voting rights to women for the first time in Europe. Despite this democratization, the subjects of the empire and the Orthodox were deprived of their rights in Finland.
It was not just a national outskirts, but an outpost of the state in the Baltic region, which required constant attention from the authorities.
In a special status
Russia gained its first experience in managing Finnish lands during the Northern War. Having occupied the territory of Finland in 1714, Russian troops remained there for the next seven years. The Russian military leadership, trying with all its might to win over the Finns, announced that it would guarantee legal protection and patronage to local residents. Insulting the civilian population, arbitrary collection of indemnities, looting and any manifestation of violence were punishable by death.
In 1742, Empress Elizabeth circulated a manifesto in which she proposed that the Finns secede from Sweden and promised support if they wished to form an independent state. However, the inhabitants of the Finnish lands ignored the call of the Russian queen. [C-BLOCK]
The Grand Duchy of Finland (VKF) became part of the Russian Empire during the last Russian-Swedish war of 1808-1809. The acquisition was supported by the highest manifesto “On the conquest of Swedish Finland and its annexation forever to Russia,” in which Alexander I reported: “As a result, We ordered her to take an oath of loyalty to Our Throne from the inhabitants.” According to the document, the Russian government pledged to preserve the previous laws and the Diet of Finland. The Emperor ordered the use of tax revenues and financial systems principality only for the needs of the country itself, while making the Russian ruble the monetary unit. Later the Sejm decided to leave the settlement system Russian troops, according to which they combined military service with agricultural activities.
Throughout the 19th century, the Principality of Finland had fairly broad autonomy, its own constitutional system and a calendar independent from St. Petersburg. The administration of the principality was carried out by the Senate, which was only nominally headed by the Russian governor-general.
Historian and specialist in northern countries Ilya Solomeshch notes that Finland, which was part of the Russian Empire, had an absolutely special unique status And certain signs states. This, according to the historian, allowed representatives of the Finnish political elite to talk about full-fledged statehood.
Beloved king
In the center of Helsinki on Senate Square there is a monument to the Russian Emperor Alexander II. The king looking forward is surrounded by allegorical figures personifying his virtues: “Law”, “Peace”, “Light” and “Work”.
In Finland they really honor the Tsar-Liberator, who did a lot not only for the Russian, but also for the Finnish people. His reign is associated with the growth of the principality's economy and the development of national culture. The culmination of Alexander II's liberal policy towards Finland can be considered the approval in 1863 of the Constitution, which established the rights and foundations of the state system of the Principality of Finland. In 1865, the emperor returned the national currency, the Finnish mark, to circulation, and two years later he issued a decree equalizing the rights of the Finnish and Swedish languages. During the reign of Alexander II, the Finns had their own post office, army, officials and judges, the first gymnasium in the principality was opened and compulsory schooling was introduced.
When Alexander II died at the hands of the Narodnaya Volya in 1881, Finland greeted this news with bitterness and horror, notes historian Olga Kozyurenok. In that fateful March, the Finns lost a lot, because none of the reigning Romanovs was as supportive of Finland as Alexander II. Using public donations, grateful Finns erected a monument to their benefactor, which to this day is one of the symbols of Helsinki.
Forced Proximity
With the accession of Alexander III, a trend toward centralization of the country became noticeable, which largely affected the national outskirts. The authorities actively opposed the separatist aspirations of non-Russian peoples, trying to integrate them into the Russian cultural community.
In Finland, the policy of Russification was most consistently pursued from 1899, with a short break, until the collapse of the empire. In Finnish historiography, this period is usually called “sortokaudet” - “time of persecution”. In February 1899, a manifesto was published establishing the right of the Grand Duke to issue laws without coordination with the representative authorities of Finland. It was followed by: the Language Manifesto of 1900, which declared Russian the third official language of Finland after Finnish and Swedish; the law on conscription, which eliminated the Finnish armed forces as a separate formation and included them in the army of the Russian Empire. It is also worth noting the laws that sharply limited the rights of the Finnish Sejm in favor of the Russian Duma, and then dissolved the parliament and intensified repressive measures against separatist movements in Finland.
Doctor of Historical Sciences Yuri Bulatov calls such a policy forced, noting that tsarism in the future intended to develop a model for managing the Finnish lands that would allow simultaneous solution of several problems: [С-BLOCK]
“Firstly, to ensure social stability in the Baltic region and minimize the risks of conflict situations on both religious and national grounds; secondly, to create a favorable image of Russia, which could become an attractive example for the Finnish population in the territory of the VKF, which remained part of Sweden.”
We must not forget about the deterioration of the international situation. Russia could still be threatened by Sweden. Since the late 1870s, the Baltic region fell into the zone of interests of the growing power of Germany, and there were also England and France, which attacked Finland during the Crimean War.
Finland could well have been used by any of the listed powers to attack Russia, which would primarily threaten its capital, St. Petersburg. Given the inability of the Finnish army to resist aggression, closer integration of the principality into the military-administrative structures of the empire became vital.
The vice is tightening
The systematic Russification of Finland began with the appointment of Nikolai Bobrikov as Governor-General of the Principality in October 1898. Let us clarify that Russification was carried out primarily in the administrative and legal sphere and practically did not affect the areas of culture and education in Finland. For the central authorities, it was more important to create a unified legislative, economic and defense structure.
The Russo-Japanese War shifted the priority aspirations of the Russian Empire from West to East for several years. However, since 1908, on the initiative of Prime Minister Pyotr Stolypin, the Russian authorities continued their attack on Finnish autonomy, which caused sharp discontent among nationalist circles in Finland.
In 1913, laws were passed that made it possible to take loans from the treasury of the Grand Duchy of Finland for the needs of the defense of the Russian Empire, as well as on the equal rights of Russian citizens in Finland. A year later, a significant contingent of the Russian army was stationed in Finland to ensure security and order. In November 1914, secret materials from the Russian government were leaked to the Finnish press, indicating the existence of a long-term program for the Russification of the country.
To freedom
Russification caused an unprecedented rise in the national movement and mass protests in Finland. A petition with 500,000 signatures was sent to Nicholas II, asking him to cancel the February Manifesto. However, the king ignored her. In response, strikes and strikes became more frequent, and the policy of “passive resistance” gained momentum. For example, back in 1902, only half of Finnish conscripts showed up for military service.
Historian Ilya Solomeshch writes that at that time it was completely unclear to St. Petersburg officials what kind of Russification the Finns were talking about, because, from the point of view of the authorities, it was about unification, and not about making Russians out of Finns. According to the historian, the policy of St. Petersburg was the gradual erosion of the foundations of Finnish autonomy, primarily through transformation and unification of legislation. However, in Finland this was perceived as nothing less than an attack on sovereignty. [C-BLOCK]
The actions of the Russian authorities in Finland, unfortunately, only contributed to the radicalization of the separatist movement. The rebellious principality turned into a channel for the flow of money and literature for the Russian left; one of the bases of the First Russian Revolution was created here.
In June 1904, Governor General Bobrikov was assassinated by Finnish nationalists in Helsingfors (now Helsinki). Russian authorities in response, they defeated the Finnish secret society “Kagal”, which fought against the Russification of the country.
The World War, the February and October revolutions liberated the separatist movement from the clutches of autocracy. After the emperor's abdication of power and the long absence of contenders for the throne, the Finnish parliament considered it necessary to elect the supreme power in the country. On December 6, 1917, Finnish independence was declared.