Finland is a unitary parliamentary republic with Helsinki as its capital and largest city, settled since around 9000 BC and part of Sweden from the late thirteenth century through the Northern Crusades until the Russian Empire captured it in 1809, after which it became an autonomous grand duchy within Russia. Finland declared independence from the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic on 6 December 1917, with Soviet Russia recognizing it on 4 January 1918; a civil war followed independence in 1918, won by anticommunist forces, and during the Second World War Finland fought the Soviet Union in the Winter War and Continuation War, ultimately losing twelve percent of its land area while preserving its independence. With a population of 5.7 million, Finland was the first European country to grant universal suffrage, in 1906, and it has since joined the European Union in 1995, the eurozone in 1999, and NATO in 2023.
Facts
Government TypeUnitary parliamentary republic 1 Government type (class) Classification
Status (Extant or Former) FAQs
How did Finland stay independent through the Cold War?
It followed a strict policy of Cold War neutrality between the Second World War and 1991 while keeping its ties with the West.
After the 1939 Soviet attack on Finland and the Winter War, Finland allied with Germany to obtain supplies and military assistance in its continued conflict with the Soviet Union, and the United States severed diplomatic relations in June 1944. Informal relations were reestablished a few months later and formally reinstated within a year. Between the Second World War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, Finland pursued a strict policy of Cold War neutrality. The United States supported that neutrality while maintaining and reinforcing Finnish ties with the West.
Connections
In Era
Source Wikipedia: Finland
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Government Type
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Sources
1. Wikipedia: Finland
Infobox, capital
Its capital and largest city is Helsinki.
Infobox, government
Unitary parliamentary republic
Civil war and early independence section
The right-wing government, led by Prime Minister P. E. Svinhufvud, presented the Declaration of Independence on 4 December 1917, which was officially approved by the Finnish Parliament on 6 December.
Finland: Status
Finland is a unitary parliamentary republic with Helsinki as its capital and largest city, settled since around 9000 BC and part of Sweden from the late thirteenth century through the Northern Crusades until the Russian Empire captured it in 1809, after which it became an autonomous grand duchy within Russia.
In Era: The Contemporary Period, lead paragraph and infobox, existence dates
Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe.
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