A Separate War?
Finland’s involvement in World War II was both typical and unique. As one of the newly independent states in Eastern Europe, Finland was dragged into the conflict by the Hitler-Stalin Pact in 1939. However, unlike its neighbors, Finland managed to defend itself and avoid occupation. This had a profound impact on the country’s postwar development, paving the way for a persistent belief that Finland had fought its own defensive war amidst the larger global conflict.
But was this interpretation simply a nationalistic perception of history, or were there deeper reasons, motives, and feelings behind it? The notion of a “separate Finnish war” was not accepted by the Allies, who were well aware of how closely Finland’s military efforts were synchronized with Germany’s campaigns. Yet, the Finnish government never signed an official pact with the Nazis and was unwilling to extend its involvement beyond the originally agreed upon terms.
Driftwood or Rowboat?
For the first two decades after the war, Finnish historians, especially those involved in the country’s wartime propaganda, defended the interpretation of Finland as a “piece of driftwood” caught in the currents of great power politics. However, this “driftwood theory” gradually lost credibility as wartime memoirs revealed contradictions that inspired foreign scholars to dig deeper.
By the 1980s, a new metaphor emerged – Finland as a “skillfully steered rowboat” rather than a lifeless driftwood. But this too was eventually debunked by research showing the obvious shortcomings of the separate war narrative. As historian Mauno Jokipii argued in 1987, both the driftwood and rowboat theories had lost their appeal to Finnish historians.
A Defensive Victory
Despite the academic deconstruction of the separate war myth, the popular commemoration of Finland’s wartime experience was never particularly discouraged. The country systematically repatriated and buried its fallen soldiers, erecting monuments that became sites of collective mourning and remembrance. And Väinö Linna’s epic novel “Unknown Soldier,” published in 1954, became an enduring cultural touchstone, depicting the harsh realities and raucous experiences of Finland’s soldiers.
This interpretation, which saw the infantry privates as having done their duty despite the country’s dependency on Germany, ruled supreme throughout the Cold War. It could be read as both a tribute to the notion of a separate war and a critique of the bourgeois society the soldiers were sent to defend. By the end of the Cold War, “Unknown Soldier” had become the definitive Finnish war story.
Conclusion: Navigating Troubled Waters
Finland’s wartime experience was a complex navigation of treacherous geopolitical waters. While the country’s historians have largely deconstructed the myth of a “separate Finnish war,” the popular narrative has proven remarkably resilient. As the country grapples with the legacy of this period, the future of these wartime memories may depend on the destiny of the Finnish welfare state and its place within the broader European framework. What other hidden stories and surprising insights might still be uncovered in the archives? The journey of understanding Finland’s WWII experience is far from over.
