The 1939 Winter War is Finland's creation story. It's a war that Finland fought virtually alone, relying only on its own weapons and resources, against the might of the Soviet Union. It's a war that the USSR failed to win. And it's a war that Stalin believed he would win within 12 days! 

After 700 years of being an integral part of the Swedish Empire, Finland was taken by Russia in 1808 and eventually annexed. After the Russian Empire ceased to exist in 1917, Finland declared its independence and then fought a bloody and brutal civil war against its own Bolsheviks. Unlike many former lands and nations of the Russian Empire, such as Ukraine, Finland managed to keep its independence. But as the power of the Third Reich increased in Europe, the Soviets attacked Finland. And despite their inability to win against a smaller and weaker Finnish force, the Russians did gain what they were looking for. Hint: Finland lost territory to USSR. 

Since Finland has suddenly ended its decades-long policy of appeasing Russia by applying for NATO membership, we decided to examine Finland's recent history to better understand not only its similarities but also its differences with Ukraine's history and challenges. 

To dig deep into Finland's history, we spoke with Dr. Jason Lavery who joined us from Helsinki for this conversation. He is a permanent adjunct professor at Helsinki University, and also a professor at Oklahoma State University's Dept. of History. 

To learn more about Dr. Lavery, his many projects and publications, visit his academic homepage and also personal website.

I hope you enjoy this episode.

Adel Host of ThePeel.news podcast

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