Finland - Country history and economic development



1809. Finland, a province of Sweden, is taken over by Russia.

1836-86. Finland is supposedly granted autonomous rule under the Russian tsar Alexander II, but has little real independence. Finnish joins Swedish as an official language.

1905. The Eduskunta (national parliament) is created. Universal voting rights (including women and men who hold no property) are granted.

1917-19. The Russian Empire collapses. Finland declares independence, after which civil war briefly breaks out between political factions.

1919. The Eduskunta ratifies the Finnish constitution. Finland becomes a parliamentary republic with a president as the head of state.

1932. Finland and the USSR sign a non-aggression pact.

1939. The border region of Southern Karelia is ceded to the USSR after the 15-week "Winter War."

1940. A peace treaty with the USSR ends the Winter War.

1941-44. After Germany invades Russia in 1941, Finland enters the Continuation War alongside Germany against the USSR to win back Karelia.

1944. Peace is declared, and Finland stops fighting alongside the Germans.

1944-45. Finland fights against the Germans in the Lapland War as they retreat across Finland from the Soviet front.

1946. Finland signs the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance with the USSR.

1951. Self-government is granted to the Swedish-speaking Åland Islands, formerly ruled from mainland Finland.

1970. Finland adopts a 40-hour working week.

1973. Finland signs a free-trade agreement with the European Economic Community (EEC), an international body that centralizes economic decisions and organization among its member states.

1991-93. The Soviet Union collapses, worsening an already severe recession and banking/financial crisis in Finland.

1995. Finland joins the EU, a replacement of the EEC. The new union has a more explicit political and human rights agenda in addition to the economic one. The first Green Party representatives in a European government are elected to the Eduskunta.

1999. Finland joins the EMU. All EMU member nations agree to adopt a single new currency, the euro.

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