Where is the Sphere of Finland?

: The Relationship between Greater Finland

and “Finnishness” during the World Wars

Yuko ISHINO (Kanazawa University)

Introduction

“Greater Finland ( Suur-Suomi in Finnish)” is seen as Finnish irredentism or

expansionism, mainly towards Russian Karelia. This concept surfaced in the 19 th century

when Finland was under the Russian Empire. Greater Finland was related to Finnish

ethnic ties to Karelians, mainly living in Russian Karelia, who seemed to speak a dialect

similar to Finnish. Just before Finnish independence in December 1917, Russian Karelia

became the target of irredenta for Finland. After the outbreak of the First World War, the

movement towards annexation of this area and the absorption of Karelians into Finland

began and continued until the end of the Second World War.

In Finland, “Greater Finland” has been examined from a political perspective or the

notion of common ethnicity with Karelians. However, the concept of Greater Finland

paralleled the development of Finns’ national consciousness or “Finnishness” is seldom

mentioned. Conversely, it is well known that Finnish intellectuals sought for their

“Finnishness”, especially during the 19 th century—the same time that Greater Finland

appeared. But even after Finland became independent, Finnish intellectuals continued to

seek Finnishness, which was by no means inferior to its European counterparts. Finland

had been termed as backward, and has derogatorily called “Asia in Europe”. Such

references were hardly reversed even after Finland gained its independence. Under these

circumstances, Finnish intellectuals attempted at emphasizing the role of Finland in

Europe. Considering the relationship between Greater Finland and Finnishnesss, this

study examines the following points: First, this study provides an overview of the

transition of Greater Finland. Second, this study focuses on how Finnishness was

described in intellectual’s works, particularly Jalmari Jaakkola’s study on Finnish

history associated with Greater Finland during the World Wars.

This study is a key to considering why expansionism gained popularity not only in

Finland, but also in other backward European countries during the World Wars.

1
1 The birth and transition of Greater Finland idea

Though there are many theories about the origin of Greater Finland, idea it is clear that
the expression itself appeared in the 20 th century and it originates from the idea that a unity
existed between Finns and their “kindred people.”
We can see this kind of idea already in 1788 when Finland was under the Kingdom of
Sweden. A professor of the Academy of Turku, Henrik Gabriel Porthan referred to the
Finnish kindred people, then subordinated to the Russian Empire in the lecture at the
Academy of Sweden:

How delighted We, Finns are if many of our brothers who experienced severe
fate more then Finns reunite us and shared common profit and fortune! 1

Porthan intended to reunite the Finns with their Finnish brothers, the Karelians under
the Kingdom of Sweden and he didn’t intend for the Finns and Karelians to be independent. 2
Some Finnish intellectuals shared the kindred sympathy with Karelians under the Kingdom of
Sweden. Though we can find this sympathy among Finnish intellectuals after Finland was
ceded to the Russian Empire and became the Grand Duchy of Finland in 1809, this sympathy
was not shared by the Finnish people themselves.
It is important to note that this kindred sympathy is tied with an anti-Russian sentiment.
We can also see the anti-Russian sentiment in the fable about reuniting sisters written by
August Ahlqvist, a professor of the Alexander University, in 1847 when Russia temporarily
oppressed Finland. In the fable, he assumed the sisters to be Finns, Karelians and Estonians,
and he also imagined the defeat of Russia. 3
This kindred idea towards especially Karelians was shared not only with Finnish
intellectuals but also Finnish people at the end of the 19 th century. It was the Kalevala that
triggered this spread of the kindred idea.

1 Mauno Jääskeläinen, Itä-Karjalan kysymys, Porvoo: WSOY, 1961, s. 22.

2
Ibid.
3 Ibid, s. 43-44.
2
 The Kalevala was complied in the stream of the literary movements referred to as
Turku romanticism and the Helsinki romanticism, which started at the Alexander University
in Finland. 4 The Finnish intellectuals associated with those movements were in search for
their own Finnish culture and pursued that search through the collecting of oral poetries. The
Kalevala was complied at the height of these movements. The complier Elias Lönnrot tried to
find “the life style of the Finnish ancestor” in Finnish poetries.5 He also tried to seek his own
Finnish history before the Swedish conquest in the Kalevala. 6
Though it was not easy to accept the Kalevala written in Finnish as Finnish national
culture for Finnish intellectuals on the grounds that the majority of them spoke Swedish
during that period, the Kalevala came to be accepted gradually, especially after gaining a
reputation from abroad. 7 It was used for the Fennoman movement that promoted Finnish
language 8 , and became popular as the symbol for the Finnish art movement called
Karelianism. The simplified books of the Kalevala were also utilized in the textbooks in
Finnish schools after the Finnish language was added as a subject in 1843. The Language Act
in 1863 prompted the spread of the Kalevala. 9
In these movements, many intellectuals and artists travelled to Russian Karelia such as
those on the pilgrimages at the end of the 19 th century. Russian Karelia was recognized as the

4
These movements were influenced by the new Romanticism from Germany from the
beginning of the 19 th century. The Turku Romanticism was occurred during intellectuals and
students in the Åbo Royal Academy. After the leader Adolf Ivar Arwidsson was exiled to
Sweden in 1822 because of Russian oppression, Turku Romanticism came to end. Helsinki
Romanticism came into being at the Aleksander University when the university moved from
Turku to Helsinki and changed its name in 1827. Matti Klinge, Ylioppilaskunnnan historia 1
1828-1852: Turun ajoista 1840-luvun aktivismiin, Vaasa: Vaasa Oy:n kirjapaino, 1978, s.
86-97.
5
Pertti Karkama, “Oppinut mies kansan asialla: Elias Lönnrot ja aatteet”, Lönnrotin
hengessä, Kalevalaseuran Vuosikirja(KV), 2002, s. 25.
6
The story of the Kalevala ended when the main character and a pagan symbol,
Väinämöinen left Pohjola after the birth of a child imaged to the Christ.
7
The most famous evaluation came from Jakob Grimm in the Berlin Academy. See Pertti
Anttonen ja Matti Kuusi, Kalevala-lipas, Helsinki: SKS, 1999, s. 47; 315.
8
Fennoman movement is the movement that promoted Finnish language and culture in the
19 th century, under the rule of the Russian Empire. It developed politically at the end of the
19 th century. Fennoman movement was influenced by the new German Romanticism under
such thinkers as Johann Gottgried Herder.
9 According to the Language Act, the Finnish language became the official language equated

with the Swedish language in the Grand Duchy of Finland. This status applied for the twenty
years during the transition period.
3
birthplace of the Kalevala, that is to say the cradle of Finnish national culture. Karelians
mainly living in Russian Karelia were regarded as Finnish kindred people who created the
oral poetries of the Kalevala.
The united idea of unification between the kindred people and the Finns developed
politically when the Russian Empire changed policies towards Finland in the end of the 20th
century. Under the political tension with the German Empire, the Russian Empire reinforced
its militaristic defense in Finland. This resulted in the deprivation of Finnish autonomy. Finns
began to oppose the so-called Russification policy in 1898 through the refusal of conscription
and the disobedience of public servants. The Russian authority took severe measures against
the Finnish opposition movement utilizing imprisonment or banishment to Siberia.
Under these circumstances, the anti-Russian organization Aktivisti, which was
formed in 1904, had an interest in Russian Karelia as a defense area against Russian
oppression and saw this area as the target of Finnish irredenta. The Aktivisti claimed
irredentism in the anti-Tsarism conference held in Paris in September 1904 and held the idea
of a Finnish federation state including Russian Karelia after the Russian Empire became to
constitutional monarchy.10 The Aktivisti envisioned the realization of a federation of Finland
with Russian Karelia after the constitutional government was established in Russia.11 Thus
the Aktivisti didn’t intend to be independent of Finland at the time. They saw Russian Karelia
as a political target.
On the contrary, the Finnish assembly had no intention to annex Russian Karelia one
month before they declared the independence of Finland in 6 December 1917. They planned
instead for a sphere in which Finland would be independent within the sphere of the Grand
Duchy of Finland.12 However, their idea changed their idea in the process of negotiating with
Germany. On 2 December Germany and the Bolshevik agreed to a truce and on 22 December
the negotiations for so-called treaty of Brest-Litovsk began. Before the treaty, the Finnish

10
Antti Kujala, “March Separately- Strike Together: The Paris and Geneva Conferences
Held by the Russian and Minority Nationalities’ Revolutionary and Opposition Parties,
1904-1905”, AKASHI Motojiro, Olavi K. Fält and Antti Kujala eds., Rakka ryusui: Colonel
Akashi’s Report on His Secret Cooperation with the Russian Revolutionary Parties during the
Russo-Japanese War, Helsinki: SHS, 1988, pp. 125-126.
11
Ibid., s. 126.
12 Timo Soikkanen,Yrjö Ruutu: Näkijä ja tekijä itsenäisyyden, eheyttämisen ja uuden

ulkopolitiikan juurilla, Porvoo: WSOY, 1991, s. 109.

4
provisional government negotiated the details regarding the Finnish eastern border with
Germany and requested that Germany support the Finnish annexation with Russian Karelia.13
At the beginning of the negotiations, Germany wasn’t concerned about Russian Karelia
because it was thought that this “marginal land” would not make a profit for Germany.14 The
final result was that Finland did not participate in the treaty of Brest-Litovsk because of the
outbreak of the Finnish Civil War. The final result was that Finland became independent
within the sphere of the Grand Duchy of Finland, but this did not include Russian Karelia.
However, the Finnish annexation plan was carried out by military measures in the
middle of the Finnish Civil War. Finland was divided into the White Guards and the Red
Guards in opposition to the political opinions expressed in January 1918 soon after the
declaration of independence. 15 In February 1918 during the War, the “Karelia community”
was organized by the Aktivisti and they discussed Russian Karelia becoming a target of
irredenta. 16 In March 1918 Volunteer armies associated with the White Guards, which
included members of the Aktivisti, crossed the eastern border without a declaration of war and
occupied Porajärvi and Repola, the main cities in Russian Karelia and then in June proceeded
into the area on the west side of the White Sea. They claimed they were justified in making
this expedition because they had exchanged gunfire with Russia. 17
The Finnish provisional government unofficially gave them financial support. They
also had contact with the revolutionary Russian army and negotiated with them for the
approval of an independent Finland and the Karelians’ self-determination in Russian Karelia.
The Finnish society also supported the expedition. According to public opinion, Finns had a

13
Jääskeläinen, op. cit, s. 83.
14
Ibid.
15
The Finnish Civil War grew out of the class struggle between the Finnish aristocracy and
Finnish workers that began at the end of the 20 th century. This War went on for four months
and took the lives of more than 30,000 victims. A recent generalized study on the war is Pertti
Haapala ja Tuomas Hoppu toim., Sisällissodan pikku jättiläinen, Helsinki: WSOY, 2009.
16
C. G. Mannerheim, Commander-in-chief in the White Guards, issued ‘order of expedition
to the Eastern Karelia’ on 23th February 1918’ that appealed the realization of Greater
Finland. Toivo Nygård, Suur-Suomi vai lähiheimolaisten auttaminen, Helsinki: Otava, 1971,
s. 55-57.
17 Turo Manninen, Vapaustaistelu, kansalaissota ja kapina, Jyväskylä: Jyväskylän yliopisto,

1982, s. 101-103.
5
right to gain Russian Karelia, which had belonged to Finland once and the Finns had to save
Karelians living there from Russian.18 However, this expedition finally failed in the end.
The leaders of the Red Guards also sought to assimilate the Finns and Karelians. They
fled to Russian Karelia after the defeat of the Finnish Civil War and founded the Communist
government in Moscow on 29 August 1918. There they dreamed of realizing of a “Red”
Greater Finland.’19

Thus the idea of Greater Finland can be traced to the kindred sympathy for Karelians
that was appeared among Finnish intellectuals. The Kalevala was one of the most important
factors in the spreading of this sympathy among the Finnish people. This took placed within
the art movement of Karelianism. The Russification policy gave a political tone to this
sympathy, and the realization of Greater Finland became an aim of Finns on both political
sides. Under these circumstances, many advocates of Greater Finland came to pay attention to
studies on Finnish history associated with the Kalevala.

2 Historian Jalmari Jaakkola’s study on Finnish history and “Finnishness”

As described above, Russian Karelia became the target for Finnish irredenta in the days
of Finnish independence. Greater Finland changed considerably after the Soviet government
violated the Treaty of Tartu, which was concluded on 14 October 1920. The Soviet
government ceded Petsamo area to Finland under this treaty against background of the Polish
attack on the Soviet army. The Soviet and Finnish governments agreed on the autonomy of
Repola and Porajärvi in Russian Karelia. But the Soviet regime was introduced into these
areas the following year and suppressed the resisting Karelians there. Finland filed a lawsuit
against this action in the International Court of Justice and appealed to international public
opinion for support regarding the Soviet’s illegal act. Despite this, the Autonomous Soviet
Socialist Republic in Karelia was built in this area in 1923.

18
Many communities and friendship association with Karelians supported Greater Finland.
See Nygård 1971.
19
Markku Kangaspuro, “Nationalities Policy and Power in Soviet Karelia in the 1920s and
1930s,” Tauno Saarela and Kimmo Rentola eds., Communism: National & International,
Helsinki: SHS, 1998, p. 125.
6
 In 1922, the Academic Karelia Society (AKS) was organized in Finland on behalf of
the protesting Karelians in Russian Karelia. The aim of the AKS was initially to rescue the
‘Finnish kindred people,’ that is the Karelians, but that aim gradually changed to unifying of
the ‘kindred people’ and Finns. In short, the AKS called for the realization of Greater Finland,
which meant the annexation of Russian Karelia into Finland. The slogan “Greater Finland is
equal to the fatherland” represented what was the target for the AKS. 20 Furthermore, the
AKS regarded Finland including Russian Karelia as ‘the outpost of European civilization’
against ‘Eastern barbarism.’21 Under these circumstances, studies on Finnish history
associated with Greater Finland appeared. One of the most famous studies was that of Jalmari
Jaakkola (1885-1964),
Though Jaakkola is currently what could be called the ‘forgotten historian’ in Finnish
society, he was the first historian appointed the professorship of Finnish history, which was
first set in the University of Helsinki in 1932. 22
His study was born in the process of seeking the original Finnish history in
Independent Finland. Though Finnish intellectuals tried to establish Finnish history from the
time of the Russian rule, they were unable to draw a conclusion as to whether the original
Finnish history had begun before the time of Swedish rule. After independence, greater
attention was given to the making of Finnish history in both the Finnish academy and Finnish
society. Over such heated discussion, Jaakkola tried to prove the ‘Finnish ancient history’
existed before the time of Swedish rule by utilizing the Kalevala as historical materials in
light of the fact that there was a lack of archaeological material available in Finland. His
study became widely accepted by the Finnish society as well as Finnish academy. The main
reason was that Jaakkola showed Finns during magnificent era. He pointed out that there had

20 One of the most important aim of the AKS was the so-called ‘tribe work (heimotyö)’ that
strengthened ties with the Finnish kindred people such as the Karelians. Heikki Roiko-Jokela,
‘ “Suur-Suomi on yhtä kuin isänmaa”: Akateemisen Karjala-Seuran heimo- ja
suomalaisuustyö’, Mikko Uola toim., AKS:n tie: Akateeminen Karjala-Sura isänmaan ja
heimoaatteen asialla, Minerva: Helsinki, 2012, s. 59-94.
21
Heikki Eskelinen, Me tahdoimme suureksi Suomenmaan: Akateemisen Karjala-Seuran
historia I, Helsinki: WSOY, 2004, s. 48-50; 239-242.
22
As far as I have examined the issue, there have been few perspective studies on the
relationship between Jaakkola’s studies and politics. See Yuko Ishino, Daifinrando Shisou no
Ta jou to Hensen: Jojishi Karewara to Chishikijin (The Birth and the Development of Greater
Finland: the Epic Poetry Kalevala and Intelectualls), Iwanamishoten: Tokyo, 2012, p. 97.
7
existed heroes in the Kalevala and they conducted exhibitions from Satakunta in
Southernwest Finland to Russian Karelia; he asserted that they finally settled there on the
ground that names of heroes in the Kalevala were founded in places and families in
Satakunta. 23
His own historical views could be described as follows. Firstly, Jaakkola utilized the
word ‘eastern way (idäntie)’, which had been used in the Nordic Academy to identify the
name of the waterway from the Baltic Sea to the Gulf of Finland in Nordic academy, as the
path through which the Finnish ancestors came to Finland.24 According to his theory,
Väinämöinen, the hero of the Kalevala, was one of the first Finns to have come to Finland
through the eastern way. 25 Furthermore he regarded this way as proof of the origin of
Karelians. The eastern way was extended to Russian Karelia, and the Häme tribes who were
derived from the Finns conducted expeditions to Russian Karelia through this waterway.
They eventually merged with the Prot-Finns and settled there as Karelians.26 Jaakkola’s
theory was much supported in Finland and was viewed as the mainstream approach at the
Finnish academy until 1950s. 27 It also resulted in the reinforcement of the theory that the
Karelians were the Finnish ‘kindred people.’
Stating the eastern way, Jaakkola characterized Finland as follows:

These geographical conditions suggest that Finland never had the possibility of being
united with other nations or becoming a closed society like Eastern and Central Europe
and the Baltic states. On the contrary, it is clear that the Finnish community was
initially free and had adaptability like other communities that had migrated to
Scandinavia. 28

23
Jaakkola first mentioned this in his speech at the Finnish Literature Society in 1923. SKS
pöytäkirjat v.1923-1924, 6032 C88, SKS kirjallisuusarkisto; SKS pöytäkirjat Suomi, V: 4: 3,
1923.
24 Jalmari Jaakkola, Suomen varhaishistoria: Heimokausi ja ≪ Kalevalakulttuuri ≫ , Porvoo:

WSOY, 1935, s. 150.

25
Ibid., s. 25-27.
26
Jalmari Jaakkola, Suomen historian ääriviivat, Porvoo: WSOY, 1940, s. 23.
27
His theory on the origin of the Karelians was viewed as mainstream until Finnish folklorist
Heikki Kirkinen rejected it. Heikki Kirkinen, Karjala idän kulttuuripiirissä: Bysantin ja
Venäjän yhteyksistä keskiajan karjalaan, Helsinki: Kirjayhtymä, 1963.
28
Jaakkola 1940, s. 12.
8
 Finns have had free will since the ‘dark ancient times’ and developed themselves as an
outpost of Western and Scandinavian culture based on their efforts.29

Secondly, Jaakkola added an historical aspect to the meaning of the geographical

word Fenno Skandia. Fenno Skandia was the concept that Finland, Sweden, Norway, the
Kola Peninsula and Russian Karelia had common features in terms of geography. This idea
appeared in a dissertation written by Finnish geographer William Ramsay in 1898 and
became so popular as a geographical word that it was used for radio weather news even after
the Second World War. 30 Jaakkola treated this word as a vehicle for positioning Finland in
the Scandinavian world and suggesting the ‘historical legitimacy’ of Finland in terms of
annexing Russia Karelia and the Kola Peninsula.
In Finnish Early Medieval Ages (Suomen varhaiskeskiaika) published in 1938,
Jaakkola described Fenno Skandia before 1323, when Finland was officially under the
Kingdom of Sweden based on the Treaty of Nöteborg (Pähkinäsaari) as a one nation area
(valtioalue in Finnish). 31 In The Outline of Finnish History (Suomen historian ääriviivat)
published in 1940, he insisted that Finland belonged to Fenno Skandia geographically,
zoologically, and botanically, and he also regarded the sphere of Fenno Skandia as Norway,
Sweden and Finland including Russian Karelia.32
Thirdly, Jaakkola emphasized the independent position of Finland in ancient times and
regarded Finland as the outpost of the West against the Eastern threat.33 According to his
study, the sphere of Finland in ancient times was the sphere of independent Finland including
Russian Karelia and the Kola Peninsula.
This idea resembled the idea of a ‘natural-historical border’ advocated by Finnish
botanist J. E. A. Wirzén in his dissertation and further supported by Zacharias Topelius, the
professor of Alexander University, in the middle of the 19th century. 34 Wirzén stated that

29
Ibid., s. 27.
30 Antto Leikola, Kotikabinetti, Porvoo: WSOY, 1986, s. 137-138.
31
Jalmari Jaakkola, Suomen varhaiskeskiaika: Kristillisen Suomen synty, Porvoo: WSOY,
1938, s. 332.
32
Jaakkola 1940, s. 7-9.
33
Ibid., s. 502.
34
Allan Tiitta, Harmaakiven maa: Zacharias Topelius ja Suomen maatiede, Helsinki:
9
Finnish natural border on the south was the Baltic Sea and the gulf of the Åland islands, and
that the eastern border was the White Sea, the Uiku (Vyg in Russian) river, the Lake Uiku
(Vygozero in Russian) and the Lake Onega.35 In 1855 Topelius stated that the Finnish
eastern natural border ran from the Gulf of Finland through the Ladoga Lake and the Onega
Lake out to the Arctic Ocean. 36 Jaakkola was one of the historians who were affected by this
theory. 37 However he focused his attention on the movement of the Finns along the
‘natural-historical border’ and the formation of Karelians.
As mentioned before, his historical theory was much supported by the Finnish academy
and the Finnish people especially after the publication of his book in 1940. 38 This book
started with the assertion of the Finnish geographical position expressed in the notion of
Fenno Skandia and went on to discuss the Finnish dependency under the Swedish rule, the
transfer of Finnish tribes including Karelians through the ‘eastern way’ and finally the
Moscow Peace Treaty after the Winter War. Citing the words of Kai Häggman, who wrote the
history of the WSOY publisher in 2003, the theme of this book is to place ‘Finland as the
ancient outpost toward the East.’39 This book was also welcomed by students who were
deceived by a Finnish history tinged with a Swedish style that had hardly offered an
interpretation of military history.40
It should be noted that the fifth chapter of this book was titled ‘Ancient Finland
reflected in the Kalevala.’ In this chapter, Jaakkola insisted that Satakunta, the birthplace of
the Kalevala, had been ‘the sphere of interest’ in ancient Finland. 41 He also emphasized the
‘organic connection’ between the Kalevala and the ‘true Finnish history,’ which meant there
was historical evidence in the Kalevala. 42

Suomen tiedeseura, 1994, s. 151.

35
Ibid.
36 Ibid., s. 155
37
Ibid., s. 333.
38
This book went into its third circulation in 1942. It was adopted as the undergraduate
textbook for the course in Finnish history at the University of Helsinki. See Helsingin
yliopiston filosofisen tiedekunnan historiallis-kielitieteellisen osaston tutkintovaatimukset,
Helsinki: Akateeminen kirjakauppa, 1939-1942.
39
Kai Häggman, Avarammille aloille, väljemmille vesille: Werner Söderström Osakeyhtiö
1940-2003, Helsinki: WSOY, 2003, s. 41.
40
Ibid.
41
Jaakkola 1940, s. 38-52.
42
Ibid.
10
 Although Jaakkola himself had never engaged in political activities, he was asked in
May 1941 by Finnish government to write a memorandum regarding the coming war against
the Soviet Union. 43 He wrote the memorandum “The Question of the Eastern Karelia and the
Kola Peninsula” with the helps of Vilho Helanen, the chairperson of the AKS and Leino
Castrén, the leader of the Patriotic People’s Movement (IKL), the ultra-right wing party.44
This memorandum was utilized as a historical source for proving the historical legitimacy for
annexing Russian Karelia by the Finnish and was sent to the German government during the
military negotiations that took place just before the outbreak of the second Soviet-Finnish
war called the Continuation War in 1941. 45 What Jaakkola asserted in this memorandum was
almost the same as what the ideas he had put forth in his 1940 book, but the memorandum
took on a geopolitical tinge.
The Kalevala was the focus of the first chapter ‘The Outline of Karelians and the birth
of Karelia Questions.’ In this chapter, Jaakkola describes the Kalevala as follows:

For example, as the epic poetry of the Kalevala has revealed, the old spiritual legacy of
the Eastern Karelia originated in Finland and was transferred to the east, where,
there were no organic connections with the views of Slavic culture and society. This
serves as evidence that the Eastern Karelia had been connected to Fenno Skandia and
Finland mentally, materially and organically since ancient times.46

Thus Jaakkola insisted in his memorandum that the culture of Russian Karelia had
originated in Finland and there was no connection with Russian culture. This memorandum
was published as a book and under the titled The Finnish Eastern Question (Suomen
idänkysymys) in 1941. 47 It was translated into Swedish, English, German and French so it

43
The Finnish ambassador to Germany T. V. Kivimäki asked the Finnish prime minister
Risto Ryti which one is ‘a friend of Greater Finland,’ Väinö Voionmaa or Jalmari Jaakkola.
Ryti answered it was Jaakkola. UM sähke 173, Berliinistä, 17.5.1941. Ulkoasiainministeriön
arkisto; Ohto Manninen, Suur-Suomen ääriviivat, Helsinki: Kirjayhtymä, 1980, s. 61.
Voionmaa was the professor at the University of Helsinki. He was also a politician.
44 Muistio “Itä-Karjalan ja Kuolan kysymys,” Risto Rytin kokoelma, Kansallisarkisto.
45
Manninen, op. cit., s. 109-116.
46
Muistio, s. 2.
47
According to a diplomatic correspondence, Jaakkola himself was so willing to publish this
memorandum that he even offered to pay the costs of the first edition. Ulkoasiainministeriöltä
11
could be used as Greater Finland propaganda and was handed out to the world by the Finnish
legations. 48 Above all the German version was utilized for Finnish propaganda.49 Finnish
legation distributed about 2,000 units to the German government and German scholars.50 The
memorandum and the book based on the memorandum were fruitful for the Finnish
propaganda that promoted Greater Finland to Germany as the Finnish legation recognized. 51
This book played a prominent role in Greater Finland during the Continuation War.
This is clear from the fact that the AKS purchased 2,500 units of this book directly from the
publisher in February 1944, at the end of the Continuation War. 52
Jaakkola regarded the Kalevala as historical evidence for the existence of Independent
Finland in ancient times.53 He merged the Kalevala image with the Finnish kindred idea
including the Karelians. This image was widely accepted in Finnish society and even
incorporated in the Finnish government’s propaganda for annexing Russian Karelia.

Conclusion

The idea of Greater Finland developed in concert with the growth of Finnish sympathy
toward its ‘kindred people,’ the Karelians who were living in Russian Karelia under the
governance of the Russian Empire. This idea brought the concept of ‘solidarity’ with these
kindred people in the middle of the 19 th century. Affected by the change of international
politics at the end of the 20 th century, the idea of Greater Finland was transformed into the
idea of building a the Finnish nation-state that would include Russian Karelia. It was the
Kalevala that provided a strong evidence for the legitimacy of Greater Finland. Some of
intellectual’s works supported this idea and as a result Karelians came to be viewed as part of

Kivimäelle, 19.8.1941.(110 C3a); Ulkoasiainministeriöltä Berliniin, 4.12.1941.(110 C3a)

48
The Japanese legation in Helsinki received 23 units of the book. Kiertokirje
ulkomaaedustukselle, n:o 031.(110 C3a)
49
Manninen, op. cit., s. 109-116.
50 Kirjelmä Sal. D.U.M. 72/113 1841, 5.9.1941.(110 C3a) But Manninen stated that the

political effects of memorandum were questionable. Manninen, op. cit., s. 62.

51 Kirjelmä n:o 152, 29.8.1941.(110 C 3a); Kirjelmä n:o 42, 10.11.1941. (110 C 3a)
52
The AKS paid a quarter of the price for the book as ‘the price for brother in arms.’
Häggman, op. cit., s. 44.
53
Though after the Second World War, Jaakkola avoided declaring that the Kalevala was the
true ancient history of the Finnish, it is clear that his views on the Kalevala didn’t change
throughout his life.Jalmari Jaakkola, “Uusi Kalevala sata vuotias,” HA, 1949.
12
Finnish people from a cultural viewpoint, and the sphere of Finland including Russian
Karelia was considered. After Finland gained its independence in December 1917, the sphere
of Finland was defined without Russian Karelia, but the dream of the realization of Greater
Finland was shared throughout Finnish society and Finland sought to annex Russian Karelia
by expanding to the former suzerain, the Soviet Union.
Under the prosperity of Greater Finland, the Kalevala, a representative of “Finnishness”
had been consistently utilized to legitimize it. It was not possible for intellectuals of the time
to be free from the impact of the Finnish nationalism that prevailed in Finnish society. They
lived in a time of searching for “Finnishness,” in short, the national identity of the Finnish
people even after its independence. Jalmari Jaakkola, who was active during the World Wars,
put forth the idea that Finland and Russian Karelia had been united area from ancient times
and Finland had been positioned as an outpost of Western culture against ‘barbarian’ Russia.
Thus his study sought for “Finnishness” and also offered advocates of Greater Finland the
historical legitimacy for annexing Russian Karelia by Finns. It shows one case of the
relationship between Greater Finland and “Finnishness” during the World Wars wherever we
may find similar case in the world.

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