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Distributed for Haus Publishing

A Short History of Finland

A fascinating history of Finland from prehistoric times to the twenty-first century.
 
The modern nation of Finland is the heir to centuries of history, as a wilderness at the edge of early Europe, a borderland of the Swedish empire, and a Grand Duchy of tsarist Russia. And, as Jonathan Clements’s vivid, concise volume shows, it is a tale paved with oddities and excitements galore: from prehistoric reindeer herders to medieval barons, Christian martyrs to Viking queens, and, in the twentieth century, the war heroes who held off the Soviet Union against impossible odds.
 
Offering accounts of public artworks, literary giants, legends, folktales, and famous figures, Clements provides an indispensable portrait of this fascinating nation.
 
This updated edition includes expanded coverage on the Second World War, as well as new sections on Finns in America and Russia, the centenary of the republic, and Finland’s battle with COVID-19, right up to its historic application to join NATO.

 

192 pages | 5 x 8 | © 2022

History: European History


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Reviews

"Written in a lively and humorous style, including many personal anecdotes, this book would be a good introduction to Finland."
 

Scandinavian Journal of History

"Highly entertaining."

Nordic Reach

Table of Contents

Introduction 11. From the Fenni to Lalli: Prehistory to 1159 4The Martyrdom of Saint Henry 5Prehistory & Early Finns 8The Vikings & Balagard 11The Newborn King 172. East of Sweden: 1159–1809 21The Imaginary Crusades 21People of the Österland 26Finland in the Northern Wars 29The Swedish Legacy 333. The Russian Century: 1809–1899 36Industrial Revolutions 39Laestadius & Laestadianism 42The Åland War 44The Kalevala 49National Romanticism 524. A Nation is Born: 1899–1939 56Russification 57Revolution: Whites vs Reds 62The Jaegers and ‘King Väinö I’ 66Racing the Storm 705. In the Cold: 1939–1991 73The Winter War 75The Continuation & Lapland Wars 79Armchair Trav Hist Finland.indd 7 30/07/2014 11:34Finlandisation 83Lapponia 856. Finland in the 21st Century 87Nokia & Linux 89Satan & Santa 91My Homeland is Finland 93

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