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{{Mediawiki:Amazon Student}}<div class="portal" style="width:85%;"> ==Related DailyHistory.org Articles==*[[What were the goals of the Axis powers and the Soviet Union during World War Two?]]*[[How Did the German Military Develop Blitzkrieg?]]*[[Why did Operation Market Garden in 1944 fail?]]*[[How did Mussolini become Prime Minister of Italy?]]*[[How did Adolf Hitler become the Fuhrer of Germany?]]*[[Why was France defeated in 1940?]]</div> =References==References===
Admin moved page How Did Finland Survive the Winter War of 1939-1940? to How Did Finland Survive the Winter War of 1939-1940
[[File: Mannerheim-line.png|300px250px|thumbnail|left|The Mannerheim Line across the Karelian Isthmus]]
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Among the many battles and events that took place during World War II, one of the least understood is the so-called Winter War, which took place between Finland and the Soviet Union from November 30, 1939, until March 13, 1940. The Winter War happened during the early stages of World War II and illustrated to many in the West the danger of the looming specter of totalitarianism that threatened Europe. In September of 1939, Germany and the Soviet Union, although seemingly at opposite ends of the political spectrum, had worked in concert to invade and occupy Poland.
===A Brief Background of the Conflict===
[[File: Mannerheim.jpg|300px250px|thumbnail|rightleft|Carl Gustav Emile Mannerheim (1867-1951)]]
Finland and Russia have shared a border for hundreds of years and for most of that time the interaction between Finns and Russians has been relatively peaceful. For most of early modern history, Finland was a colony of Imperial Tsarist Russia. Finns were allowed to serve in the Russia military and were given full rights as Russian subjects, but the situation changed when the Russian royal family was overthrown by the Bolshevik communists in 1917. The Bolshevik hold on Russia was tenuous at best as it fought other political factions within the country as well as foreign powers during the Russian Civil War.
Besides the Soviet desire to spread communism by force, attitudes in Finland also contributed to deteriorating relations between the two countries in the late 1930s. For decades, Finnish nationalists and revanchists advocated for the incorporation of all of Karelia, most of which was part of the Soviet Union, with Finland. Although most Finns did not view Karelia so strongly, some groups, such as the Lapuauns, were particularly vocal about uniting what they believed was the Finnish ancestral homeland with the modern nation-state of Finland. <ref> Trotter, William R. <i>A Frozen Hell: The Russo-Finnish Winter War of 1939-40.</i> (Chapel Hill, North Carolina: Algonquin Books, 2000), p. 9</ref> The activities of the Finnish nationalists surely rankled Stalin and the Soviet government, but even many of the more mainstream Finnish leaders made the tense situation even worse.
No doubt influenced by the vociferous calls Finland’s nationalists, Finnish Prime Minster Aimo Cajander proved to be extremely obstinate in his negotiations with Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov and was even unwilling to concede to the most modest of Soviet demands. <ref> Edwards, Robert. <i>The Winter War: Russia’s Invasion of Finland, 1939-40.</i> (New York: Pegasus Books, 2008), p. 59</ref> Cajander’s inability to reasonably negotiate with the Soviets was quickly viewed as a liability by many in the Finnish government, who were willing to grant Stalin minor concessions in order to avoid a war. For instance, Mannerheim urged Cajander to cede the Aaland Archipelago to the Soviets, which were of little military or economic consequence to the Finns. <ref> Edwards, p. 29</ref> Unable to find a diplomatic solution for what they believed were many legitimate issues, the Soviet Union decided to attack Finland at the onset of winter in 1939.
===Factors in the Finns’ Favor===
The Finns hoped that ultimately their efforts to slow down the Red Army would send a signal to the world that some countries, even some of the smallest, would take a stand against totalitarianism. Much of the Western press was sympathetic to the Finnish cause and when it seemed as though hostilities would break out, thousands of volunteers streamed into the Nordic nation to fight alongside the Finns on the Mannerheim Line. The major Western powers, though, remained reticent. The United Kingdom and France never declared war on the Soviet Union, even after the invasion of Poland, but a plan was developed to militarily aid the Finns in what became codenamed “Avonmouth.”
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The French in particular embraced the plan enthusiastically, which was more about depriving Germany of iron-ore resources in neutral Sweden than it was about saving democratic Finland from the communist Soviet Union. Despite many in the French military openly advocating for Avonmouth, such as general Audet, the British never came on board and so the threat of foreign intervention on Finland’s behalf remained a threat, although a credible one that may have caused the Soviet high-command to make more measured moves. <ref> Cairns, John C. “Reflections on France, Britain and the Winter War Prodrome, 1939-40.” <i>Historical Reflections/Réflexions Historiques</i> 22 (1996) p. 212</ref>
Despite technically losing the Winter War, Finland survived and was able to fight on a year later against the Soviet Union in what became known as the Continuation War. Finland was able to survive the power of the Red Army due to a combination of factors. The Finns were blessed with an especially capable high-command that was given free reign by their government to carry out a strategy that utilized their country’s topography and allowed their soldiers to employ guerrilla tactics. On the other side, the Red Army was plagued by politics and purges, which resulted in a lack of morale among their rank and file. Today, military historians often point to the Winter War as a case study of what a modern day David can do against a Goliath.
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