Figure 1.-- This family photo was taken in Säkkijärvi, South Karelia during, reportedly un the 1910s. This would have been while Finland was still part of Tsarist Territory. Karelia was the southern-most area of Finland with country's richest and most poductive farm land. Stalin moved against the Finnish population replscing them with more trusted Russians in the Soviet sector of Finlnd (1930s). Then after he and Hitler lunched World War II (September 1939), moved agasinst Finland ad the Baltic states. His explantion was they ne needed more land to improve the fefenses of Leningrd (St. Petersdburg.) It is unclear if his goal in Finland was annexation like the Baltics, bt invaded Finland and seized much of Karelia. The Finns living there, knowing wht he had dione to the Finns in the Soviet Zone during the 1930s, evcuate their homes and villages en mass. The Finns regined Karelia only temporarily in the Contuinuation war. After World War II most of the municipality became Soviet territory. The photo depicts the Junnola family.

Karelia at the the beginning of the second millenium as an undivided . With the rise of Novgorod and Sweden, Karelia became a contested province. For a time the Karelians allied themselves with Novgorod. Sweeden waged the northern crusades to Christinize and seize much of Finlamd. This included much od western and norhern Karelia. Novgorad seized and held control of southern Karelia. This claim was acquired by Tsarist Russia as a successor state of Novgorad. Karelia became a prize in a series of wars between Russia and Sweden. Western Karelia, as a Province of Swedish Finland devdeloped religiously and politically different from Russian Eastern Karelia. Western Karelia was at first Catholic, but during the Reformsation became Luthern. Russian Karelia becamne Orthodox. The two parts of Karelia had, however, ethnic and linguistic similarities. The populationa spoke Carelian--a Finnish dialect. Russia during these wars acquired what became known as "Old Finland". After seizing the Swedish Grand Duch of Finland (1809), Russia joined to the Grand Duchy and Old Finland as a gesture of good will to the Finns. At this time what had been Russian (eastern) Karelia became part of the Grandy Duchy of Finland. Thus when Finland achieved its independence (1918), most of Karelia becae part of the new Finnish republic. The Soviet Union seized most of the Karelia during the World War II. The Soviets after joining the NAZIs in the invasion of Poland, next moved against the Baltic Repunlics. Finland was the first victim. The Soviets launched the Winter War (1939-40). The Soiviets were surprised when the Finns offered stiff resistance. Soviet superiority in men and material eventually prevailed. In the end, Finland lost 10 percent of its territory, including most of Karelia. Most of the population decided to leave their homes and move west into the unoccupied area of Finland. The Soviets set up a Provisional Finnish People’s Government in Karelia as a precursor to Soviet rule in all of Finland which would have been converted to a Finnish SSR (March 1940). The Soviets proclaimed a Finn-Karelian SSR, but after the failure to take ober Finland, downgraded it to an Autonomous Republic. Finland joined NAZI German in Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union, to regain its lost territory. The Finns refer to this as the Continuation War (1941-44). The Finns occupied almost all of the lost territory. Soviet victories in the East forced the Finns to sign a separate armistice with the Soviets in which most of Karelia was returned to Soviet control (1944).

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Created: 11:33 PM 12/6/2022
Last updated: 11:33 PM 12/6/2022