Figure 1.-- These jubilent Finnish children are headed home in 1944 after the signing of the armistice with the Soviet Union. This Swedish press photo is not dated precisely, but the children's winter clothing tells us it was taken in November or December, just in time for Christmas. The returns did not all occur right after the armistice with the Soviets. There were still children coming home after the War in 1945 and 46. A substntial number were never returned home.

Some children were evacuated more than once as there were periods of relative peace during which some of the children returned to their parents in Finland. The first evacuations were organized during the Winter War, but the largest numbers occured during the Continuation War. One study suggest that the returnees are healthier than the children who stayed in Finland during the war, but have somewhat lower academic achievement. [Korppi-Tommola and Sgm] Many of the younger children forgot their Finnish roots. The evacuee children were quite young, almost all under 10 years of age, many much younger. This was a different age mix than the other major evacuation programs (British, German, and Japanese). The Finnish evacuees included many younger children than the other programs. And it did not include the older children and teenagers included in the other programs, Thus many of the children lost all attachment to families in Finland and developed close attachments to their new Swedish families. The return was complicated by the very difficult economic conditions in Finland after 5-years of war. The Finns had to contend with real hardship and a wrecked economy. There was also the incertainty concerning Soviet intentions and the the future of Finland. Thus the return home of many chilren was delayed. And with these delays, in some case for several years. Connections with their Swedish families became increasingly strong and in some cases dominant. Many of the younger children had forgotten all menories of their Finnish birth families. Quite a nunber of the childtrn, about 15,000 or 20 percent, never retuned to Finland. [Korppi-Tommola and Sgm] They stayed with their foster families after the war, most of whom formally adopted them. There are reports thn some Finnish parents did not insist on the return of the children. Here economic conditions and the Soviet threat may have been factors. And there were also returnees who went back to Sweden in the post-War period as adults. Finland did not at first participate in the American-led post-War European economic recovery. Finland declined to participate in the American Marshal Plan, fearing Soviet reaction. This was part of what became known as Finlandization, byt te Finns manged to retain their democracy. The Soviet Union offered an alternative to the American Marshall plan--the Molotov Plan. The Soviets claimed to offer subsidies and preferential trading. The Soviet economic bloc eventually evolved into the COMECON. In actuality it became more subsidies to the Soviets. The Finns had to export to the Soviets what might have earned them valuble hard currency in the West. In return they got low-quality, high cost Soviet manufactured goods. The result was that the Swedish and Finnish economies that had become cloesly linked developed very differently. Sweden like the rest of Western Europe boomed. Finns endured low wages and high unemploymnt (1950s-60s). Thus not only did some of the returned evacuee children go back to Sweden to seek jobs, but many unemployed Finnish workers did the same. (This was an option unavailale to other Eastern Europeans trapped in the Soviet Empire behind the Iron Curtain.) Here the evacuee children had an advantages. Not only did they have Swedish connections, but Swedish language skills as well. Only when the threat of Soviet intervention faded were the Finns able to orient their economy to Western Europe and participate in Western capitalis prosperity.

Evacuations (1939-45)

Some children were evacuated more than once as there were periods of relative peace during which some of the children returned to their parents in Finland. The first evacuations were organized during the Winter War (1939-40), but the largest numbers occured during the Continuation War (1941-44). Many of the Winter War evacuees wound up spending more than half of their young lives in Sweden.

Return Home (1944-47)

Finland experienced a crisis in 1944. The Red Army defeat of German Army Group Center essentially cut the hear out of the Red Army eviserated the Wehrmacht which was also being pummeled in the West (June-August 1944). It meant that the NAZIs were not only going to be defeated, but they were going to be destoyed. The Red Army had the capaciity to overun and occupy Finland. It looked like this might be just what would happen so evacuations continued through the first half of 1944. The Finnish Governmnt realized it had no choice, but to negotiate an armistace with the Soviets. The result was the Moscow Armistice (September 19, 1944). This ended the Continuation War. The Armistice in effect restored the Moscow Peace Treaty of 1940, with a number of modifications. The Finns had to aggree to eject the Germans from northern Finland. The final peace treaty was signed in Paris (1947). The evacuee children began coming home from Sweden afrer the rmistice was signed. Some got hoome for Chtistmas luke the chilreen here (figure 1). Many did not. There was not a massive exodus. The economic situatio in Filand were very difficult. Thus the return home in many cases was delayed (1945-47). A substntial number of the children never returned.

Impact

One study suggest that the returnees are healthier than the children who stayed in Finland during the war. Food was one of the major reasons the children were evacuated. The evacuee children had somewhat lower academic achievement. [Korppi-Tommola and Sgm] The language adjustment may have been a factor.

Age

The Finnish evacuations were destinctive in that only the younger children were evcuated. Many of the children evacuated as tiddlers forgot their Finnish roots. The evacuee children were quite young, almost all under 10 years of age, many much younger. This was a different age mix than the other major evacuation programs (British, German, and Japanese). These other evacuation systems were designed for school-age children. The Finnish evacuees included many younger children than the other programs, including todlers. And it did not include the older children abd teenagers included in the other programs, Thus many of the children lost all attachment to families in Finland and developed especially close attachments to their new Swedish families.

Economic Situation

The return home to Sweden was complicated by the very difficult economic conditions in Finland after 5-years of war. The Finns had to contend with real hardship and a wrecked economy. There was also the incertainty concerning Soviet intentions and the the future of Finland. Thus the return of many chilren was delayed. And with these delays, in some case for several years.

Evacuee Children Remaining in Finland

Connections with their Swedish families became increasingly strong and in some cases dominant. Many of the younger children had forgotten all menories of their Finnish birth families. Most of the children reurned home, but quite a number stayed. About 15,000 or 20 percent, never retuned to Finland. [Korppi-Tommola and Sgm] They stayed with their foster families after the war. Most but all of these Swedish parents who did not return the evacuee children formally adopted them. Some Swedish parents didn’t formally adopt the children, but refused to return them. They made foster contracts giving them the right to raise the children. There are reports thn some Finnish parents did not insist on the return of the children. Here economic conditions and the Soviet threat may have been factors. And there were also returnees who went back to Sweden in the post-War period as adults.

Economic Recovery

Economic revovery came slow to Finland. Finland did not at first participate in the American-led post-War European economic recovery. Finland declined to participate in the American Marshal Plan, fearing Soviet reaction. This was part of what became known as 'Finlandization', but the Finns manged to retain their democracy because unlike Wastern Europe, they were not occupied by the Red Army. The Soviet Union offered an alternative to the Marshall plan--the Molotov Plan. The Soviets claimed to offer subsidies and preferential trading arrangements. The oviet trading block eventually evolved into the COMECON. In actuality it became more subsidies to the Soviets. The Finns had to export to the Soviets what might have earned them valuable hard currency in the West. In return they got low-quality, high cost Soviet manufactured goods. The result was that the Swedish and Finnish economies that had become cloesly linked developed very differently. Sweden like the rest of Western Europe boomed. Finns endured low wages and high unemploymnt (1950s-60s). Thus not only did some of the returned evacuee children go back to Sweden to seek jobs, but many unemployed Finnish workers did the same. (This was an option unavailale to other Eastern Europeans trapped in the Soviet Empire behind the Iron Curtain.) Here the evacuee children had advantages. Not only did they have Swedish connections, but Swedish language skills as well. Only when the threat of Soviet intervention faded were the Finns able to orient their economy to Western Europe and participate in Western capitalist prosperity.

Final Developments (1948-50s)

The Finnish Government set up a new committee taked with the retun of the remaining evacuee children. By this time all of the children that were going to be sent bck volutarily by their Swedish families were back in Finland. Some of the children’s Finish parents were pressing the Government to get their children back. The Sweden host families were refusing to let them return and wanted to adopt them. The children involved because of their ages had adopted bonds with their Swedish families. Many did not even remember their Finnish birth parents. This family tussel contunued into the 1950s. Some Finnish families tried to sue, but the Swedish parents generally decided in the favor of the Swedish families.

Sources

Korppi-Tommola, Aura and Francis Sgm. "War and children in Finland during the Second World War," Paedagogica Historica (September 2008) Vol. 44, No. 4, pp. 445-55.

Paksuniemi, Merja. "Finnish refugee children’s experiences of Swedish refugee camps during the Second World War," Migration Letters Vol. 12, No, 1 (2015).

Created: 6:17 PM 5/6/2016
Last updated: 6:56 AM 12/11/2016