 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Russification of Finland" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(July 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
.jpg)
The policy ofRussification of Finland (Finnish:sortokaudet / sortovuodet,lit. 'times/years of oppression';Swedish:Förtrycksperioderna;Russian:Русификация Финляндии,romanized: Rusifikatsiya Finlyandii) was a governmental policy of theRussian Empire aimed at limiting the special status of theGrand Duchy of Finland and possibly the termination of its political autonomy and cultural uniqueness in 1899–1905 and in 1908–1917, fully integrating Finland to the Russian Empire. It was a part of a larger policy ofRussification pursued by late 19th–early 20th century Russian governments which tried to abolish cultural and administrative autonomy of non-Russian minorities within the empire.
The two Russification campaigns evoked widespread Finnish resistance, starting withpetitions and escalating tostrikes, passive resistance (includingdraft resistance) and eventually active resistance. Finnish opposition to Russification was one of the main factors that ultimately led toFinland's declaration of independence in 1917.
AfterNapoleon's victory over theRussian Empire in the June 1807Battle of Friedland, tsarAlexander I was forced to sue for peace with theFirst French Empire in theTreaties of Tilsit (7 July 1807). Alexander agreed to join theContinental System against theBritish Empire, to launch theAnglo-Russian War (1807–1812), and to forceSweden (which maintained extensive trade relations with the British) to join the Continental System as well. Swedish kingGustav IV Adolf delayed his response to Alexander's ultimatum until he brokered an alliance with Britain in February 1808, after which he rejected Alexander's demands. In response, Imperial Russia invaded Swedish Finland in what later became known as theFinnish War (21 February 1808 – 17 September 1809), which ended favourably for Alexander.
In 1809, the lost territory of Sweden became theGrand Duchy of Finland, an autonomous part of theRussian Empire. TheDiet of Porvoo (later theDiet of Finland) recognizedAlexander I of Russia as grand duke on 29 March 1809. For his part, Alexander confirmed the rights of the Finns, in particular, promising freedom to pursue their customs and religion and to maintain their identity:
Providence having placed us in possession of the Grand Duchy of Finland, we have desired by the present act to confirm and ratify the religion and the fundamental laws of the land, as well as the privileges and rights which each class in the said Grand Duchy in particular, and all the inhabitants in general, be their position high or low, have hitherto enjoyed according to the constitution. We promise to maintain all these benefits and laws firm and unshaken in their full force.[1]
This meant that the old Swedishinstrument of government from 1772 and theUnion and Security Act from 1789 continued to be used in regards to the Finnish form of government. It also meant that the SwedishCivil Code of 1734 continued as the fundamental law of Finland.[citation needed]
This promise was maintained; indeed,Alexander II amplified the powers of the Finnish diet in 1869. Finland enjoyed prosperity and control over their own affairs, and remained loyal subjects for nearly a century.[1]
The manifesto whichNicholas II issued on 15 February 1899 was cause for Finnish despair.[1][2][a] The manifesto was forced through theFinnish senate by the deciding vote of the senate president, an appointee of the tsar—and after theGovernor-General of Finland,Nikolay Bobrikov, had threatened a military invasion and siege.[1] While ostensibly affirming the Finns' rights in purely local matters, the manifesto asserted the authority of the state in any and all matters which could be considered to "come within the scope of the general legislation of the empire".[1]
As a response to the manifesto, a petition with 523,000 names was gathered and a delegation of 500 people were sent to deliver it to the tsar. A separate petition calledPro Finlandia that contained the names of 1,050 prominent foreign people was also gathered few months later.[4]
Russification policies enacted included:
From April 1903 until theRussian Revolution of 1905, the governor-general was granted dictatorial powers. Bobrikov used these powers to personally abolish several newspapers and to deport notable Finnish political leaders. In June 1904Eugen Schauman assassinated Bobrikov. The imperial government responded with a purge of opponents of Russification within the Finnish administration and more stringentcensorship. However the passive resistance campaign also had some successes, notably ade facto reversal of the newconscription law.[citation needed]
The Russification campaign was suspended and partially reversed in 1905–1907 duringa period of civil unrest throughout the Russian Empire following Russian defeats in theRusso-Japanese War.[citation needed]
The program was reintroduced in 1908, costing Finland much of its autonomy and again causing further Finnish resistance, including theJäger movement. During 1909–1917 the Finnish politicians in theSenate of Finland were replaced by Finnish-born officers of the Russian army who were formally subjects of the grand duchy, creating the so-calledadmiral-senate orsaber-senate.[7] Russia demanded higher payments for not conscripting Finns (issue ofsotilasmiljoonat, "military millions"). The 1910 "Law of all-Empire legislation procedures" removed most Finnish legislative powers from the newly establishedFinnish Parliament to the RussianDuma andState Council. In 1912 they passed the "Law of equality" which opened all Finnish government and civil service offices to Russians.[citation needed]
Many measures were again suspended in 1914–1917 during theFirst World War, but secret government documents published in the Finnish press in November 1914 suggested that the imperial government still harbored plans forthe complete Russification of Finland.[citation needed]
The second wave halted due to theFebruary Revolution in Russia.[citation needed]
During theRusso-Japanese War, with financial aid fromJapan, Finnish rebels bought a shipment of thousands of rifles with the aim of creating an uprising and forming an independent state. However,the ship was wrecked off the coast of Finland and the plan failed. During the First World War, when Russia and Japan were allies fighting against Germany, the Japanese handed the Russian government a list of the leading men in the freedom movement (now in World War I working withGermany).[citation needed]
Russification policy in the territories occupied or annexed by Russia in the 18–21st centuries | |
|---|---|
| By annexed territories | |
| Organizers of Russification | |
| Anti-Russification activists | |
| Other | |
