在这本书中，历史学家奥斯莫·朱西拉、塞波·亨蒂拉和朱卡·内瓦基维讲述了1809年以来芬兰历史的三个时期。他们快速变化的叙事风格让这个国家的社会和政治力量以及权势人物的互动栩栩如生，而这个国家的命运是由其东欧和西欧之间的地缘政治局势决定的。
从12世纪到19世纪初，芬兰由瑞典统治，瑞典给芬兰留下了西方式的政治、经济和文化制度。从1809年到布尔什维克革命，它是俄罗斯帝国内的一个自治大公国，拥有自己的议会、军队和货币。芬兰人在1917年赢得了独立，但不得不与苏联打两场战争——1939年至1940年的冬季战争和所谓的1941年至1944年的持续战争，以维持他们的自由。
冷战带来了进一步的挑战，因为芬兰试图在不屈服于共产主义独裁的情况下平衡其在苏联势力范围内的地位。这种平衡是通过巧妙的外交和经济手段成功实现的，芬兰在这两个领域都充当了东西方之间的桥头堡。在1960年代和1970年代，该国在广泛的福利国家支持下实现了高水平的经济和社会发展，并于1995年投票加入欧盟。
From Grand Duchy to a Modern State: A Political History of Finland since 1809
In this book historians Osmo Jussila, Seppo Hentilä, and Jukka Nevakivi cover the three periods of Finland’s history since 1809. Their fast-moving narrative style brings to life the interaction of social and political forces and powerful personalities in a country whose destiny has been determined by its geopolitical situation between Eastern and Western Europe.
From the twelfth to the early nineteenth century, Finland was ruled by Sweden, which bequeathed to it Western-style political, economic, and cultural institutions. From 1809 to the Bolshevik Revolution, it was an autonomous Grand Duchy within the Russian Empire with its own parliament, army, and currency. The Finns won their independence in 1917 but had to fight two wars against the Soviets—the Winter War of 1939–40 and the so-called Continuation War of 1941–44—to maintain their freedom.
The Cold War presented further challenges as Finland sought to balance its position within the Soviet sphere of influence without succumbing to communist dictatorship. This balancing act was successfully achieved by adroit diplomatic and economic means, with Finland acting as a bridgehead between East and West in both spheres. In the 1960s and 1970s, the country achieved a high level of economic and social development supported by an extensive welfare state and in 1995 voted to join the European Union.
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