Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
After World War II, Finland was made to suffer for having allied itself for
a time with Germany and for having fought against one of the Allied Powers.
The Finns were forced to cede Karelia (eastern Finland) and part of Lapland
to the USSR, to accept a Soviet naval base on Finnish territory, and to pay
huge reparations to the Soviet government. Still, Finland's bold, trendsetting
modern design and architecture blossomed, and it built up successful timber,
paper, and electronics industries. All through the Cold War, Finland teetered
between the West and the Soviet Union, trying to be part of Western Europe's
strong economy while treading lightly and making nice with her giant neigh-
bor to the east. The collapse of the Soviet Union has done to Finland what a
good long sauna might do to you.
