The Grand Duchy of Finland at the Beginning of the 20th Century: From “Sovereign Possession” to Independence [Rev. on: Russia and the Independence of Finland, 1899– 1920. Collection of documents: in 3 vols., comp. by M. V. Zelenov. Moscow: ROSSPEN, 2021]

Abstract

The review examines the three-volume publication of documents Russia and the Independence of Finland, 1899–1920. Collection of documents: in 3 vols, prepared by a team of Russian and Finnish archivists. The thematic publication aims to show the differences between the ruling elite of the Russian Empire and the socio- political elite of the Grand Duchy of Finland on the issue of the degree of independence of the latter in the field of legislation and administrative management. An array of documents on the history of Russian-Finnish relations, including documents from the Russian archives and the National Archives of Finland, has been published for the first time. The compilers paid special attention to the documents devoted to the lengthy discussions on the legal status of the Grand Duchy of Finland and its correction in 1899–1917. The collection contains documents on the interaction of political leaders of Finland with the Provisional Government and the Bolshevik Council of People’s Commissars, covering the period from 1917 to 1920. More than 42 % of the collection’s documents are published for the first time. In addition to documents revealing the preparation and adoption of legislative acts regulating the situation of the Grand Duchy, the volumes of the collection include documents illustrating current problems: the fight against Russian revolutionaries on Finnish territory, the attitude of the Finnish population to Russia’s participation in the First World War. The documents of the collection reveal the process of movement towards the creation of an independent Finland, and show that the policy of the tsarist government in this region was aimed at creating borders defining the spheres of general Imperial and Finnish legislation. The published materials convincingly show the reasons for the failures in the policy of the autocratic government, which led to the deterioration of relations with the Grand Duchy of Finland.