A Short History of Finland

By Fred Singleton

Book Overview

This is a second edition of the most successful study of Finland in the English language. It presents the reader - whether tourist, student, specialist, or business person - with a readable and authoritative introduction to the Finns and the present position of their country in the modern world. A Short History of Finland traces the historical development of the country from its settlement by the Finns in the first millennium AD to the present time, exploring Finland's earlier connection with Sweden, the complex relationship with Russia which has dominated Finnish history in the last two centuries, and the post-war achievements of the second republic. This second edition has been revised and updated by Emeritus Professor A. F. Upton, a leading scholar of Scandinavian history, and discusses the impact of the break-up of the Soviet Union and brings events up to Finland's admission to the European Union in 1995.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0521647010
• ISBN13: 9780521647014
• Release Date: October 1998
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.71 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Finland - in a nutshell

This book provides a brief, but very comprehensive, history of Finland from the bronze age to the twentieth century. I found the extensive details on the early history of Swedish-Finnish expansion extremely helpful, although the book is a bit skimpy on the topic of the Finnish civil war. The book rightfully calls itself a "short" history, but it's a satisfying overview.

ditto

Ditto what the reader from Las Vegas said. It seemed a little bit too thin, but then it is called "A Short History". Given that it is so short, there should have been a little bit less about political machinations and the Left, and the space saved should have been used to say a little bit more about the military history, economics, culture, emigratin, etc. Also, the prose style, while readable, does not sparkle. But these are minor quibbles. For the most part, the book is what it claims to be.

Finnish History in 170 (!) pages

This book delivers exactly what its title suggests, "A Short History of Finland". From the earliest prehistoric beginnings to the sea-change in Finnish foreign policy with its membership in the EU in '95, this work outlines all significant events in Finnish history. Contains several appendices with Tsar Alexander's declaration, petition to the Bolshevik government for independence, and the 1948 Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation. The second edition was completed by a different author, but the revisions are seamless- the reader cannot detect any changes of style or editing. I would have given this book 5-stars, except for what I believe is an inordinate amount of paper given to the rise and machinations of the left in Finnish politics. Given the original author's admitted interest in left-wing politics, this is probably unavoidable. However, the space could have been better used to flesh out chapters on the Russo-Finnish war, Continuation War and the involvement of the Soviets in Finnish politics post-war. For future editions, the author may wish to include the 1947 peace treaty along with the 1948 treaty in the Appendices. So maybe 4 1/2 is more accurate.If you are a tourist or business person who wants more history than is presented in the usual tour guide, or are a student looking for background on aspects of Scandinavian history, get this book. Besides, you can probably finish it on the flight to Helsinki...