[center]Finland
I

'[I]We are no longer Swedes, we cannot become Russians, let us therefore be Finns in thought, feeling and deed.[/I]'[/center]

[B]January 1950[/B]

Nearly six years had passed since the end of the Continuation War and nearly ten since the end of the Winter War; a major turning point for Finland. For several hundred years Finland had been under the control of Sweden and later Russia as the Grand Duchy of Finland until thirty three years ago. Finland had finally become an independent nation in its own right. Following major fighting against the Soviet Union in the late thirties and early forties Finland had been devastated by war and many people lived in poverty, particularly in the more rural north. Major industrialisation had proved a huge boost to Finland's economy in more recent years however. The final train carrying war reparations to Russia in the form of machinery would soon pass through Vainikkala station and with it the last of Finland's debt to the Soviets would be paid. Mass migration to the Southern lands, particularly around Helsinki, had given Finland a much larger workforce to bolster their economy. Prime Minister Kekkonen had followed in his predecessors footsteps by maintaining neutrality via trade with both NATO and Warsaw Pact nations.

The world was rapidly changing. Countries previously under tyrannical or colonial rule were separating and becoming independent nations much like Finland itself. While Finland was still a small nation it had proved during the Winter War that it was not a weak nation to be trampled on by the great powers any longer. Provided previous belligerent nations did not attempt to attack Finland again it would have the time needed to repair, rebuild and restructure itself into a modern nation; perhaps not equal in size to nations like France or the United States but certainly equal in quality. With the final train to the Soviet Union arriving later in January Finland would be able to focus more of its industry on itself, towards progressing its own development and towards increasing trade with foreign powers. Due to Finland's precarious geographical position this trade was vital to maintain neutrality in the coming years lest another war break out; for which the while the Finnish forces were prepared the Finnish people were not.