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The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact - ELTE BTK Történelem Szakos Portál

The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact - ELTE BTK Történelem Szakos Portál

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have had a less serious effect on the Finnish industry, but the government did not<br />

approve them 19 since the Finns did not want to be dependent of the Soviet Union.<br />

Eventually, on 13 November the negotiations broke down.<br />

Political Situation<br />

<strong>The</strong> Finnish Social Democratic government had the country’s support,<br />

which could be best shown by the fact that when the delegation went to the<br />

Soviet capital, at the Helsinki Railway station was a support demonstration<br />

which indicated that the unity within Finland was solid. 20 Two months later<br />

when the Soviets tried to win the people's trust, the strong unity of the Finns<br />

became a crucial factor. <strong>The</strong> idea of a Soviet protection was just as<br />

unacceptable to the Finnish people as to their government.<br />

In his talks with the Anglo-French delegation Vyacheslav <strong>Molotov</strong><br />

proposed that the three powers (Great Britain, France and the Soviet Union)<br />

should guarantee the security of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Finland, so the<br />

English and the French government did not believe that the Soviets would<br />

attack the Finns. <strong>The</strong>y told the Finnish ambassador that the Soviets only<br />

wanted to avoid the German advance. 21 <strong>The</strong> Finnish government did not<br />

believe either that the Soviets would attack; they thought that the nonaggression<br />

pact between Berlin and Moscow could revise their relations with<br />

the Soviet Union. 22 At the end of the Polish war, on 2 October the Finnish<br />

ambassador to Berlin, Vourimaa, wanted to clarify the Finnish-German<br />

relations. Weizsäcker, Secretary of State at the Foreign Office, said Germany<br />

would not intervene into Soviet-Finnish relations. 23 <strong>The</strong> Germans suggested<br />

that the Finns should be sensible and give in. 24 Not satisfied with this answer,<br />

the Finnish government now turned to the western democracies. First, they<br />

tried to get the help of the Scandinavian countries, but Stockholm told them not<br />

to expect military aid, only military equipments (such as airplanes, for<br />

example) and supplies. 25 <strong>The</strong> Finnish government considered protesting to the<br />

League of Nations, but finally they decided not to provoke the Soviets' anger. It<br />

19 JACOBSON, Max: Finland in the new Europe. <strong>The</strong> center for strategic and international<br />

studies, Washington, 1998. 29. and MANNERHEIM, Carl Gustav von: Emlékiratok. A téli<br />

háború. (Memoir. <strong>The</strong> winter war). Püski, Budapest, 1997. 16.<br />

20 MANNERHEIM, Carl Gustav von: Emlékiratok. A téli háború. (Memoir. <strong>The</strong> winter war).<br />

Püski, Budapest, 1997. 11.<br />

21 JACOBSON, Max: Finland in the new Europe. <strong>The</strong> center for strategic and international<br />

studies, Washington, 1998. 28.<br />

22 MANNERHEIM, Carl Gustav von: Emlékiratok. A téli háború. (Memoir. <strong>The</strong> winter war).<br />

Püski, Budapest, 1997. 7.<br />

23 HELLER, Michail, NEKRICH, Alexandr: Orosz történelem (Russian history) vols II.<br />

Osiris, Budapest, 2003. 318.<br />

24 MANNERHEIM, Carl Gustav von: Emlékiratok. A téli háború. (Memoir. <strong>The</strong> winter war).<br />

Püski, Budapest, 1997. 29.<br />

25 Ibid. 26.<br />

70

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