Peace opposition (, ) was a Finnish cross-party movement pushing for Finland to step out of the

Continuation War The Continuation War, also known as the Second Soviet–Finnish War, was a conflict fought by Finland and Nazi Germany against the Soviet Union during World War II. It began with a Finnish declaration of war on 25 June 1941 and ended on 19 ...

(1941 to 1944). From 1943 to 1944, the "Peace opposition" united bourgeois politicians such as

Paasikivi Juho Kusti Paasikivi (, 27 November 1870 – 14 December 1956) was a Finnish politician who served as the seventh president of Finland from 1946 to 1956. Representing the Finnish Party until its dissolution in 1918 and then the National Coalitio ...

Kekkonen Urho Kaleva Kekkonen (; 3 September 1900 – 31 August 1986), often referred to by his initials UKK, was a Finnish politician who served as the eighth and longest-serving president of Finland from 1956 to 1982. He also served as prime minister ...

and

Sakari Tuomioja Sakari Severi Tuomioja (29 August 1911, Tampere – 9 September 1964, Helsinki) was a Finnish politician and diplomat who served as Prime Minister of Finland between 1953–1954 and as Minister for Foreign Affairs between 1951–1952 and as th ...

with

social democrats Social democracy is a social, economic, and political philosophy within socialism that supports political and economic democracy and a gradualist, reformist, and democratic approach toward achieving social equality. In modern practice, s ...

, wanted a way to conclude peace with the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

. The number of MPs belonging to this group was rather small at first, but it gained influence as the military situation worsened. After the signing of armistice, Paasikivi established his cabinet, which included members of the previous opposition group.

Background

Paasikivi, the leading statesman of the group had concluded by 1943 that Germany was going to lose the war and Finland was in great danger. However, his initial opposition to the pro-German line was too well known, and his first initiatives for peace negotiations were met with little support both from Field Marshal Mannerheim and

Risto Ryti Risto Heikki Ryti (; 3 February 1889 – 25 October 1956) was a Finnish people, Finnish politician who served as the fifth president of Finland from 1940 to 1944. Ryti started his career as a politician in the field of economics and as a politica ...

, who was the war-time President. Negotiations were conducted intermittently in 1943–44 between Finland and its representative

Juho Kusti Paasikivi Juho Kusti Paasikivi (, 27 November 1870 – 14 December 1956) was a Finnish politician who served as the seventh president of Finland from 1946 to 1956. Representing the Finnish Party until its dissolution in 1918 and then the National Coaliti ...

on the one side, and the Western Allies and the Soviet Union on the other, but no agreement was reached. However, by autumn 1944, the need for peace was becoming more evident: Mannerheim had repeatedly reminded the Germans that in case their troops in Estonia retreated, Finland would be forced to make peace even at very unfavourable terms. Soviet-occupied Estonia would have provided a favourable base for amphibious invasions and air attacks against Finnish cities, and would have strangled Finnish access to the sea. When the Germans indeed did withdraw, the Finnish desire to end the war increased. President

resigned, and Finland's military leader and national hero,

Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim Baron Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim (, 4 June 1867 – 27 January 1951) was a Finnish military commander, aristocrat, and statesman. He served as the military leader of the White Guard (Finland), Whites in the Finnish Civil War (1918), as List of ...

, was extraordinarily appointed president by the parliament, accepting responsibility for ending the war. On September 4, 1944, the cease-fire ended military actions. An armistice was signed in Moscow on September 19 between the Soviet Union and Finland. Finland had to make many limiting concessions. Immediately after the ceasefire, Mannerheim appointed

, so far leader of the Peace opposition, as the Prime Minister. For the first time in Finland a Communist, Yrjö Leino, was included in the Cabinet. Paasikivi's policies were radically different than those of the previous 25 years. His main effort was to prove that both parties would gain from confident peaceful relations. He had to comply with many Soviet demands, including the War Crimes trial, which sentenced leading politicians (at the time of the Continuation war) into jail. When Mannerheim resigned, parliament selected Paasikivi as the succeeding president.

References

{{reflist Political history of Finland Continuation War Opposition to World War II