Ã…land Islands Dispute
The Ã…land Islands dispute was one of the first issues put up for arbitration by the League of Nations on its formation. Ã…land's population's demand for self-determination was not met and sovereignty over the islands was retained by Finland, but international guarantees were given to allow the population to pursue its own culture, relieving the threat of forced assimilation by Finnish culture as perceived by the islanders. Background Prior to 1809, Ã…land was located within the boundaries of the Swedish realm. However, in the Treaty of Fredrikshamn on September 17, 1809, Sweden had to give up control of the islands, along with Finland, to Imperial Russia. The Grand Duchy of Finland became an autonomous entity, including the Ã…land Islands, within the Russian Empire. After the Ã…land War, by the Treaty of Paris of April 18, 1856, which ended the Crimean War, Britain required Russia to withhold the construction of any new fortifications on the islands. This stipulation was obeyed ...
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