''Finnlands Lebensraum'' is a 1941 Finnish propaganda book that was published to support the

Greater Finland Greater Finland ( fi, Suur-Suomi; et, Suur-Soome; sv, Storfinland), an irredentist and nationalist idea, emphasized territorial expansion of Finland. The most common concept of Greater Finland saw the country as defined by natural borders enc ...

ideology. It was written by the geographer Väinö Auer, the historian

Eino Jutikkala Eino Kaarlo Ilmari Jutikkala (24 October 1907 – 22 December 2006), until 1931 Rinne, was a Finnish historian, and professor of history at the University of Helsinki from 1950 to 1974. He had an exceptionally long and prolific career, and is cons ...

and the ethnographer

Kustaa Vilkuna Kustaa Gideon Vilkuna (born 26 October 1902 in Nivala – died 6 April 1980 in Kirkkonummi) was a Finnish ethnologist, linguist and historian. Vilkuna was a member of the Academic Karelia Society (AKS) until resigning in 1932 and again from 1942� ...

, who worked for the Finnish state propaganda and information department. Nazi ideas were later added to the script by Yrjö von Grönhagen, a Finnish military attaché in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

.Poikonen, Jaakko "Suur-Suomea perustamassa"
Poleemi 4/2006, p. 24-27 (in Finnish). Retrieved November 12, 2013. Suur-Suomen kartta

The idea of the book was to demonstrate scientifically that East Karelia and

Ingermanland Ingria is a historical region in what is now northwestern European Russia. It lies along the southeastern shore of the Gulf of Finland, bordered by Lake Ladoga on the Karelian Isthmus in the north and by the River Narva on the border with ...

are natural parts of Finland by their geography, history and culture and to legitimise their integration into Finland after the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

victory in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. The new eastern border of Finland was defined to begin from the Gulf of Finland and run via lakes Ladoga and Onega to

Onega Bay The Onega Bay (russian: Онежская губа, Онежский залив) is located in the Republic of Karelia and Arkhangelsk Oblast in Northwestern Russia, west of the city of Arkhangelsk. It is the southernmost of four large bays and ...

in the

White Sea The White Sea (russian: Белое море, ''Béloye móre''; Karelian and fi, Vienanmeri, lit. Dvina Sea; yrk, Сэрако ямʼ, ''Serako yam'') is a southern inlet of the Barents Sea located on the northwest coast of Russia. It is s ...

. An unpublished adaptation of the book also featured the residential areas of Finnic Kvens in the Norwegian county of

Finnmark Finnmark (; se, Finnmárku ; fkv, Finmarku; fi, Ruija ; russian: Финнмарк) was a county in the northern part of Norway, and it is scheduled to become a county again in 2024. On 1 January 2020, Finnmark was merged with the neighbouri ...

. The original title of ''Finnlands Lebensraum'' was ''Das geographische und geschichtliche Finnland'' ("The Geographic and Historic Finland"), but it was changed by the German publisher to fit more into

Nazi ideology Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...

References

External links

''Finnlands Lebensraum'' at the Finnish National Bibliography Fennica
{{Authority control 1941 non-fiction books Propaganda books and pamphlets Finnish non-fiction books Finland–Soviet Union relations German-language works Nazism Finnish irredentism Nazi propaganda

See also

References

External links