|
[[Image:LocationAland.png{{Short description|thumb|Location1917–1921 dispute over the autonomy of the Åland Islands]]}}
[[File:LocationÅland.svg|thumb|Location of the [[Åland Islands]]]]
[[ImageFile:Åland map with borders.svg|thumb|Åland Islands <small>([[Media:Aland26571.png|larger map]])</small>]]
The '''Åland Crisis''' was one of the first issues the new [[League of Nations]] had to arbitrate. The [[Åland Islands]]' population's demand for [[self-determination]] was not met and [[sovereignty]] over the islands was retained by [[Finland]], but international guarantees were given<!-- to the population - nope, international guarantees are given between states! --> to allow the population to pursue its own ([[Sweden|Swedish]]) culture, relieving the threat of [[Assimilation (sociology)|assimilation]] by Finnish culture, perceived by the islanders.
The '''Åland Islands dispute''' ({{langx|sv|Ålandsfrågan|lit=Åland question}}) was a political conflict between [[Sweden]] and [[Finland]] over the [[Åland Islands]] after [[World War I]]. Most Ålanders wanted to reunite with Sweden, but in 1921 the [[League of Nations]] decided that the islands would stay under Finnish rule. Finland had to protect the islands’ [[Swedish language|Swedish]] language, culture, and autonomy.
==Background==
Prior to [[1809]], the [[Åland Islands]] were located centrally in the Swedish realm. However, in the [[Treaty of Fredrikshamn]] on [[September 17]], [[1809]], Sweden had to give up all control of the islands, along with Finland, to [[Imperial Russia]]. The [[Grand Duchy of Finland]] was formed of the ceded areas including Åland. By the [[Treaty of Paris (1856)|Treaty of Paris]] of [[April 18]], [[1856]], as an outcome of the [[Crimean War]] Britain required Russia to withhold the construction of any new [[fortification]]s on the islands. This stipulation was obeyed, despite unsuccessful attempts to change the status of the [[de-militarized]] islands in [[1908]]. By the [[World War I|First World War]] in [[1914]], however, the Russian government turned the islands into a [[submarine base]] for the use of [[United Kingdom|British]] and Russian submarines during the war.
==Military crisisBackground ==
In December [[1917]], fearing the effects of the Russian [[October Revolution]], the [[Finnish parliament]] proclaimed that [[Finland's declaration of independence|Finland was now a sovereign state]], calling on the principles of [[self-determination|national self-determination]]. The very same autumn, Ålanders had organized for their own self-determination, fearing what they saw as excessive expressions of [[Fennoman|pro-Finnishness]] and anti-Swedishness in Finland. By this time, well above 90 percent of the islands' inhabitants considered themselves Swedish, stationed military personnel excluded, in contrast to [[Mainland Finland]], where less than 15 percent were [[Swedish language|Swedish]]- speaking. Unlike in Åland, in the previous twenty years social tensions had also worsened considerably in Finland. The Ålanders' answer was a wish for secession from the [[Grand Duchy of Finland]] and the [[Russian Empire]], which they felt little affiliation to, and a request for annexation by Sweden.
Until 1809, Åland belonged to [[Sweden]]. After Sweden lost the [[Finnish War]], the [[Treaty of Fredrikshamn]] transferred Finland and Åland to [[Imperial Russia]]. Åland became part of the [[Grand Duchy of Finland]], which had some autonomy within the Russian Empire.
Sweden's power elite was, however, preoccupied with Sweden's [[democratization]] that was recently commenced by a [[conservatism|conservative]] cabinet in order to quench the [[revolutionary]] currents among Swedish workers. To that effect, Sweden got a new [[liberal]] prime minister, and for the first time [[socialist]]s in the cabinet. Although [[nationalist activism|activist]] circles close to the royal court were enthusiastic towards the Ålanders' plea for Swedish support, the activists had lost their political influence in [[1916]], and ultimately also the ear of King [[Gustav V of Sweden|Gustav V]]. Representatives for the Ålanders were fed sympathetic words and empty phrases. Neither the Liberals nor the Socialists leading Sweden through the last year of World War I were the slightest bit interested in anything that had to do with activist adventurous policies. And the king fully agreed with his cabinet on this point.
In 1856, the [[Treaty of Paris (1856)]] ended the [[Crimean War]] and banned Russia from building forts on Åland. Russia followed this agreement until 1908, when it tried to change the islands’ status, but faced resistance. During [[World War I]], Russia built a submarine base on Åland for use by Russian and British forces.
The [[Finnish Civil War]] starting in January [[1918]], initially did not change this situation. Sweden's [[Swedish Social Democratic Party|Social Democrats]] had the year before purged the revolutionaries from the party, and were sympathetic but unsupportive of the [[Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic|socialist rebellion]] in Finland. Their coalition partners in the cabinet, the Liberals, were rather inclined to sympathize with the lawful (White) government in Finland, but they were traditionally [[neutralist]] and additionally rather suspicious of their Finnish counterparts. Those non-socialists in Finland who weren't ardent [[fennoman]]s seemed to the Swedish Liberals more like the Conservatives they were used to viewing as their political enemies.
== Conflict and foreign intervention (1917–1918) ==
Exaggerated reports of civilian apprehension concerning the approaching combatants of the civil war resulted, however, in the dispatch of a minor naval expedition, tasked with evacuating civilians who wished it. It turned out that no civilians wished evacuation, but the naval commander proudly brokered an end to hostilities and remained on the Main Island as a [[peace-keeping]] force. It's evident that the [[chain of command]] was considerably more inclined towards activism than the Socialist Minister of Defence, who in turn was persuaded to be considerably more supportive of intervention than his cabinet colleagues. It is less clear to what degree other cabinet members were briefed in between cabinet meetings, or even whether they had a say. In a typical Swedish view, nothing much happened at all, and that what happened was unintended by the government and well-intentioned by the naval officer in charge.
After the [[October Revolution]] in 1917, Finland declared independence. At the same time, Åland’s Swedish-speaking population began pushing for self-rule and union with Sweden. Over 90% of Ålanders identified as Swedish, unlike most people in mainland Finland.
The White government in [[Vaasa]] saw it differently. They were bitter over the lack of support from Sweden against the socialist rebels, and well informed about activist desires to re-acquire the Åland Islands, since many of the Swedish military officers who volunteered to come to White Finland's support were close to the leading activists. The White government was alarmed by the entry of Swedish troops on Finland's soil, and suspicious of Sweden's Socialist Minister of Defence. A [[Germany|German]] naval force was urgently asked to remove the Swedish troops from Åland.
Some Swedish activists supported Åland’s aims, but the Swedish government stayed neutral. In January 1918, the [[Finnish Civil War]] began. Reports of unrest on Åland led Sweden to send a small naval force to evacuate civilians. The mission also helped reduce tensions between Russian troops and local militias.
==Political crisis==
Finland’s [[White movement|White]] government in [[Vaasa]] saw this as a possible threat. With [[Germany]]’s support, Finnish authorities urged Sweden to leave. German troops arrived in March 1918, and Swedish forces soon withdrew.
The [[League of Nations]] was an organization devised to pacify the interaction between states, so in order for the issue to be at all considered by the League, it had to be raised by the [[mother country]] of the complaining people. For the ethnically Swedish Ålanders wishing to return to Sweden, this mother country must be Sweden.
Later, Sweden, Finland, and Germany agreed to remove Russian forts from Åland. Meanwhile, some Ålanders in [[Helsinki]] formed the [[Åland Committee]] to promote regional autonomy within Finland.<ref name="ref1">{{cite web|title=Ålandskommitténs verksamhetsberättelse 1918–1922 |date=29 December 2012 |url=https://www.slideshare.net/amazingmaz/landskommittns-verksamhet}}<!-- auto-translated from Swedish by Module:CS1 translator --></ref>
The leading Swedish Social Democrat, [[Hjalmar Branting]], opted for dealing with the issue purely from the standpoint of [[international law]]. The cabinet of Finland viewed this position as a purely tactical one, and a dispute over whether the islands rightfully belonged to Sweden or Finland ensued. In 1921, again despite the fact that 90 percent of the islands' population was Swedish — and that they expressed an almost unanimous desire of being incorporated into Sweden — the League of Nations determined that the Åland Islands should remain under Finnish sovereignty, which is often attributed to the skill of its Minister to Paris, [[Carl Enckell]], who also was envoy to the League of Nations in charge of Finland's presentation of the Åland question.
== Diplomatic dispute and League of Nations ruling (1919–1921) ==
Merit is also attributed to Finland's Envoy to Japan, professor [[Gustav John Ramstedt|G.J.Ramstedt]], who managed to point out to the Japanese delegation in the League of Nations that the Åland Islands are in fact a continuous archipelago that joins it with Finland, but that deep sea waters separate them from Sweden. In light of Japanese interests in the Pacific, Finland thus received important support from Japan.[http://www.finland.or.jp/doc/en/embassy/ramstedt.html]
In 1919, both Sweden and Finland officially claimed Åland. Finland said the islands were historically and geographically linked to it. Sweden pointed to the islanders’ wish to join Sweden.
==Aftermath==
The interrelated difficulties in the relations between Sweden and Finland were resolved by the mid-1930s, when the weakened authority of the League of Nations signaled a much harsher international mood. The fear of the Åland Islands' falling under the control of [[Nazi Germany]] or the [[Soviet Union]] was very real, and that is why Sweden's Foreign Minister Sandler proposed retaining the status of the islands despite [[Swedish neutrality|Sweden's longstanding policy of neutrality]]. Detailed defensive plans were made; however, in the end, Sweden opted not to participate in the defence of the islands.
Sweden proposed a [[referendum]], but Finland refused. Instead, Finland passed a law giving Åland cultural and political autonomy. However, leading Åland representatives, such as [[Julius Sundblom]] and [[Carl Björkman (politician)|Carl Björkman]], rejected the law and were briefly jailed.
==Autonomy of Åland Islands== ▼
The dispute was brought to the new [[League of Nations]]. The League sent legal experts and three rapporteurs to Åland, Sweden, and France to gather information. Finland was represented by [[Carl Enckell]], and Sweden by [[Erik Palmstierna]].<ref>{{cite book|date=1956 |first=Carl |last=Enckell |title=Politiska minnen. 2}}<!-- auto-translated from Swedish by Module:CS1 translator --></ref><ref name="ref2">{{cite book|date=1954 |first=Erik |last=Palmstierna |title=Dagjämning}}<!-- auto-translated from Swedish by Module:CS1 translator --></ref><ref>Ragnar Numelin, Bilaga XI, Ålandskommitténs arkiv</ref>
In 1920, Finland granted wide-reaching cultural and political autonomy to the Åland Islands. The League of Nations considered these measures as satisfying demands to protect the Swedish language and culture there. History has proved this position correct as Ålanders these days are mostly satisfied with their special status which would not be the case were they a constituent part of Sweden. Even today, Åland has managed to defend its autonomy, even after it joined the European Union as a part of Finland.
In June 1921, the League decided Åland would stay with Finland. Finland had to protect the islanders’ language, culture, and traditions. The decision reflected Finland’s diplomatic efforts and support from [[Japan]], which said the islands were part of the Finnish archipelago.<ref>G.J. Ramstedt: ''Lähettiläänä Nipponissa'', pp. 57–59.</ref><ref>Margery Post Abbott et al., ''Historical Dictionary of the Friends (Quakers)'', Scarecrow Press, 2011, p. 246. {{ISBN|0810868571}}</ref>
During the course of the 20th century, Finnish sovereignty has been perceived as benevolent, and even beneficial, by increasing numbers of the islanders. Together with disappointment over insufficient support from Sweden in the League of Nations, Swedish disrespect for Åland's demilitarised status in the 1930s, and to some degree a feeling of shared destiny with Finland during and after World War II, this has resulted in a changed perception of Åland's relation to Finland: from "a Swedish province in Finnish possession" to "an autonomous part of Finland".
== Later developments ==
Sweden and Finland improved relations in the 1920s and 1930s. In 1930, they discussed a joint defense plan for Åland, called the [[Stockholm Plan]], but dropped it due to opposition from the [[Soviet Union]].
During [[World War II]], Sweden remained neutral and did not intervene in Åland. Over time, many Ålanders began to see Finnish rule as fair and supportive.
== Autonomy and legacy ==
In 1920, Finland passed the [[Act on the Autonomy of Åland]], which gave the islands their own parliament and strong cultural and political rights.<ref>Marvin W. Mikesell and Alexander B. Murphy, "A Framework for Comparative Study of Minority-Group Aspirations", ''Annals of the Association of American Geographers'', Vol. 81, No. 4 (Dec. 1991), p. 597</ref> The League of Nations considered these guarantees enough to protect Åland’s identity.
By the late 20th century, many Ålanders saw themselves not as Swedish, but as an autonomous, culturally unique region within Finland.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=GAQ8vIJE8_QC&pg=PA129 Thomas D. Grant, ''The recognition of states: law and practice in debate and evolution'', Greenwood Publishing Group, 1999, pp. 129–130]</ref>
{{Portal|Finland|Sweden|Europe}}
▲==* [[Autonomy of Åland Islands==]]
▲* [[Åland 's Autonomy Day]]
* [[ Finnish-SwedishFinland–Sweden relations]] ▼* [[Swedish neutrality]]
▲* [[Finnish-Swedish relations]]
* [[International crisis]]
* [http://www.kultur.aland.fi/kulturstiftelsen/traktater/eng_fr/1921a_en.htm Decision of the Council of The League of Nations] ▼
== References ==
[[Category:History of Åland|Aland crisis]] ▼{{reflist}}
[[Category:History of Sweden|Aland]] ▼
[[Category:History of Finland|Aland]] ▼== Further reading ==
[[Category:League of Nations|Aland]] ▼* F.P. Walters, ''A History of the League of Nations'' (Oxford University Press, 1952) [https://libraryresources.unog.ch/ld.php?content_id=32146299 online]
== External links ==
▲* [ https://web.archive.org/web/20100204200856/http://www.kultur.aland.fi/kulturstiftelsen/traktater/eng_fr/1921a_en.htm Decision of the Council of Thethe League of Nations (archived)]
{{Åland Islands topics}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aaland Crisis}}
▲[[Category:History of Åland |Aland crisis]]
[[lt:Alandų klausimas]]
▲[[Category: History1921 ofin Sweden |Aland]]
[[fi:Ahvenanmaan kysymys]]
▲[[Category: History1921 ofin Finland |Aland]]
[[sv:Ålandsfrågan]]
▲[[Category:League of Nations |Aland]]
[[Category:1920 in international relations]]
[[Category:1921 in international relations]]
[[Category:Diplomatic incidents]]
[[Category:Finland–Sweden relations]]
[[Category:Finland in the Russian Civil War]]
| 