Karelo-Finnish Soviet Socialist Republic

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Infobox SSR
name = Karelo-Finnish SSR
rus-name = Карело-Финская Советская Социалистическая Республика
loc-name = "Karjalais-suomalainen Sosialistinen Neuvostotasavalta"
full-name = Karelo-Finnish Soviet Socialist Republic
year_start = 1940
year_end = 1956
p1 = Karelian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic
flag_p1 = Flag RSFSR 1918.svg
p2 = Finnish Democratic Republic
s1 = Karelian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic
flag_s1 = Flag of Russian SFSR.svg

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arms = Coat of arms of the Karelo-Finnish SSR (1940-1956).jpg


capital = Petrozavodsk
language = Finnish and Russian
Lang-ISO = fi
established = March 31, 1940
ussr-start = March 31, 1940
ussr-end = July 16, 1956
area-rank = 7th
area = 172,400
water = 25%
pop-rank = 16th
pop = 651,300 (1959)
density = 3.8
time-zone = + 3
anthem = Anthem of Karelo-Finnish SSR

The Karelo-Finnish Soviet Socialist Republic ( _fi. Karjalais-suomalainen sosialistinen neuvostotasavalta; _ru. Карело-Финская Советская Социалистическая Республика "Karelo-Finskaya Sovietskaya Sotsialisticheskaya Respublika") was a short-lived republic that was a part of the former Soviet Union. The republic existed from 1940 until it was merged back into the Russian SFSR in 1956 (as the Karelian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic).

History

The Karelo-Finnish Soviet Socialist Republic was set up on March 31, 1940 by merging the KASSR with the Finnish Democratic Republic (created in territory ceded by Finland in the Winter War by the Moscow Peace Treaty, namely the Karelian Isthmus and Ladoga Karelia, including the cities of Viipuri and Sortavala). The entire Karelian population of the ceded areas, about 422,000 people, was evacuated to Finland (see Evacuation of Finnish Karelia), and the territories were settled by people from other parts of the Soviet Union.

In the ensuing "Continuation War", in 1941 Finland occupied and reannexed the territory. In 1944 the Soviet Union recaptured the area, which was recognized by Finland in the Moscow Armistice and Paris Peace Treaty. The Karelians were evacuated again. The Karelian Isthmus with Vyborg (Viipuri) was transferred from Karelo-Finnish SSR to the Leningrad Oblast, but Ladoga Karelia remained a part of the republic.

On July 16, 1956, the republic was incorporated into the Russian SFSR as the Karelian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. It became the Republic of Karelia, a subdivision of the Russian Federation, on November 13, 1991.

Politics

The chairman of the Karelo-Finnish Supreme Soviet (1940-1956) was Finnish communist Otto Ville Kuusinen. In the republic there was also a separate Karelo-Finnish Communist Party led in the 1940s by G.N. Kupriyanov.

Chairmen of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet

Chairmen of the Council of People's Commissars (from 1946 Chairmen of the Council of Ministers)

ee also

* Winter War
* Finnish Karelia
* Karelia
* Republics of the Soviet Union
* Soviet Union
* Karelian question in Finnish politics

References