FINLAND AND RUSSIA 1808-1920 STUDIES IN RUSSIAN AND EAST EUROPEAN HISTORY Phyllis Auty and Richard Clogg (editors) British Policy towards Wartime Resistance in Yugoslavia and Greece Elisabeth Barker British Policy in South-East Europe in the Second World War D. G. Kirby (editor) Finland and Russia 1808-1920: From Autonomy to Independence: A Selection of Documents Martin McCauley (editor) The Russian Revolution and the Soviet State 1917-1921: Documents Further titles in preparation FINLAND AND RUSSIA 18o8-1g2o From Autonomy to Independence A Selection of Documents Edited and translated by D. G. KIRBY M in association with the Palgrave Macmillan @ D. G. Kirby 1975 Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 1975 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without permission First published 1975 by THE MACMILLAN PRESS LTD London and Basingstoke Associated companies in New York Dublin Melbourne Johannesburg and Madras SBN 333 16905 0 ISBN 978-1-349-02303-5 ISBN 978-1-349-02301-1 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-1-349-02301-1 This book is sold subject to the standard conditions of the Net Book Agreement Contents Introduction 1 PART I THE PERIOD OF AUTONOMY THE UNION OF FINLAND WITH THE RUSSIAN EMPIRE 11 1 His Imperial Majesty's gracious manifesto concern- ing the union of Finland with the Russian Empire, 17 June 1808 12 2 The order for the convocation of the Diet of Por- voo, 20 January/ 1 February 1809 14 3 Alexander the First's Charter, given at the Diet of Porvoo, 27 March 1809 14 4 Alexander the First's speech at the conclusion of the Diet of Porvoo, 19 July 1809 15 5 His Imperial Majesty's instructions for the estab­ lishment of a Government Council in the Grand Duchy of Finland, 18 August 1809 16 6 Extracts from Major Berndt Aminoff's notes, made during the years 1808-10 18 7 Major Karl Henrik Klick's view of the situation in Finland in 1808 20 8 The Treaty of Hamina, 17 September 1809 22 9 Count Rumyantsov to Alexander the First, 9 September 1809 23 10 Alexander the First's secret instructions to Gov- ernor-General Steinheil, 26 September 1810 24 11 Alexander the First's manifesto on the Finnish Senate, 21 February 1816 25 12 Israel Hwasser on the separation of Finland and Sweden in 1809 27 vi Contents 13 A. I. Arwidsson's view of the separation of Finland and Sweden in 1809 28 14 K. Ordin on Alexander the First's Charter of 27 Mar~1~ ~ 15 Extract from J. R. Danielson's critique of K. Ordin's work, 'The subjugation of Finland' 31 16 W. F. Deutrich on the 'fundamental laws', 1909 3 2 THE GROWTH OF NATIONALISM 34 17 J. G. Linsen on the Finnish language, 1819 36 18 The status of the Russian and Finnish languages -an official view, circa 1835 37 19 Language and the national consciousness - the the Snellman-Castren correspondence, 1844 39 20 A student association for the advancement of the Finnish language, 184 7 41 21 Extracts from S. G. Elmgren's diary on University life 1853-5 42 22 Extracts from Peder Sarkilax's book, Fennomani och Skandinavism (1855) 43 23 A hostile view of Finnish as a basis for a national culture (1855) 44 24 The nationality question- a Svecoman view (1860) 46 25 J. V. Snellman on the Finnish nation 47 26 'War or peacefor Finland' (1863) 49 27 A political programme for Finland, July 1863 50 28 Alexander the Second's speech to the Diet, 18 September 1863 51 29 The Language Edict of 1 August 1863 53 30 Governor-General Rokassovsky's report to Alex- ander the Second, May 1865 54 31 'The national debt of gratitude' (1876) 55 32 Finnish neutrality- 'The Mghan question and Finland' (1885) 56 33 The Language Edict of 18 March 1886 57 34 A liberal view of the language conflict (1886) 57 35 Nya Pressen on the consequences of Finnish be- coming an official language ( 1886) 59 36 An appeal to stand firm against assimilation ( 1890) 61 Contents viii 37 'What the present situation demands': the Finnish view (1893) 62 38 J. R. Danielson-Kalmari on the language question (1897) 63 39 A foreign view of Finnish politics (1894) 64 PART II AUTONOMY THREATENED (1890-1917) THE FIRST PERIOD OF OPPRESSION 69 40 The Russian view of Finland - a Finnish interpre- tation (1889) 70 41 Alexander the Third's rescript to the Governor- General of Finland, 12 March 1891 71 42 Governor-General Heiden's proposals for the administration of the provinces of Finland ( 1891) 73 43 A Finnish interpretation of the constitutional position of the Grand Duchy (1892) 75 44 Governor-General Bobrikov's speech to the Senate, 12 October 1898 76 45 Governor-General Bobrikov's programme for Finland 77 46 General Borodkin on the Finnish question (1905) 78 47 The 'February manifesto', 15 February 1899 79 48 Nicholas the Second's speech from the throne at the opening of the Diet, January 1899 80 49 The Language Edict, 20 June 1900 81 50 'An open letter to my friends'- Yrjo-Koskinen on the split in the Finnish party, December 1900 83 51 J. R. Danielson-Kalmari's programme of action (1900) 85 52 A passive resistance appeal for patriotic joint action (1901) 86 53 Yrjo-Koskinen on the passive resistance and the new military conscription law, October 1901 87 54 The reply of two Old Finns to Yrjo-Koskinen's comments on the passive resistance (1901) 89 55 Archbishop Johansson's pastoral letter concerning the military conscription law of 1901 90 56 The call-up riots in Helsinki, April1902 92 viii Contents 57 'The Russian opposition and the future of Finland' (1902) 93 58 'The Russian opposition and the future of Finland' -A dissident viewpoint (1902) 95 59 'The passive resistance and the right of self-defence' (1903) 96 60 The granting of dictatorial powers to Governor- General Bobrikov, 5 April1903 98 61 The programme of the Finnish Active Resistance Party, adopted at the founding meeting in Helsinki, 17 November 1904 99 62 The Geneva programme of the Russian opposition (1905) 100 63 The activists' plans for insurrection (1905) 101 64 'Scandinavia and Finland. A solution of the Swedish-Norwegian question' (1905) 102 THE 1905 REVOLUTION AND ITS AFTERMATH 104 65 The outbreak of the strike on the railways, 28-9 October 1905 105 66 The demands of the constitutionalists, 31 October 1905 106 67 Resolutions passed by a meeting of the citizens of Pori, 31 October 1905 107 68 The 'Red' Manifesto, 1 November 1905 108 69 'A lawful national assembly' - the proposal of the Finnish party, 2 November 1905 111 70 The demand of the Finnish Active Resistance Party for a national assembly, 3 November 1905 111 71 The last days of the strike - extracts from the min- utes of the national strike central committee, 2-5 November 1905 113 72 The November manifesto granted by the Tsar, 4 November 1905 115 73 A socialist summary of the national general strike of 1905 117 74 The Finnish Social Democratic Party and the Russian revolutionary movement : extracts from the minutes of the party conference ( 1906) 117 Contents 1x 75 Police and revolutionary accounts of the Sveaborg revolt ( 1906) 119 76 The programme of the Finnish Active Resistance Party, adopted at the extraordinary party confer- ence, 5 January 1907 121 THE SECOND PERIOD OF OPPRESSION (1907-17) 123 77 V. K. von Plehve on the Russo-Finnish conflict (1903) 124 78 The Finnish question in the Third Duma (1908) 125 79 Resume of the viewpoints of the Finnish and Russian members of the Kharitonov committee on Russo-Finnish relations (1909) 129 80 V. I. Lenin, 'The Tsar against the Finnish people' (1909) 130 81 Konni Zilliacus on the future of Finland (1906) 132 82 The protest of the Speaker of the Diet, and the reaction of Tsar Nicholas II, 1909 134 83 The russification programme of 1914 135 84 The meeting at the War Ministry in Berlin, 26 January 1915, concerning the training of Finnish recruits 138 PART III REVOLUTION, CIVIL WAR AND INDEPENDENCE FROM MARCH TO OCTOBER 1917 143 85 The origins of the manifesto of 20 March 1917 144 86 Finland and Russia in the post-revolutionary situ- ation 148 87 The first contact between the Finnish Social Demo- cratic Party and the Bolsheviks after the February 1917 revolution 156 88 Von Bonsdorff's account of the meeting in Berlin between the Finnish activist delegation and State- Secretary Zimmerman, 24 March 1917 157 89 A student memorandum on the Finnish question, presented to A. F. Kerensky on 15 April 191 7 159 X Contents 90 A Russian view on the constitutional position of Finland- F. F. Kokoshkin's speech to the juri- dicial commission, 21 April1917 160 91 Senator Tokoi's speech to the Diet, 20 Apri11917 161 92 'The Finnish question and the Russian socialist parties', 10 May 1917 162 93 A socialist attempt to amend the Russo-Finnish relationship. Minutes of an audience with Prince L'vov, 23 May 1917 163 94 'The first warning', 25 May 1917 165 95 'The liberty of Finland and the attitudes of the Russian government', 27 May 1917 166 96 Two differing Finnish views on Finland's position -Arvid Morne and R. Hermanson in Abo Under- rattelser, 3-4 May 1917 168 97 'The Finnish demand for independence' : article by K. H. Wiik, Finnish delegate to the Stockholm conference, 19 June 1917 170 98 Aleksandra Kollontay's speech to the Finnish Social Democratic Party conference, 17 June 1917 171 99 The Finnish Social Democratic Party conference resolution on Finnish independence, 18 June 1917 172 100 The resolution on Finland, approved by the first All-Russian congress of Soviets, 3 July 1917 174 101 The law concerning the exercise of supreme state power passed by the Diet on 17-18 July 1917 175 102 Opinion on the origins of the law on supreme power 175 103 The Provisional Government's manifesto ordering the dissolution of the Diet, 31 July 1917 178 104 The Finnish socialist case presented to international social democracy, August 1917 179 105 An attempt to resolve the impasse - the 'Open Letter' of 12 September 1917 181 106 Electoral propaganda, Autumn 1917 182 107 The declining authority of the Provisional Gov- emment in Finland : resolution of the Regional Committee in Finland, 3 October 1917 185 108 The final attempt to seek accommodation with the Provisional Government, November 1917 186 Contents XI THE NOVEMBER CRISIS AND THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE 188 109 The growing crisis- extracts from K.