FINLAND, HISTORY, CULTURE, AND SOCIETY Emma Pihlajamaa University of Oulu 2016

12/10/2018

NORDIC WELFARE STATE One of the Nordic welfare states Economic and social institutions bear resemblance to those of Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Iceland Egalitarian society with relatively even income distribution and minimal class distinctions Low infant mortality, health care and pension programmes for all Member of the European Union, United Nations, and several other organisations As an active member of the EU, Finland was the only Nordic state to join the Euro system at its initiation in January 1999

HISTORY A province under Sweden from the 12th to the 19th century ”Sweden fought wars until the last Finn” After 1809 an autonomous grand duchy of Russia Development of the nationhood and governance Women get the vote in 1906 Independence in 1917 Civil war 1918 During World War II, Finland was able to successfully defend its freedom and resist invasions by the Soviet Union 1939-40 Winter War 1941-44 Continuation War Strategic alliance with Germany, burning of Lapland High cost – as a result of the war, Finland lost some of its territory and accommodated 400 000 migrants from the lost southeastern territories

POLITICAL SYSTEM Head of state: President Sauli Niinistö Parliament: one chamber with 200 members. The members are elected for a four-year term by direct popular vote under a system of proportional representation Last election 2015 Government: multiparty coalition cabinet The current Cabinet is run by Prime Minister Juha Sipilä (Centre Party). The government consists of the Centre Party, the National Coalition Party, and the True Finns Party. The Social Democratic Party, Left Alliance, the Green Party, Christian Democrats, and the Swedish People’s Party are outside the government

’One common’ cultural heritage East – West – South – North CULTURE ’One common’ cultural heritage East – West – South – North Swedish-speaking minority 5.4% Native Sami people 0.1% Roma people 0.1% Increasing heterogeneity Finnish language Discrimination against the Sami: The Sami have for centuries been the subject of discrimination and abuse by the dominant cultures claiming possession of their lands right unto the present day. They have never been a single community in a single region of Lapland, which until recently was considered only a cultural region. Yet to this day, Sami are being forced to choose the specific identity of the country within whose declared borders the Sami’s land lies and adopt that country’s values at the expense of Sami culture. Norway has been greatly critisiced by the international community for hte politics of Norwegianisation of and discrimination against the aboriginal population of the country. On 8 April 2011, the Un Racial Discrimination Committee recommendations were handed over to Norway; these addressed many issues, including the educational situation for students needing bilingual education in Sami. One committee recommendation was that no language be allowed to be a basis for discrimination in the Norwegian anti-discrimination laws, and it recommended wording of Racial Discrimination Convention Article 1 contained in the Act. Further points of recommendation concerning the Sami population in Norway included the incorporation of the racial Convention through the Human Rights Act, improving the availability and quality of interpreter services, and equality of the civil Ombudsman’s recommendations for action. A new present status report was to have been ready by the end of 2012. Even in Finland, where Sami children, like all Finnish children, are entitled to day care and language instruction in their own language, the Finnish government has denied funding for these rights in most of the country, including even in Rovaniemi, the largest municipality in Finnish Lapland. Sami activists have pushed for nationwide application of these basic rights. As in the other countries claiming sovereignty over Sami lands, Sami activists’ efforts in Finland in the 20th century achieved limited government recognition of the Sami’s rights as a recognised minority, but the Finnish government has clung unyieldingly to its legally enforced premise that the Sami must ”prove” their land ownership, and idea incompatible with and antithetical to the traditional reindeer-herding Sami way of life. This has effectively allowed the Finnish government to take without compensation, motivated by economic gain, land occupied by the Sami for centuries. Roma in Finland: Socioeconomic status The Kale have traditionally held positions as craftsmen, but hte occupation has lost importance in modern times, leading to a significant rise in unemployment within the group. A paper published by the Ministry of Labour states that ’According to labour administration’s client register material, 70% of the Roma jobseekers had a primary school or lower secondary school education’. According to the same paper: ’Education is compulsory in Finland and this obligation applies equally to the Roma as to other citizens, but dropping out of basic education is till common among young Roma, while in the mainstream population it is extremely uncommon’. Source: Tilastokeskus, stat.fi

ECONOMY; SOME FACTS AND FIGURES Currency: Euro (€, EUR) = 100 cents GDP: 209 bn € (2015) GDP per capita: at current market prices 38 162 (2015) GDP (Change): +0,2% (2015) Monthly wages: average 3,206€; men 3,530€, women 2,891€ (2013) Unemployment rate: 7,8 (July 2016)

TRADE & IMPORTS & EXPORTS Imports € million % Chemical industry products 11 785 20,5 Products for mining and quarrying 9 481 16,5 Electric and electronics industry products 7 246 12,6 Transport equipment 4 753 8,3 Machinery and equipment 4 660 8,1 Exports € million % Chemical industry products 12 884 23,1 Forest industry products 11 194 20,1 Metal and metal products 8 046 14,4 Machinery and equipment 7 167 12,8 Electric and electronic indunstry products 6 700 12,0 Foreign trade, 2014: Main trading partners Germany Russia Sweden Netherlands China United States United Kingdom France Estonia Norway difference to many other countries in the EU