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Subject:      Re: Sweden's occupation of Aland (was: Jorn Donner)
From:         Roland Johansson
Date:         1997/09/18
Message-Id:   <342069cf.18752603@news.algonet.se>
Newsgroups:   soc.culture.nordic



Jari Partanen wrote:

>But, if Sweden had no claims,
>the negotiations should have been between the Ålanders and
>Finland. Instead, Sweden decided to interfere.

The decision to interfere had a much deeper and older cause - it has to do with the old Swedish fear of Russia.

During the period of Russian reign over Finland, the island had been fortified, and Sweden that was neutral during the Crimean war did manage to work out an agreement that should guarantee the islands as a demilitarized zone, an agreement that the Russians had neglected by building forts on the islands.

In the uncertain situation of the Finnish civil war, Sweden was afraid that Russia would interfere and again fortify Åland. In february 1918 there still was Russian army and navy units on the island, inspite of Finlands declaration of independence.

Therefore Sweden intervened, using the language issue as an excuse. They withdrew three weeks after, in March, since German troups had taken over in agreement with the Finnish white government. In december 1918 an agreement was made between Sweden, Finland and Germany that the old Russian forts where to be destroyed, and this was done in 1919, and the Swedish interest could have ended there.

The Finnish treatment of the Åland delegates to the Swedish king in 1920 did create a rather harsh exchange of notes between Sweden and Finland, and eventually led to Sweden sending the whole issue to the League of Nations.

>> Please note, that by the time of the settlement in the League of
>> Nations, the Swedish troops, wich were on Åland only for a very short
>> time, were _long_ gone from the islands.
>
>There is a contradiction here. There no longer was a military threat
>by Sweden (as you explain), and Åland was fully in control of
>Finland at the time, when the settlement was made. But Finland
>was still willing to let the League of Nations decide, even though
>Finland _already had_ the islands! It was Finland, who could
>no longer gain anything more (expect satisfaction of trying to be fair,
>and be approved by others).

Well, seems like you have to get some historical facts sorted out. Finland did certainly not agree that the League should decide, but protested heavily - it was the Swedish government that did pass the question of the Ålanders on to the league, since attempts to solve the question within the 1919 peace negotiations had failed.

A commision of lawyers declared that the question was indeed valid for the league, and Finland was forced to resign to their decision. Other areas in Europe, like Schleswig-Holstein had been granted the right to a referendum, but this was turned down in the case of Åland.

>You view of the way how settlements were made is rather cynical.
>I have a more idealistic view, that the decision was made trying
>to follow the principles of justice of that time, taking into
>account history, geography, culture, economy, international laws,
>etc.

If the above reasons would had been taken into account, the settlement would have looked a lot different, but there are more parameters to it than that.

The League investigators reported in april 1921 that the islands should not be separated from Finland, mainly because the Swedish speaking population on the mainland objected.

They wouldn't like the situation of being isolated as a group, and their situation worsened.

In october 1921 a treaty was made with several states, setting the rules for demilitarization and the neutrality of Åland.

/Roland

Roland Johansson        Mail: scandgen@algonet.se
c/o Falkner             Web:  http://www.algonet.se/~scandgen/
Saetra torg 12          
S-127 38 Skaerholmen    Phone: +46-8-88 56 11
Sweden
Scandinavian Genealogy page:  http://www.algonet.se/~scandgen/

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