Juho Kusti Paasikivi (November 27, 1870 – December 14, 1956) was President of Finland from 1946 to 1956. November 27 is the 331st day (332nd on leap years) of the year. ... 1870 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... December 14 is the 348th day of the year (349th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The President of Finland (Suomen Tasavallan Presidentti; Republiken Finlands President) is the Head of State of Finland. ... 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

He was born as Johan Gustaf Hellsten in 1870 at Koski in Häme Province, Finland, the son of August Hellsten, a merchant, and Karolina Wilhelmina Selin. He Finnicized his name to Juho Kusti Paasikivi in 1887. 1870 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Koski Tl is a municipality of Finland. ... Häme (Tavastland) is the name of a geographical region in Finland which can refer to: Häme - a historical Province of Sweden (Historical provinces of Finland) Uudenmaan ja Hämeen lääni - a former County of Sweden (Counties in Finland) Hämeen lääni - a former Province of Finland... Finland consists of 6 provinces (Finnish: läänit, Swedish: län). ... Finnicization is the changing of ones personal names from other languages (usually Swedish) into Finnish. ... 1887 is a common year starting on Saturday (click on link for calendar). ...

Paasikivi was orphaned at the age of 14 and was raised by his aunt. In 1897 he graduated as a lawyer and married Anna Forsman. He became a doctor of law 1901, and 1902 the Head Director of Finland's National Bank. For practically all of his adult life he moved in the inner circles of Finland's politics. He supported greater autonomy for Finland, an independent Cabinet (Senate), and resisted Russia's panslavic intentions to make Russian the only official language everywhere in the Russian Empire. He belonged, however, to the more complying Fennoman Party, opposing radical counter-productive steps which could be perceived as aggressive by the Russians. In the United States, a lawyer is a person licensed by the state to advise clients in legal matters and represent them in courts of law and in other forms of dispute resolution. ... A Cabinet is a body of high-ranking members of government, typically representing the executive branch. ... The Senate of Finland combined the functions of cabinet and supreme court in the Grand Duchy of Finland between 1816 to 1917. ... National flag of all Slavs proposed by the Pan-Slav convention in Prague in 1848 Pan-Slavism was a movement in the mid 19th century aimed at unity of all the Slavic people. ... The Fennomans were the most important political movement in the 19th century Grand Duchy of Finland. ...

Independence and Civil War

During the First World War Paasikivi began to have doubts about the Fennoman Party's obedient line. After the February Revolution in Russia 1917, Paasikivi was appointed to committee that began to formulate new legislation for a modernized Grand Duchy. Initially he supported increased autonomy within the Russian Empire, in opposition to the Social Democrat's in the coalition-Senate, who in vain strived for more far-reaching autonomy; but after the Bolshevik October Revolution Paasikivi championed full independence — albeit in the form of constitutional monarchy. World War I was primarily a European conflict with many facets: immense human sacrifice, stalemate trench warfare, and the use of new, devastating weapons - tanks, aircraft, machine guns, and poison gas. ... The February Revolution of 1917 in Russia was the first stage of the Russian Revolution of 1917. ... 1917 (MCMXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. ... Imperial Russia is the term used to cover the period of Russian history from the expansion of Russia under Peter the Great, through the expansion of the Russian Empire from the Baltic to the Pacific Ocean, to the deposal of Nicholas II of Russia, the last tsar, at the start... A coalition government, or coalition cabinet, is a cabinet in parliamentary government in which several parties cooperate. ... Autonomy is the condition of something that does not depend on anything else. ... Leaders of the Bolshevik Party and the Communist International, a painting by Malcolm McAllister on the Pathfinder Mural in New York City and on the cover of the book Lenin’s Final Fight published by Pathfinder. ... The October Revolution, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was the second phase of the Russian Revolution of 1917, the first having been instigated by the events around the February Revolution. ... A constitutional monarchy is a form of monarchical government established under a constitutional system which acknowledges a hereditary or elected monarch as head of state. ...

During the Civil War in Finland Paasikivi was firmly on the side of the White government. As Prime Minister May-November 1918 he strived for continued constitutional monarchy with Frederick Charles of Hesse (a German Prince) as king, intending to ensure Finland of German support against Bolshevist Russia. However, as Germany lost the World War, Monarchy had to be scrapped for a Republic more in the taste of the victorious Entente. Paasikivi's Senate resigned, and he returned to the bank. The Civil War in Finland was fought from January to May 1918, between the Reds (punaiset), i. ... The White Guards is one translation of the Finnish term Suojeluskunta (plural: Suojeluskunnat, Finland-Swedish: Skyddskår) that unfortunately has received many different translations to English, for instance: Security Guard, Civil Guard, National Guard, White Militia, Defence Corps, Protection Guard, Protection Corps and Protection Militia. ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... A constitutional monarchy is a form of monarchical government established under a constitutional system which acknowledges a hereditary or elected monarch as head of state. ... ... Entente, meaning a diplomatic understanding, may refer to a number of agreements: The Entente Cordiale, 1904 between France and the United Kingdom. ...

Paasikivi, as politically Conservative, was a firm opponent of Social Democrats in the cabinet, or Communists in the Parliament. Tentatively he supported the semi-fascist Lapua movement which requested radical measures against the political Left. But eventually the Lapua movement radicalized, assaulting also Ståhlberg, the Liberal former President of Finland, and Paasikivi like many other supporters turned away from the radical Right. Later he became chairman for the Conservative Kokoomus party in 1934, as a champion of democracy, and achieved the party's rehabilitation after its suspicious closeness to the Lapua movement and its failed coup d'état, the Mäntsälä Rebellion. Conservatism or political conservatism is any of several historically related political philosophies or political ideologies. ... Fascism (in Italian, fascismo), capitalized, was the authoritarian political movement which ruled Italy from 1922 to 1943 under the leadership of Benito Mussolini. ... Lapua Movement (Lapuan liike) was a political movement in Finland, started in 1929, initially dominated by ardent anti-communist nationalists, emphasizing the legacy of the nationalist activism, the White Guards and the Civil War in Finland, however soon turning into more of a Fascist movement. ... Kaarlo Juho StÃ¥hlberg (January 28, 1865 - September 22, 1952) was the first President of Finland (1919-1925) and a Nationalist Liberal. ... The National Coalition Party (Kansallinen Kokoomus or Samlingspartiet) is a political party in Finland. ... A coup détat (pronounced ), or simply a coup, is the sudden overthrow of a government, usually done by a smaller supposedly weaker body that just replaces the top power figures. ... Mäntsälä rebellion (Finnish: Mäntsälän kapina) was the failed coup attempt by the Lapua Movement to ovethrow the Finnish government. ...

Ambassador in Stockholm

Widowed in 1931 he re-married Alli Valve in 1936, resigned from politics, but was persuaded to accept the position as Ambassador to Sweden, at this time regarded as Finland's most important embassy. Authoritarian regimes seizing power in Germany, Poland and Estonia made Finland increasingly isolated with the threatening Soviet Union. After the gradual dissolution of the League of Nations, and as it turned out that France and the United Kingdom were uninterested, Sweden was the only regime left who possibly could give Finland any support at all. Approximately since the failed Lapua coup, Paasikivi and Mannerheim had belonged to a close circle of Conservative Finns discussing how this could be achieved. The League of Nations was an international organization founded after the Paris Peace Conference of 1919. ... The famous Mannerheims equestrian statue by the Mannerheim road in downtown Helsinki, the capital of Finland Baron Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim (June 4, 1867 – January 28, 1951) was Finlands reputed Commander_in_Chief and later President of Finland (1944–1946). ...

In Stockholm Paasikivi strived for Swedish defence guarantees, alternatively a defensive alliance or a defensive union between Finland and Sweden. He was perhaps not the best choice for that position but he did what he could. Since the Civil War the relations between Swedes and Finns had been frosty. The revolutionary turmoil at the end of the World War had in Sweden led to Parliamentarism, increased Democracy, and a dominant role for the Swedish Social Democrats. In Finland, however, the result had been a disastrous Civil War and a total defeat for Socialism. At the same time as when Paasikivi arrived in Stockholm, it became known that President Svinhufvud retained his aversion for Parliamentarism and (after pressure from Paasikivi's Conservative Party) had declined to appoint a Cabinet with Social Democrats as Ministers. This didn't improve Paasikivi's reputation among the Swedish Social Democrats dominating the government, who were sufficiently suspicious due to his association with Finland's Monarchist attempt in 1918, and the failed Lapua coup in 1932. The Old town in Stockholm from the air ▶(?) is the capital of Sweden, located on the east coast at the entrance of lake Mälaren. ... A parliamentary system, or parliamentarism, is distinguished by the executive branch of government being dependent on the direct or indirect support of the parliament, often expressed through a vote of confidence. ... A civil war is a war in which the competing parties are segments of the same country or empire. ... The color red and particularly the red flag are traditional symbols of Socialism. ... Pehr Evind Svinhufvud af Qvalstad (December 15, 1861 – February 29, 1944) was the President of Finland from 1931 to 1937. ...

Things actually improved, partly due to Paasikivi's efforts, partly since President Kallio had been elected. He was a President both approving Parliamentarism and appointing Social Democrats to the Cabinet. But the suspicions between Finland and Sweden were too strong: During the Winter War Sweden's support for Finland was considerable, but short of one critical feature: Sweden did neither declare war on Soviet Union nor send regular troops to Finland's defense. This made many Finns, including Paasikivi himself, judge his mission in Stockholm to have been a failure. Statue of K. Kallio in Helsinki Kyösti Kallio (April 10, 1873 – December 19, 1940) was the fourth President of Finland (1937-1940). ... A parliamentary system, or parliamentarism, is distinguished by the executive branch of government being dependent on the direct or indirect support of the parliament, often expressed through a vote of confidence. ...

Ambassador in Moscow

Prior to the Winter War, Paasikivi became Finnish representative in the negotiations in Moscow. Seeing that Stalin did not intend to change his policies, he supported compliance with some of the demands. When the war broke out, Paasikivi was asked to enter Risto Ryti’s Cabinet as a Minister without portfolio - in practice in the role of distinguished political advisor. He ended up in the Cabinet's leading triumvirate together with Risto Ryti and Foreign Minister Väinö Tanner (chairman for the Social Democrats). He also led the negotiations for an armistice and the peace, and continued his mission in Moscow as an ambassador. In Moscow he was, by necessity, isolated from the most secret thoughts in Helsinki, and when he found out that these thoughts run in the direction of a revanche on Germany's side, he resigned. Paasikivi retired for the second time. Combatants Finland Soviet Union Commanders Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim Kliment Voroshilov, later Semyon Timoshenko Strength 180,000 450,000 Casualties 22,830 dead 43,557 wounded 2,000 captured 126,875 dead or missing 264,908 wounded 3,100 captured The Winter War (also known as the Soviet-Finnish War... Iosif (usually anglicized as Joseph) Vissarionovich Stalin (Russian: Иосиф Виссарионович Сталин), original name Ioseb Jughashvili (Georgian: იოსებ ჯუღაშვილი; see Other names section) (December 21, 1879[1] – March 5, 1953) was a Bolshevik revolutionary and leader of the Soviet Union. ... Risto Heikki Ryti (February 3, 1889 - October 25, 1956) was the president of Finland from 1940 to 1944. ... Risto Heikki Ryti (February 3, 1889 - October 25, 1956) was the president of Finland from 1940 to 1944. ... Väinö Tanner (March 12, 1881 – April 19, 1966) was a pioneer and leader in the Co-op Movement in Finland. ... An armistice is the effective end of a war, when the warring parties agree to stop fighting. ... For other uses, see Ambassador (disambiguation). ...

Prime Minister and President

In the summer of 1941, when the Continuation War had begun, he took up writing his memoirs. By 1943 he concluded that Germany was going to lose the war and that Finland was in great danger as well. However, his initial opposition against the pro-German politics of 1940-41 was too well known, and his first initiatives for peace negotiations were met with little support both from Field Marshall Mannerheim and from Risto Ryti, who now had become President. The Continuation War was fought between Finland and the Soviet Union during World War II, from the Soviet bombing attacks on June 25, 1941, to cease-fire September 4, 1944 (on the Finnish side) and September 5 (on the Soviet side). ... Risto Heikki Ryti (February 3, 1889 - October 25, 1956) was the president of Finland from 1940 to 1944. ...

Immediately after the War, Mannerheim appointed Paasikivi Prime Minister. For the first time in Finland a Communist, Yrjö Leino, was included in the Cabinet. Paasikivi's policies were realist, but radically different than those of the previous 25 years. His main effort was to prove that Finland would present no threat to the Soviet Union, and that both parties would gain from confident peaceful relations. He had to comply with many Soviet demands, including the War Crimes trial. When Mannerheim resigned, parliament selected Paasikivi as the succeeding president.

As a president, Paasikivi kept Finland's foreign relations in the foreground, trying to ensure a stable peace and wider freedom of action. Paasikivi concluded that, all the fine rhetoric aside, Finland had to adapt to superpower politics and sign treaties with Soviet Union to avoid a worse fate. Thus he managed to stabilize Finland's position. This "Paasikivi doctrine" was adhered to for decades, and was named Finlandization in the 1970s. Finland’s basic foreign policy goal, from the end of the Continuation War with the U.S.S.R. in 1944 until 1991, was to avoid great-power conflicts and to build mutual confidence with the Soviet Union. ... Rhetoric (from Greek ρήτωρ, rhêtôr, orator) is one of the three original liberal arts or trivium (the other members are dialectic and grammar) in Western culture. ...

Paasikivi was re-elected in 1950. Stalin's death made Paasikivi's job easier. By the end of Paasikivi's second six-year term, Finland had gotten rid of most political limitations. The Karelian refugees had been resettled, the war reparations had been paid, the rationing had ended and in 1955 the Soviet Union removed its troops from Porkkala marine base at Helsinki. For other uses, see Stalin (disambiguation). ... Karelia - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... War reparations refer to the monetary compensation provided to a triumphant nation or coalition from a defeated nation or coalition. ... Rationing is the controlled distribution of resources and scarce goods or services: it restricts how much people are allowed to buy or consume. ... Porkkala, is a peninsula in the Gulf of Finland, located at Kirkkonummi in Southern Finland. ...

He did not actively seek re-election and ended his term March 1, 1956. He died in December, not having yet finished his memoirs.