Risto Heikki Ryti (February 3, 1889 - October 25, 1956) was the president of Finland from 1940 to 1944. His time in office was marked by the Continuation War with the Soviet Union. February 3 is the 34th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1889 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... October 25 is the 298th day of the year (299th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 67 days remaining. ... 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. ... 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... 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). ...

Pre-War Years

Risto Ryti was born in Satakunta into a landholder's family. He enrolled in the university in 1906 to study law. In the spring of 1914 he moved to Oxford to study maritime law, but World War I forced him to return to Finland. In 1917 he and his wife witnessed a Russian Bolshevik killing his supporter Alfred Kordelin. Satakunda (Satakunta) is a historical province in south western Finland. ... 1906 (MCMVI) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Law (a loanword from Old Norse lagu), in politics and jurisprudence, is a set of rules or norms of conduct which mandate, proscribe or permit specified relationships among people and organizations, intended to provide methods for ensuring the impartial treatment of such people, and provide punishments of/for those who... 1914 (MCMXIV) is a common year starting on Thursday. ... Oxford is a city and local government district in Oxfordshire, England, with a population of 134,248 (2001 census). ... Admiralty law (usually referred to as simply admiralty and also referred to as maritime law) is a distinct body of law which governs maritime questions and offenses. ... Combatants Entente Powers Central Powers Commanders {{{commander1}}} {{{commander2}}} Strength {{{strength1}}} {{{strength2}}} Casualties > 5 million military deaths > 3 million military deaths World War I, also known as the First World War and (before 1939) the Great War, the War of the Nations, War to End All Wars was a world conflict... 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 13-day slower Julian calendar. ... 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. ... Alfred Kordelin (b. ...

During the Finnish Civil War Ryti hid in Helsinki, where Communism was influential. Afterwards he was elected to be a member of the parliament as one of the youngest representatives for the nationalist liberal Progressive Party (Kansallinen Edistyspuolue). By 1921 he was the nation's finance minister. In 1925 president Kaarlo Juho Ståhlberg appointed him as chairman of the Bank of Finland. The Civil War in Finland was fought from January to May 1918, between the Reds (punaiset), i. ... Province Southern Finland Region Uusimaa Sub-region Helsinki City manager Jussi Pajunen Official languages Finnish, Swedish Area  - total  - land ranked 342nd 185. ... This article is about communism as a form of society and as a political movement. ... An aerial view of Parliament of India at New Delhi. ... // Nationalism is an ideology which holds that the nation, ethnicity or national identity is a fundamental unit of human social life, and makes certain cultural and political claims based upon that belief; in particular, the claim that the nation is the only legitimate basis for the state, and that each... This article discusses liberalism as a major political ideology as it developed and stands currently. ... This article is part of or related to the Liberalism series Categories: Finnish political parties | Historical liberal parties | Politics stubs | Liberal related stubs ... 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... 1925 (MCMXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... Kaarlo Juho StÃ¥hlberg (January 28, 1865 - September 22, 1952) was the first President of Finland (1919-1925) and a Nationalist Liberal. ... The Bank of Finland, Helsinki, with the statue of Johan Vilhelm Snellman in front. ...

In 1925 Ryti was also nominated as a presidential candidate but his opponents concentrated their votes on Lauri Kristian Relander. His support increased over the years but was never enough in elections. During the 1930s he withdrew from daily politics, but influenced economic policies. The Wall Street Journal recognized his success. 1934 he was awarded Knight Commander of the Victorian Order due his great merits in Anglo-Finnish relations. 1925 (MCMXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... Lauri Kristian Relander (May 31, 1883 – February 9, 1942) was the President of Finland from 1925 to 1931. ... // Events and trends A public speech by Benito Mussolini, founder of the Fascist movement The 1930s were described as an abrupt shift to more radical lifestyles, as countries were struggling to find a solution to the global depression. ... The Wall Street Journal is an influential international daily newspaper published in New York City, New York with an average daily circulation of 1,800,607 (2002). ... I have broken it!! ...

1940s

Ryti was selected as a prime minister in the beginning of the Winter War. He tried to concentrate on a realistic analysis of the situation, instead of pessimism or overt optimism. He persuaded the rest of the Cabinet to settle for peace and was one to sign the Moscow Peace Treaty March 13th, 1940. The peace, in which Finland lost large land areas and faced the burden of resettling 400,000 refugees, was generally considered crushing. In the following precarious times Ryti bore the heavy responsibilities of state leadership together with Field Marshal Mannerheim and the Social Democratic leader Väinö Tanner as President Kyösti Kallio was struck by illness. Ryti was selected as successor to the retired Kallio just some weeks before the latter suffered a lethal stroke during a farewell gathering on December 19, 1940. During Ryti's presidency the power of the Commander-in-Chief remained with Mannerheim, somewhat insufficiently motivated by the World War in Finland's neighbourhood, and Russia's threatening pressure on Finland. The Prime Minister (Finnish Pääministeri, Swedish: Statsminister) is the head of government in Finland. ... Combatants Finland Soviet Union Commanders Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim Kliment Voroshilov, later Semyon Timoshenko Strength 180,000 450,000 Casualties 22,830 dead 43,600 wounded 1,000 captured 127,000+ dead or missing 265,000 wounded 3,100 captured, 2000+ tanks The Winter War (also known as the Soviet... The Moscow Peace Treaty was signed by Finland and the Soviet Union on March 12, 1940. ... March 13 is the 72nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (73rd in leap years). ... 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... 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). ... Väinö Tanner (March 12, 1881 – April 19, 1966) was a pioneer and leader in the Co-op Movement in Finland. ... Statue of K. Kallio in Helsinki Kyösti Kallio (April 10, 1873 – December 19, 1940) was the fourth President of Finland (1937-1940). ... December 19 is the 353rd day of the year (354th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Commander-in-Chief (in NATO-lingo often C-in-C or CINC pronounced sink) is the commander of all the military forces within a particular region or of all the military forces of a state. ... Combatants Allied Powers Axis Powers Commanders {{{commander1}}} {{{commander2}}} Strength {{{strength1}}} {{{strength2}}} Casualties 17 million military deaths 7 million military deaths World War II, also known as the Second World War (sometimes WW2 or WWII), was a mid-20th century conflict that engulfed much of the globe and is accepted as...

Towards German orientation

Finland's changed policy from a Scandinavian orientation up to, and during, the Winter War, to a German orientation after the Winter War, was not in the least pursued by the convinced Anglophile Risto Ryti. Traditionally Finland had been associated to Britain by stronger commercial ties, but as the Baltic Sea was dominated by the Germans, lost markets had to be found elsewhere, and Germans were willing to trade. The neutrality and factual accuracy of this article are disputed. ...

The relatively limited space given to Nazi German propaganda and ideology, or their domestic sympathizer fringe groups in Finland, can probably be seen as one of the many important joint contributions of Ryti, Tanner and Mannerheim. Ryti's government must also be credited for the fact that Finland remained a genuine democracy unlike any other continental European country that participated in WWII. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Nazism. ...

In August 1940 Ryti also agreed to secret military cooperation with Germany, in order to strengthen Finland's position vis-à-vis the threatening Soviet Union. Over time it became increasingly likely that the peace between two great totalitarian powers would end, and the experts' opinion - even among the enemies of Germany - was that in case of invasion the Soviets could not stop the German war machine. Ryti apparently turned, step by step, to being in favour of seizing the opportunity to secure Finnish claims to areas he saw to be in the country's interests, in case the great realignment of ownership of East European territory by force would materialize. Thus the cooperation begun in late 1940 ultimately developed in 1941 into preparations for re-annexation of the territories lost after the Winter War, in case Nazi-Germany would realize the rumoured plans on an assault on the Soviet Union. The Continuation War, when commenced, would also come to include occupation of East Karelia, which Nationalist circles had championed since the 1910s. 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... East Karelia and West Karelia with borders of 1939 and 1940/1947. ... // Events and trends The 1910s represent the culmination of European militarism which had its beginings during the second half of the 19th Century. ...

The Continuation War (1941-44)

When Germany's assault on the Soviet Union begun in June 1941, Finland remained formally neutral until Soviet air raids gave an expected reason to fulfill the invasion plans some days later. Finnish troops soon regained the territory lost in the Winter War and a substantial buffer zone beyond. A substantial number of MP's were not excited by the idea of crossing the old borders, but obviously Risto Ryti convinced Väinö Tanner and the Social Democrats to remain in the Cabinet despite their opposition against the conquest of East Karelia. His ability to thus maintain a broad coalition government strongly contributed to morale and perceived national unity. For the movie, see 1941 (film) 1941 (MCMXLI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Ryti's mandate as a President was intended to extend only through the rest of Kallio's term, i.e. to 1943, but as the government could not organize elections during the Continuation War, the electors from 1937 gathered to re-elect him. 1943 (MCMXLIII) is a common year starting on Friday. ... 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ...

The Soviet Union's major offensive begun in June 1944, in a situation when Finland's relations to Germany were strained due to earlier attempts to secure a separate peace. Finland was in dire need of food, but in particular of weapons and ammunition, as the Nazi Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop demanded guarantees that Finland would not again seek a separate peace. Ryti gave this guarantee, expressed as his personal guarantee that Finland under his presidency would not. Soon after the situation was stabilized, Ryti resigned and peace negotiations could begin again, this time from a stronger position although most territorial gains had been lost again. 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... Joachim von Ribbentrop Joachim von Ribbentrop (born Joachim Ribbentrop) (April 30, 1893–October 16, 1946) was Foreign Minister of Germany from 1938 until 1945. ... The Ryti-Ribbentrop letter of agreement (Finnish: Ryti-Ribbentrop sopimus) of June 26, 1944, signifies the closest to an alliance Finland and Nazi Germany came during World War II. According to the agreement, Risto Ryti, then President of Finland, undertook not to conclude peace in the Continuation War with the...

After WWII

After the war Ryti attempted to return to the Bank of Finland. However, in 1945 Finnish communists and the Soviet Union demanded he should be tried as "responsible for the war". After considerable pressure from the Soviet Union, Ryti was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment, in a trial widely held to be illegitimate and a miscarriage of justice. Finland's government had to make a new law which broke basic laws. President Juho Kusti Paasikivi pardoned him in 1949 after he had become hospitalized. Ryti did not return to the public life. He died in 1956 and was buried with full honors. 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... The war-responsibility trials were a series of trials where anyone that had something to do with the continuation or starting of the war in Finland during the Continuation war were prosecuted and forced to resign. ... This is a list of articles about the fundamental constitutional laws, known as Basic Laws, of various jurisdictions. ... Juho Kusti Paasikivi (November 27, 1870 – December 14, 1956) was President of Finland from 1946 to 1956. ... 1949 (MCMXLIX) is a common year starting on Saturday. ... 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

During the Cold War, when Soviet influence in Finnish politics was high and left-wing parties strong, Ryti was persona non grata and his role in Finland's history was kept silent. After the Soviet Union collapsed, Ryti's reputation was publicly, but not officially, restored. Statue of Ryti was revealed near the Finnish Parliament House in 1994. In 2004 TV-series Suuret Suomalaiset (Greatest Finns) he got the second highest number of votes. For the generic term for high-tension and / or indirect struggle between states, falling short of actual open hostilities, see cold war (war). ... Persona non grata (Latin, plural: personae non gratae), literally meaning an unwelcome person, is a term used in diplomacy with a specialized and legally defined meaning. ... Suuret Suomalaiset (Great Finns) is a Finnish spinoff-version of the 100 Greatest Britons programme on the BBC. Made by the national broadcaster YLE over October to December 2004. ...