The Paasikivi's "Horrible Years" 1944-1948: J. K. Paasikivi and a threat of sovietization of Finland

The Paasikivi's "Horrible Years" 1944-1948 Jiří Volák Abstract Finland did not become a Soviet satellite after the World War II, despite that many preconditions were in favor of such development. The country was defeated and, as stated in the Moscow Armistice of 1944, obliged to cede its territories and to pay severe war indemnities to the Soviet Union. Firstly, the thesis approaches domestic roots which led to this absolutely unique international position of Finland during the early Cold War years. The main goal is to map a role that Finnish Prime Minister and later President Juho Kusti Paasikivi had in securing and maintaining the surprising "Finnish path." Of what ideology he profited? Could he be compared to President Edvard Beneš of Czechoslovakia? Both primary and secondary sources are being used. According to the conclusions, Paasikivi was highly responsible for preservation of the Finnish democracy. Secondly, the significance of a Czechoslovak coup d'état is not omitted. Fear of a similar fate had a great influence on the Finnish society in the year 1948, while Agreement of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance between Finland and Soviet Union (YYA-sopimus) was negotiated. The result created a legal base of Finno- Soviet relation for forty years to come and the "Years of Danger", as Finnish..