Story of Finland

Ballot box

In 1988, the National Museum of Finland received three ballot boxes as a donation from the Central Election Committee of the City of Porvoo. The ballot boxes had been used in Porvoo for 80 years, from 1907 to 1987.

The ballot box was made by the Helsinki-based company G. W. Sohlberg, which made a majority of the urns used in the 1907 elections.

In 1907, Finland switched directly from the old-fashioned Assembly of the Estates, which was based on descent and wealth, to universal suffrage and a unicameral parliament. Equal voting rights included, among other things, women’s right to vote. All women were guaranteed the right to vote, as well as the right to stand as a candidate – for the first time in the world.

At once, the number of persons entitled to vote grew tenfold: from 126,000 to 1,172,873, and now the low-income workforce and the tenant farmers also had the opportunity to participate in democratic decision-making.

The first parliamentary elections after the reform were held on 15–16 March 1907. The turnout was more than 70%. The Social Democrats were the winners, receiving 37% of the vote.

However, as the Emperor still made the final decisions, the real breakthrough of parliamentarism came only after Finland gained independence in 1917.

The Attack

Painted by Eetu Isto in 1899, The Attack is a painting that gained a huge reputation for its political resistance during the Russification of Finland (1899–1905 and 1908–1917). In the painting, the maiden bearing the coat of arms of Finland on her belt defends herself against the attacking two-headed eagle of Russia, who tries to steal a law book from her, just like Russia threatened Finland’s autonomy and law during the years of oppression.

Inspired by the February Manifesto, Eetu Isto started planning and sketching the subject of his most famous work while studying in Germany but painted the final version in Helsinki in late 1899. He understood the explosiveness of the subject in the situation at the time, and the work was transported to Sweden for fear of confiscation.

Completed in the atmosphere following the February Manifesto, the work became a symbol of constitutional thinking and the Finnish patriotic spirit during the years of oppression. Despite a ban, copies of the painting spread throughout the country, and a network of agents distributed them to Finns living in faraway places, including Sweden, the US and Hungary.

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Evacuee children’s things: coat, suitcase and ocarina

The Second World War (1939–1945) forced the movement of tens of millions of civilians in Europe. In Finland, too, many people had to leave their homes, either temporarily or permanently.

Those who had to leave included children who had been evacuated from the border regions of Finland and the Soviet Union and from the outer islands of the Gulf of Finland and sent to other Nordic countries, as well as those who had fled the city bombings and the Lapland War (1944–1945).

The experience of leaving becomes concrete through the items taken. The coat of a little boy and the ocarina packed in a girl’s suitcase in the collections of the National Museum of Finland are such items. They are a reminder of the brutal nature of the war, which affects the lives of civilians and is still very much with us.

President’s chain

The Order of the White Rose of Finland was established on 28 January 1919. At the same time, the Cross of Liberty, founded in March 1918, was discontinued as it had been founded to reward people in wartime. According to a regulation approved by Regent of Finland Mannerheim on 16 May 1919, “The Order of the White Rose of Finland is awarded to citizens who have laudably served their homeland. Foreigners can also be rewarded with this Order.” The Order consists of five classes and three medals.

The Grand Cross of the White Rose of Finland with Collar is Finland’s highest decoration and is only awarded to the President of the Republic, who is the Grand Master of the Order. It has also been awarded to some foreign heads of state in connection with state visits. This Grand Cross belonged to President Urho Kaleva Kekkonen. The Grand Cross is always awarded with a breast star.

The decorations of the White Rose were designed by Akseli Gallen-Kallela. The rose theme comes from the heraldic roses of the coat of arms of Finland, and the colours are from the flag of Finland. Akseli Gallen-Kallela’s original Grand Cross included swastika symbols, but they were replaced in 1963 by spruce twig symbols. The spruce twigs were designed by heraldic artist Gustaf von Numers. President Kekkonen was the first to carry the new collar on Independence Day 1963.

Atelier Fauni’s Moomin characters

Tove Jansson created the Moomin world and its inhabitants during the war in 1939–1945. She had already invented the Moomin characters earlier, but during the war years, Tove wrote the first two Moomin books: The Moomins and the Great Flood, and Comet in Moominland.

In both books, the inhabitants of Moominvalley are threatened with disaster. The experiences of war and the fear, uncertainty and anxiety caused by it are reflected in the books. In the end, however, everything turns out fine and life goes on.

The main characters of the Moomin stories are Moomintroll, Moominmamma and Moominpappa. The events are built around their close family relationship, and the narrative is supported by caring for each other.

The Moomins and their friends have inspired a number of products. The Moomin family is surrounded by characters made by the Finnish Atelier Fauni in the 1950s: Snufkin, Little My, Snork Maiden, Mymble and Hemulen.

By 1971, Atelier Fauni had produced more than a million original, handmade dolls, which are popular among collectors. An authentic Atelier Fauni character can be identified by the manufacturer’s mark on its paw or tail end.

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Eugen Schauman’s (1875–1904) shirt

General Nikolay Bobrikov was appointed Governor-General of Finland in 1898. It soon became clear that Bobrikov’s task was to destroy Finland’s special status and Russify the Finns. In 1899, the Russification of Finland began under Bobrikov’s guidance. Bobrikov’s actions raised strong opposition in Finland and, in order to defeat this, he demanded a dictator’s powers in the spring of 1903. Civil servant Eugen Schauman shot Bobrikov in the staircase of the Senate in Helsinki on 16 June 1904. Right after the killing, he also shot himself. The case is Finland’s best-known political murder and can be interpreted as both terrorism and the desperate act of a patriot.

Schauman became a national hero and a patriotic martyr. The blood-stained clothes worn by Schauman were first taken to the Porvoo Museum. In fear of the Gendarmes, the clothes were moved to Sweden, but eventually, at Schauman’s father’s request, they were handed over to the National Museum in 1924.

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Maternity grant – protection for mothers and children

The poor health and high mortality rates of mothers and newborns in Finland were a cause for concern in the first decades of the 20th century. It was hoped that they could be improved by means of legislation. The Maternity Grants Act was enacted in 1937. The distribution of grants to families of limited means started in the following year.

The war years 1939–1945 and the post-war shortages accelerated the distribution of the grant in the form of goods, and the maternity package contained several paper products. Since 1949, all women who have undergone a medical examination during their early pregnancy have been entitled to the maternity grant. Getting mothers and newborns into health care and maternity and child health clinics started a rapid decline in infant mortality rates in the 1950s.

The social situation and fashion trends of the time have been reflected in the maternity package. In 1993–1994, the contents were characterised by bold colours, soft cotton fabrics and reusable nappies. Attempts were also made to take paternity and the sharing of parenting duties into account in the contents.

The name of the maternity grant, which leaves out the father, has occasionally given rise to discussion, but no changes have yet been seen by the early 2020s. The annually changing designs and colour choices of the maternity package are also a topic of discussion. However, its popularity is guaranteed: approximately 70% of those entitled to the maternity grant take it in the form of the package.

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