Finnish Democratic Republic

Suomen kansanvaltainen tasavalta
Demokratiska Republiken Finland

1939–1940

Anticipated territorial changes of the People's Republic.
Green indicates the area intended to be ceded to the Finnish Democratic Republic and red the area intended to be ceded from Finland to the Soviet Union.

Capital

Helsinki (claimed)
Terijoki (de facto)

Government

One-party state

Prime Minister

Otto Ville Kuusinen

Historical era

World War II

•

Established

1 December 1939

•

Disestablished

12 March 1940

Preceded by

Succeeded by

Finland

Karelian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic

Today part of

Russia

The Finnish Democratic Republic (Finnish: Suomen kansanvaltainen tasavalta, also Finnish: Suomen kansantasavalta, Swedish: Demokratiska Republiken Finland) was a short-lived puppet government created and recognised only by the Soviet Union. Headed by Finnish politician Otto Ville Kuusinen, the Finnish Democratic Republic was Joseph Stalin's planned means to conquer Finland. It nominally operated in the parts of Finnish Karelia that were occupied by the Soviet Union during the Winter War.

The Soviet Union argued that it was the only rightful government for all of Finland that was capable of ending the Winter War and restoring peace; however, before the end of the war, the Soviets gave up this interpretation to make peace with the preexisting government of Finland, which was still recognized by the rest of the world.

The regime was also known by the colloquial name the Terijoki Government (Finnish: Terijoen hallitus, Swedish: Terijokiregeringen), as Terijoki was the first town to be captured by the Soviet Red Army. In Finnish historiography, the government is also occasionally called the Kuusinen Government (Finnish: Kuusisen hallitus Swedish: Kuusinenregeringen). Officially, the government had the name the Finnish People's Government (Finnish: Suomen kansanhallitus Swedish: Finlands folkregering).

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Wikipedia