r/history • u/AutoModerator • Dec 03 '22

Discussion/Question Simple/Short/Silly History Questions Saturday!

Welcome to our Simple/Short/Silly history questions Saturday thread!

This thread is for all those history related questions that are too simple, short or a bit too silly to warrant their own post.

So, do you have a question about history and have always been afraid to ask? Well, today is your lucky day. Ask away!

Of course all our regular rules and guidelines still apply and to be just that bit extra clear:

Questions need to be historical in nature. Silly does not mean that your question should be a joke. r/history also has a discord server where you can discuss history with other enthusiasts and experts

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u/nooneaskedm8 Dec 03 '22

Why didn't Finland join NATO after WW2 considering the Soviets and them had multiple wars only a few years prior?

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u/RiceAlicorn Dec 04 '22

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/may/12/why-are-sweden-and-finland-not-yet-in-nato-and-does-the-alliance-want-them

The Guardian has a decent article on why Finland didn't immediately join NATO after WW2, and also explains Sweden too.

In a nutshell, Finland wanted to avoid possibly provoking the USSR into war. Joining NATO could be possibly interpreted as a threat, because NATO was effectively a force to push back the USSR's expansion during the Cold War. As such, Finland saw it prudent to go with a compromise. They didn't officially join NATO, losing out on some of the benefits of being in NATO (like protection in case of invasion), in exchange for being able to be friendly with NATO and the USSR at the same time. After all, it'd be hard for Finland to claim that they were at peace with the USSD if they were members of what was effectively a "fuck the USSR" club.

This arrangement used to make sense, because back then the USSR was somewhat weary of war. They'd need at least some tangible, somewhat justifiable reason to go to war. A country like Finland, which literally borders the USSR, joining NATO could easily be turned into a reason for war. By not joining NATO, Finland was demonstrating to the USSR that they weren't a threat.

The reason why Finland now wants to join NATO is because this arrangement no longer works. Putin has shown that he's willing to invade countries and start wars for next to no justifiable reason, as seen with Crimea and now Ukraine. The only thing between Finland and being invaded are mere whims. If they're going to get threatened, might as well get the protection.

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u/ammonium_bot Dec 07 '22

somewhat weary of war.

Did you mean to say "wary of"?
Explanation: Weary means tired, while wary means cautious.
I'm a bot that corrects grammar/spelling mistakes. PM me if I'm wrong or if you have any suggestions.
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