According to the dictionary sympathy means to experience other person's pleasure or displeasure as own. Parallel into this view, the Global opinion during the Winter War was to favor the Finnish war effort -but in the end the Global support proved to be mostly immaterial. This thread is about the desire to support the Finns in their struggle, but the will turned into an unwillingness in the field of the Global politics and nations' own interest.
The Soviet Union staged artillery fire accusing the Finns and proceeded to invade Finland -this is better known as the Winter War. Shortly after the staged episode the League of Nations condemned the Soviet activities and expelled it and recommended the other member states to support Finland. Particurarly some South American nations and France commented on their disapproval on the Soviet actions with aggressive words. The international press settled to back up the Finns and this fact had a major impact with the Global opinion throughout the Winter War - undoubtedly the international press embellished the actual warfare and the reports from the fronts, like creating the myth of the Mannerheim-Line as a heavily fortified, deep and unbreakable one. The Finns managed to shoot a lot of film material of the actual warfare and in the homefront also, this was because the filming stocks reserved for the 1940 Summer Olympics granted for Helsinki which never happened. In any case with this film material the Finns were capable to show the world the misery of the civilian population and at the same time the incredible victories with trophys in the fronts.
Finland received the most significant foreign aid in material from Sweden. A civilian movement was established in the country - Finlands sak är vår, the Finnish cause is ours. Over 8 000 Swedish volunteered during the Winter War and they fought in the Northern Finland having a front liability there. The Swedish aid was truely unselfish and real, the Swedish Air Forces assigned 30% of their total strenght for the support, but against the tremendous superiority, the Swedish war support didn't help the Finns in the outcome of the war. It must be added that Sweden would have been able to support in the Finnish war effort considerably more efficiently, but the nation wanted to stay out of the war. By standing in the Finnish side officially Sweden estimated it would lead to an open conflict with the Soviets. Later on the Swedish didn't want a clash with the Germans and therefore made concessions, like trading with Germany.
If realized, the Franco-British plans for intervention in the Winter War would have been a remarkable event in the Winter War and even in the World War II. France and England made series of proposals to send troops to aid the Finns as much as 50 000 in men and all kind of military equipment as well. In the end this plan turned to be mostly theoretical, although it partially happened after the Winter War during the Norwegian Campaign. This event was heavily affected by the valuable minerals and resources in the Northern Scandinavia and in Finland. The French and the British were keen to secure these deposits as well as the Germans and the Soviets. It is dubious if the French and the British were willing to aid the Finns, propably their interest were in the resources. Accustomed to a completely different climate, these Allied troops would propably have low value and morale in the freezing temperatures and blizzards in the Winter War. This project crashed because of the internal arguements between the French and the British, further more Norway and Sweden refused the transit of the Allied troops. If Franco-British troops would have arrived to Finland, it would propably have been a war between the Allies and the Soviets.
The United States of America wasn't a member in the League of Nations and therefore the country didn't experience any compelling reasons to take action because the outbreak of the Winter War. Still Finland received whole-hearted support from the American Press. Also the Finnish Relief Fund was an American humanitarian aid organization aiming to support the Finnish war effort, initiated by former president Herbert Hoover(left in the picture above). For example a part of the income of the entry tickets for the movie 'Gone With the Wind' was forwarded to the Relief Fund. Also, very remarkable fact is the fund raising program by the Finnish long-distance runners, Olympic gold medalist and the World Record holder in 10 000m, Paavo Nurmi and Taisto Mäki. During the Winter War these two Finnish runners completed the 'American Tour' running in different arenas and stadiums in all over the U.S and raising funds for the Finnish cause. In the video below, they are running in fully crowded Madison Square Garden, New York.
Standing as a neutral and a non-aligned country didn't prevent Finland against its own will from falling into a war and the country was alone in the Winter War - the rest of the world followed the events of the war feeling sympathy for the Finns, but staying out from the conflict. During the following years, for its own interest Germany prevented the Finnish trading routes and Finland without other options was forced to co-operate with the Germans. Now the Global sympathy was gone and Finland was seen as a hostile nation. Many of those countries with friendly attitude towards Finland during the Winter War declared war on Finland, including the Great Britain.
The Soviet Union staged artillery fire accusing the Finns and proceeded to invade Finland -this is better known as the Winter War. Shortly after the staged episode the League of Nations condemned the Soviet activities and expelled it and recommended the other member states to support Finland. Particurarly some South American nations and France commented on their disapproval on the Soviet actions with aggressive words. The international press settled to back up the Finns and this fact had a major impact with the Global opinion throughout the Winter War - undoubtedly the international press embellished the actual warfare and the reports from the fronts, like creating the myth of the Mannerheim-Line as a heavily fortified, deep and unbreakable one. The Finns managed to shoot a lot of film material of the actual warfare and in the homefront also, this was because the filming stocks reserved for the 1940 Summer Olympics granted for Helsinki which never happened. In any case with this film material the Finns were capable to show the world the misery of the civilian population and at the same time the incredible victories with trophys in the fronts.
Finland received the most significant foreign aid in material from Sweden. A civilian movement was established in the country - Finlands sak är vår, the Finnish cause is ours. Over 8 000 Swedish volunteered during the Winter War and they fought in the Northern Finland having a front liability there. The Swedish aid was truely unselfish and real, the Swedish Air Forces assigned 30% of their total strenght for the support, but against the tremendous superiority, the Swedish war support didn't help the Finns in the outcome of the war. It must be added that Sweden would have been able to support in the Finnish war effort considerably more efficiently, but the nation wanted to stay out of the war. By standing in the Finnish side officially Sweden estimated it would lead to an open conflict with the Soviets. Later on the Swedish didn't want a clash with the Germans and therefore made concessions, like trading with Germany.
If realized, the Franco-British plans for intervention in the Winter War would have been a remarkable event in the Winter War and even in the World War II. France and England made series of proposals to send troops to aid the Finns as much as 50 000 in men and all kind of military equipment as well. In the end this plan turned to be mostly theoretical, although it partially happened after the Winter War during the Norwegian Campaign. This event was heavily affected by the valuable minerals and resources in the Northern Scandinavia and in Finland. The French and the British were keen to secure these deposits as well as the Germans and the Soviets. It is dubious if the French and the British were willing to aid the Finns, propably their interest were in the resources. Accustomed to a completely different climate, these Allied troops would propably have low value and morale in the freezing temperatures and blizzards in the Winter War. This project crashed because of the internal arguements between the French and the British, further more Norway and Sweden refused the transit of the Allied troops. If Franco-British troops would have arrived to Finland, it would propably have been a war between the Allies and the Soviets.
The United States of America wasn't a member in the League of Nations and therefore the country didn't experience any compelling reasons to take action because the outbreak of the Winter War. Still Finland received whole-hearted support from the American Press. Also the Finnish Relief Fund was an American humanitarian aid organization aiming to support the Finnish war effort, initiated by former president Herbert Hoover(left in the picture above). For example a part of the income of the entry tickets for the movie 'Gone With the Wind' was forwarded to the Relief Fund. Also, very remarkable fact is the fund raising program by the Finnish long-distance runners, Olympic gold medalist and the World Record holder in 10 000m, Paavo Nurmi and Taisto Mäki. During the Winter War these two Finnish runners completed the 'American Tour' running in different arenas and stadiums in all over the U.S and raising funds for the Finnish cause. In the video below, they are running in fully crowded Madison Square Garden, New York.
Standing as a neutral and a non-aligned country didn't prevent Finland against its own will from falling into a war and the country was alone in the Winter War - the rest of the world followed the events of the war feeling sympathy for the Finns, but staying out from the conflict. During the following years, for its own interest Germany prevented the Finnish trading routes and Finland without other options was forced to co-operate with the Germans. Now the Global sympathy was gone and Finland was seen as a hostile nation. Many of those countries with friendly attitude towards Finland during the Winter War declared war on Finland, including the Great Britain.
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