Defending Democracy in Cold War Finland

British and American Propaganda and Cultural Diplomacy in Finland, 1944–1970

Series: 

Author:
Marek Fields
In Defending Democracy in Cold War Finland, Marek Fields offers a thorough account on the various informational and cultural strategies Britain and the United States used during the early Cold War decades in order to increase their influence and contain communism in Finland. The book shows that by using propaganda and cultural diplomacy in an exceptionally challenging environment, the two Western powers were able to achieve their main objectives in the region, i.e. to defend democracy and strengthen Finland’s attachment to the West, surprisingly well. Making use of a large variety of British, American and Finnish archives, Fields proves that the Western countries’ interest in Finland during the Cold War was stronger than it has previously been realised.
Copyright Year:
2020
E-Book (PDF)
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Published
ISBN:
978-90-04-41642-0
Publication:
02 Dec 2019
Hardback
Availability:
Published
ISBN:
978-90-04-40688-9
Publication:
05 Dec 2019
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Marek Fields, Ph.D. (2015), is an independent researcher living in Helsinki, Finland. He has previously published a monograph and several articles on Western propaganda in Finland, most notably his thesis Reinforcing Finland’s Attachment to the West (University of Helsinki 2015).
Preface and Acknowledgements
List of Abbreviations

Introduction

1 Launch of Western Activities in Post- War Finland, 1944–1947
 1 Western Propaganda in Finland before and during WW2
 2 One War Ends, Another Begins
 3 Relaunching British Propaganda
 4 The British Council and the bbc: Restoration to Peace Time Conditions
 5 American Presence: Quick but Reserved Start
 6 Removal of ‘Nazi Elements’ in Finnish Media
 7 Steady Growth of British Impact
 8 First Signs of usis Expansion
 9 Finland and Propaganda: Tight Control and Intensifying Political Agitation
 10 Contacting Key Media Outlets
 11 A Restricted Yet Far- Reaching Beginning

2 Cold War Battle in Finland Begins, 1948–1949
 1 ird Takes the Initiative
 2 “Maximum Influence with Minimum Display”
 3 Promoting the Positive of America
 4 Spreading the Word to Social Democrats
 5 Soviet and Communist Countermeasures Reach Burning Point
 6 Balancing between Political Propaganda and Misleading Promises

3 Western Propaganda Reaches Full Gear, 1950–1953
 1 Cold War Enters Every Home
 2 Expansion of US Activities
 3 From the Projection of America to Counterattacking Communist Propaganda
 4 Aikamme Catches Workers’ Attention
 5 Adjusting British Propaganda to Local Practices
 6 Britain Enters Harder Propaganda War
 7 More Open Pro-Western and Anti-Communist Sentiment Arises
 8 usis Finds New Film Audiences
 9 voa Finland – Propaganda Effort Falling Short
 10 bbc Joins Arms
 11 An Increasingly Direct but Slightly Predictable Approach

4 The Many Forms of Cultural Diplomacy, 1950– 1953
 1 Anglo- American Cooperation in Finland Begins
 2 Breakthrough in Exchange of People – asla and
 3 Printed Praise, Leader Visits and Academic Reform
 4 Popularity of American Culture Dwarfs Soviet Efforts
 5 Making British Ends Meet
 6 Helsinki Olympics: Using a Sporting Event as a Tool for Propaganda
 7 Responding to Growing Cultural Demand

5 British and American Message Finds Its Audience, 1954–1957
 1 From Roll-Back to an Evolutionary Strategy
 2 ‘A Western Breeze over Finland’
 3 ird Activity: Effective or Not?
 4 Expansion Comes to Halt
 5 Revealing Communist Injustices
 6 US Makes Its Presence Felt
 7 Using Surveys as Propaganda Tools
 8 Presenting American Progress and Prosperity
 9 Hungarian Uprising Reheats the Battlefield
 10 New Forms of Culture Spark Operations into Light
 11 Battle over Finnish Television
 12 Towards Modern Informational and Cultural Promotion

6 Period of Turmoil, 1958– 1960
 1 Dark Clouds Appear on the Horizon
 2 The Night Frost Crisis – Strong Reactions and Readjustments
 3 Dealing with the Change in Political Landscape
 4 Culture Enters Centre Stage
 5 cia-Funded Activities Find Their Way to Finnish Shores
 6 Renewed Tension in Finland Alerts the Western Powers

7 Into a New Era, 1961–1970
 1 The Note Crisis and the Tightening Propaganda Environment
 2 Cold War Comes to Town
 3 Adjusting to a New Operational Environment
 4 Into the 1970s
 5 Political Propaganda Gives Way to Positive Promotion

Conclusion

Bibliography
Index
All interested in the Cold War, government-led propaganda and cultural diplomacy operations, Western policies towards neutral countries and the history of Finland in general.
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Publisher:
Brill
Language:
English
Pages:
xiv, 440 pp.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004416420

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