Soviet Karelia

Soviet Karelia, adjacent to Finland, was intended by Lenin immediately after the Russian Revolution to become a showcase model socialist republic, showing what could be achieved, and encouraging other countries to follow the example set. However, the position changed under Stalin–the encouragement of local autonomy which had been a key part of the showcase was reversed, and large parts of the republic’s territory was given over to gulags controlled by the NKVD, the precursor to the KGB. This book traces the evolution of Soviet Karelia in the early Soviet period, discussing amongst other things how relationships between the local communist leadership and Moscow changed over time, and how massive repression of the Karelian population was eventually imposed.