History of Karelia

[1] The region itself is rich with fish, lakes, and minerals, and because of that its holder has changed throughout history, and to this day it is divided between the Republic of Finland and the Russian Federation.

Karelia is primarily within the Scandinavian and Russian taiga habitat and ecoregion, which was rich in natural resources for prehistoric people's food and shelter needs.

[citation needed] The Vuoksi river was formed approximately 6,000 years ago when the waters of Saimaa breached the Salpausselkä ridge.

[1] During the Early Middle Ages, settlers from western Finland mixed with the local population to form the Karelian ethnic group.

In South Karelia, the number of archeological discoveries from this time period is lower, though permanent inhabitation was nonetheless present.

In North Karelia, only one archeological discovery from this time period has been found, dating to the eighth century.

[8] During the reign of Peter the Great the town of Petrozavodsk would be established, becoming a large industrial hub and one of the main artillery guns manufacturer of Russia.

By the end of the century, the total amount of villages of Olonetsk Karelia alone would surpass 600, having 7 cities at the same time.

The Union's main goal was to improve the life of the common Karelians and additionally develop their own national identity.

This raised concerns for the rest of Entente powers, and with some of Finnish Whiteguard officers already crossing into Karelia and Cola by themselves, Allied feared that Germans and Finns together could push all Russian forces out of Karelia, Cola and Petersburg, Allies intervened and landed in Murmansk.

During that intervention, the Allies occupied the town of Kem, where local Karelians would form up a volunteer Legion of the British Army.

[13] The Union of White Karelians, upon receiving the news of the right to self-determination, would attempt to use that right, establishing the Uhtua Committee, but it was suppressed by the local Soviet government and forced to flee to Finland, asking them for aid.

The formal increase of the autonomy was first vetoed by People's Commissar for Nationalities of the RSFSR Joseph Stalin, but it was later accepted by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

In the years of the Stalin's Great Purge (1936 to 1938) around 6,000 people were executed in the woods at Sandormokh near the Solovetsky Islands.

[20][21] The Soviets failed to achieve this objective, and fighting ended in March 1940 with the signing of the Moscow Peace Treaty.