The Finnish State and International Cultural Relations, 1945–1975

Abstract

AbstractCulture was no exception in Finland’s foreign policy during the Cold War: international cultural relations were one more stage on which the basic play of Finland’s Cold War domestic and foreign policies was performed. In the maze of justifications for improving the state’s capacity to coordinate and direct Finland’s spontaneous cultural relations used by its main Finnish administrators, historical memories, conceptions of desirable directions for Finland’s national development, the necessities of Finland’s geopolitical situation and more concrete notions linked to commercial and economic development appeared fundamentally important. The slow institutionalization of this cultural diplomacy and the activities it conducted aimed at Finland’s geopolitical stabilization and participation in international developments, and the country’s state-led cultural modernization.