The economy of the Grand Duchy of Finland and the Russian revolutions 1917

In this article we describe both the development of the Finnish economy between 1809 and 1917, when Finland was a Grand Duchy under the Russian rule, and the economic effects of the Russian Revolutions in 1917 on Finland. In this revolutionary year Finland achieved the status of an independent state. The research questions are: 1. How was the Finnish economic development affected by the Russian connections? 2. What kind of economic impacts did the Russian Revolutions have on the Finnish economy? The essay uses the Studies on Finland´s Economic Growth, the field where the authors previously worked, and other economic historical literature. Generally, the Russian connection had a mostly positive impact on the Finnish development. The revolutions in Russia were crucial in opening the path to the Finnish independence in 1917, but, at the same time, they led to the Finnish Civil War in 1918 and created serious economic problems. Keywords: autonomous rights, growth of the gross domestic product, trade and business connections, oppression policies.