Border province: the main features of the development of North Karelia after World War II

The history of Province of North Karelia from the Second World War to this day is characterized by a neighborhood with the Soviet Union, and Russia since 1992. The economic development of North Karelia has been in the line with the same trends in the neighboring regions of Finland and also the wider Western European developments. But in North Karelia, the socio-economic development has, however, been more angular and changes abrupt. Rapid population growth after the war in the 1940s and in the 1950s was followed even by faster outward migration. In the 1960s and the 1970s rural exodus shook the North Karelia rural areas exceptionally strong. At the same time Joensuu and other urban areas increased their resident population. Women came to the labor market. The industrialization of North Karelia was strong in the 1970s and the industrial structure of region changed. Agriculture and forestry were still in a strong position, but there was more other industrial production too, including clothing industry, food manufacturing industry and metal industry...