Editing Continuation War (section)

===Winter War===
{{Main|Winter War|Interim Peace}}
[[File:Finnish flag at half-mast interim peace Helsinki 1940.jpg|thumb|left|Finnish flags at [[half-mast]] in Helsinki on 13 March 1940 after the Moscow Peace Treaty became public]]

On 23 August 1939, the Soviet Union and Germany signed the [[Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact]] in which both parties agreed to divide the independent countries of Finland, [[Estonia]], [[Latvia]], [[Lithuania]], [[Polish Second Republic|Poland]], and [[Kingdom of Romania|Romania]] into [[spheres of interest]], with Finland falling within the Soviet sphere.{{sfn|Vehviläinen|2002|p=30}} One week later, Germany [[Invasion of Poland|invaded Poland]], leading to the United Kingdom and [[French Third Republic|France]] declaring war on Germany. The Soviet Union [[Soviet invasion of Poland|invaded eastern Poland]] on 17 September.{{sfn|Vehviläinen|2002|p=31}} The Soviet government turned its attention to the [[Baltic states]] of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, demanding that they allow Soviet military bases to be established and troops stationed on their soil. The Baltic governments [[Background of the occupation and annexation of the Baltic states|acquiesced to these demands]] and signed agreements in September and October.{{sfn|Vehviläinen|2002|p=33}}

In October 1939, the Soviet Union attempted to negotiate with Finland to cede Finnish territory on the [[Karelian Isthmus]] and the islands of the [[Gulf of Finland]], and to establish a Soviet military base near the Finnish capital of [[Helsinki]].{{sfn|Vehviläinen|2002|p=39}} The [[Finnish government]] refused, and the [[Red Army]] invaded Finland on 30 November 1939.{{sfn|Vehviläinen|2002|p=44}} The same day, [[Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim|Field Marshal C.&nbsp;G.&nbsp;E.&nbsp;Mannerheim]], who was chairman of Finland's Defence Council at the time, assumed the position of [[Chief of Defence (Finland)|Commander-in-Chief]] of the [[Finnish Defence Forces]].{{sfn|Jägerskiöld|1986|pp=88, 111}} The USSR was expelled from the [[League of Nations]] and was condemned by the international community for the illegal attack.{{sfn|Vehviläinen|2002|p=49}} [[Foreign support in the Winter War|Foreign support for Finland]] was promised, but very little actual help materialised, except from Sweden.{{sfn|Vehviläinen|2002|p=65}} The [[Moscow Peace Treaty (1940)|Moscow Peace Treaty]] concluded the 105-day Winter War on 13 March 1940 and started the [[Interim Peace]].{{sfn|Vehviläinen|2002|p=69}} By the terms of the treaty, Finland ceded 9% of its national territory and 13% of its economic capacity to the Soviet Union.{{sfn|Kirby|2006|p=215}} Some 420,000 evacuees were resettled from the ceded territories.{{sfn|Vehviläinen|2002|p=75}} Finland avoided total conquest of the country by the Soviet Union and retained its sovereignty.{{sfn|Vehviläinen|2002|p=70}}

Prior to the war, Finnish foreign policy had been based on [[multilateralism|multilateral]] guarantees of support from the League of Nations and [[Nordic countries]], but this policy was considered a failure.{{sfn|Vehviläinen|2002|p=74}} After the war, Finnish public opinion favored the reconquest of [[Finnish Karelia]]. The government declared national defence to be its first priority, and military expenditure rose to nearly half of public spending. Finland both received donations and purchased war materiel during and immediately after the Winter War.{{sfn|Vehviläinen|2002|p=75}} Likewise, the Finnish leadership wanted to preserve the [[Spirit of the Winter War|spirit of unanimity]] that was felt throughout the country during the Winter War. The divisive [[White Guard (Finland)|White Guard]] tradition of the [[Finnish Civil War]]'s 16 May victory-day celebration was therefore discontinued.{{sfn|Vehviläinen|2002|p=76}}

The Soviet Union had received the [[Hanko Naval Base]], on Finland's southern coast near the capital Helsinki, where it deployed over 30,000 Soviet military personnel.{{sfn|Vehviläinen|2002|p=75}} Relations between Finland and the Soviet Union remained strained after the signing of the one-sided peace treaty, and there were disputes regarding the implementation of the treaty. Finland sought security against further territorial depredations by the USSR and proposed [[Mutual Defense Treaty|mutual defence agreements]] with [[Norway]] and [[Sweden]], but these initiatives were quashed by Moscow.{{sfn|Vehviläinen|2002|p=77}}{{sfn|Kirby|2006|p=216}}