Editing Risto Ryti (section)

===Ryti–Tanner government during the Winter War===
Ryti had built up relations of trust with leading [[Social Democratic Party of Finland|Social Democratic Party]] politician [[Väinö Tanner]] and President [[Kyösti Kallio]]. In late autumn 1939, Ryti was offered the post of prime minister, but he tried to turn down the offer. However, when the [[Winter War]] broke out on 30 November, Ryti agreed.  He took his post on 1 December. Ryti concentrated on a realistic analysis of the situation, instead of pessimism or over-optimism. He and foreign minister Tanner agreed that the war must be brought to an end as quickly as possible. They both spoke fluent English and had close contact with the Western powers.{{sfnp|Turtola|2000|page=408}}

At the beginning of the war, the Soviet Union formed a [[puppet government]] and cut connections with the Ryti–Tanner government. The Finnish Army fought defensively in battles during December 1939 through February 1940. This gained time and freedom for diplomatic manoeuvering. The Soviet Union was forced to drop the [[Terijoki Government]] and accept negotiations via [[Stockholm]]. The Western allies' [[Franco-British plans for intervention in the Winter War|planned intervention]] influenced the Soviet government to seek an agreement.{{sfnp|Turtola|2000|page=409}} Ryti persuaded the rest of the cabinet to settle for peace and signed the [[Moscow Peace Treaty (1940)|Moscow Peace Treaty]] on 13 March 1940. The peace agreement, in which Finland lost large land areas and faced the burden of resettling 400,000 refugees, was generally considered crushing.