Why did Finland remain a democracy between the two World Wars, whereas the Baltic States developed authoritarian regimes?

Between the First and Second World Wars, Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania all experienced political turmoil. In all four countries parliamentary democracy was threatened and only in Finland did it survive. The purpose of this essay is to look at the reasons why parliamentary democracy continued in Finland, while the Baltic States saw authoritarian regimes established. To do so it will first look at political developments in Finland between the wars, focussing particularly on the …

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