iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Mikael Shainkman @shainkman.bsky.social · 17h

A member of parliament, Axel Rubbestad, even called for Moberg to be sent to jail for including this scene. Another, Axel Mannerskantz, was so offended that he burned his copy. Very mature. The image shows the original manuscript with Moberg’s corrections. Photo credit: Kigsz

010

Mikael Shainkman @shainkman.bsky.social · 17h

Especially one scene, where a prostitute exposes a churchwarden as a former customer of hers caused some ruffled feathers. >>

110

Mikael Shainkman @shainkman.bsky.social · 17h

On this day, but in 1949, Vilhelm Moberg’s classic novel “The Emigrants” was published. It depicts a group of Swedes emigrating to the US in the mid-1800s. Today, the novel is officially a part of the Swedish culture canon, but back when it was published not everyone was enthusiastic. >>

110

Mikael Shainkman @shainkman.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

As you can see, the largest camps were all located in the south of Finland, where the Red side held out the longest.

010

Mikael Shainkman @shainkman.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

In the latest episode of the podcast, I rattled off the names of places with the largest prison camps following the defeat of the Red side in the Civil War 1918. As usual, though, I didn't give you any indication of where these camps were located, so I decided to put together this handy map. >>

110

Reposted by Mikael Shainkman

Paul T. Levin @paultlevin.bsky.social · 11/10/2026

“Last year, Kyiv agreed to Mr. Trump’s call for an immediate, unconditional cease-fire, but Moscow flatly rejected it. That first round of diplomacy established a dynamic that still defines negotiations: Ukraine received no reward for saying yes, and the Kremlin paid no price for saying no.”

nytimes.com

Rebuking Ukraine Over Oil Strikes, Trump Says It Should ‘Get a New President’ (Gift Article)

Hours after President Trump said the United States would buy Russian diesel, the Kremlin said there would be no immediate resumption of discussions to end the war.

04119

Mikael Shainkman @shainkman.bsky.social · 11/10/2026

Frederik IV spent a lot of time at his new palace, and he died there in 1730. Fredensborg is still a favorite among the many residences available to the Danish royal family, especially in spring and fall. Photo credit: Chin tin tin

010

Mikael Shainkman @shainkman.bsky.social · 11/10/2026

On this day, but in 1722, Fredensborg Palace was inaugurated. That date was also King Frederik IV’s birthday, which of course was no coincidence. The palace got its name (“Castle of Peace”) in celebration of the end of the Great Northern War, where Denmark had retrieved a chunk of Slesvig back. >>

120

Mikael Shainkman @shainkman.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

A new poll is live right now on Spotify. Go and listen to the latest episode, and then vote!

000

Mikael Shainkman @shainkman.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

The winning option was number 1, the superior military organization. There's definitely something to be said for the superior military organization of the White side--as long as you keep in mind that it was only superior to the organization of the Red side. >>

100

Mikael Shainkman @shainkman.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

The votes from the Spotify poll about the last episode have been counted, and we have a result. The question was: What do you think secured the White victory in the Finnish Civil War? 1) The superior military organization 2) The fall of Tampere 3) The German intervention >>

100

Mikael Shainkman @shainkman.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

new episode of the Scandinavian History Podcast has dropped. Last time, the civil war in Finland ended--but that didn't mean that the killing stopped. In fact, the conflict would claim more victims in the six months after the war than in the war itself. Links in the comments.

210

Mikael Shainkman @shainkman.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Then he took the night train to Petrograd, officially to consult with the Russian government about something. But he never returned to Finland. Unlike Manner, Kuusinen actually escaped Stalin’s purges somehow and lived in Moscow until 1964.

000

Mikael Shainkman @shainkman.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

When he heard of the German landing at Hanko, he fell into despair. He sat by his piano in Helsinki and played Bellman’s Epistle No. 30: “Drink up, see Death awaits you”. >>

100

Mikael Shainkman @shainkman.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Kuusinen was called the ideological father of the revolution and in the Red government, which he supposedly dominated, he held the position of People’s Commissar for Propaganda. He was also tasked with drafting the constitution of Revolutionary Finland. >>

100

Mikael Shainkman @shainkman.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Manner was charismatic and was good at winning people over with his pleasant voice. But even though he was the formal head of the People’s Commissariat, it’s said that the real power behind the throne belonged to Otto Ville Kuusinen (sans hat). >>

100

Mikael Shainkman @shainkman.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

But in the 1930s, he–like so many others–was caught up in Stalin’s purges. Manner was sent to a Soviet Gulag labor camp, where he died there in 1939. >>

100

Mikael Shainkman @shainkman.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

The night before the final assault on Viipuri, the last major town held by the Red side, Manner escaped to Russia together with most of the other People’s Commissars. That meant he escaped the wrath of the victorious Whites. >>

100

Mikael Shainkman @shainkman.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Kullervo Manner (the guy in the hat) was the official leader of the revolutionary government, the People’s Commissariat, that features prominently in the latest episode of the Scandinavian History Podcast. >>

110

Mikael Shainkman @shainkman.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

On May 31, the Swedish Brigade was dissolved and its members returned to their pre-war lives, mostly in the Swedish armed forces.

010

Mikael Shainkman @shainkman.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

After the return to Sweden, the Brigade held a victory parade in Stockholm on May 30. Ture Nerman, a radical journalist and politician shouted “Shame on you, murderers!” at the parading soldiers. For this, he was convicted of disorderly conduct and fined 75 crowns. >>

110

Mikael Shainkman @shainkman.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

By the end of the war, almost 1,000 men had joined the Swedish Brigade. (In addition, another 600 Swedes joined the White army directly.) The Brigade entered Helsinki on May 16 (see photo below), and on May 27 General Mannerheim officially dismissed the unit with thanks. >>

100

Mikael Shainkman @shainkman.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

At the end of March, when the Brigade was sent to participate in the offensive against Tampere, it consisted of some 400 men. 250 of them participated actively in the assault on the city, and the Brigade sustained 84 casualties (34 dead, 50 wounded). >>

100

Mikael Shainkman @shainkman.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Most of the Swedish volunteers who joined the Brigade were military men, many officers or non-commissioned officers. That meant, that in comparison with the White Finnish troops, the Swedish Brigade was an elite unit since they knew what they were doing. >>

101

Mikael Shainkman @shainkman.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

The Swedish Brigade, as it was called, was officially established in January 1918 on the initiative of none other than the brother of Gustav Mannerheim, the White Commander in Chief. In the beginning of March, the Brigade was officially moved to Finland, headquartering in Oulu. >>

100

Mikael Shainkman @shainkman.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

As I mentioned in the last episode, even though the Swedish government officially refused to get involved in the Finnish Civil War, there were Swedes who went to Finland as volunteers. The vast majority (but not all) went to fight for the White side. >>

120

Mikael Shainkman @shainkman.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

The fact that the width of the crosses on the flags differ, means that you're able to tell Danish, Finnish and Swedish flags apart, even when you only have the outlines in black and white. (The Swedes use a cross that's narrower than the Finnish one, but broader than that on the Dannebrog.)

010

Mikael Shainkman @shainkman.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Both flags have a yellow Nordic cross on a red background, but the proportions are different. The Scanian flag uses a narrower cross, also used in the Danish flag--the Dannebrog. But the Swedish minority in Finland uses a flag with the proportions of the Finnish flag with its broader cross. >>

100

Mikael Shainkman @shainkman.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Yesterday I posted an image of the unofficial flag used by the Swedish-speaking minority in Finland. Some of you asked why they use the same flag as Scania. They don't, but I can see why you'd think that, so here are a few words of Scandinavian vexillology. >>

110

Mikael Shainkman @shainkman.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

The image was issued in 1922 by the Swedish People’s Party (yes, that's a real political party in Finland). It shows a man holding the unofficial flag of the Swedish minority, waving at a passing ship with the Swedish flag. The map shows the areas of Finland where most Swedish-speakers live.

000

Mikael Shainkman @shainkman.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Here’s a list of places mentioned in the last episode alone that have both a Swedish and a Finnish name: Ahvenanmaa/Åland Hanko/Hangö Helsinki/Helsingfors Pori/Björneborg Oulu/Uleåborg Tampere/Tammerfors Tornio/Torneå Turku/Åbo Vaasa/Vasa Viipuri/Viborg >>

100

Mikael Shainkman @shainkman.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Even though most parts of the country are mono-lingually Finnish, several municipalities have two official languages, and a handful are even exclusively Swedish-speaking. Many Finnish place names also have two official names: one Finnish and one Swedish. >>

100

Mikael Shainkman @shainkman.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

As listeners of the Scandinavian History Podcast surely know by now, Finland and Sweden have a long common history. This fact is still reflected in many ways in Finnish society. Finland still has a Swedish-speaking minority, and the state is officially bi-lingual. >>

110

Mikael Shainkman @shainkman.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

The Red commanders tended to give the female units guard duty, and to keep them out of actual battles as long as they could. But women did end up fighting. It’s said that when Tampere fell in April 1918, the female soldiers were the last ones to surrender, long after the men had wanted to give up.

000

Mikael Shainkman @shainkman.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

We have eye witness accounts of White soldiers describing female Red soldiers as disgusting, particularly cruel and promiscuous. But also on the Red side old gender stereotypes lingered, and the fighting women were sometimes met with skepticism among their comrades as well. >>

100

Mikael Shainkman @shainkman.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Especially on the White side the idea of women as soldiers was met with horror–sometimes even loathing. Women in military service clashed with the dominating view of what a woman’s role was at the time, especially in more traditional and conservative circles. >>

100

Mikael Shainkman @shainkman.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

These women typically also shunned traditional gender roles and behavioral patterns, choosing to cut their hair short and wear trousers instead of dresses or skirts. Even though it wasn’t the first time in the history of warfare that women participated, it was still something of a novelty. >>

100

Mikael Shainkman @shainkman.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

The women who joined the fighting wanted to create a more equal society where women would have the same opportunities and rights as men. Many thought that participating in the war would help improve the status of women, showing that they could do anything a man could. >>

100

Mikael Shainkman @shainkman.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

There were special Red Guard units for women during the Finnish Civil War. These units attracted mostly young factory workers or servants. The first unit was set up in February 1918, and by the end of March there were already 15. Approximately 2,000 women served in these units. >>

100

Mikael Shainkman @shainkman.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Ingen fara. Det är annandag kanelbulle imorgon. Då kan man också förtära nämnda bakverk.

010

Mikael Shainkman @shainkman.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

The handing back of these areas was controversial in some Finnish circles, and we’ll return to this controversy in a future episode. The Maiden’s right arm was eventually chopped off again by the Soviets during the Second World War. We’ll get back to that as well.

000

Mikael Shainkman @shainkman.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

In the treaty, the Soviet government agreed to hand over the Petsamo corridor to Finland in exchange for two other territories further south in East Karelia (Repola and Porajärvi) that had been occupied by Finland in 1919. >>

100

Mikael Shainkman @shainkman.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

That’s because the Petsamo Corridor–including its strategically important Arctic harbor–only became a part of Finland thanks to the Treaty of Tartu, signed in Tartu (where else?) in 1920 between Finland and Soviet Russia. >>

100

Mikael Shainkman @shainkman.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Over the last few days, I’ve published a couple of maps showing Finland during the Civil War in 1918. Several of you have asked why these maps don’t include the Petsamo Corridor as a part of Finland, or “the right arm of the Finnish Maiden”, as it’s sometimes called. >>

100

Mikael Shainkman @shainkman.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

The coat of arms of Vaasa still carries the heraldic symbol of the Vasa dynasty–the sheaf. The ribbon and cross hanging below, is the Order of the Cross of Liberty, granted to the city by the victorious White government on May 2 1918, in recognition of the role the city played during the Civil War.

020

Mikael Shainkman @shainkman.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

The name of the city comes from the Swedish royal dynasty Vasa. The first Vasa king on the Swedish throne was Gustav Vasa. It was his son, Karl IX, who in 1611 granted town privileges to a town called Mustasaari. But to mark the occasion, the place was renamed after the king’s family. >>

120

Mikael Shainkman @shainkman.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

During the Finnish Civil War, the Ostrobothnian city of Vaasa became important for the White side. Already on January 18 1918, Mannerheim went there to disarm the Russian troops in Finland. Later, the Senate also reconvened in Vaasa, making the city the temporary capital of the White side. >>

130

Mikael Shainkman @shainkman.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

After heavy fighting, the Red defenders lost the strategically vital village of Lempäälä on the railway connecting Tampere to Helsinki on March 24. The White troops started their assault on Tampere itself on March 26, but the last defenders didn't surrender until April 6.

000