Catching up through comparison: The making of Finland as a political unit, 1809–1863

Abstract

The creation of Finland as a grand duchy within the Russian Empire in 1809 opened up the question of what Finland was, in fact. Comparing Finland synchronously with other countries and diachronically with itself before and after its elevation into a grand duchy gained temporal features in which its level of development was assessed. Such temporal comparisons during the first half of the 19th century were used to shape Finland as a political unit, as they facilitated assessment of which parts of society needed to improve in order to make the country comparable with imagined or real others. Given that the Diet (the Estate Assembly) was not convened between 1809 and 1863, these comparative notions largely dealt with questions of political constitution and state institutions. The comparative mindset of the Finnish actors also developed in the process of conducting temporal comparisons. These comparisons can be analyzed through the analytical categories of descriptive synchronization, comparative synchronization, and participative synchronization, the last mentioned being possible only when Finnish actors began to think that Finland, indeed, had developed to a level of maturity.

Who May Represent a Nation in Upheaval? The Concept of Representation during the Polish November Uprising, 1830–1831

“…77 This trajectory of vanishing sovereignty may be compared to the Finnish way, for the Diet in the Great Duchy of Finland, similarly to Poland in personal union with the Russian Empire, was not convened between 1809 and 1863. 78 The period, called a 'state night' in Finland, 79 has its Polish counterpart, for, likewise, the period of 1831-1856 in Polish history is dubbed 'Paskevich's night' after Ivan Paskevich, a Namestnik of the Kingdom of Poland at the time. Although Finland was not only able to maintain but also broaden its autonomy, Poland went down the path of a vicious circle of resistance and repression, becoming increasingly integrated into the imperial framework after 1831.…”