Finland - Edvard Isto

Edvard Isto's painting Attack symbolizes Finnish resistance to the perceived Russification.
In the famous painting Hyökkäys by Edvard "Eetu" Isto, the Finnish Maiden is being attacked by the Russian double-headed eagle, which is tearing away the law book. The Maiden of Finland "Suomi-neito" is the national personification of Finland. The Maiden of Finland can also refer to the shape of Finland on the map. With a little imagination it looks like a female form which has one hand raised (and another before the Moscow Armistice of 1944), a head, and a skirt. The metaphor is so commonly used that the northwestern area around Enontekiö is known as the Arm (Käsivarsi) even in official contexts. Russification of Finland. The policy of Russification of Finland (1899–1905 and 1908–1917, called sortokaudet/sortovuodet (times/years of oppression) in Finnish) was a governmental policy of the Russian Empire aimed at limiting the special status of the Grand Duchy of Finland and possibly the termination of its political autonomy and cultural uniqueness. It was a part of a larger policy of Russification pursued by late 19th–early 20th century Russian governments which tried to abolish cultural and administrative autonomy of non-Russian minorities within the empire. The policy included the following measures:

· The February Manifesto of 1899 was a decree by Emperor Nicholas II which asserted the imperial government's right to rule Finland without the consent of local legislative bodies.

· The Language Manifesto of 1900 was a decree by Emperor Nicholas II which made Russian the language of administration of Finland.

· The conscription law was signed by Emperor Nicholas II in July 1901 and incorporated the Finnish army into the imperial army.

Thank you Pia for this lovely card.