Finns In America

It depends about POD. But few hundred thousands might be possible. It enough that USSR somehow occupy Finland during/after WW2.
 
Someone in the Soviet Union decides that Russians should dominate in Finland. The means of removing the Finns could be to gradually worsen conditions, and leave some unofficial routes open to flee, while more Russians move in. If this policy began in the fifties and continued to the eighties, it could be a total displacement. Then we have a sticky situation once the USSR falls, as the Finnish lobby in America gives them an in to a friendly state right on Russia's border. Except by now, it's mostly Russians, so they won't necessarily want any (and certainly not all) of the Finns returning.
 
That would be extremely difficult; even right now, in the Baltics, to give one example, a policy of extreme Russification, heavy migration, and deportations and forced relocations has managed to knock up the Russian population of the Baltic countries to roughly a quarter in each with significant larger populations on the border, sometimes reaching or exceeding 50%. In Finland, it's likely to be the same; Finland is still a visibly Finnish country; but with a very significant Russian/Soviet influence. Perhaps a good comparison would be to the Baltics themselves; they're independent, and jealously proud of it; but Russia insists on meddling, and still exerts a great deal of influence.
 
I believe the largest Finnish population in the US in OTL is in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, specifically the copper mining area of the Keweenaw Peninsula. A large amount of Finns immigrated to the area between 1870 and 1930 to work in the mining industry. If you can make the local copper industry more stable (lessen labor struggles in the 1910's, avoid the drop in prices after WW1, delay the discovery of large copper deposits in the west, etc.) it might allow for continued population growth past the 1930's. Of course that's just speculating from the US side.
 
I believe the largest Finnish population in the US in OTL is in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, specifically the copper mining area of the Keweenaw Peninsula. A large amount of Finns immigrated to the area between 1870 and 1930 to work in the mining industry. If you can make the local copper industry more stable (lessen labor struggles in the 1910's, avoid the drop in prices after WW1, delay the discovery of large copper deposits in the west, etc.) it might allow for continued population growth past the 1930's. Of course that's just speculating from the US side.

Very true, all of it. I ws just going to post something about how "Well, at least this world will have more Yoopers!" I did my undergrad up that way, and miss the UP somethign fierce.
 
What is the largest Finn population in the USA can you get as of 2013?

2013? There's already about 700,000 of them IOTL. I don't see how we couldn't make that number even larger, though: maybe Russia invades and tries to take over Finland during it's death throes? Or something.
 
Cool cool, I'm actually about to finish my undergrad at Michigan Tech. :)

I was a Wildcat; so I'm tempted to say something sarcastic like "Good luck meeting a girl up there!" :p

Beautiful area. I was actually in the running to get a job back in Marquette, recently, but didn't make the final cut, which was really disapointing.

Ever get down to the old Italian Hall memorial in Calumet by chace?
 
How many could emigrate/flee to the USA in the event of Finland being occupied?

Let us consider some ballpark figures. We might estimate 100 000 or so people fled West from Estonia during and after WWII to escape Soviet rule. As the Finnish population at the time was three times that of Estonia, we might say that under similar conditions of occupation that would make about 300 000 Finns emigrating during and after the war. We might up that number to, say, 400 000 if there is for example an official policy large-scale evacuations but I'd say half a million would be pushing it.

Of these, a fair number would end up in the US given the history of Finns across the pond. But no way more than half of the total number, I'd say. Many would stay in Sweden and Norway or in the other parts of Western Europe, many would travel to other parts of the Americas. Canada, for example, would also likely see an increase of its Finnish population.

Counting Finnish Americans the way the US Census Bureau seems to do, I'd hazard a guess that in 2013 the top figure might be somewhere around one million, about 300 000 of those being post-1939 immigrants and their children and grand-children, etc.

I very much doubt it would be any more than that, and even that figure is probably much too high. Of the Estonian emigrants, for example, not nearly as big a part reached the US. Then again, Finns did already have a lot stronger tradition in America than Estonians did, so it evens it out a bit.
 
Well, there's always Finalaska. :D According to those plans, the US navy would evacuate the Finnish population to Alaska in the case of Soviet occupation.

Seriously though, I don't see how logistics of that operation could work.
 
Well, there's always Finalaska. :D According to those plans, the US navy would evacuate the Finnish population to Alaska in the case of Soviet occupation.

Seriously though, I don't see how logistics of that operation could work.

Do you know how many Finns were they thinking to resettle in Alaska? Surely not the whole population? That would have been quite a feat... While Finland, on the main, is in no way prime farmland, southern Alaska is even less hospitable.

Anyway, whether in 1940 or 1944, I guess Stalin would have had some say about the Americans just ferrying away the Finnish people, what with the Red Army in Helsinki, Vaasa and Tornio and the Red Navy likely controlling the Finnish coasts from Viipuri to the Bothnian Bay...

EDIT: A map of Finnish Americans for reference:

Pct_finnish4.png
 
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We could have a surviving Finnish settlement since New Sweden (1637-55 or something). That would be a small start, but it might have grown with time.
 
Do you know how many Finns were they thinking to resettle in Alaska? Surely not the whole population? That would have been quite a feat... While Finland, on the main, is in no way prime farmland, southern Alaska is even less hospitable.

As many as they get. There were some people who seriously thought they could resettle 3 million Finns there.

The area they were thinking was Fair Banks. Winters there are colder than here but summers OTOH warmer. Many planners were worried though that Finns would miss their lakes but they thought that big rivers in Alaska could work as substitute. The place is actually rather similar to Northern Finland when it comes to nature. (My guiding teacher in the uni has been studying this topic and has visited the place numerous times.)

Anyway, whether in 1940 or 1944, I guess Stalin would have had some say about the Americans just ferrying away the Finnish people, what with the Red Army in Helsinki, Vaasa and Tornio and the Red Navy likely controlling the Finnish coasts from Viipuri to the Bothnian Bay...

Americans hoped they could discuss with Stalin and he would let Finns to leave. In some plans they thought that Finns would travel themselves to Narvik where the US navy would wait for them.

I think these two point show how workable the whole plan was. :D
 
I think these two point show how workable the whole plan was. :D

It would have been a rather delicious example of historical irony, though, if members of the Finnish upper middle class had to choose between being settled in Alaska by the Americans or, abandoning that chance, being settled in Siberia by the Soviets. Talk about your poor Cold War options...:D
 
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