What countries once fought over possession of Finland?

Answer 1

Finland was formerly part of a larger Sweden, it became independent due to the interference of Russia. Russia took the Eastern part of Sweden (Finland) and set it up as a buffer against various imperialists. Russia tried to make Finland more Russian by the process known as Russification. The interference annoyed the Finns and the Swedes who remained in Finland and they finally sought to establish Finland as an independent nation.

In the early days of World War II in Europe the Hitler/Stalin nonaggression pact gave Russia the ability to invade Poland without worrying about Germany. They took the opportunity to invade Finland in what became known as "The Winter War." The Russians boasted that they would roll over Finland as the Germans had rolled over the Poles in a Blitzkrieg or Lightening War.

Unfortunately for them the Finns had other ideas and the invasion bogged down and slogged into the Winter.

The Russian goal was a buffer against Northern incursions, particularly as regards Leningrad (St. Petersburg). In the end the Finns signed a peace treaty with Russian ceding certain land that satisfied the Russian goals.

When Germany broke the nonaggression pact with Stalin's Russia and the Soviet Union the Finns again went to war with Russia to reclaim their lost territory in what is called "The Continuation War," as in a continuation of the Winter War.