Introduction to the theme issue "Expectations and Uncertainties"

Post-Cold War Experiences in Finland and the North-East Baltic

Abstract

The history of Finland and other Nordic countries after the Cold War has been examined primarily from the perspectives of economics, the breakthrough of neoliberalism, and “high” geopolitics. In the Baltic countries, the period has been approached largely from the perspective of post-Soviet memory culture. we present alternative viewpoints from Finland and neighboring regions that have been overlooked in historical accounts of the early 1990s. Historians have now begun to address these topics in a more diverse manner and to examine archival sources.  In this introduction, we focus on cross-border cooperation between Finland and Russia at the civil society level, the history of the Depression of the 1990s, and the nuances between neo-patriotism and neo-nationalism in terms of identity during the era of "Europeanization." The era was marked by uncertainty about the direction of time. The future promised new opportunities for some, but for others, it seemed uncertain. While many found common ground in the past, the unemployed, who suffered the most from the recession, felt as if time had stopped.