Hudlerová, Alice; (2002) The Fifties in Finland: Finnish society in the 1950s from the perspective of the cultural and industrial-banking elites. Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).

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Abstract

The main topic of the dissertation is the 1950s in Finland, analysed from the perspective of the cultural and industrial-banking elites. During the first post-war decade, Finland witnessed an immense political reorientation in terms of both foreign and domestic politics occurring as a result of the war. Such circumstances were a salient influence on the position and role of the cultural and industrial-banking elite who, like the rest of the Finnish society, were required to adjust to the post-war circumstances. The process of their adaptability is of particular significance for this study. The cultural and economic background of Finland in the 1950s is scrutinised within the thesis to illustrate the post-war situation and to facilitate an understanding of the subject. The first part embodies the definitions related to the role of the cultural elite. An emphasis is placed on the old Academy of Finland and the University of Helsinki, and their educational function in the post-war period. Two generations are involved in the study; the older, which comprises members of the cultural elite already active during the inter-war period; and the younger, who began their academic career after the war. Their mutual confrontation is widely discussed within the context of the dissertation. In the second part, the industrial-banking elite's economic and social involvement is identified. The economic situation of post-war Finland is outlined together with the significance of Finnish integration into the Western European economic structures, which occurred during the 1950s. The role of the industrial-banking elite within the process of integration is emphasised as it was of crucial importance. The conclusion leads into a twofold comparison: firstly, between the younger and older generation of the cultural elite, where the first generation was strongly under the influence of the interwar ideology and the latter already enjoyed the new opportunities created in the post-war period. Secondly, a comparison is made between the adaptability of the cultural and industrial-banking elites, who both reacted differently to the post-war situation. This leads to the conclusion that the industrial and financial circles appeared to be more responsive to the changes and less dependent on Finnish inter-war patriotic ideology.

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