Peaceful Foreign Policy and Remembrance of War Effort : The Conceptualisation of Willingness to Defend in Finland and Its Connections to Previous Armed Conflict, 1960s–1989

Abstract

In Finland, a conceptualization of willingness to defend has been a traditional part of the defence-related debates and the state has vested interests to maintain the high level of willingness. This paper examines the connections to the Second World War in political discourse related to willingness to defend. Based on the analysis of political and societal debates, I will demonstrate that the Second World War serves as an historical experience for the understanding of the concept by offering an idea of individual sacrifice relevant to the survival of the state, as a prime example.