Le Nord : revue internationale des Pays de Nord - 01.06.1940, Síða 91

ECONOMIC FELLOWSHIP
85
The population statistics of Finland which — like those of
Sweden — reach back till the middle of the eighteenth century
afford invaluable illustrations of the economic and social history
of the country. They seem to suggest the conclusion that, in the
middle of the nineteenth century, the national economy of Fin-
land was struggling with serious difficulties. Population increase
went on at a slower pace than before and in the latter half of the
sixties there was a definite decline. This decline was mainly due
to the disastrous famine of 1867/68 which in 1868 brought a
population decrease of 53 °/00, but even in 1866 and 1867 the
figures were distinctly unfavourable, 1866 bringing a small de-
cline of 3,1 °/00 and 1867 one of 7,2 °/00.
For some considerable part the population crisis at about the
middle of the century was due to accidental circumstances, parti-
cularly the crop failure of 1867, which seems to have been the
worst since the inception of population statistics in Finland. But
the crop failure would not have given rise to such widespread
distress if there had not existed such a numerous class of indigent
people in some of the rural districts, cottagers, crofters, squatters
and agricultural labourers of various other descriptions. The
population increase during previous decades had produced an in-
commensurate growth of those dependent strata of society.
There was, during the early half of the nineteenth century,
a similar tendency towards rural “overpopulation” in various
other countries of Europe. Even in England, in spite of the pro-
gress of industrialization, this tendency was manifest during the
early decades of the century, and it tended to aggravate the pro-
blem of poor relief. The poor law debates of that time, which
matured into the reform of 1834, would scarcely have com-
manded such general attention, if there had been no tendency to-
wards rural overpopulation. But in Finland that problem was
immensely more alarming than in England. Industrial production
was rather undeveloped and in most cases industry offered no
alternative of employment to agricultural labourers, who were
out of work or underemployed.
In considerable parts of the country many peasants were also
badly situated and lived more or less from hand to mouth. This
contributed greatly to aggravating the disaster of 1867/68, as the
peasants lacked means to provide employment to the dependent
sections of the population. In many cases they themselves were