As elsewhere in the Soviet Union, the Stalinist purges in Karelia began gradually with discussions about the problems of collectivization of agriculture, the role of the church, and the party opposition.. In Karelia all the nationality groups were possible targets of terror, but it seems that the Finnish element had a special role in this development.

Soviet Karelia was the target of Stalinist terror for a number of reasons. It was located on the international border with Finland, which had gained its independence from the Russian Empire in 1917. Frequently, there was tension between Finland and the Soviet Union because of the border disputes, and because a large number of Finnish-speaking or Finnish-related peoples, such as the Ingrians and Karelians, lived in the Soviet Union. During the terror years, the minorities experienced hard times with deportations and forced migration as well as the liquidation of many group leaders and politicians.The Finns had a special role in the Soviet Karelian areas, especially considering their professional skills and leadership, and also as the target of the Stalinist purges. They arrived mainly in the Leningrad area and Soviet Karelia. In 1918-1920 about

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