Meinander, Henrik Mannerheim. Marshal of Finland

A Life in Geopolitics

Field Marshal and statesman Gustaf Mannerheim (1867-1951) was the most celebrated and most hated Finn of the 20th century. After three decades of loyal and distinguished service in the Russian Tsarist army, he returned to his homeland in 1917 to defend its new independence. This iconic figure led the Finnish armed forces as commander-in-chief in both world wars and ended his career as President of Finland. This new critical biography presents Mannerheim's entire life's work and his often nerve-wracking decisions as a Finnish leader on the world stage against the backdrop of his elite upbringing and lifestyle, his adventurous tsarist career, his outspoken anti-communism and his keen sense of great power politics. Henrik Meinander traces the complex legacy of this nationalist cosmopolitan who fought on the same side as Hitler, uncovering painful details from Mannerheim's private life and questioning myths and rumours. Meinander paints his portrait with strong contrasts and vivid colours. This is the story of a multicultural Russian empire, a newly born nation state that cautiously maneuvered between the military titans of Europe, a front in the Second World War that cannot be easily reduced to moral binaries and above all, the story of a shrewd politician who played a dangerous game.