<P> The land area that now makes up Finland was settled immediately after the last ice age, which ended in 9000 BC. The area has been inhabited since . Most important Stone Age cultures were Kunda, Comb Ceramic, Corded Ware, Kiukainen and Pöljä cultures . Finnish bronze age started approximately 1500 BC and the Iron Age from approximately 500 BC and lasted until 1300 AD . Finnish Iron Age cultures can be separated to Finnish proper, Tavastian and Karelian cultures . </P> <P> Due to the Northern Crusades and Swedish colonisation of some Finnish coastal areas most of the region became a part of the Kingdom of Sweden and the realm of the Catholic Church from the 13th century onwards . After the Finnish War in 1809 vast majority of the Finnish - speaking areas of Sweden were ceded to the Russian Empire (excluding the areas of the modern - day Northern Sweden where Meänkieli dialects of Finnish are spoken), making this area the autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland . The Lutheran religion dominated . Finnish nationalism emerged in the 19th century . It focused on Finnish cultural traditions, folklore and mythology, including music and--especially--the highly distinctive language and lyrics associated with it . One product of this era was the Kalevala, one of the most significant works of Finnish literature . The catastrophic Finnish famine of 1866--1868 was followed by eased economic regulations and extensive emigration . </P> <P> In 1917, Finland declared independence . A civil war between the Finnish Red Guards and the White Guard ensued a few months later, with the "Whites" gaining the upper hand during the springtime of 1918 . After the internal affairs stabilized, the still mainly agrarian economy grew relatively quickly . Relations with the West, especially Sweden and Britain, were strong but tensions remained with the Soviet Union . During the Second World War, Finland fought twice against the Soviet Union and defended its independence in the Winter War and in the Continuation War . In the peace settlement Finland ended up ceding a large part of Karelia and some other areas to the Soviet Union . However, Finland remained an independent democracy in North Europe . </P> <P> In the latter half of its independent history, Finland has maintained a mixed economy . Since its post-World War II economic boom in the 1970s, Finland's GDP per capita has been among the world's highest . The expanded welfare state of Finland from 1970 and 1990 increased the public sector employees and spending and the tax burden imposed on the citizens . In 1992, Finland simultaneously faced economic overheating and depressed Western, Russian, and local markets . Finland joined the European Union in 1995, and replaced the Finnish markka with the euro in 2002 . According to a 2016 poll, 61% of Finns preferred not to join NATO . </P>

Was finland a part of the soviet union