This timely book begins with the dramatic account of Stalin's failed invasion of Finland. In November 1939, the Soviet army directed all its might against the small independent democracy of the North. However, the Goliath was thwarted by the determination and brave resistance of David, and despite its massive military superiority, the Soviet war machine suffered a humiliating failure to conquer the small country, being forced to incur heavy losses.

At the dawn of World War II, an epic, comparable to the heroic Greek resistance against Mussolini, was written in the frozen forests and plains of the North. It was called the "Winter War." The brave little Finland managed to escape from Stalin's grip three more times.

Professor Kimmo Rentola investigates not only Stalin's invasion but also the entire decade of tense relations between the Soviet Union and Finland that followed, namely Finland's exit from World War II, the 1948 coup supported by the Soviets, as well as its designation by Moscow as a hostile state in 1950.

Bringing to light new evidence, this gripping narrative is particularly relevant today as Finland has chosen, after 75 years of fragile balances between the two superpowers, to finally join NATO. With sources from archives around the world, Rentola meticulously narrates the complex history of this small democracy and simultaneously delves into the motivations and decisions of Stalin, which ultimately shaped the boundaries of the two geopolitical blocs that dominated for the next 50 years.