Developer Diary | Finland Alt History Part 1!

Moi! It is Mano de Zombi again to welcome you all to a new HOI4 Dev Diary for the upcoming DLC Arms Against Tyranny, and just a heads up this one is going to be split in two here on Steam since its a hefty one!

Today we’ll be talking about the alternative history available to Finland with the new DLC. In case you missed it, you can read more (a lot more) about the Historical content for Finland here

As per usual, keep in mind that some of the stuff you’re about to see is still work in progress, there is still some balancing to be done and some art in the workings. Last but not least, some of the content might vary if certain previous DLCs are not active.

And without further ado, allow me to introduce you to Finland’s Alternative History content, starting with a screenshot of the full Finnish Focus Tree!

Let’s begin with the Fascist Branch, to the right of the Historical focuses. First a short-ish piece of context! In the 1920s and 1930s, Europe saw the rise of far-right and authoritarian movements in response to economic difficulties, social unrest, and the aftermath of World War I, and Finland was not immune to these trends, with various far-right and nationalist movements emerging.

The most notable of these movements was the Lapua Movement, formed in 1929, and succeeded by the Patriotic People’s Movement during 1932-1944. It drew its support primarily from agrarian and nationalist groups. The movement aimed to combat what it saw as the growing influence of left-wing and communist forces in Finnish society, using tactics such as street violence and intimidation to suppress left-wing organizations and activities. They targeted labor unions, communist sympathizers, and other perceived threats to Finnish nationalism.

The actions of the Lapua Movement led to a political crisis in Finland, with the government struggling to maintain order. Eventually, President Pehr Evind Svinhufvud declared a state of emergency and took measures to disband the Lapua Movement and restore stability.

But now let’s take a look at how the branch looks in-game.

As you can see, the Fascist Branch shares some focuses with the Historical Branch, which were already covered in the Historical Dev Diary, so let’s talk about the unique stuff: “Right-Wing Policies” is the first focus in your path towards a Fascist Finland, unlocking your Fascist Demagogue so that you can start boosting ideology in the country. After that, you can choose to “Discredit the Democratic System” for a slower-going but peaceful change of ideology, using your advisors to boost ideology in the country until you reach the required support and stability to complete “A Fascist Regime” and have a peaceful change of government. On the other hand, “Prepare a Military Coup” will set you up for a faster (yet more violent) change of ideology. This focus will unlock a series of decisions granting some advantages for the Civil War that will, in turn, be triggered by the Focus “A Fascist Regime” after choosing the military coup focus.

And simple as that, you are now a fascist. But what does the future hold for you? Well, first of all let’s take a look at your new leader, Vilho Annala:

SOME CONTEXT Vilho Annala was a Finnish economist, nationalist and far-right political figure active in the 1920s and 1930s. He played a role in the early stages of the Lapua Movement, and was known for his involvement in organizing paramilitary activities and actions against left-wing groups during the turbulent