Hammaslastat

Hammaslastat refers to the collective process of disposing and relocating people from their homes in the late 1940s, during the aftermath of World War II. This displacement mainly affected Finland, where the government forcibly removed people from certain areas, particularly in the north, to accommodate the country's territorial gains from the Soviet Union.

The exodus affected approximately 10,000 people, primarily from the region of Petsamo-Alakurtti in Lapland, which was ceded to the Soviet Union following the signing of the Paris Peace Treaties in 1947. These individuals were relocated to various parts of Finland, including the provinces of Southwest Finland, Southwest Finland, Ostrobothnia, Tavastia Proper, Uusimaa, and Hämeenlinna.

The reasons for the relocation varied, but the primary motivations were connected to territorial disputes between Finland and the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union had dissolved the Petsamo District, which included the town of Petsamo, and its border changed significantly, resulting in new territorial lines. A total settlement was negotiated between the two nations, requiring the return of approximately 10,000 Finnish citizens to settle within Finland's 1947 borders.

In response, the Finnish government implemented what is known as the Hammaslastat Plan, aimed at settling the displaced persons from northern areas in the newly formed Finnish areas. Many of those individuals retained their pre-war identity and having lived in the region.

The Hammaslastat corresponds to what many policymakers may have referred to as organized migrations of people following the end of a major conflict in specific Geo-political areas, subscribing the populations affected in these phenomenon.