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A book that shows how a nation can develop from scratch with effort, hard work and high character… Yes, yes, those who talk about the valuable work called “the Country of White Lilies“, written by Grigory Petrov, usually start the topic with these sentences and cannot stop praising the book. Really, what is told in this book?
Have you ever wondered? For those who have not read the book, we wanted to give both a brief general summary and a short book review without boring you. Please add the valuable book the Country of White Lilies to the must-read books for personal development and career management. We are sure that the story of Mr. Snellman, who is both an intellectual, an educated writer, volunteer teacher and a kind of awakener of the nation, and the Suomi country will impress you.
White Lilies Summary
When you search for the Country of White Lilies, such as its plot summary, main topic, summary, how many pages, and a brief evaluation, you will generally see similar and repetitive content. On the other hand, the main message that the book wants to give: “Unless all parts of a nation is transformed into a gem, it is very difficult for a valuable leader to emerge from among them even if it rarely emerges.” Accordingly, we will make an evaluation based on that theme.
The author also stated that he does not understand why people admire the conqueror leaders of history, such as Napoleon or Alexander the Great and stated that these leaders did not bring prosperity to all of their people but invade the other people’s land. He also emphasized that these historical figures who lived luxurious lives while their people suffered misery should not be taken as a good example by nations.
In the work titled Finland, the Country of White Lilies which is approximately 120 pages, the subject of “how an developing country could be classified as a developed country” is clearly discussed. In other words, the book basically emphasizes how the Finnish nation transformed and how this transformation can be an example for all developing countries and nations through the example of Finland, which actually happened in history.
Economy in White Lilies
At this point we need to point out that; in economics and sociology literature, the subject of rich and poor countries and the differences between these countries has been discussed perhaps since Adam Smith’s book The Wealth of Nations. So, actually, this topic has been a very researched and popular topic for a long time. By the way, we recommend you to read Daniel Cohen’s book “The Wealth of the World, Poverty of Nations” on this subject.
We will briefly present the summary of Finland, the Country of White Lilies for your information below, but we would like to talk a little more about the subject of the book. Reading the summary or the book itself will be incomplete without understanding the subject of the book. In this context, in addition to economic, sociological and cultural development paths, the feeling and thought of “society” are also discussed in the book. In other words, it is emphasized that for a country to achieve prosperity, it is not enough for only a certain minority of the society to be rich and happy.
First Society, then Nation
According to the author of the book, Grigoriy Petrov, and the main hero, Snellman, if there is a poor, uneducated and unhappy majority in a country, it is not possible for that country to develop. The rich and cultured minority should seek ways to develop this uneducated and poor majority. Because there will come a time when the problems of this undeveloped minority, even if they live in palaces, will come back and hit the rich minority. In other words, it will not be possible for that country to fully develop until the majority of the society reaches a certain economic, cultural and social level.
Notes from Grigory Petrov’s Book
The book begins with a brief history of Finland, called Suomi in the local language. Finland, which lived under the rule of its neighbour Sweden until the early 1800s, then lived under the rule of Russia from then on until the Russian October Revolution in 1917. The author stated that Swedes were always in important positions in Finland when it was under the yoke of Sweden, and that unqualified people in Sweden and uneducated people who could not work in their own country were sent to Finland. At this point, he naturally stated that these people were lazy and did not work in government offices and behaved badly by insulting the Finnish people.
Finland agreed to come under Russian rule in 1808, after the Russian Emperor Tsar Alexander I. stated that he would allow the Finns to rule Finland and would not suppress their national identity. Since this date, the Finnish people, whose national identity has come to the fore, have begun to strive to become a more prosperous society. At this point, it is necessary to give information about the Suomi people of the period, whose name is frequently emphasized in the work titled the Country of White Lilies.
The situation of the Finns at that time, who were excluded and despised under Swedish rule, was deplorable. In an environment where infant mortality rates were high and diseases specific to developing countries such as tuberculosis, malaria and scabies were at their peak, the majority of the population in Finland was suffering from alcoholism problems. According to Snellman, at that time when there were no intellectuals and cultural ambassadors enlightened the people, it was necessary to develop bright new generations that would enlighten the future of Suomi.
Snellman and Finland
At this point, Johan Vilhelm Snellman, a child of the Finnish people who is also a writer and educator, emerged and travelled throughout Finland, trying to enlighten everyone, from clergy to teachers, from workers to civil servants. It was ingrained in the minds of the nation that people from all levels should be enlightened and raise their children to be bright representatives of the prosperous Finland of the future. Moreover, he also stated that the future of the people suffering in swamps and poverty depends on this.
According to Snellman, the duty of the political leaders of the people is not to conquer new countries and expand the political borders of the country.
Characters of Country of White Lilies
Finland: The Country of White Lilies is not a story book or a novel. For this reason, there are very few specific names in the book that we can directly call characters or people. However, we must point out that; The main character of the book is the Finnish people and educator opinion leader Johan Vilhelm Snellman.
Snellman met not only with the uneducated and poor, but also with clergy, merchants, rich people and important people from all layers of society. In this line, he gave seminars and asked for support from all of them to enlighten the Finnish people and save their future. In his book the Country of White Lilies, he believed that the goal of the political leaders of the countries should be to ensure that everyone, from the village to the city, from the uneducated to the most educated, lives in prosperity within their current borders.
At this point, as stated by Victor Hugo in his work The Last Day of a Condemned Man, “Executing poor and guilty people will not heal the wounds of society and will not solve its problems. If we, as a society, do not solve the reasons that push them to this crime and cannot provide education to everyone, such problems will increase in the future.” Snellman also had a similar approach. Other important side characters of the book Finland: the Country of White Lilies are Jarvinen – the King of Desserts, Karokep – a wanted criminal of the period, Gulbe, the King of Egg -Sellers, and Okunen, the shoes king. At a meeting attended by everyone, Jarvinen talks about the necessity of the Finnish people to be a moral, educated and noble nation, through his childhood friend Karokep.
Karokep is an Crucial Example
Karokep, an extremely smart and qualified person, was affected by the corruption in society over time and became a criminal, unlike his childhood friend Jarvinen, who had the same character. On the other hand, Jarvinen gave a long speech emphasizing how important intellectuals and education volunteers are in the development of a society. Furthermore, He stated that a conference he attended once influenced him and made him produce ideals for his society. This speech is full of lessons and sociological messages. Just like him, his other friends, Gulbe and Okunen, were not only interested in their own wealth, but also helped the development of uneducated and poor people by donating to schools and educational institutions for the development of the country and society of which they were members.
Pastor MacDonald is also an important character in the book. The fact that he talks about a fictious conversation between a good spirit and an evil spirit is actually a message to the people of Finland and humanity. Pastor MacDonald also told all intellectuals, especially the clergy and the church, to focus on the real needs of the people and the poor situation of the Finnish people at that time.
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Country of White Lilies Main Idea
In the valuable work named Finland: the Country of White Lilies, our characters basically show that just like “Robinson Crusoe was stranded on a deserted island and survived and created a civilization“, Finland, which is a swamp, located in a small geography can also develop and become a prosperous society. (Do not forget Finland had a population of 2 million) Grigory Petrov also stated that what is important for society is not that heroes or leaders emerge rarely and by chance, but that all segments of the population grow up with hero potential.
In this context, public leader Snellman and his friends have views based on discipline, high morality and hard work on many issues, from football to religion, from art to social life. According to them, the people’s excessive addiction to alcohol and football is due to underdevelopment. It will not be beneficial for Finland to take as an example the passion for alcohol and football rather than the culture, discipline and diligence of developed countries such as England.
While reading the Country of White Lilies, you will draw some conclusions for your own country. By thinking about the similarities between Suomi and your country, you will be puzzled by the applicability of what is done in this book to overcome the problems your country is experiencing today.
If we list the characters and subject of the book:
- The main characters of the book are actually the Finnish Nation.
- The other important character is Snellman, Finnish public leader, writer and teacher.
- Then, other characters are Dessert king Jarvinen, Shoe king Okunen, Egg King Gulbe and criminal Karokep.
- The main subject of the book is the story of the development efforts of Finland, which was located in a swamp and was left uneducated and poor under Swedish rule.
