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Finland was a Grand Duchy of the Russian Empire from 1809 to 1917. Some scholars (e.g., Nils Christie) have proposed that the very severe criminal policies that prevailed in Finland during most of the 20th century were the result of Russian influence. Historical facts don't support this. Finland had a large autonomy and could maintain the Swedish legislation of 1734 and 1772. Finland was never "a Russian country". The de facto abolition of the death penalty in 1826 might be the only reform influenced by Russia. Other reforms and ideas came from Germany and Sweden. Finnish research has found two main reasons for the severe criminal policy. Finland remained very late as an agrarian country, much later than other Nordic countries, and when its modernization began, the criminal policy moved closer to other countries. The bitter civil war of 1918 and its aftermath have also had some influence? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]