2021

Ojala, Jari; Tiainen, Timo

This article attempts to give an overview of the trade relations and shipping between France and Finland over a period from the late 17th century to the mid-19th century. We contend that France was an important port of destination for many Finnish ships and export products. Moreover, French commodities were imported into Finland, although ships mostly sailed from France to Finland in ballast. The article suggests that there was a deepening divergence in trade between the European centre (France) and the periphery (Finland), seen in the fact that bulkier and cheaper commodities were exported from Finland, whereas more diverse and expensive commodities were imported from France to Finland. This, in turn, supports the theory of emerging “little divergence” in Europe during the 18th and 19th centuries.