As soldier and statesman Gustaf Mannerheim (1867-1951) occupies a unique place in the history of Finland. He served as commander-in-chief in 1918 and 1939-44, as regent in 1919 and as president of the republic in 1944-6. He was a controversial figure, particularly to the left, following his role in 1918 in suppressing the Finnish revolution which followed the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia. As a determined opponent of communism he made efforts to promote intervention against the Bolsheviks in Petrograd in 1918-20, but failed.The passage of time turned him from a hero of the right into a trusted national figure, while his leadership of Finnish resistance to Soviet aggression in the Winter War of 1939-40 won him international fame. In 1941 he hoped that Germany would destroy the Soviet Union, and Finland fought against the Soviets as a co-belligerent to Hitler's Reich. Consequently Finland was forced to accept harsh armistice terms in 1944. Only Mannerheim's authority held the nation together as the painful adjustment to a new relationship with the Soviet Union began.This book is the continuation of the author's study of Mannerheim's service in the imperial Russian army, and describes the transformation of Mannerheim from a 'Russian' general into a Finnish statesman and patriot. It sets his Finnish career in its historical context, examines his complex character, and sums up his legacy.