The building of a modern welfare state required economic growth, which had to be based on exports and integration with the  2  BIS Review 39/2007  other Western market economies. However, the country could hardly risk getting into conflict with the Communist superpower, which might, it was feared, put an end to Finland's policy of economic integration with the West.
Finnish policy was a delicate balancing act, as if walking on a tightrope. In the end, however, Finland was the only western neighbours of the Soviet Union to retain its democratic constitution, its multi-party democracy, the rule of law and a free market economy. These national institutions stayed intact.