Erkki Räikkönen

Erkki Aleksanteri Räikkönen (August 13, 1900 – March 30, 1961) was a Finnish nationalist leader.

Erkki Räikkönen
Born
Erkki Aleksanteri Räikkönen

(1900-08-13)August 13, 1900
Saint Petersburg
DiedMarch 30, 1961(1961-03-30) (aged 60)
Sweden
CitizenshipFinnish
Alma materUniversity of Helsinki
Political partyPatriotic People's Movement

Born in St. Petersburg to a cantor, he attended the University of Helsinki before taking part in the ill-fated mission to secure independence for Karelia in 1921.[1] Like most of those who took part in this event he joined the Academic Karelia Society (AKS), helping to found the movement along with Elias Simojoki and Reino Vähäkallio.[1] He quit in 1928 to join Itsenäisyyden Liitto (Independence League), a group that had been formed by Pehr Evind Svinhufvud, Räikkönen's most admired political figure.[1] Räikkönen took this decision in response to the banning of the Lapua Movement, a move that had left the far right in Finland without a wide organisational basis (groups like AKS having small, elite memberships).[2]

Along with Herman Gummerus and Vilho Annala Räikkönen was the founder of the Patriotic People's Movement in 1932.[1] He would not stay a member long however as the group soon became purely Finnish (isolating the Swedish-speaking Räikkönen) and moved closer to Nazism, which he opposed.[1]

Having left the movement he contented himself with editing the journal Suomen Vapaussota, whilst also becoming involved in the Gustav Vasa movement, a right wing organization for Finland's Swedish-speaking population.[1] He ultimately emigrated to Sweden in 1945 and lived out his life there in retirement.[1]

References
  1. Philip Rees, Biographical Dictionary of the Extreme Right Since 1890, Simon & Schuster, 1990, p. 312
  2. Hans Rogger and Eugen Weber, The European Right, University of California Press, p. 435
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