Kyösti Kallio (; 10 April 1873 – 19 December 1940) was a Finnish politician of the
Agrarian League who served as the fourth
president of Finland
The president of the Republic of Finland ( fi, Suomen tasavallan presidentti; sv, Republiken Finlands president) is the head of state of Finland. Under the Constitution of Finland, executive power is vested in the Finnish Government and the p ...
from 1937–1940; his presidency included leading the country through the
Winter War
The Winter War,, sv, Vinterkriget, rus, Зи́мняя война́, r=Zimnyaya voyna. The names Soviet–Finnish War 1939–1940 (russian: link=no, Сове́тско-финская война́ 1939–1940) and Soviet–Finland War 1 ...
.
He was the first President of Finland to resign and the only president to die in office. Kallio was also the only president of Finland who did not have an
academic
An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, ...
or similar degree.
[Sodanajan politiikot Ryti ja Kallio](_blank)
- '' YLE'' (in Finnish)
Kallio was a prominent leader of the
Agrarian League, and served as
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...
four times and
Speaker of the Parliament six times.
Biography
Early life
Kyösti Kallio, originally Gustaf Kalliokangas (
forename's , surname's ), was born in
Ylivieska,
Grand Duchy of Finland
The Grand Duchy of Finland ( fi, Suomen suuriruhtinaskunta; sv, Storfurstendömet Finland; russian: Великое княжество Финляндское, , all of which literally translate as Grand Principality of Finland) was the predecess ...
, which was an autonomous region of the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War ...
at the time. His father Mikko Kalliokangas was a farmer and prominent local politician. Kyösti Kallio was educated in
Oulu
Oulu ( , ; sv, Uleåborg ) is a city, municipality and a seaside resort of about 210,000 inhabitants in the region of North Ostrobothnia, Finland. It is the most populous city in northern Finland and the fifth most populous in the country after ...
where he became acquainted with
Santeri Alkio, author and future ideologue of the
Agrarian League.
Start of career
Kallio entered politics during the first
Russification campaign of Finland as a member of the
Young Finnish Party
The Young Finnish Party or Constitutional-Fennoman Party ( fi, Nuorsuomalainen Puolue or ) was a liberal and nationalist political party in the Grand Duchy of Finland. It began as an upper-class reformist movement during the 1870s and formed as a ...
. He served in the
Diet of Finland
The Diet of Finland ( Finnish ''Suomen maapäivät'', later ''valtiopäivät''; Swedish ''Finlands Lantdagar''), was the legislative assembly of the Grand Duchy of Finland from 1809 to 1906 and the recipient of the powers of the Swedish Ri ...
from 1904 to 1906 as a member of the Estate of the Peasantry. He joined the newly founded Agrarian League in 1906 and became one of its most prominent leaders.
Finland gains independence
After the
February Revolution
The February Revolution ( rus, Февра́льская револю́ция, r=Fevral'skaya revolyutsiya, p=fʲɪvˈralʲskəjə rʲɪvɐˈlʲutsɨjə), known in Soviet historiography as the February Bourgeois Democratic Revolution and some ...
of 1917 dethroned
Tsar Nicholas II
Nicholas II or Nikolai II Alexandrovich Romanov; spelled in pre-revolutionary script. ( 186817 July 1918), known in the Russian Orthodox Church as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer,. was the last Emperor of Russia, King of Congress Polan ...
, the Russian provisional government tasked Vice Admiral
Adrian Nepenin with overseeing the change of government in Finland. Nepenin started by inviting a handful of Finnish politicians to discuss the situation on March 17. Kallio represented the Agrarian League; and when the Finnish politicians the next day sent a delegation to
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
to negotiate a cessation to the Russification campaign, Kallio was again a member. The delegation was successful, and Finland was permitted to assemble a fully parliamentary Senate. Kallio came to serve as Agrarian minister in the Senate of
Oskari Tokoi, which took office March 26. Most of his time was spent trying to mediate the agrarian strikes and finding foodstuffs for the country, while the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
raised the prices in Europe.
After the Tsar had been dethroned, the Finnish Parliament had to decide whether the highest authority in the country had passed on to the Russian Provisional Government, the Finnish Parliament, or the Finnish Senate. The question led to serious strife between the right-wing and left-wing elements of the Parliament. Kallio initially supported the socialists in demanding that power transfer to the Parliament, but disapproved of their cooperation with Russian
Bolsheviks
The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...
and
Mensheviks
The Mensheviks (russian: меньшевики́, from меньшинство 'minority') were one of the three dominant factions in the Russian socialist movement, the others being the Bolsheviks and Socialist Revolutionaries.
The factions em ...
; and Kallio ultimately voted against the bill they had drafted. Nonetheless, the socialist proposal passed, which the Russian Provisional Government saw as an affront to their power; and
Alexander Kerensky
Alexander Fyodorovich Kerensky, ; original spelling: ( – 11 June 1970) was a Russian lawyer and revolutionary who led the Russian Provisional Government and the short-lived Russian Republic for three months from late July to early Novem ...
consequently dissolved the Finnish Parliament on September 8. Kallio and the Socialist senators resigned from the senate, which continued to operate under the leadership of
E. N. Setälä.
After the
October Revolution
The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key mom ...
, the Finnish bourgeoisie were willing to compromise and give parliament the highest authority fearing Bolshevik rule would spread to Finland. Setälä's Senate resigned immediately after the question was settled. Kallio was again named Agrarian Minister in the Senate of
P. E. Svinhufvud
Pehr Evind Svinhufvud af Qvalstad (; 15 December 1861 – 29 February 1944) was the third president of Finland from 1931 to 1937. Serving as a lawyer, judge, and politician in the Russian Grand Duchy of Finland, he played a major role in the ...
whose first priority was to declare Finland independent. On December 4 the Senate introduced a declaration of independence to the Parliament; and the next day Kallio wrote a resolution, which the Parliament passed with votes 100–88.
Civil war
During the
Civil War in Finland, Kallio hid in red-dominated Helsinki, because he was at least nominally on the
white side
White Side is a fell in the English Lake District. It is situated to the east of Thirlmere and to the west of Glenridding valley. This places White Side in the Helvellyn range of the Eastern Fells, with Raise to the north and Helvellyn Lower Ma ...
and therefore a "class enemy"; he formed a new senate (government) in Helsinki after German troops had defeated the reds in the city. Afterwards he became a moderate peace-maker and disapproved of retaliation against the reds.
Formation of the republic
During the debates over the form of the new state in 1918, Kallio resigned from the senate because he supported a
republic
A republic () is a " state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th ...
instead of
constitutional monarchy
A constitutional monarchy, parliamentary monarchy, or democratic monarchy is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in decision making. Constitutional monarchies dif ...
. Eventually, the
monarchist
Monarchism is the advocacy of the system of monarchy or monarchical rule. A monarchist is an individual who supports this form of government independently of any specific monarch, whereas one who supports a particular monarch is a royalis ...
stand lost, and he returned to the Cabinet to become
prime minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...
. He was a reformist who emphasized education, settlement, and land reform. His greatest achievement was "
Lex Kallio" in 1922, legislation allowing the state to buy land to encourage new settlements, and to let the former tenant farmers and other landless rural people buy small farms (see, for example, Seppo Zetterberg et al., ed., "Suomen historian pikkujättiläinen").
Supported prohibition
He supported
Prohibition in Finland
Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic be ...
, and was dismayed when it was repealed in 1932.
Non-violent anti-communist
Kallio was an
anti-communist
Anti-communism is political and ideological opposition to communism. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in the Russian Empire, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, when the United States and the ...
, suppressing the Finnish Communist Party (SKP) in 1923, but he resorted to legislative methods. When the violent
right-wing
Right-wing politics describes the range of Ideology#Political ideologies, political ideologies that view certain social orders and Social stratification, hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this pos ...
Lapua Movement asked him to become their leader, he refused and was then instead subjected to their death threats.
President
Kallio was elected president with the votes of a centrist (Agrarian and Progressive) and social democratic coalition, which wanted to ensure that
President Svinhufvud would not be re-elected. Kallio took the role of a
parliamentarian president and avoided use of his personal power.
On the eve of the
Winter War
The Winter War,, sv, Vinterkriget, rus, Зи́мняя война́, r=Zimnyaya voyna. The names Soviet–Finnish War 1939–1940 (russian: link=no, Сове́тско-финская война́ 1939–1940) and Soviet–Finland War 1 ...
, when
Marshal Mannerheim
Baron Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim (, ; 4 June 1867 – 27 January 1951) was a Finnish military leader and statesman. He served as the military leader of the Whites in the Finnish Civil War of 1918, as Regent of Finland (1918–1919), as comm ...
once again threatened to resign from his post as chairman of Finland's Defence Council due to a schism with the cabinet, Kallio convinced him to stay. During the war Kallio resisted the idea of giving up any territory to the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
, but was forced to agree to sign the
Moscow Peace Treaty in 1940. His health began to fail – and his right arm was paralyzed &ndash. He was not active in the dealings with Germany leading to the
Continuation War
The Continuation War, also known as the Second Soviet-Finnish War, was a conflict fought by Finland and Nazi Germany against the Soviet Union from 1941 to 1944, as part of World War II.; sv, fortsättningskriget; german: Fortsetzungskrieg. A ...
. On 27 August Kallio suffered a serious stroke. Prime Minister
Risto Ryti took over his duties. Kallio's heart became weak while he knowingly took risks by agreeing to the formal farewell ceremonies.
[Virkkunen, "The Finnish Presidents II"]
Resignation and death
Kallio left a notice of resignation on 27 November 1940. He was planning to leave the capital and retire to his farm at
Nivala
Nivala is a town and municipality of Finland. It is located in the Northern Ostrobothnia region. The town has a population of
() and covers an area of of
which
is water. The population density is
. The municipality is unilingually Finnish. ...
after the farewell ceremonies on the evening of 19 December 1940; but he collapsed and died that night at the
Helsinki Central Railway Station in the arms of his adjutant before a guard of honour while a band played the patriotic Finnish march
Porilaisten marssi. One story tells that Kallio died in the arms of
Marshal Mannerheim
Baron Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim (, ; 4 June 1867 – 27 January 1951) was a Finnish military leader and statesman. He served as the military leader of the Whites in the Finnish Civil War of 1918, as Regent of Finland (1918–1919), as comm ...
, but this is most likely part of the construction of Mannerheim's personal cult. In reality, Kallio died in the arms of his adjutant
Aladár Paasonen and colonel
A. F. Airo.
Religious views
A significant part of Kallio's personality and a motive for the social reforms which he supported and promoted was his deep Christian faith, which he had adopted already at home, and which was deepened during his marriage to
Kaisa Nivala, who was also a devout Christian. Although Kallio was often too busy to go to church, he prayed often when encountering difficulties in making political decisions, and some of these prayers he recorded in his diary. He also read Christian books with his wife and often discussed them by exchanging letters. He often referred to God in his speeches, and during the Winter War he asked the Finns who were serving their country to read the Bible. When he was forced to sign the harsh
Moscow Peace Treaty in March 1940, Kallio quoted freely from the
Book of Zechariah
The Book of Zechariah, attributed to the Hebrew prophet Zechariah, is included in the Twelve Minor Prophets in the Hebrew Bible.
Historical context
Zechariah's prophecies took place during the reign of Darius the Great and were contemporary ...
, saying: His right arm was paralysed the following summer, and he was forced to switch his writing hand. In the
Presidential Palace, shortly before leaving for Helsinki Central Railway Station for the last time, Kallio sang a hymn with his family.
In popular culture
Kallio was played by
Ossi Ahlapuro in the 2001
television film
A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...
''Valtapeliä elokuussa 1940'', directed by Veli-Matti Saikkonen.
Valtapeliä elokuussa 1940 (TV Movie 2001) – IMDb
/ref>
Gallery
Cabinets
* Kallio I Cabinet
Kyösti Kallio's first cabinet was the eighth Government of the Republic of Finland. The cabinet's time period was November 14, 1922 – January 18, 1924. It was minority government
A minority government, minority cabinet, minority administra ...
* Kallio II Cabinet Kyösti Kallio's second cabinet was the 13th government of Finland from December 31, 1925 to December 13, 1926. It was formed between Agrarian Party and National Coalition Party, and had six ministers from each party. The cabinet lasted 348 days ...
* Kallio III Cabinet
* Kallio IV Cabinet
Honours
Awards and decorations
* Grand Cross of the Order of the White Rose
The Order of the White Rose of Finland ( fi, Suomen Valkoisen Ruusun ritarikunta; sv, Finlands Vita Ros’ orden) is one of three official orders in Finland, along with the Order of the Cross of Liberty, and the Order of the Lion of Finland. ...
(Finland)
* Grand Cross of the Order of the Cross of Liberty
* Knight of the Order of the Seraphim
The Royal Order of the Seraphim ( sv, Kungliga Serafimerorden; ''Seraphim'' being a category of angels) is a Swedish order of chivalry created by King Frederick I on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the Sword and the Order of the P ...
(Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic countries, Nordic c ...
)
* Order of the Polar Star (Sweden)
* Order of Falcon (Iceland)
* Collar of the Order of the White Star
* Cross of Liberty Military Leadership (Estonia)
* Cross of Liberty Civilian Service (Estonia)
* Order of the Cross of the Eagle
* Order of the Estonian Red Cross
* Order of Three Stars (Latvia)
* Order of Merit
The Order of Merit (french: link=no, Ordre du Mérite) is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or for the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by ...
(Hungary)
* Order of Polonia Restituta
References
External links
*
Kyösti Kallio
in The Presidents of Finland
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kallio, Kyosti
1873 births
1940 deaths
People from Ylivieska
People from Oulu Province (Grand Duchy of Finland)
Finnish Lutherans
Centre Party (Finland) politicians
Presidents of Finland
Prime Ministers of Finland
Finnish senators
Ministers of Agriculture of Finland
Ministers of Defence of Finland
Ministers of Transport and Public Works of Finland
Members of the Diet of Finland
Speakers of the Parliament of Finland
Members of the Parliament of Finland (1907–08)
Members of the Parliament of Finland (1908–09)
Members of the Parliament of Finland (1909–10)
Members of the Parliament of Finland (1910–11)
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Members of the Parliament of Finland (1916–17)
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Members of the Parliament of Finland (1933–36)
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People of the Finnish Civil War (White side)
Finnish anti-communists
Recipients of the Order of the Falcon
World War II political leaders