Vilho Annala (17 January 1888 – 28 July 1960) was a

Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...

civil servant, economist and

far right Far-right politics, also referred to as the extreme right or right-wing extremism, are political beliefs and actions further to the right of the left–right political spectrum than the standard political right, particularly in terms of being ...

politician.

Early years

Annala was born in

Lapua Lapua (; sv, Lappo) is a town and municipality of Finland. It is located next to the Lapua River in the region of South Ostrobothnia. The town has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . The mun ...

, and first came to prominence as a student at the

University of Helsinki The University of Helsinki ( fi, Helsingin yliopisto, sv, Helsingfors universitet, abbreviated UH) is a public research university located in Helsinki, Finland since 1829, but founded in the city of Turku (in Swedish ''Åbo'') in 1640 as the ...

, where he edited the student union newspaper ''

Ylioppilaslehti ''Ylioppilaslehti'' (Finnish: lit. "Student newspaper") is a Finnish student magazine founded in 1913. It is the largest student paper or magazine in Finland with a circulation of 35,000 copies. In addition to affairs related to university studies ...

'' from 1916 to 1919.

Philip Rees Philip Rees (born 1941) is a British writer and librarian formerly in charge of acquisitions at the J. B. Morrell Library, University of York. He has written books on fascism and the extreme right. Works *'' Fascism in Britain'' (Harvester Pr ...

, ''

Biographical Dictionary of the Extreme Right Since 1890 The ''Biographical Dictionary of the Extreme Right Since 1890'' is a reference book by Philip Rees, on leading people in the various far right movements since 1890. It contains entries for what the author regards as "the 500 major figures on the ...

'', 1990, p. 11 He went on to work for the

Bureau of Statistics The following is a list of national and international statistical services. Central national statistical services Nearly every country in the world has set a central public sector unit entirely devoted to the production, harmonisation and dissemin ...

, whilst serving on the editorial staff of the

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

daily ''

Uusi Suomi ''Uusi Suomi'' (Finnish for ''The New Finland'') was a Finnish daily newspaper that was published from 1919 to 1991. The headquarters was in Helsinki, Finland. History and profile ''Uusi Suomi'' was established in 1919 as a continuation of two ...

''. He gained a doctorate in 1932 and became one of Finland's leading civil servants.

Politics

Annala joined the Lapua Movement and became Helsinki District Chairman in February 1931. Ideologically Annala was heavily influenced by the

corporatism Corporatism is a collectivist political ideology which advocates the organization of society by corporate groups, such as agricultural, labour, military, business, scientific, or guild associations, on the basis of their common interests. The ...

of Italian fascism. He supported the co-opting of the

working classes The working class (or labouring class) comprises those engaged in manual-labour occupations or industrial work, who are remunerated via waged or salaried contracts. Working-class occupations (see also " Designation of workers by collar colou ...

into the Lapua Movement and opposed the influence of wealthy industrialists. In April 1932 Annala joined

Herman Gummerus Herman Gregorius Gummerus (24 December 1877 in Saint Petersburg – 18 July 1948 in Helsinki) was a leading Finnish classical scholar, diplomat, and one of the founders of the Patriotic People's Movement (IKL). Early life Born in Saint Petersburg ...

and

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

in founding the

Patriotic People's Movement Patriotic People's Movement ( fi, Isänmaallinen kansanliike, IKL, sv, Fosterländska folkrörelsen) was a Finnish nationalist and anti-communist political party. IKL was the successor of the previously banned Lapua Movement. It existed from 1 ...

(IKL) and he served as caucus chairman from 1936 to 1944. Between 1933 and 1945 he also represented the party in the

Parliament of Finland The Parliament of Finland ( ; ) is the unicameral and supreme legislature of Finland, founded on 9 May 1906. In accordance with the Constitution of Finland, sovereignty belongs to the people, and that power is vested in the Parliament. The ...

. Whilst the official leader was

Vihtori Kosola Iisakki Vihtori Kosola (10 July 1884 – 14 December 1936) was the leader of the Finnish right-wing radical Lapua Movement. Kosola was born in Ylihärmä, Southern Ostrobothnia. His family's farmhouse burnt down the next year, and the family ...

real control of the movement rested with Annala and his close lieutenant Bruno Salmiala. It was Annala who dictated the policy of the movement although his hard-line views led to condemnation by both the government and the

Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland ( fi, Suomen evankelis-luterilainen kirkko; sv, Evangelisk-lutherska kyrkan i Finland) is a national church of Finland. It is part of the Lutheran branch of Christianity. The church has a legal positio ...

that damaged the group. Annala held the post of Minister of Transport in the unity government of

Johan Wilhelm Rangell Johan Wilhelm (Jukka) Rangell (25 October 1894 – 12 March 1982) was the Prime Minister of Finland from 1941 to 1943. Educated as a lawyer, he was a close acquaintance of President Risto Ryti before the war, and made his initial career as a bank ...

from 1941 to 1943. This however was a last throw for the IKL as the group faded soon afterwards and Annala left politics.

Later years

With his political career over Annala became an academic back at the University of Helsinki. He served there as the professor of

political economy Political economy is the study of how Macroeconomics, economic systems (e.g. Marketplace, markets and Economy, national economies) and Politics, political systems (e.g. law, Institution, institutions, government) are linked. Widely studied ph ...

1951–57.UNIVERSITY OF HELSINKI TEACHER AND CIVIL SERVANT CATALOGUE 1918-2000
/ref> He died in

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

, aged 72.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Annala, Vilho 1888 births 1960 deaths People from Lapua People from Vaasa Province (Grand Duchy of Finland) Patriotic People's Movement (Finland) politicians Ministers of Transport and Public Works of Finland Members of the Parliament of Finland (1933–36) Members of the Parliament of Finland (1936–39) Members of the Parliament of Finland (1939–45) Finnish civil servants 20th-century Finnish economists University of Helsinki alumni Academic staff of the University of Helsinki Finnish fascists