Culture for All the People

The Outline of the Cultural Policy of The Finnish People’s Democratic League and The Communist Party of Finland, 1945– 1990

Authors

• Tomi Mertanen Vapaa tutkija

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.37456/tvt.119721

Keywords:

kulttuuripolitiikka, Suomi, 1900-luku, Suomen kansan demokraattinen liitto, Suomen kommunistinen puolue

Abstract

In this article, I discuss the cultural policy of the People’s Democrats and the Communists in Finland from the post-war years until the collapse of communism. I examine the matter at a general level, in order to find the general goals of the cultural policy of the People’s Democrats and the Communists. The article is based on publications, meeting minutes, party programs and cultural programs of The Finnish People’s Democratic League (SKDL) and The Communist Party of Finland (SKP).

SKDL, founded after the war, quickly took over a hegemonic role in Finnish cultural policy. The People’s Democrats acted as a cultural spearhead, the best example of which was its cultural policy program released in 1947, the first cultural policy program by political parties in Finland. The program’s progressive policies, which in many respects shook the ideological world of other parties, sparked a wide-ranging cultural policy debate.

The cultural policy goals of the People’s Democrats and the Communists remained almost the same between 1945 and 1990, with differences mainly in emphasis. The language of the 1947 program was quite neutral, in 1964 the language was more radical, and in the early 1970s Marxist rhetoric reached its peak. In the second half of the 1970s the language softened considerably and started to resemble the language of the first post-war years. The main guidelines of the programs were to increase democracy and state leadership in various fields of culture, to improve the position of artists and the arts, to democratize the media and to improve the position of working-class culture.

The People’s Democrats and the Communists did not reach all their goals. In fact, although there was a change in many areas of culture because of their initiatives, the change almost never fully corresponded to the original purpose. Although the People’s Democrats and the Communists were very active in cultural policy, the other parties were able to block together the most radical reforms.

Still, it can be argued that the cultural policy of the People’s Democrats and the Communists was quite successful until the end of the 1970s. Until then, their cultural policy had acted as an initiator in the cultural policy debate and had persuaded other parties to change their attitudes. It was not until the 1980s that the People’s Democrats and the Communists plunged into a deep crisis that prevented effective action in both general and cultural policy.