Minority Nationalism and Socialism
K. H. Wiik and the National Question in Finnish Social Democracy from 1900s to 1940s
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37456/tvt.95692Keywords:
minority nationalism, internationalism, nationalism, socialism, Finland, Labour movement, ethnic identityAbstract
What has been the relationship between nationalism and socialism in the history of the Finnish social democratic labour movement? This article explores this question by focusing on the Swedish-speaking socialist politician Karl H. Wiik (1883–1946), who was a central figure both in the Swedish-speaking and in the national Finnish labour movement.
By examining Wiik’s role as a political and ideological foreground figure of the Swedish-speaking labour movement in Finland, the article discusses the relationship between national issues, class and socialism in the history of the Finnish social democratic labour movement. The article asks how language was connected to ethnic identity. Also, the article examines how both nationalism and ethnic identity was connected to social democracy as well as to socialist politics.
On a more general level, the article contributes to the study of nationalism and especially to the study of the engagement of ethnic or linguistic minorities in the history of the labour movement. By focusing on the minorities in the labour movement, it is possible to problematise the historical narratives of the majority. The article links the multinational history of the Finnish labour movement to that of the international labour movement, where the questions about socialism and nationalism have been high on the political agenda.
References
Archival Sources
National Archives of Finland (KA), Helsinki. K. H. Wiik’s Archive.
The Labour Archives (TA), Helsinki. SDP Archive.
Newspapers
Aitosuomalainen 1926
Arbetaren 1906
Arbetarbladet 1919, 1920, 1921, 1926, 1927, 1930, 1938, 1946
Karjala 1926
Ny Tid 1983
Svenska Pressen 1938
Åbo Underrättelser 1930
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