- Erkki Räikkönen
Erkki Aleksanteri Räikkönen (
August 13 1900 -March 30 1961 ) was a Finnishnationalist leader.Born in
St. Petersburg to a cantor, he attended theUniversity of Helsinki before taking part in the ill-fated mission to secure independence forKarelia in 1921. Like most of those who took part in this event he joined theAcademic Karelia Society (AKS), helping to found the movement along withElias Simojoki andReino Vähäkallio . He quit in 1928 to join "Itsenäisyyden Liitto" (Independence League), a group that had been formed byPehr Evind Svinhufvud , Räikkönen's most admired political figure.Along with
Herman Gummerus Räikkönen was the founder of the Patriotic People's Movement in 1932. He would not stay a member long however as the group soon became purely Finnish (isolating theSwedish language -speaking Räikkönen) and moved closer toNazism , which he opposed.Having left the movement he contented himself with eidting the journal "Suomen Vapaussota", whilst also becoming involved in the
Gustav Vasa movement, a right wing organization for Finland's Swedish population. He ultimately emigrated toSweden in 1945 and lived out his life there in retirement.References
*
Philip Rees , "Biographical Dictionary of the Extreme Right Since 1890 "
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