Taistoism (Finnish: taistolaisuus) was an orthodox pro-Soviet tendency[1] in the mostly Eurocommunist Finnish communist movement in the 1970s and 1980s. The Taistoists were an interior opposition group in the Communist Party of Finland. They were named after their leader Taisto Sinisalo, whose first name means "a battle", "a fight" or "a struggle". Sinisalo's supporters constituted a party within a party, but pressure from the Communist Party of the Soviet Union prevented the party from formally splitting. The term taistolaisuus was a derogatory nickname invented by Helsingin Sanomat and was never used by the group themselves.[2]
Although the Taistoists were sometimes identified as "Stalinists", this was not a central part of their orthodoxy. Sinisalo himself was quite critical of Stalin,[3] though he did credit Stalin with the establishment of socialism in the USSR. The opposition was expelled from the party 1985–1986 and it formed the Communist Party of Finland (Unity), which took the name "Communist Party of Finland" after the original party's bankruptcy in 1992. Some of the former Taistoists later joined the Left Alliance or have since abandoned Communism altogether.
Notable former Taistoists
Members of Parliament
- Markus Kainulainen (1975–1979)
- Lauri Kantola (1962–1975)
- Mikko Kuoppa (1979–1987, 1995–2011)
- Ensio Laine (1968–1995)
- Pentti Liedes (1954–1966, 1970–1983, 1983–1985)
- Marja-Liisa Löyttyjärvi (1979–1991)
- Pauli Puhakka (1954–1983)
- Irma Rosnell (1954–1987)
- Taisto Sinisalo (1962–1979)
- Marjatta Stenius-Kaukonen (1975–1994, 1999–2003)
- Oili Suomi (1970–1972, 1977–1979)
- Sten Söderström (1979–1987)
- Esko-Juhani Tennilä (1975–2011)
- Seppo Toiviainen (1979–1987)
- Mirjam Tuominen (1970–1979)
- Pentti Tiusanen (1995–2011)
- Pirkko Turpeinen (1983–1987)
- Rainer Virtanen (1954–1972)
Cultural movement
- Kaj Chydenius
- Kristiina Halkola
- Heikki Kinnunen
- Kaisa Korhonen
- Marja-Leena Mikkola
- Aulikki Oksanen
- Pirkko Saisio
Socialist student movement
- Yrjö Hakanen, chairman
- Satu Hassi, member
Journalists
- Urho Jokinen, Tiedonantaja chief editor 1969–1984
- Jaakko Laakso, Tiedonantaja chief editor 1976–1991
- Leif Salmén
- Erkki Susi, Tiedonantaja editor 1971–1984, chief editor 1984–?
- Esko-Juhani Tennilä
- Nils Torvalds, Arbetartidningen Enhet editor
Other
- Ilkka Kylävaara
- Johannes Pakaslahti
- Veikko Porkkala
- Rauno Setälä
- Seppo Toiviainen
- Björn Wahlroos, CEO of Sampo Group
References
- ↑ ""Eteenpäin O.W. Kuusisen viitoittamaa tietä" – Taistolaiset" (in Finnish). Retrieved 2023-02-08.
- ↑ Rentola, Kimmo (1970). Ghost of the Revolution. Helsinki: Otava. p. 410.
- ↑ Sinisalo, Taisto (1978). Niin muuttuu maailma (in Finnish). Tammi. pp. 92–93. ISBN 9789513044619.
Further reading
- Dörner, Andreas; Hyvärinen, Matti; Palonen, Kari (2004). Hermannschlacht, Taistoismus und unpolitischer Finne (in German). University of Jyväskylä.
- Kylävaara, Ilkka (2004). Taistolaisuuden musta kirja (in Finnish). Tammi. ISBN 951-31-3036-3.
- Paastela, Jukka (1991). The Finnish Communist Party in the Finnish Political System 1963–1982 (in Finnish). University of Tampere.