Head of the Finnish Senate who declared independence and sought German intervention in the civil war
On hearing of the February Revolution in his Siberian exile at Tomsk, he walked to the police station and announced, 'The person who sent me here has been arrested. Now I'm going home.'
Head of the Senate that declared Finland's independence in December 1917, he led the White government in the civil war of 1918 and sought German intervention. He was president from 1931 to 1937.
Activities and affiliations
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1906–1918
Government and administration
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1918–
National Coalition Party (Finland)
Government and administration -
Finland state institutionsChairman of the Senate, President of FinlandMain
Government and administration
Career Timeline
- 1894Began Diet work as representative of the Estate of Nobles
- 1907–1912Speaker of the Finnish Parliament
- 1914–1917Exiled to Tomsk for resisting Russification
- 1917–1918Chairman of the Senate (first head of government)
- 1918Regent (head of state)
- 1930–1931Prime Minister of Finland
- 1931–1937President of Finland
Related historical events
- 1917.12–1918.11Brest-Litovsk and Germany’s eastern occupationFinnish Senate leader who sought German assistanceAs head of the White government he asked Germany for military intervention over Mannerheim's objections and concluded treaties with Germany on 7 March 1918.
- 1918–1922The Civil War and Foreign InterventionFinnish Senate leader who sought German assistanceAs head of the White government he asked Germany for military intervention over Mannerheim's objections and concluded treaties with Germany on 7 March 1918.
- 1917.03–1920.10Finland: independence and civil warChairman of the Senate, RegentPresented the declaration of independence, obtained Lenin's recognition, led the Vaasa Senate, sought German intervention and was Regent from May to December 1918.
Revolution and independence wars
A lawyer and judge exiled to Siberia in 1914 for resisting Russification, he returned in March 1917, became head of the Senate, Finland's government, in November, led the declaration of independence on 6 December and at the end of December obtained Lenin's recognition in person in Petrograd. When civil war began in January 1918 he escaped from Red-held Helsinki and led the White government at Vaasa, and over Mannerheim's objections asked Germany for military intervention, bringing in von der Goltz's Baltic Sea Division. He became regent in May, but when Germany's defeat wrecked the pro-German line he handed the post to Mannerheim in December. Prime minister in 1930 and president from 1931 to 1937, he put down the far-right Lapua movement's Mäntsälä rebellion of 1932 with a radio address. He died in 1944.