National Progressive Party (Finland)
국민진보당 (핀란드)
A liberal party in Finland founded on 8 December 1918, after the Finnish Civil War, by the republican majority of the Young Finnish Party and the republican minority of the Finnish Party. It adopted a social liberal programme, and despite its modest size it took part in government almost throughout its existence and supplied several prime ministers. It ceased activity in spring 1951, when most of its members had moved to the People's Party of Finland.
In depth
The National Progressive Party was founded on 8 December 1918 by the republican majority of the Young Finnish Party and the republican minority of the Finnish Party; the Finnish-language source adds that the majority of the People's Party also joined. The next day the monarchists of both parties founded the National Coalition Party. The programme adopted in December 1918 was social liberal, calling for land reform, state job creation and unemployment schemes, state participation in housing construction, compulsory sickness insurance and pensions, legislation guaranteeing working conditions and a minimum wage, and progressive income and wealth taxes to pay for them.
The party held 10–26 seats in 1919–1927 and 5–11 seats in 1927–1951, but it was in government for almost its entire existence and often held the premiership as a compromise between the larger parties. Its prime ministers included Kaarlo Castrén, Juho Vennola, Oskari Mantere, T. M. Kivimäki, A. K. Cajander, Risto Ryti and Jukka Rangell. Kaarlo Juho Ståhlberg was the first president in 1919–1925, and Risto Ryti was elected president in 1940 and served until 1944.
In the 1920s the party formed centrist governments with the Agrarian League and the Swedish People's Party which, with Social Democratic support, pursued a policy of national reconciliation aimed at improving social conditions and amnestying participants in the 1918 Civil War. In the 1930s it joined the general bourgeois course of the National Coalition and the Agrarian League, judging a stable legal course better than the pressure of the radical right such as the Lapua Movement. In foreign policy it leaned to the West, especially Britain.
After the Continuation War the party lacked new leaders and had almost no organisation. According to the Finnish-language source it ceased activity in spring 1951, because most of its activists had moved to the People's Party of Finland founded at the beginning of February. A minority including Sakari Tuomioja founded the Liberal League in May 1951.