DOCSLIB.ORG

Mauno Koivisto Lecture 2010: Political Dropouts and the Effects Of

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Mauno Koivisto Lecture 2010: Political Dropouts and the Effects Of Research on Finnish Society c RFS and the author Vol. 4 (2011), pp. 67–75 ISSN 1796-8739 Mauno Koivisto Lecture 2010: Political dropouts and the effects of participatory innovations Henry Milner Umeå University Université de Montréal Figure 2. Gini indices scattered against (the F-value of) the effect Introduction of education on (CSES) political knowledge (Grönlund & Milner, My recent work (Milner 2002; 2010) is concerned with 2006) what I term civic literacy, i.e. the knowledge and skills re- quired to make sense of the political world. Levels of civic literacy, i.e. the proportion of the population with such skills and knowledge, are low and declining, and there are signif- icant differences between high and low civic literacy coun- tries. The high civic literacy countries are especially those in Scandinavia and Northern Europe that engage in policies I term non-material redistribution, in such areas as adult ed- ucation, communications, libraries, civic education, etc. I find a close relationship between material and non-material redistribution (see Figure 1, which shows that countries that redistribute income have lower disparities in levels of liter- acy). These differences, it appears, prevail among the Internet generation, i.e. those 18–30, the first to grow up with the Internet, and among whom civic literacy is low. Citizens lacking the minimum level of knowledge needed to make sense of the political world are termed political dropouts. Among young people, they are better termed potential polit- ical dropouts. Such dropouts are concentrated among those with relatively low levels of education. What distinguishes the high civic literacy countries is that they are much better at reducing this. Figure 2 shows that compared to the popula- tion as a whole, citizens as poorly educated citizens in coun- tries in Scandinavia and northern Europe are more politically Henry Milner is a political scientist at the University of Montréal knowledgeable than elsewhere. in Canada and Umeå University in Sweden. In this article, based on my latest book (Milner, 2010) I focus on innovations that reduce the proportion of political Figure 1 . Inequality in the distribution of literacy (9th to 1st dropouts, looking to the high civic-literacy countries for in- decile) spiration. I conclude that, unless appropriate innovations are introduced in civic education and in complementary politi- cal institutional reforms, the likely consequence of the Inter- net Generation’s low level of political attentiveness will be a continuing decline in civic literacy. If we wish to boost the informed political participation of young citizens, the core challenge lying before us is that of identifying poli- cies that could prevent young people from becoming polit- ical dropouts by facilitating their developing the habits of political attentiveness. We should not be misled by dubious survey data and glowing depictions of “engaged citizenship” or cause-oriented repertoires to minimize the phenomenon and underestimate the challenge. We need to rely instead on indicators which place political knowledge – which can be tested - and attentiveness front and center. 67 68 HENRY MILNER Table 1 quent claim to the contrary, few of those who do not vote Reported turnout in European national elections [ESS round participate otherwise. An analysis of the results of a survey 1] of 14-year olds in the 24-nation IEA study found “no overall shift in post-materialist societies from voting to more active, Born since 1980 All issue-specific forms of participation. Rather. except in the Sweden 81 87 USA, teenagers in the most post-materialist countries, such Denmark 79 94 as the Nordic countries, predict [for themselves] the least di- Netherlands 75 86 versified range of activism” (Amnå et al., 2004, 35). Gener- Germany 73 85 alizing from cross-national data, Gidengil et al. (2004, 142) Austria 75 89 conclude that “the affluent and the highly educated are the Italy 76 89 most likely to sign petitions, join in boycotts, and attend Hungary 69 81 lawful demonstrations, just as they are more likely to vote, Greece 60 90 to become members of political parties, and to join interest Finland 55 82 groups.” Belgium 54 85 Hence declining turnout reflects declining political partic- Norway 50 84 ipation. Table 1 compares reported voting among young vot- Ireland 42 76 ers to that of the population as a whole in European countries. Portugal 41 72 The generational difference is only in part a matter of life cy- UK 41 72 cles, as is well illustrated in Figure 3 derived by Wass (2008) Spain 27 78 from the unusually detailed generational data on turnout in Switzerland 18 69 Finland. The important exception to the story of decline is the United States, which saw a reversal in the presidential elections of 2004 and 2008, in which, as displayed in Table Table 2 2, youth voting rose. However, to judge by the 2010 mid- Turnout in US federal elections: 1960–2008 terms, this tendency has come to an end. CIRCLE estimates that the 2010 youth (18–29) turnout rate was 20.9 %. Using Year Turnout of Turnout of the same method and the same adjusted tallies from past mid- voting-age 18–24 term elections, youth turnout was 23.5 % in 2006, 20.9 % in 1 population (%) year-olds (%) 2002, 23.6 % in 1998, and 23.9 % in 1994 . (reported) Turning to political knowledge, there are indications of a 2008 56.8* 48.5**** parallel overall decline (though it is much harder to identify 2004 55.3 41.9** knowledge level changes over time, since the difficulty of an 2000 51.3 32.3 indicator can vary). The data from the IEA student survey, 2 1996 49.1 32.4 despite its limitations , are telling in this regard. In 2009, 1992 55.1 42.8 140 000 grade 8 students took part in 38 countries surveyed. 1988 50.1 36.2 Fifteen of these took part in a previous IEA study of civic ed- 1984 53.1 40.8 ucation in 1999. As we can see in Table 3, in seven there has 1980 52.6 39.9 been a significant decline in civic content knowledge since 1976 53.6 42.2 1999; only in (Slovenia) has there been a significant increase. 1972 55.2 49.6 Data shows that in the United States political knowl- 1968 60.8 50.4*** edge is low, and there is a significant difference between the *Source 2008 election results: http://elections.gmu.edu/Turnout_2008G.html. youngest group and everyone else. The data in response to **Source: US Census Bureau, current population surveys (CPS) 1968 to 2004 one question is especially unsettling, showing an inability of ***Prior to 1972, data are for those 21–24 years of age, except for those aged young Americans to identify the party that is more conser- 18 to 24 in Georgia and Kentucky, 20 to 24 in Hawaii, and 19 to 24 in Alaska. vative (60 %) – a term used habitually to characterize the ****CIRCLE The youth vote in 2008. Based on the current population survey data. 1 In predominantly Democratic (“blue”) states, youth turnout was 18.8 %. In predominantly Republican (“red”) states, turnout was 22.6 %. In competitive (“purple”) states, turnout was 23.6 %. In states targeted by several non-partisan youth voting groups, youth Democratic innovations that turnout was 21.4 %. In the states least targeted by those groups, the address – or at least do not ignore turnout was 20.5 %. – the potential political dropouts 2 To gain approval of the national representatives, one assumes, questions were eliminated that might appear to place a given coun- Political participation and political knowledge of try at a disadvantage, i.e., the factual questions. What remained in the end were items measuring the students’ familiarity with demo- the internet generation cratic concepts and skills in interpreting political communication. While those who vote may engage in other forms of po- Rather than testing factual knowledge, the questionnaire tested vo- litical engagement, the evidence is clear that, despite the fre- cabulary, logic, and appreciation for democratic principles. POLITICAL DROPOUTS 69 Figure 3. Turnout by generation in Finland from 1987 to 2003 (Wass, 2008) Table 4 National geographic-roper global geographic literacy sur- vey 2002 (age:18–24), overall quiz performance Country Number Sweden 40 Germany 38 Italy 38 France 34 Japan 31 Great Britain 28 Canada 27 U.S. 23 Mexico 21 Average number of correct answers (of 56) Table 3 Changes in civic content knowledge between 1999 and 2009 (ICCES) The effect of changing information media How are we to explain these cross national and genera- Country Mean Scale Mean Scale Differences tional differences? The most important factor, we should Score 2009 Score 1999 between 1999 note at the outset, is family background, one that we do not and 2009 examine per se, since this is a given impervious to policy Finland 109 108 1 choices. Young people who have grown up in homes where Slovenia 104 102 3 political and social issues were discussed, which correlates Chile 89 89 0 strongly with parental education, are far more likely to be po- Estonia 95 94 1 litically knowledgeable and involved. McIntosh et al. (2007; Lithuania 94 94 0 see also J. E. Kahne & Sporte, 2008) found that growing up Italy 100 101 -1 in such a family has a much stronger effect than even parents’ Switzerland 94 95 -2 income and occupation on adolescents’ ‘civic outcomes’. In Latvia 91 92 -1 a comparative study of three stable democracies and four Colombia 85 89 -4 Eastern European transitional ones, Flanagan et al. (1998) Norway 97 103 -5 found a strong and robust relationship between family values Greece 102 109 -7 and the public interest concerns of 12–18 year olds.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Empowering Socially Excluded Elderly Within Russian Minority in Estonia and Finland
    EMPOWERING SOCIALLY EXCLUDED ELDERLY WITHIN RUSSIAN MINORITY IN ESTONIA AND FINLAND TALLINN & HELSINKI 2009 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Theoretical background of the research .......................................................................... 3 1. 1 Reasons for emigration and its history in Estonia and Finland .............................. 3 Estonia......................................................................................................................... 3 Finland ........................................................................................................................ 3 1.2 Quality of life, well-being, self-care ......................................................................... 5 1.2.1 The concept and nature of quality of life ........................................................... 5 1.2.2 Measuring the quality of life .............................................................................. 6 2. Researsh aim, method, results ......................................................................................... 8 2.1 Aim of the research ................................................................................................... 8 2.2 Method ...................................................................................................................... 8 Focus-group data and background .............................................................................. 8 2.3 Results ......................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Opettajan Opas
    opettajanSUOMEN opas PRESIDENTIT | OPETTAJAN OPAS 1 opettajan opas SUOMEN ITSENÄISYYDEN AIKA PRESIDENTTIEMME KAUTTA, ILMIÖPOHJAINEN OPETUSKOKONAISUUS KOHDERYHMÄ 6–9 -luokkalaiset, lukiolaiset, ammattikoululaiset, kerhot, opintopiirit, Suomeen muualta muuttaneet ns. uussuomalaiset AINEET Yhteiskuntaoppi, historia, äidinkieli, kotitalous, kuvaamataito, musiikki IDEA JA TAVOITE MITEN ķķ Avata Itsenäisen Suomen tarina niiden henkilöiden kautta, ķķ Katsotaan yhdessä alustuksena pdf-esitys Itsenäisen Suomen jotka ovat olleet aitiopaikalla ja vallan kahvassa Suomea historia lyhyesti. rakennettaessa ja sen olemassaoloa puolustettaessa. ķķ Jaetaan oppilaat ryhmiin, kukin ryhmä saa yhden presidentin. ķķ Ymmärtää, että yhteisten asioiden hoitaminen eli politiikka on ķķ Ryhmä katsoo lyhytfilmin omasta presidentistään. tärkeää ja monimutkaista (demokratiakasvatus). ķķ Ryhmä vastaa kysymyksiin, vastaukset löytyvät kunkin ķķ Lisätä arvostusta, rakkautta ja kiinnostusta Suomea kohtaan. presidentin tekstiosuudesta. ķķ Oppia ymmärtämään omat oikeutensa, velvollisuutensa ja ķķ Ryhmä tekee muita oman presidenttinsä aikakauteen liittyviä vaikutusmahdollisuutensa kansalaisena. tutkimuksia tavallisen ihmisen arkeen liittyen ja haastattelee sen ajan aikalaisia esim. paikallisessa palvelutalossa. ķķ Kokoaminen ja esittäminen muille oppilaille/koululle ryhmän valitsemalla tavalla. Esityksen yhteydessä näytetään aluksi lyhytfilmi omasta presidentistä. SUOMEN PRESIDENTIT | OPETTAJAN OPAS 2 KYSYMYKSET JOKAISESTA PRESIDENTISTÄ 1 MINKÄLAISISTA KOTIOLOISTA PRESIDENTTI
    [Show full text]
  • NÄIN KOIMME KANSANRINTAMAN Puoluepoliitikkojen Muistelmateosten Kerronta Vuoden 1966 Hallitusratkaisuun Johtaneista Tekijöistä
    Lauri Heikkilä NÄIN KOIMME KANSANRINTAMAN Puoluepoliitikkojen muistelmateosten kerronta vuoden 1966 hallitusratkaisuun johtaneista tekijöistä Yhteiskuntatieteiden tiedekunta Historian pro gradu-tutkielma Marraskuu 2019 TIIVISTELMÄ Heikkilä, Lauri: Näin koimme kansanrintaman – Puoluepoliitikko!en muistelmateosten kerronta vuoden 1966 hallitusratkaisuun johtaneista teki!öistä pro gradu-tutkielma %ampereen yliopisto Historian tutkinto-ohjelma Marraskuu 2019 Tässä pro gradu-tutkielmassa tutkitaan poliitikkojen muistelmia !a niiden kautta muodostuvaa kuvaa vuoden 1966 hallitusratkaisuun johtaneista teki!öistä' ainopiste on puolueissa toimineissa poliitikoissa, !oilla on takanaan merkittä"ä ura hallituksen tai eduskunnan tehtävissä tai puolueiden !ohtopaikoilla' Muistelmien perusteella luotua kuvaa tarkastellaan muistelma-käsitteen kautta !a poliittisia- sekä valtadiskursse!a kriittisen diskurssianal&&sin periaatteita noudattaen. Muistelmissa tar!ottu poliittinen selit&s on usein monis&isempi !a itsere(lektoivampi kuin a!anjohtaiset poliittiset selit&kset, mutta poliittinen painolasti !a poliittinen selit&starve kuultaa muistelmistakin läpi' oliitikot !atkavat !o aktiiviurallaan alkanutta diskurssia p&rkien varmistamaan poliittisen perintönsä säil&misen, mutta he tavoittele"at m&$s tulkitun historian omista!uutta kokemistaan asioista, ettei heidän tulkintansa !äisi unohduksiin !a etteivät muut tulkinnat ota sitä tilaa, jonka koki!at koke"at kuuluvan heille itselleen. %arkasteltavat muistelmateokset ovat )* :n +a(ael aasion Kun aika on kypsä
    [Show full text]
  • Strategic Low Profile and Bridge-Building: Finnish Foreign Policy During Mauno Koivisto's Presidency
    Strategic Low Profile and Bridge-Building: Finnish Foreign Policy during Mauno Koivisto's Presidency Michiko Takagi Graduate Student of Nagoya University 1. Introduction This paper focuses on Finnish foreign policy conducted by Mauno Koivisto, who was the President of Finland between 1981 and 1994. In the beginning of 80s when he took office as president, relationship between superpowers was aggravated and the international tension flared up again, just called as “New Cold War”. However, after the change of political leader of the Soviet Union in 1985, the East and West tension relieved drastically, which eventually led to the end of the Cold War and reunification of Germany. Furthermore, a number of remarkable transformations in Europe began to occur, such as democratization in East European states, collapse of the Soviet Union and acceleration of European economic and political integration. During the Cold War, Finland maintained its independence by implementing “good-neighboring policies” towards the Soviet Union based on YYA treaty, bilateral military treaty with the Soviet Union (1948)1）, on the other hand, in spite of this, by pursuing policy of neutrality. In the period of “Détente” of 70s, Urho Kekkonen, the President of Finland at the time, carried out policy of active neutrality, which culminated in success of “Helsinki Process” in 1975 and this Finnish policy of bridge-building between East and West increased its presence in the international community. However, Finnish position and presence as a neutral country fluctuated during the “New Cold War” and the following end of the Cold War. This 1） The Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance (Sopimus ystävyydestä, yhteistoiminnasta ja keskinäisestä avunannosta).
    [Show full text]
  • Finnish and Swedish Policies on the EU and NATO As Security Organisations
    POST-NEUTRAL OR PRE-ALLIED? Finnish and Swedish Policies on the EU and NATO as Security Organisations Tapani Vaahtoranta Faculty Member Geneva Center for Security Policy email: [email protected] Tuomas Forsberg Director Finnish Institute of International Affairs email: [email protected] Working Papers 29 (2000) Ulkopoliittinen instituutti (UPI) The Finnish Institute of International Affairs Tapani Vaahtoranta - Tuomas Forsberg POST-NEUTRAL OR PRE-ALLIED? Finnish and Swedish Policies on the EU and NATO as Security Organisations This report was made possible by NATO Research Fellowships Programme 1998/2000. We would also like to thank Niklas Forsström for his contribution in preparing the report as well as Jan Hyllander and Hanna Ojanen for comments on earlier drafts. We are also grateful to Fredrik Vahlquist of the Swedish Embassy in Helsinki and Pauli Järvenpää of the Finnish Representation to NATO who were helpful in organizing our fact finding trips to Stockholm in November 1999 and to Brussels in April 2000. Finally, Kirsi Reyes, Timo Brock and Mikko Metsämäki helped to finalise this Working Paper. 2 Contents Finland and Sweden: Twins, Sisters, or Cousins? 3 The Past: Neutrals or “Neutrals”? 7 Deeds: The Line Drawn 14 Words: The Line Explained 19 The Debate: The Line Challenged 27 Public Opinion: The Line Supported 34 The Future Line 37 3 Finland and Sweden: Twins, Sisters, or Cousins? At the beginning of the 21st century – a decade after the end of the Cold War – two major developments characterise the transformation of the European security landscape. The first development is the NATO enlargement and its evolving strategic concept that was applied in the Kosovo conflict.
    [Show full text]
  • The Managerial Cube
    ARTIKKELIT• RAIMO NURMI 269 The managerial cube Raimo Nurmi tinuum (see e.g. Nurmi, 1994, for another con­ ABSTRACT ceptualization of the relation between the two concepts). Many management textbooks argue that top The article introduces a manageria! cube thai management is in charge of the strategy and it consists of three continua: The first is management delegates the operations to the middle manage­ vs. leadership, the second strategic vs. op�rative, the third responsibility vs. power. The Pres1dents of ment and operative personnel. ln fact, top man­ Finland are reviewed and classified by means of the agement tends to be loaded with much opera­ cube. Admittedly, the interpretations remain tive routine (Mintzberg, 1973), and, strategies debatable. Nonetheless, it is argued thai the cube often emerge from middle management or even has potential for further conceptual refi�ement, empirical measurement and use as an mstrument for from the operative personnel (Viitanen, 1993). AII management development. manageria! tasks have, accordingly, strategic and operative qualities. Strategic qualities purport making the organization fit with its environment, and they include managing and leading chang­ Key words: Management, leadership, strategy, operations, responsibility, power. es, transitions and transformations. Operative qualities mean to implement the given strategy - or, in fact, sometimes even working without a strategy. ln this article, the two concepts are seen to make up a continuum. 1. INTRODUCTION Responsibility vs. power is regarded in this article as the third manageria! continuum. Re­ Management and leadership are established sponsibility refers to manageria! behaviour to concepts in literature. Management as a "coun­ maintain or improve the position of the organiza­ terpoint" of leadership refers to manageria! work tion even at the cost of the manager - the cost process: e.g., the functions of management (like may be stress, unpleasant decisions, bad pub­ planning, coordinating, controlling, etc.) have licity and other persona! problems.
    [Show full text]
  • And Ethnicisation of Migration Discourse: the Ingrian Finnish Right To
    1 The ‘Secularisation’ and Ethnicisation of Migration Discourse: The Ingrian Finnish Right to Return in Finnish Politics Nicholas Prindiville and Titus Hjelm (Accepted for Publication in Ethnic and Racial Studies, 27/02/2017) ABSTRACT Finland’s Right to Return policy for Ingrian Finns presented Russian and Estonian citizens that the Finnish government deemed to have an ancestral connection to Finland the legal means to resettle in Finland. The policy existed from 1990 to 2010, and was initially driven by Finnish President Mauno Koivisto, who spoke publicly of his belief that the Ingrian Finnish minority in Russia was Finnish because it was Lutheran rather than Orthodox. However, as the political discussion on the Ingrian Finns’ identity and Right to Return continued into the 1990s and 2000s, Finnish politicians increasingly abandoned the view of a common Lutheran identity between Ingrian Finns and Finland, and shifted the discussion to language, ancestry and historical memory, which were used to both endorse and disendorse Ingrian Finns’ Finnishness. We argue that the disappearance of religion from the Right to Return discourse was a strategic—if not necessarily conscious—choice that emphasized the more primordial aspects of Finnish identity (and the Ingrian Finns’ lack of those), which in turn enable stricter restrictions and, ultimately, the discontinuation of the policy. In April 1990, Finland’s then-President Mauno Koivisto sat down to a televised interview, part of which focused on his decision to instruct the Finnish Immigration Service to grant residence permits to Ingrian Finns as ‘returnee’ migrants. The Immigration Service defined returnee migrants as those who can prove ‘Finnish ancestry or otherwise a close connection with Finland’.1 Koivisto argued that Ingrian Finns met this qualification as the descendants of Finnish migrants to the historical province of Ingria, nowadays part of north-western Russia and Estonia.
    [Show full text]
  • Kekkonen, Niinistö Ja Koivisto Arvostetuimmat Presidentit
    TIEDOTE 1 Kansalaiset: Kekkonen, Niinistö ja Koivisto arvostetuimmat presidentit Kaikkien aikojen arvostetuimmiksi tasavallan presidenteiksi nousevat Urho Kekkonen ja Sauli Niinistö, käy ilmi KAKS – Kunnallisalan kehittämissäätiön kansalaistutkimuksesta. Noin puolet (49 %) suomalaisista asettaa Kekkosen kolmen eniten arvostamansa presidentin joukkoon. Kekkosen niskaan hengittää istuva tasavallan presidentti Niinistö, jonka myös lähes joka toinen (45 %) valitsee kolmen arvostetuimman joukkoon. Kolmanneksi arvostetuin on Mauno Koivisto (35 %). Itsenäisyyden ajan neljä ensimmäistä tasavallan presidenttiä sijoittuvat kansalaisten arvostuslistalla tyveen. Tulos ei tarkoita, etteikö heitä arvostettaisi, mutta tänä päivänä vähemmän kuin kolmea kärkeen sijoittunutta. Todennäköisesti ainakin nuoremmalle osalle väestöä heidän saavutuksensa ovat tuntemattomia. Sen sijaan neljä viimeisintä presidenttiä ovat kaikki kuuden arvostetuimman joukossa. Naiset arvostavat Halosta ja Koivistoa enemmän kuin miehet Miesten ja naisten välillä on eroa arvostuksissa. Kekkosen ja Niinistön arvostus on tosin suurinta molemmissa ryhmissä. Naiset antavat kuitenkin tunnustusta keskimäärää useammin etenkin Tarja Haloselle ja Mauno Koivistolle. Miehistä vain joka viides (22 %) sijoittaa Halosen kolmen arvostetuimman joukkoon, naisista kaksi viidestä (39 %). Miesten parissa mainitaan naisia useammin Ryti, Mannerheim ja Paasikivi. Halosen ja Ahtisaaren arvostus on hivenen korkeampaa nuorimman ikäluokan keskuudessa. Tulos kielii siitä, että etenkin alle 35-vuotiaat naiset
    [Show full text]
  • Commemorative Speech at the Funeral of President Mauno Koivisto 25 May 2017
    President of the Republic Sauli Niinistö – Commemorative speech at the funeral of President Mauno Koivisto 25 May 2017 Embargo at ca 2.20 pm CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY A great Finn has departed from our midst. Mauno Henrik Koivisto, the ninth President of the Republic, has passed into eternity. He has left us, but remains close to us. In terms of his ideas, ways, values and principles, he is still with us. Let us now remember him; it is as if Finland’s success story is told in pictures before our very eyes. President Koivisto's uniqueness did not lie in the fact that he knew the people, but that the people knew him. The people knew him; recognized him, even if his message was sometimes described as opaque or open to interpretation. In this, the people were a wise interpreter. His thoughtful, deliberative way of approaching issues brought the ordinary citizen close to the statesman, perhaps closer than to any other in Finland’s history. Mauno Koivisto’s pithy, sharply analytical and often humorous remarks remain embedded in the essence of what it is to be Finnish. They reflect a way of thinking, principles and values that still affect our actions and deeds. Only a man who is not just a great statesman, but also a great person, can make such an impression on his own people. * * * Work, education and trust are the cornerstones of Finland's success and prosperity. Mauno Koivisto was a strong, personal example of each of these. The work ethic shone throughout his life in a uniquely varied career ranging from carpenter to harbour master, from school teacher to Governor of the Bank of Finland, and from Minister of Finance to Prime Minister and, finally, President of the Republic.
    [Show full text]
  • Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel
    Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel - A piece of history in the heart of Helsinki Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel is a landmark building in the heart of Helsinki. The construction of the building was completed in 1921, and it initially served as the headquarters of SOK, Finland’s leading consumer cooperative. A new hotel wing was built in 1999. Today Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel is protected by Finland’s National Board of Antiquities and represents a significant chapter in the history of commerce in Finland. The cornerstone of the SOK headquarters was laid on the eve of Finnish independence on 5 December 1917, though the ensuing Finnish Civil War delayed construction. The building was also home to the Elonvara and Tulenvara insurance companies, the Finnish Co-op School, as well as SOK employees and their families. Training services for co-operative members were also provided on the premises. Prosperity on display The main entrance to the building is located on the corner of Mikonkatu and Vilhonkatu in downtown Helsinki. The building architects, Kauno S. Kallio and Oiva Kallio, designed the entrance to lead to a spacious lobby with stained glass painting by Finnish artist Juho Rissanen. The paintings depicted scenes from SOK’s original business areas: fishing, maritime trade, consumer goods and agriculture. The same motifs were repeated as decorative patterns in the lobby’s oak panelling. From the lobby, visitors proceeded to a vaulted exhibition hall, where co-operative members could choose merchandise for their shops. Almost every type of consumer good – from canned meat to evening gowns – was displayed in the hall.
    [Show full text]
  • Northern Flank by A
    Click here for Full Issue of EIR Volume 12, Number 4, January 29, 1985 Northern Flank by A. Borealis Koivisto's diplomacy: made in Russia necker discreetly visited Stockholm, Finnish President Koivisto visited Palme in Stockholm to explain allegedly for the congress of the tiny Swedish Communist Party (VPK). why Sweden shouldfollow Finland's example. However, informed observers believe that the visit, which was only reported after thefact by East German TV, must have had a much more important pur­ pose, such as perhaps a special con­ sultation with Palme. F rom the very beginning of the new tempted to smooth over the resent­ The Palme regime, in fact, is year, Stockholm has been a center of ment caused by Soviet military incur­ launching a broad Asian "disarma­ hectic diplomatic activity. On 1 an. 7, sions into Swedish waters and air ment" offensive. Palme himself will Finnish President Mauno Koivisto paid space. visit India on 1 an. 26, to push the so­ a dramatic one-day official visit to The security spokesman of the called "Five Continent Initiative," Stockholm, and three days before him, Moderate Party, Carl Bildt, stated that which includes Moscow-inspired ideas East German dictator Erich Honecker the Moderates had assured Koivisto of a "nuclear freeze" and "nuclear-free also surfaced in the Swedish capital. that a non-socialist government­ zones." The sponsors of the initiative, Both Premier Olof Palme himself and which is not unlikely to result from the the Five Continent Group, will meet several of his associates are touring September elections this year-would in India, including Greece's Andreas most of Asia during 1 anuary, as sales­ cling to the same "traditional Swedish Papandreou, Argentina's Raul Alfon­ men for the disarmament policies of neutrality policy" that Palme is sfn, Mexico's Miguel de la Madrid, the Moscow-run Palme Commission.
    [Show full text]
  • Former Prime Minister Paavo Lipponen Eulogy at the Memorial Ceremony for President Mauno Koivisto House of the Estates 25 May 2017
    Former Prime Minister Paavo Lipponen Eulogy at the memorial ceremony for President Mauno Koivisto House of the Estates 25 May 2017 Embargo at ca 5.30 pm Honourable Mrs Tellervo Koivisto, Relatives of Mauno Koivisto, President of the Republic of Finland, Prime Minister, Fellow Mourners, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen We have escorted President Mauno Koivisto to his final resting place. The Finnish people have shown great respect towards him, in a manner reminiscent of the same esteem received by President Urho Kekkonen. Urho Kekkonen piloted Finland through the most difficult stages of the Cold War, acquiring for our country the room to manoeuvre, to participate in cooperation with Western countries. He acted prudently but firmly when Finland’s interests so required. So, too, did Mauno Koivisto: when the time came to position Finland in the post-Cold War world, he made historic decisions without hesitation. What were the experiences and things that paved Mauno Koivisto’s way towards the presidency? The first was a good home, which taught respect for work and living modestly. From this home he obtained a profound, personal Christian faith. Then came war, fighting in the front line, surviving that extreme challenge. Contemplation, intellectual curiosity characterised Mauno Koivisto from his youth. Opportunities to study and to visit foreign countries were certainly liberating experiences for him, which he really enjoyed. By the time he graduated as a Doctor of Philosophy in 1957, Mauno Koivisto had become an intellectual who was most comfortable among the so-called “O-group” of economists. 2. (4.) But let’s not forget his marriage with Tellervo Kankaanranta, without whom Mauno Koivisto may perhaps have taken a different path.
    [Show full text]