Vilho Annala

Vilho Annala
Minister of Transport and Public Works
In office
4 January 1941 – 5 March 1943
Preceded by Karl-Erik Ekholm
Succeeded by Toivo Ikonen
Personal details
Born Vilho Annala
(1888-01-17)January 17, 1888
Lapua
Died July 28, 1960(1960-07-28) (aged 72)
Helsinki
Citizenship Finnish
Political party Lapua Movement, Patriotic People's Movement
Spouse(s) Inez Mirjam Wink
Alma mater University of Helsinki
Profession Professor

Vilho Annala (17 January 1888, Lapua - died 28 July 1960, Helsinki) was a Finnish civil servant, economist and far right politician.

Early years

He first came to prominence as a student at the University of Helsinki when edited the student union newspaper Ylioppilaslehti from 1916 to 1919.[1] He went on to work for the Bureau of Statistics, whilst serving on the editorial staff of the conservative daily Uusi Suomi.[1] He gained a doctorate in 1932 and became one of Finland's leading civil servants.[1]

Politics

Annala joined the Lapua Movement and became Helsinki District Chairman in February 1931.[1] Ideologically Annala was heavily influenced by the corporatism of Italian fascism.[2] He supported to co-opting of the working classes into the Lapua Movement and opposed the influence of wealthy industrialists.[1]

In April 1932 Annala joined Herman Gummerus and Erkki Räikkönen in founding the Patriotic People's Movement (IKL) and he served as caucus chairman from 1936 to 1944.[1] Between 1933 and 1945 he also represented the party in the Parliament of Finland.[1] Whilst the official leader was Vihtori Kosola real control of the movement rested with Annala and his close lieutenant Bruno Salmiala.[3] It was Annala who dictated the policy of the movement although his hard-line views led to condemnation by both the government and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland that damaged the group.[1] Annala held the post of Minister of Transport in the unity government of Johan Wilhelm Rangell from 1941 to 1943.[4] This however was a last throw for the IKL as the group faded soon afterwards and Annala left politics.[1]

Later years

With his political career over Annala became an academic back at the University of Helsinki.[1] He served there as the professor of political economy 1951-57.[5]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Philip Rees, Biographical Dictionary of the Extreme Right Since 1890, 1990, p. 11
  2. ↑ P. Davies & D. Lynch, Routledge Companion to Fascism and the Far Right, 2002, p. 196
  3. ↑ F.L. Carsten, The Rise of Fascism, London: Methuen & Co, 1974, p. 168
  4. ↑ Roger Griffin & Matthew Feldman, Fascism: The "Fascist Epoch", 2004, p. 174
  5. ↑ UNIVERSITY OF HELSINKI TEACHER AND CIVIL SERVANT CATALOGUE 1918-2000
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