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In 1918 the "Reds" lost the Finnish Civil War. The Social Democratic Party of Finland had supported the losing side, and several of its leaders were refugees in the Soviet Union. Some of these refugees founded the Communist Party of Finland in Moscow. Initially the communists were considered traitors by a vast majority of Finns.
SKP was suppressed in 1923 and again in 1930. After the Continuation War SKP dominated the Finnish People's Democratic League , which was founded in 1944 as an umbrella organization of the political left wing.
The era of the Cold War was the "golden age" of Communists in Finland. Between 1944 and 1990 the support of SKP was in the range 15%-20%. Communists participated in several cabinets, but Finland had never a communist Prime Minister or PresidentThe President of Finland (Suomen Tasavallan Presidentti) is the Head of State in Finland. The office was created in 1919. The president is elected for a term of six years. Since 1994, no president may be in office for more than two consecutive terms.. It is believed that SKP received substantial financial support from the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
SKP and the Social Democrats tried to dominate the political left. The competition was very bitter in Trade Unions and other leftist organizations. The Communists lost ground gradually, and internal disputes weakened them. A stalinistStalinism is a term for a brand of political theory and the political and economic system implemented by Joseph Stalin in the Soviet Union. Leon Trotsky described the system as totalitarian and this description has become widely used by critics of Stalini minority faction (SKP-Y, where Y is for Yhtenäisyys or Unity) often attacked the less radical party leadership.
The collapse of the Soviet Union led to ideological bankruptcy, and bitter internal disputes plagued the party. The depression that started 19891989 is a common year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar). Events January January 7 Akihito becomes Emperor of Japan following the death of Hirohito. The Heisei period begins January 8 the Kegworth Air Disaster A British Midland Boeing 737 cra resulted in financial bankruptcy the following year. SKP never recovered. Majority of the party members, with other member organizations of People's Democratic League, formed the Left Alliance (Finland)The Left Alliance or Vasemmistoliitto is a political party in Finland. The party was founded in 1990. Practically Left Alliance is a follower of the Finnish People's Democratic League, which was an "umbrella party" uniting most of the Finnish leftwing..
Die-hard communists have kept the organization alive, but after 1990 SKP is not a significant political force, but a historical curiosity. The vote share in the elections of 20032003 is a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar), and also: The International Year of Freshwater The European Disability Year Summary Perhaps the defining global event of the year 2003 was the Invasion of Iraq launched by the U was 0.8%.
See also: Politics of FinlandFinland has a primarily parliamentary system, although the president also has some notable powers. The main executive power lies in the cabinet headed by the prime minister. Matters concerning national security are divided between the president and the ca, History of Finland, Sveriges Kommunistiska Parti ( Swedish Communist Party )