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After having overthrown the more moderate party chairman Kari in 1906, Kuusinen came to dominate Finland's Social Democratic Party until the defeat in the Civil War in 1918. He was member of Finland's Parliament 1908– 1913 and the party's chairman 1911– 1917.
In Bolshevist Russia, soon renamed the Soviet Union, he continued his work as a prominent leader of the Comintern. In Finland a more moderate faction rehabilitated the Social Democrats under Väinö TannerVaino Tanner ( March 12, 1881 April 19, 1966) was a pioneer leader in Finland's Co-op Movement. After the Civil War in Finland, in which he hadn't participated, he became Finland's leading Social Democratic politician, and a strong proponent of Parliament's strong leadership; meanwhile Kuusinen and other radicals were increasingly seen as responsible for the Civil War and its terrible aftermath.
Animosity against Socialists in Finland in the decades after the Civil War prompted many Finns to emigrate to Russia to "build Socialism." However, the Soviet Great PurgeThe Great Purge is the name given to the campaigns of repression in the Soviet Union during the late 1930s which included a purge of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. The purge was motivated by the desire on the part of the leadership to remove dis was a hard blow against Finns in the Soviet Union — most who didn't escape back to Finland were executed as unreliables in the 1930sCenturies: 19th century 20th century 21st century Decades: 1880s 1890s 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s Years: 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 Events and trends Technology Jet engine invented Link Trainer invented Sc — and Kuusinen's reputation in Finland was further damaged when he turned out to remain one of the very few not targeted by Stalinist show trialThe term show trial is most commonly used to describe a type of public trial in which the guilt of an accused has already been decided, and the only goal of the trial is to present the accusation and the verdict to the public. Show trials have often beens, deportations and executions.
When the Red ArmyThis article is about the armed forces of the Soviet Union. See Red Army Faction for the German militant group; Japanese Red Army for the Japanese militant group; and People's Liberation Army for the Chinese Red Army. Red Army and RKKA are abbreviations f began its unprovoked attack on Finland November 30November 30 is the 334th day (335th on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 31 days remaining. Events 1782 American Revolutionary War: In Paris, representatives from the United States and the Kingdom of Great Britain sign preliminath, 1939Events January-June January 2 End of term for Frank Finley Merriam, 28th Governor of California. He is succeeded by Culbert Levy Olson. January 24 Earthquake kills 30. 000 in Chile about 50. 000 sq mi razed January 26 Falangists take Barcelona January 26, he was immediately pronounced the head of the Terijoki Government, Stalin's puppet régime (of the so called Finnish Democratic Republic) intended to rule the captured Finland. But as the Winter War went wrong, and a negotiated peace with the capitalist government in Helsinki became unavoidable for the Soviet leadership, Kuusinen was put aside and made chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the Karelo-Finnish SSR ( 1940– 1956).
Already suspect, Kuusinen's involvement in the Terijoki government sealed the reputation among Finnish Socialists of Kuusinen as a traitor, and rather than the intended effect it contributed to the unification of the Finns and the healing of the wounds from the Civil War. The dislike was reciprocal. Memoirs and statements from people who knew Kuusinen are univocal. Kuusinen had, since his escape from Finland in 1918, nurtured a solely negative view of Finland and the Finns.
After fleeing to the Soviet Union, Kuusinen became an influential official in the state administration. He was a member of the Soviet Union's Politburo, the highest state organ, Stalin's ghostwriter and ideological adviser. Kuusinen also continued his work during the reign of Nikita Khrushchev ( 1953– 1964). He was Secretary of the Russian Communist Party's Central Committee 1946– 1953 and 1957– 1964. In 1952 and 1957 he was also elected to the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet for the Soviet Union.
Kuusinen was one of the editors of The Fundamentals in Marxism-Leninism, considered one of the fundamental works on dialectical materialism and Leninist Communism. In the Kremlin politics he was considered "liberal" — and from its temporal distance his thinking pointed forward to the perestroika. While editing a new party programme for "rapid agricultural, industrial, and technological development" he championed giving up the concept of the dictatorship of the proletariat, to the horror of more conservative ideologist. In this he was supported by Khrushchev.
In 1958 Kuusinen was elected member of the Soviet Academy of Sciences.
Kuusinen died in Moscow on May 17, 1964. His ashes were buried in the Kremlin wall.