Thank you students, the creators of the idea of Finnish independence

Independent Finland celebrates its glorious 108th anniversary this year. Traditionally on Independence Day, we remember the veterans of war and celebrate calmly to honor our homeland each in our own way. We watch the movie The Unknown Soldier and the President’s Independence Day reception on television. Student Unions organize their celebratory parades.

Although these celebrations are traditional, and I’m eternally grateful to the veterans, in this blog post I won’t focus on commemorating the wars nor on who had the most beautiful outfit at the Independence Day reception. I won’t even focus on the great men of our history, although their story is central to our independence. 

In this text, I would like to remember and thank the group among whom the idea of our independence first emerged from an idea into concrete action. 

I am talking about the Finnish student movement.

From the national anthem towards resistance

In late 19th century Finland, higher education students had an exceptionally strong political and cultural influence. They were perhaps the most active and vocal, and certainly the most open-minded, actors in the development that led to our independence. In my opinion, the student movement had a crucial role in the creation of our independence.

The student movement awakened our national consciousness long before the oppression. The most significant symbolic moment was experienced on Flora’s Day 1848, when students organized celebrations in which they first performed our national anthem. 

This Flora’s Day celebration was to give face, voice, and direction to the rising national consciousness, which in the hands of the student movement shifted from mere cultural work towards genuine political activism. It was the student movement that, at the end of the 19th century, served as a central forum for public debate, issuing public statements against Russification measures and significantly shaping the political atmosphere. 

The student movement also played a significant role in collecting the great address of 1899, which was signed by over 520,000 Finns in protest against the February Manifesto. Such a number of signatures would never have been collected, had the student movement not acted as an organizer and collected names in dozens of locations around the country. 

As Russian repression tightened at the turn of the century, passive resistance against the Russian administration no longer satisfied everyone. Many, especially in the student movement, felt that more had to be done. This sparked the formation of the resistance organization Kagaal, and the majority of its members were university students or recent graduates. Research shows that the student movement was a significant recruitment channel, and it maintained the movement’s flow of information and opposed Russification measures. This resistance was one of the key entities that formed the thought of genuine independence instead of mere restoration of autonomy. 

Students form the jaeger movement and protest for independence

However, the role of the student movement in our drive for independence didn’t end there. 

The jaeger movement is perhaps the best and most concrete proof that the idea of independence was born among students. The movement began in November 1914 at a student activists’ meeting in the Ostrobotnia house in Helsinki. Its aim was to provide military training for Finns abroad to take advantage of Russia’s weakened position. 

A significant majority of the first wave of volunteers who went to Germany were students. It was a real commitment, as young men were ready to risk accusations of treason and losing their lives for our independence. The student movement didn’t just send men: Student nations and unions supported recruitment and secret security networks in Finland. Without the ideological and organizational contribution of students, the jaeger movement wouldn’t have been born or created the backbone of the independent Finnish army.

Students didn’t fade into the background during the decisive months of our independence in 1917 either. When the political situation in Finland was in chaos in the aftermath of the Russian Revolution, the student movement organized a spectacular demonstration in Helsinki. 

On 14 November, thousands of students marched into the Parliament House to publicly and visibly demand full self-determination. This was one of the most significant acts of civic participation just before the declaration of independence. The demonstration showed vast support for independence and pressed decision-makers to resolve Finland’s status for good.

The student movement as a breeding ground for leadership

The student movement’s legacy didn’t end with the Finnish Declaration of Independence. It has also served as a breeding ground for leadership.

Many of the key figures in our journey towards independence and the new republic started as active students, like as chairs of student unions. For example, the first President of Finland K. J. Ståhlberg was former chair of the Student Union of the University of Helsinki. Many other influential figures in politics and business, like Eero Erkko, Onni Talas, Ulf Sundqvist, Tarja Halonen, Petteri Orpo, and Jorma Ollila, learned the ropes in the student movement.

Therefore, our nation should remember that the student movement doesn’t merely play a supporting role in Finland’s independence. The student movement was the true catalyst. Students sparked the idea of cultural nationalism, created the core of resistance, recruited in the jaeger movement, and educated political leaders.

Without the student movement, our country’s history would be very different and our future even more so. Their story deserved a part in the history of Finnish independence. 

Don’t forget your history

Now on our Independence Day I want to remind you, today’s students: Don’t forget your history. Be proud that you’re a part of this historical continuum that was the cornerstone of our independence. Never underestimate your talent, and dare to make your voice heard (yes, even if the matter doesn’t directly concern students). History has shown and will continue to show that you are the ones who can change the world!

Lauri Tuohiniemi
Secretary General