Ahti Karjalainen
Encyclopedia
Ahti Kalle Samuli Karjalainen (10 February 1923 in Hirvensalmi
– 7 September 1990 in Helsinki
) was a Finnish
politician. He was a member of the Agrarian League (later known as Keskusta, Centre Party) and was Prime Minister of Finland
for two terms. Karjalainen is considered one of the most influential people in post-war
Finnish politics
and economy
.
Karjalainen served as second Minister of Treasury, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Trade and Industry from 1957, until he formed his first government on 13 April 1962, which was in session for 615 days until 18 December 1963. After that, the government was disbanded because SAK
-sympathetic ministers had resigned because of economy-political disagreements. Karjalainen's second government was in session 15 July 1970–29 October 1971. Karjalainen's ministrial career continued with only minor breaks to May, 1977, when he had spent 5772 days as a political minister. In the history of Finnish politics, this is second only to Johannes Virolainen
. Karjalainen was nominated as a candidate for the Parliament of Finland
in 1966 and served as Member of the Parliament for 13 years.
Urho Kekkonen
took Karjalainen as his secretary in his first government in 1950. This was the start of co-operation between Kekkonen and Karjalainen, which continued as good and tight for over 20 years. The co-operation was broken up when Kekkonen disbanded Karjalainen's, who was seen as his future successor, second government in 1971. Karjalainen sought to be the presidential candidate for the Centre Party in 1981, but lost to Johannes Virolainen. In January 1982, Mauno Koivisto
was elected as President of Finland
after Kekkonen resigned.
Karjalainen had a great career in the Bank of Finland
. He served as director of its research facility from 1953 to 1957 and was elected to the Board of Management in 1958. Karjalainen served as deputy Managing Director of the Bank of Finland from 1979, acting Chairman of the Board from 1979 to 1982 and as Managing Director from 1982 to 1983.
Karjalainen was a Doctor of Political Science. His thesis was entitled "The relationships between the monetary politics of the Bank of Finland and the state economy from 1811 to 1953 mainly regarding liquidity analysis".
Especially the latter part of Karjalainen's political career was influenced by alcoholism
(at one stage after he had left the Prime Ministry, there was a national scandal when he was arrested for drunk driving). Karjalainen's use of alcoholic beverage
s and his rather personal pronunciation of the English language
gave him a popular nickname "Tankero
". In Finland, "Tankero jokes" have almost become national heritage.
In 1989 Karjalainen published letters which showed how Paavo Väyrynen
had worked with KGB
spy Viktor Vladimirov
.
Karjalainen died of pancreatic cancer
in September 1990.
Hirvensalmi
Hirvensalmi is a municipality of Finland.It is located in the province of Eastern Finland and is part of the Southern Savonia region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of ofwhich is water. The population density is....
– 7 September 1990 in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
) was a Finnish
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
politician. He was a member of the Agrarian League (later known as Keskusta, Centre Party) and was Prime Minister of Finland
Prime Minister of Finland
The Prime Minister is the Head of Government of Finland. The Prime Minister is appointed by the President, who is the Head of State. The current Prime Minister is Jyrki Katainen of the National Coalition Party.-Overview:...
for two terms. Karjalainen is considered one of the most influential people in post-war
Winter War
The Winter War was a military conflict between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet offensive on 30 November 1939 – three months after the start of World War II and the Soviet invasion of Poland – and ended on 13 March 1940 with the Moscow Peace Treaty...
Finnish politics
Politics of Finland
Politics of Finland takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic and of a multi-party system. The President of Finland is the head of state, leads the foreign policy, and is the Commander-in-chief of the Defense Forces. The Prime Minister of Finland is the head...
and economy
Economy of Finland
Finland has a highly industrialised, mixed economy with a per capita output equal to that of other western economies such as France, Germany, Sweden or the United Kingdom. The largest sector of the economy is services at 65.7 percent, followed by manufacturing and refining at 31.4 percent. Primary...
.
Karjalainen served as second Minister of Treasury, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Trade and Industry from 1957, until he formed his first government on 13 April 1962, which was in session for 615 days until 18 December 1963. After that, the government was disbanded because SAK
Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions
The Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions, usually referred to by the acronym SAK is the largest trade union confederation in Finland...
-sympathetic ministers had resigned because of economy-political disagreements. Karjalainen's second government was in session 15 July 1970–29 October 1971. Karjalainen's ministrial career continued with only minor breaks to May, 1977, when he had spent 5772 days as a political minister. In the history of Finnish politics, this is second only to Johannes Virolainen
Johannes Virolainen
Johannes Virolainen was a Finnish politician.Virolainen was born near Viipuri. After the Continuation War Virolainen moved to Lohja, but he remained one of the leaders of the evacuated Karelians, and never gave up the hope that Soviet Union and later Russia would return Finnish Karelia to Finland...
. Karjalainen was nominated as a candidate for the Parliament of Finland
Parliament of Finland
The Eduskunta , is the parliament of Finland. The unicameral parliament has 200 members and meets in the Parliament House in Helsinki. The latest election to the parliament took place on April 17, 2011.- Constitution :...
in 1966 and served as Member of the Parliament for 13 years.
Urho Kekkonen
Urho Kekkonen
Urho Kaleva Kekkonen , was a Finnish politician who served as Prime Minister of Finland and later as the eighth President of Finland . Kekkonen continued the “active neutrality” policy of his predecessor President Juho Kusti Paasikivi, a doctrine which came to be known as the “Paasikivi–Kekkonen...
took Karjalainen as his secretary in his first government in 1950. This was the start of co-operation between Kekkonen and Karjalainen, which continued as good and tight for over 20 years. The co-operation was broken up when Kekkonen disbanded Karjalainen's, who was seen as his future successor, second government in 1971. Karjalainen sought to be the presidential candidate for the Centre Party in 1981, but lost to Johannes Virolainen. In January 1982, Mauno Koivisto
Mauno Koivisto
Mauno Henrik Koivisto is a Finnish politician who served as the ninth President of Finland from 1982 to 1994. He also served as Prime Minister 1968–1970 and 1979–1982...
was elected as President of Finland
President of Finland
The President of the Republic of Finland is the nation's head of state. Under the Finnish constitution, executive power is vested in the President and the government, with the President possessing extensive powers. The President is elected directly by the people of Finland for a term of six years....
after Kekkonen resigned.
Karjalainen had a great career in the Bank of Finland
Bank of Finland
The Bank of Finland is the central bank of Finland. It is the fourth oldest central bank in the world.-History:The Bank of Finland was established on 1 March in 1812 in the city of Turku by Alexander I of Russia. In 1819 it was relocated to Helsinki...
. He served as director of its research facility from 1953 to 1957 and was elected to the Board of Management in 1958. Karjalainen served as deputy Managing Director of the Bank of Finland from 1979, acting Chairman of the Board from 1979 to 1982 and as Managing Director from 1982 to 1983.
Karjalainen was a Doctor of Political Science. His thesis was entitled "The relationships between the monetary politics of the Bank of Finland and the state economy from 1811 to 1953 mainly regarding liquidity analysis".
Especially the latter part of Karjalainen's political career was influenced by alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
(at one stage after he had left the Prime Ministry, there was a national scandal when he was arrested for drunk driving). Karjalainen's use of alcoholic beverage
Alcoholic beverage
An alcoholic beverage is a drink containing ethanol, commonly known as alcohol. Alcoholic beverages are divided into three general classes: beers, wines, and spirits. They are legally consumed in most countries, and over 100 countries have laws regulating their production, sale, and consumption...
s and his rather personal pronunciation of the English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
gave him a popular nickname "Tankero
Tankero
The tankero was originally a fictional animal that was quite popular in Finnish media in the 1970s.The word is said to have been coined when Prime Minister of Finland Ahti Karjalainen visited a Kenyan zoo in the 1970s...
". In Finland, "Tankero jokes" have almost become national heritage.
In 1989 Karjalainen published letters which showed how Paavo Väyrynen
Paavo Väyrynen
Paavo Matti Väyrynen is a Finnish veteran politician of the Centre Party. Väyrynen has held several ministerial portfolios and is also a former Member of the European Parliament.-Career:...
had worked with KGB
KGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
spy Viktor Vladimirov
Viktor Vladimirov (intelligence officer)
Viktor Vladimirov was a Soviet Lieutenant Colonel, diplomat, and KGB officer operating in Finland.He was the head of KGB assassination and sabotage section in the 1960s...
.
Karjalainen died of pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer refers to a malignant neoplasm of the pancreas. The most common type of pancreatic cancer, accounting for 95% of these tumors is adenocarcinoma, which arises within the exocrine component of the pancreas. A minority arises from the islet cells and is classified as a...
in September 1990.