| The time
of Edvard Gylling 1920 - 1935 Because of
the politics in the Karelian Soviet Republic carried out by Edvard Gylling, Santeri
Nuorteva, Kustaa Rovio and other Finnish leaders, the status of the Finnish language, was
strengthened. Almost all the books published in Karelia in 1929-1933 were in Finnish,
Finnish-language schools, periodicals and newspapers appeared on the scene. The many-sided
activities of the Finns in the cultural field were called Karelization, which accepted the
use of the Finnish language and Finnish culture. Finnish immigrants had a role in the
leadership of many economic enterprises, with the North-American Finns in particular
introducing new technologies into the Karelian pulp, engineering and forestry industries.
Having party membership also represented prominence and
society. In 1934 the Finns made up 17 % of the entire CP membership in Karelia, but only 3
% of the total population. The discrepancy between the number of Finns in the population
and the possibility of their exerting an influence on social issues was therefore very
obvious. These circumstances led to suspicions from the side of the central administration
and eventually led to the period of Edvard Gylling who later was executed.
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