Kuusinen Club Incident
Encyclopedia
The Kuusinen Club Incident was the murder of eight members of the Finnish Communist Party in the Kuusinen Club (their Saint Petersburg
office), on August 31, 1920.
in 1918, thousands of Red Guards fled to Russia mostly to Saint Petersburg
. The leaders of the Guard lived lavishly, spending their time in the best hotels and restaurants of Saint Petersburg
. They had millions of Finnish marks
worth of foreign exchange
that they had stolen from the Bank of Finland
.
Many other Finnish Communists who had fled to Soviet Russia
were living in very poor conditions, and those who openly criticized party leaders were discharged from the party.
The party began to schism into so-called "revolver oppositions", whose target was to remove the gap between the leaders and the supporters by open violence.
The shooters wrote letters describing their motives, and then surrendered voluntarily to militia. In 1922, they were convicted; Voitto Eloranta and Elvira Willman-Eloranta were sentenced to death, and the other four were sentenced to three to five years in prison in Buryatia.
. An estimated 100 000 people attended the funeral. A memorial service took part in Hermitage
on September 20, 1920.
The memorial plaque says that the victims were "Murdered by White Finnish Guards
", although the killers had actually been former Red Guard members.
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
office), on August 31, 1920.
Background
After the ending of the Finnish Civil WarFinnish Civil War
The Finnish Civil War was a part of the national, political and social turmoil caused by World War I in Europe. The Civil War concerned control and leadership of The Grand Duchy of Finland as it achieved independence from Russia after the October Revolution in Petrograd...
in 1918, thousands of Red Guards fled to Russia mostly to Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
. The leaders of the Guard lived lavishly, spending their time in the best hotels and restaurants of Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
. They had millions of Finnish marks
Finnish mark
The Finnish markka was the currency of Finland from 1860 until 28 February 2002, when it ceased to be legal tender. The markka was replaced by the euro , which had been introduced, in cash form, on 1 January 2002....
worth of foreign exchange
Foreign exchange reserves
Foreign-exchange reserves in a strict sense are 'only' the foreign currency deposits and bonds held by central banks and monetary authorities. However, the term in popular usage commonly includes foreign exchange and gold, Special Drawing Rights and International Monetary Fund reserve positions...
that they had stolen from 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...
.
Many other Finnish Communists who had fled to Soviet Russia
Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic , commonly referred to as Soviet Russia, Bolshevik Russia, or simply Russia, was the largest, most populous and economically developed republic in the former Soviet Union....
were living in very poor conditions, and those who openly criticized party leaders were discharged from the party.
The party began to schism into so-called "revolver oppositions", whose target was to remove the gap between the leaders and the supporters by open violence.
Deaths
- Tuomas W. HyrskymurtoTuomas W. HyrskymurtoTuomas Wilho Hyrskymurto was a Finnish Communist revolutionary and originary merchant from Turku.Hyrskymurto was in prison during the Hakaniemi skirmish in 1906...
, party staff - Väinö E. JokinenVäinö E. JokinenVäinö Jokinen was a Finnish journalist and MP. Jokinen was the member of the Finnish Parliament in Social Democratic group 1908–1914 and 1917. Jokinen was also secretary of the Finnish People's Delegation....
, former MP and member of the Finnish Communist Party's central committee. - Ferdinand T. Kettunen, Finnish Communist Party's military organization's SKP:n sotilasjärjestön steward
- Konsta Lindqvist, former MP and People's Committee's member and transportation delegate.
- Jukka RahjaJukka RahjaJukka Rahja was a Russian-Finnish Bolshevik who was killed by the Petrograd Opposition.Jukka was the brother of Eino Rahja and Jaakko Rahja....
(alias Ivan Abramovitsh), member of the Finnish Communist Party's central committee. - Juho V. Sainio, repesentive of the Revolutionery Communist Party
- Liisa Savolainen, clerk of military organization.
- Juha T. Viitasaari, Red commander
Shooters
The shooters were six students of the red officer academy, led by Aku Paasi (former August Pyy)and Allan Hägglund.The shooters wrote letters describing their motives, and then surrendered voluntarily to militia. In 1922, they were convicted; Voitto Eloranta and Elvira Willman-Eloranta were sentenced to death, and the other four were sentenced to three to five years in prison in Buryatia.
Memorial
The victims were buried in the Field of MarsField of Mars (Saint Petersburg)
The Field of Mars or Marsovo Polye is a large park named after the Mars - Roman god of war situated in the center of Saint-Petersburg, with an area of about 9 hectares. Bordering the Field of Mars to the north are the Marble Palace, Suvorova Square and Betskoi’s and Saltykov’s houses. To the west...
. An estimated 100 000 people attended the funeral. A memorial service took part in Hermitage
Hermitage Museum
The State Hermitage is a museum of art and culture in Saint Petersburg, Russia. One of the largest and oldest museums of the world, it was founded in 1764 by Catherine the Great and has been opened to the public since 1852. Its collections, of which only a small part is on permanent display,...
on September 20, 1920.
The memorial plaque says that the victims were "Murdered by White Finnish Guards
White Guard (Finland)
The White Guard was a voluntary militia that emerged victorious over the socialist Red Guard as part of the Whites in the Finnish Civil War of 1918...
", although the killers had actually been former Red Guard members.