OUT OF INTEREST: Johan Vilhelm Snellman (1806 - 1881)

Once again, the flags are up in Finland. Today is the day that Finland commemorates Johan Vilhelm Snellman (1806-1881).

Born in Stockholm, Sweden, to a ship's Captain, Snellman's family moved to Finland in 1813 to the Ostrabothnian coastal town of Kokkola. A year later, in a strange land, his Mother died.

In 1835, Snellman was appointed lecturer at the University of Helsinki where he belonged to the famous circle of Cygnaeus, Lönnrot and Runebeerg (you can read more about Runeberg in an earlier Out of Internet posting), the brightest of their generation.

Snellman's lectures quickly became popular with the students, but in November 1838 he exiled himself to Sweden and Germany in response to the government's firm control of new and oppositional thoughts among academics. Upon his return to Helsinki, his popularity had increased further, but the political juncture did not allow the University to employ him.

Instead, he become headmaster of a school in Kuopio and published a series of strong periodicals, including the paper Saima that advocated the duty of the educated classes to take up the language of the then 80% majority of Finns, and develop Finnish into a recognised, equal language for academic works, fine arts, state craft, and nation building.

Snellman believe that 'cultural strength is our [Finland's] only salvation', and claimed that nations do not sacrifice themselves for other nations. In the 1800's, this must have contributed enormously to the sense of nationslism in a nation beset by Swedish and, later, Russian occupation.

In 1850, Snellman gave up the position in Kuopio and moved to Helsinki, where he and his family lived under economically awkward conditions until the death of Emperor Nicholas in 1855, after which it again became possible for Snellman to publish periodical papers on political issues.

In 1863, Snellman was called to the Cabinet, as Chancellor of the Exchequer, in the Senate of Finland. He became an energetic and valued senator, accomplishing a language decree from the Russian Emperor which would give Finnish the same equal standing as Swedish within the Finnish government. The re-establishment of the Parliament, that had remained inhibited since the Russian conquest, and finally the introduction of a separate Finnish currency, the Markka in 1865, was of utmost value for Finland. Snellman's tenure as Finance Minister would, however, be tainted by the worst famine in Finnish history.

Snellman's inflexibility and his highly prolific position in the political debate would, however, together with his old reputation as a radical in the 1830s and 40s accumulate too much resistance and aversion against him. In 1868, he was forced to resign from the senate.

For the remainder of his life, he continued to participate in the political debate, and, now nobilitated, he belonged to the Nobles' Chamber of the parliament.