Kalevi Sorsa
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| Born | 1930-12-21 Keuruu, Finland |
| Died | 2004-01-16 Helsinki, Finland |
| Nationality | Finnish |
| Alma mater | University of Tampere |
| Party | Social Democratic Party of Finland |
Prime minister of Finland three times between 1972 and 1987. | |
Kalevi Sorsa was prime minister of Finland three times between 1972 and 1987. He attended the 1990 Bilderberg meeting, shortly before Finland in 1992 started to negotiate to join the EU. He also participated in the EU membership referendum campaign.
Background
Kalevi Sorsa was born on December 21, 1930. The father's job forced the family to move around the country. In addition to school, Kalevi Sorsa did forestry work. His literary hobbies led him to become an intern at a newspaper, and in 1949 he began studying journalism. In 1957, Sorsa graduated with a degree in journalism. He financed his studies by working as a journalist. In 1963, Kalevi Sorsa obtained a bachelor's degree in social sciences from the University of Tampere with a specialization in Finnish literature.[1]
Early career
From 1959 to 1965, Kalevi Sorsa moved to Paris with his wife Irene to become an official at UNESCO. The time spent in Paris was a very important period for Sorsa: he got to know the French language and culture well, got to know French politicians and made lifelong friendships. While living in France, Kalevi Sorsa distanced himself from Finnish domestic politics and stayed away from the internal conflicts of the Social Democratic Party of Finland. From Paris, Kalevi Sorsa returned to Finland to become the Secretary General of the Finnish Commission of UNESCO and the deputy director of the department of international affairs of the Ministry of Education.
Politics
In 1969, he was brought in from relative obscurity by Rafael Paasio, a former Prime Minister of Finland, to assume the influential post of party secretary, despite not having much experience of national politics.
Sorsa was a leading political figure during the presidencies of Kekkonen and Koivisto.[2] He was the chairman of the Social Democratic Party from 1975 to 1987 and Prime Minister of Finland in four centre-left coalitions for a total of ten years (1972–1975,[3] 1977–1979,[4] 1982–1983,[5] 1983–1987[6]). He remains Finland's longest-sitting prime minister.
After his premiership he was the Speaker of the Finnish Parliament from 1989 to 1991. During his career he also twice was Deputy Prime Minister, from 1975 to 1976 and from 1987 to 1989.[7] From 1987 to 1996, Sorsa sat on the governing board of the Bank of Finland.[8][2] He was also known for his participation as the convener in the economic policy seminar at Hotel Korpilampi in Lahnus, Espoo, in September 1977.[9][10]
Sorsa supported the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe after its creation in 1975. In the 1970s he championed a free-trade agreement with the European Economic Community (EEC), which boosted ties between Finland and the countries of Western Europe.
Sorsa was also active in the international social democratic movement, and in the mid-1970s was elected vice-president of the Socialist International. In the late 1970s and in the 1980s the Socialist International had extensive contacts and discussion with the two leading powers of the Cold War period, the United States and the Soviet Union, on issues concerning East–West relations, arms control and Afghanistan.[11] The Socialist International supported détente and disarmament agreements, such as SALT II, START and INF. They had several meetings and discussion in Washington, D.C., with President Jimmy Carter and Vice-President George Bush and with CPSU Secretaries General Leonid Brezhnev and Mikhail Gorbachev in Moscow. Sorsa led the Socialist International's delegations to these discussions.[12]
Stasi allegation
Finnish former diplomat Alpo Rusi alleged that Kalevi Sorsa was on a secret list of 18 high-profile Finns with links to the Stasi, East Germany's intelligence agency. West German intelligence handed the file to its Finnish counterpart in 1990, but the Finnish Supreme Court ruled that the list must not be made public.[13] It is unclear to what extent this contact actually existed was, or whether the list was an attempt at casting aspersions similar to the Mitrokhin archives.
References
- ↑ https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tyovaenperinne.fi%2Ftyovaentutkimus%2Ftt2006%2Ftk_kalevisorsa.htm
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Matti Huuhtanen:Finns hold state funeral for longest serving, Cold War prime minister Associated Press 31 January 2004
- ↑ Toledo Blade 5 Jun 1975
- ↑ Nationalism and Democracy in the Welfare State 2022, Editors: Pauli Kettunen, Miikka Tervonen, Saara Pellander, P.131
- ↑ The Phoenix 22 Mar 1983
- ↑ Western Europe 2003 By Europa Publications, 2002, P.157
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20090503203728/http://www.eduskunta.fi/triphome/bin/hx5000.sh?%7Bhnro%7D=235&%7Bkieli%7D=su&%7Bhaku%7D=kaikki
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20170807192103/https://www.suomenpankki.fi/en/bank-of-finland/organization/board/board-members-in-the-history-of-the-bank-of-finland/
- ↑ Jouko Kajanoja: Suomen käänne alkoi Korpilammelta (in Finnish)
- ↑ Hotel Korpilampi Celebrates 40 Years Of Operations
- ↑ Bukovsky Archives, CPSU Politburo "Information for Brandt and Sorsa about disarmament and Afghanistan", 1 February 1980* (Pb 182/2).
- ↑ Väänänen, Pentti (2012). Purppuraruusu ja samettinyrkki (in suomi) (1st ed.). Kellastupa. pp. 192–194.. Pentti Väänänen was secretary-general of the Socialist International, 1983–1989, and was earlier an adviser to Sorsa.
- ↑ https://intelnews.org/tag/kalevi-sorsa/
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