In the history of

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

, the Kagal was a

resistance movement A resistance movement is an organized group of people that tries to resist or try to overthrow a government or an occupying power, causing disruption and unrest in civil order and stability. Such a movement may seek to achieve its goals through ei ...

that existed before the

1905 Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution of 1905, also known as the First Russian Revolution, was a revolution in the Russian Empire which began on 22 January 1905 and led to the establishment of a constitutional monarchy under the Russian Constitution of 1906, th ...

and founded under the period of

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

n oppression, in resistance to the oppressive government of

Governor-General Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...

Nikolai Bobrikov Nikolay Ivanovich Bobrikov (; – ) was a Russian general and politician. He was the Governor-General of Finland and the from until his death, during the early reign of Emperor Nicholas II, and was responsible for the Russification attemp ...

which actively conducted

Russification of Finland The policy of Russification of Finland (; ; ) was a governmental policy of the Russian Empire aimed at limiting the special status of the Grand Duchy of Finland and possibly the termination of its political autonomy and cultural uniqueness in 18 ...

. The name () comes via Russian (hence the -g- for an original -h-) from . The word was a mocking name used by Russian conservative newspapers as a means of ridicule when referring to the anti-government activity in Finland. In the original meaning, Kagal/Kahal referred to a central body for the Jewish congregations of Russia. The central character of the Kagal is thought to have been

Leo Mechelin Leopold Henrik Stanislaus Mechelin (24 November 1839 – 26 January 1914), known as Leo Mechelin, was a Finland, Finnish politician, professor, Liberalism, liberal reformer and businessman. A leading defender of the autonomy of the Grand Duchy ...

, an independent liberal, but notable lead characters also included Carl Mannerheim (older brother of

Marshal of Finland In the Finnish Defence Forces, Field Marshal (, ) is officially not an active military rank but an honorary rank that can be bestowed upon 'especially distinguished General officer, generals'. So far the only holder of this title has been Baro ...

Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim Baron Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim (, 4 June 1867 – 27 January 1951) was a Finnish military commander, aristocrat, and statesman. He served as the military leader of the White Guard (Finland), Whites in the Finnish Civil War (1918), as List of ...

), , Ernst Estlander, ,

Adolf Törngren Adolf Törngren (27 April 1824 – 3 March 1895) was a Finnish jurist and industrialist. Törngren studied law degree, but shortly after he Inheritance, inherited significant property and became industrialist. Törngren operated Nuutajärvi gl ...

and from the

Swedish People's Party The Swedish People's Party of Finland (SPP; , SFP; , RKP) is a Finnish political party founded in 1906. Its primary aim is to represent the interests of the minority Swedish-speaking population of Finland. The party is currently a participant in ...

, and the

Young Finns Young Finns () was a Liberalism, liberal political party in Finland founded in 1994 and abolished in 1999. In the 1995 parliamentary elections, the party gained two seats, held by Risto Penttilä and Jukka Tarkka. In the 1999 election, Young Fi ...

Eero Erkko Eero Erkko (18 May 1860, Orimattila - 14 October 1927) was a Finland, Finnish journalist and politician. He served as minister of social affairs from 27 November 1918 to 17 April 1919, minister of transport and public works from 17 April to 15 Au ...

Theodor Homén Viktor Theodor Homén (3 July 1858, Pieksämäki - 10 April 1923) was a Finnish physicist and politician. He was a member of the Diet of Finland from 1905 to 1906 and of the Parliament of Finland from 1908 to 1913, representing the Young Finnish ...

Heikki Renvall Henrik Gabriel "Heikki" Renvall (January 19, 1872 in Turku – June 1, 1955 in Helsinki) was a Finnish lawyer, journalist and the Head of the Editorial Board at the Finnish Ministry of Trade and Industry from 1917–1918. He married opera singer A ...

and P. E. Svinhufvud. The Kagal was founded in the Turholma mansion in

Laajasalo Laajasalo () is a group of islands that forms a Southeast Helsinki's neighbourhood in southern Helsinki, the capital of Finland. As of 2018, it had a population of 18,876. It is Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most popu ...

. The lord of the mansion, General , had inherited his fortune from his father-in-law Henrik Borgström (1799–1883), who had risen from nothing to owning a house of commerce, and had been present in founding the Liberal Party and acted as a notable patron of the arts. In a secret meeting, Leo Mechelin wrote a people's address to the

Tsar Tsar (; also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar''; ; ; sr-Cyrl-Latn, цар, car) is a title historically used by Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word '' caesar'', which was intended to mean ''emperor'' in the Euro ...

, which gathered 500 000 signatures (the country's population at the time was about 2.6 million). The signatures probably also included Svinhufvud, Erkko and Zilliacus, among others. The Tsar rejected the address and threatened

conscientious objector A conscientious objector is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of conscience or religion. The term has also been extended to objecting to working for the military–indu ...

s with loss of study places and offices, but conscription strikes organised by the Kagal had the effect that virtually no one arrived at the army enlistment, and finally the Tsar gave up implementing a mandatory draft. Later, the Tsar granted Bobrikov full rights as a

dictator A dictator is a political leader who possesses absolute Power (social and political), power. A dictatorship is a state ruled by one dictator or by a polity. The word originated as the title of a Roman dictator elected by the Roman Senate to r ...

and expelled the lead characters of the Kagal from the country (1903). The Kagal continued to act from within

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

and other places. Most of the members stood by Mechelin's idea of non-violent resistance, but a minority wing led by writer

Konni Zilliacus Konni Zilliacus (13 September 1894 – 6 July 1967) was a British politician, diplomat and writer who was the Member of Parliament for Gateshead from 1945 until 1950, and for Manchester Gorton from 1955 until his death. He was a left-wi ...

founded an Active Resistance Party, whose activists murdered oppression leaders, smuggled guns, and despite their centrist politics, made alliances with the Russian

socialist Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...

revolutionists. Professor Mechelin co-operated with the Russian liberals (Cadet Party). In 1905, Russia suffered a humiliating military defeat by

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, which caused social unrest, and finally the Tsar gave up dictatorship in favour of the parliament (Dom). The Finnish Constitutionalists continued their resistance with the support of the socialists, and the Tsar let Mechelin found a government (

senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

) and bring general and equal voting and election rights and human rights to Finland (1906). This was the end of the first oppression period (1899–1905). The Women's Kagal was a sister organisation of the Kagal. Among its leaders was the Young Finn academic, Dr.

Tekla Hultin Thekla (Tekla) Johanna Virginia Hultin (18 April 1864 – 31 March 1943 in Helsinki) was a Finland, Finnish journalist, politician and feminist. She was the second woman to receive a doctorate in Finland, and the first to be awarded a Ph.D. Biog ...

, who also supported activist and Jaeger movements. The Women's Kagal distributed forbidden political literature, such as the underground newspaper ().

Literature

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References

{{Reflist Grand Duchy of Finland Resistance movements Paramilitary organisations based in Finland Russification

Literature

See also

References