| Description | Left-of-center party founded in 1899 as the far-left Finnish Workers' Party, changing its name to the Finnish Social Democratic Party in 1906 (abbreviated today as 'Social Democrats' but more often called 'The Social Democrats' in the press). A segment of the party had become radicalized by the Russian revolution and the SDP opposed Finland's declaration of Independence from Russia on December 6, 1917, even winding up leading Soviet-allied forces in the Finnish Civil War (January 27, 2018 - May 15, 1918) begun when Leninist Red Guards seized parliamentarians elected by the newly-independent Finns in southern Finland on January 28, 1918. The Red Guards' defeat on May 15, 1918 forced Social Democrat leaders and activists to flee to Russia where they re-founded the Social Democrats as the Finnish Communist Party directly under the control of Joseph Stalin.
Moderating elements left in Finland led by future prime minister Väinö Tanner began to reverse the party's pro-Soviet tilt and battles came to a head in 1955 when supporters of Väinö Leskinen, the so-called widows, joined the SDP with the anti-Soviet Coalition Party in the 1950s and early 1960s, in an alliance called the axis of arms, which lasted for some time, and served to re-legitimize the SDP in the eyes of most Finns.
Party has been led by Finland's current Prime Minister Sanna Marin since 8-23-2020 [Suomen Sosialidemokraattinen Puolue, SDP; Finlands Socialdemokratiska Parti]. |
