Civil Society Organizations Built the Foundation of Finnish Civic Culture

Finland’s organized civil society did not simply accompany the country’s development, the writers argue. It helped create the modern, educated state Finland became before independence, and it continues to support people whom official safety nets do not fully reach.

Civic organizations and grassroots movements have played a decisive role since the 19th century. During the period of national awakening, educational, temperance and charitable groups such as the Finnish Literature Society, Kansanvalistusseura and Svenska folkskolans vänner helped lay the foundations for Finnish civic culture and a unified nation.

The authors also present civil society as a force that expanded democracy and citizens’ rights. Major reforms, they write, did not come only from above. Grassroots movements demanded them. The labor movement and the general strike helped drive the introduction of universal and equal suffrage in the early 20th century, while other movements opened the way toward equality, equal treatment and minority rights.

Patient, disability and public-health organizations founded before and after the wars have also provided services to countless people in cooperation with public administration. Groups including Invalidiliitto and the Finnish Cancer Society perform work that complements official welfare systems and gives disadvantaged people a voice in decision-making.

The writers say current cuts to these organizations also reduce society’s ability to solve new problems. In their view, weakening civil society for short-term reasons would undermine the vitality, unity and crisis resilience of Finnish democracy. The piece was signed by Lauri Tuomi, chief executive of the Kvs Foundation, and Nina Hjelt, a lifelong-learning specialist at the same foundation.