Layers of Disunity: The presidential politics of Finnish business, 1981–1982

Business in the battle of ideas, 1945–1991: conclusions from the Finnish case

“…Jensen-Eriksen, 2007;Koroma, 2015;Kuisma, 2004;Kuisma, 2008) and some specialised studies (e.g. Jensen-Eriksen, 2013; Kärrylä, 2016;Okkonen, 2013;Wuokko, 2013Wuokko, & 2016 look at the political activity of business as a central or even as an overriding theme. In the United States, a wave of historical studies on business and politics has emerged in recent years (e.g., John & Phillips-Fein, 2016;Phillips-Fein, 2009;Phillips-Fein & Zelizer, 2012;Waterhouse, 2014).…”

“…Finnish business was involved in large-scale trade with the Soviet Union, which business leaders had to take into account in their political activity. Caution was called for so as not to irritate the Eastern superpower with daring statements about the evils of socialism and the blessings of capitalism (Wuokko, 2013).…”

“…Their caution was caused by large-scale trade between Finland and the Soviet Union, which was of notable significance to Finnish industry despite the bulk of Finnish exports going to the West. 26 The executives of industry feared that loud statements about the blessings of capitalism and the evils of socialism might irritate the Soviet Union and thus affect the trade relations negatively (in more detail, see Wuokko, 2013). The 'eastern-political' caution of industry leaders was a special feature in the political activity of Finnish business during the Cold War era, which otherwise followed a similar pattern as elsewhere in the West.…”

“…In practice, however, EVA and the TKL were interested in similar activities, and both wanted to act as the main voice of the Finnish business community. (Wuokko, 2013;Wuokko, 2016). The two organisations trampled on each other's toes, especially when it came to establishing contacts with leading politicians.…”

“…A similar perspective has been recently utilised by BenjaminWaterhouse (2014). This kind of a 'bird's eye view' combined with a relatively long period of study does not allow for detailed depictions of individual actors or single events in an article (however, for more detailed accounts, seeWuokko, 2013Wuokko, & 2016. It is a deliberate choice to focus on the wood instead of the trees: By drawing the 'big picture', I am able to highlight the broad development patterns of business political activity in Finland, which then allows tentative comparisons between the Finnish case and other Western countries.…”