“Finnish factor” in the formation of Karelian autonomy

In early June 1920, on the initiative of a notorious “Red Finn” Edward Gylling, supported by the top leadership of the Soviet state, the Karelian Labor Commune was established as part of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR) in the Karelian and Finnish border areas of the Olonets and Arkhangelsk provinces. It existed until the end of July 1923. This stage of Karelia’s autonomy, characterized in historiography as the stage of its formation, is well-studied, however a number of important issues require some clarification and expansion, as well as, perhaps, a certain shift in emphasis. One of these issues, raised in this article, is related to the goals pursued by Gylling and his associates while participating in the creation and management of the Karelian Labor Commune. Other issues discussed in this article concern the alternative options of Karelian autonomy and the related power struggle between the “Red Finns” and the representatives of the local, mainly Olonets-based, Soviet and party bureaucracy.