The Pork Mutiny of 1922 in northern Finland: reasons, goals, course, and results

The article draws upon Finnish historiography and journalism, as well as domestic archival sources to analyze the events of the Finnish lumberjacks’ uprising in the winter of 1922, which has become known in research literature as the Pork Mutiny. The study was aimed at examining the nature of this uprising, identifying its real organizers, investigating the preparations for this event, its chronology, and results, as well as studying the biographies of the key participants from among the supporters of Soviet Russia and its enemies. The findings suggest that the organization of the Pork Mutiny was influenced by the events in Eastern Karelia known as the Karelian Adventure or Karelian Uprising, since the accelerated preparation and outbreak of the rebellion were prompted by the need to destabilize the situation deep behind the Red Army’s enemy lines. The study also proves that the Communist Party of Finland was engaged in a long preparation for an uprising in Lapland. Ultimately, however, the Pork Mutiny failed to achieve its primary objectives, forcing only a small number of Finnish loggers to move to the territory of Soviet Karelia, where they joined the Red Army and formed a Finnish minority among the commanding personnel.