Cold War
The era of the Cold War was the "golden age" of Communists in Finland. Between 1944 and 1979 support of the Finnish People's Democratic League was in the range of 17%–24%. Communists participated in several cabinets, but Finland never had a communist Prime Minister or President. In the mid 1960s the U.S. State Department estimated the party membership to be approximately 40 000 (1.44% of the working age population). The SKP received substantial financial support from the Soviet Union during the Cold War (Rentola 1997, p. 177). Soviet threats to withdraw support were the main reason why reformists didn't expel the hardline Stalinist minority (Taistoists, after Taisto Sinisalo. The word "taisto" also means "battle" or "fight". The double connotation made this slur, originally launched by the largest Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat, stick.) from the party leadership or membership.
The youth wing of the SKP was the Communist Youth League of Finland (SKNL, 1925–1936). After World War II young communists were active in the SKDL's Democratic Youth League of Finland (SNDL). SNDL was member of World Federation of Democratic Youth.
The SKP's main rival for domination of the political left was the Social Democratic Party of Finland. The competition was very bitter in trade unions and other leftist organizations. The Communists gradually lost ground and were weakened by internal disputes. Taistoists often attacked the more Eurocommunist party leadership. In practice, the party consisted of two parallel structures. In 1985–1986 a large number of Taistoists, hundreds of party organizations with thousands of members, were expelled. They regrouped as Communist Party of Finland (Unity) (SKPy) which later evolved into the current Communist Party of Finland.
Read more about this topic: Communist Party Of Finland
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