Ståhlberg kidnapping

K.J. and Ester Ståhlberg at Joensuu railway station on October 15, 1930, one day after their kidnapping

On October 14, 1930, at approximately 9:00 am EET, former and first President of Finland, Kaarlo Juho Ståhlberg, and his wife, Ester Ståhlberg, were abducted near their home in Helsinki, Finland, by members of the far-right Lapua Movement.[1][2]

The plan was spearheaded by ex-White Guard general Kurt Martti Wallenius. The kidnappers threatened to execute both hostages if their demands were not met, but were ultimately hesitant to carry out the threat.[2] The pair were taken by car to Joensuu in Eastern Finland, where they were abruptly set free after the kidnappers failed to meet up with other accomplices.[3]

In December 1930, Wallenius and Eero Kuussaari were found guilty of the kidnapping and sentenced to 3 years of penal servitude and dismissal from the army.[4]

The incident greatly eroded the already dwindling popular support for the Lapua Movement.[2] The kidnapping was also considered decisive in the victory of Pehr Evind Svinhufvud against Ståhlberg in the 1931 presidential election.[1] After the kidnapping, the Lapuans again threatened to assassinate Ståhlberg.[5]

Reaction

The abduction was widely covered in foreign newspapers.

In Sweden, the news caused a diplomatic incident when Dagens Nyheter wrote that "such news should come from Mexico or one of the 'Nigger republics' and not from a Western European state", to which the Mexican ambassador in Stockholm protested vehemently. [6]

References

  1. ^ a b Capoccia, Giovanni (2005). Defending Democracy: Reactions to Extremism in Interwar Europe. JHU Press.[ISBN missing][page needed]
  2. ^ a b c Trotter, William R. (1991). A Frozen Hell: The Russo-Finnish Winter War of 1939–40. Chapel Hill, North Carolina: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill. ISBN 978-0945575221.[page needed]
  3. ^ Jalava, Marja (2023). "7: Finland". In Clark, Roland; Grady, Timothy L. (eds.). European fascist movements: a sourcebook (1st ed.). Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group. pp. 141–160. ISBN 9780429292378. Retrieved 7 November 2023. When the time was getting on to two o'clock in the morning, the car arrived in the outskirts of Joensuu, where it stopped and the men said that another car was soon supposed to arrive, and that the Ståhlberg couple had to continue the journey in it. The men then drove back and forth in Joensuu for about an hour, but when the other car did not appear, two men finally got out of the car to look for this long- awaited vehicle. The third man stayed in the car to guard the Ståhlberg couple. The waiting continued, but the other car just did not arrive and neither did the two men who had gone to look for it. Then the third man who was guarding the Ståhlbergs announced that Ståhlberg and his wife could get out of the car. After they had done so, the car immediately drove away, but neither of them noticed in which direction it went.
  4. ^ TIMES, Wireless to THE NEW YORK (19 December 1930). "FINNISH ABDUCTORS GET 3 YEARS IN JAIL; General Wallenius, Ex-Chief of Staff, and Aide Convicted of Stahlberg Kidnapping. SIX OTHERS ARE SENTENCED Witnesses Say That Leaders Were Intoxicated When Order Was Issued and Forgot It Three Days". The New York Times. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  5. ^ Rintala, Marvin (1969). Four Finns: Political Profiles. University of California Press.[ISBN missing][page needed]
  6. ^ Perälä, Reijo (2006). "Laillisuusmies Ståhlberg Lapuan liikkeen hampaissa". Finnish Broadcasting Company.


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