Väinö Voionmaa

Who was Väinö Voionmaa?

Kaarle Väinö Voionmaa was a Finnish professor, member of the parliament of Finland, senator, minister and chancellor. He also was one of the most influential politicians during the early times of independent Republic of Finland. He was a Social Democrat.

As an academic, Voionmaa contributed to introduce economic and geographic perspectives into Finnish history writings. He has studied the medieval times and the rise of the modern urban industrial society. He was also one of the founders of the School of Social Sciences in 1930 that eventually became the University of Tampere.