Eero Haapalainen

Eero Haapalainen
Born(1880-10-27)October 27, 1880
Kuopio, Grand Duchy of Finland
DiedNovember 27, 1937(1937-11-27) (aged 57)
Petrozavodsk, Soviet Union
Occupation(s)politician, trade unionist, journalist
Organization(s)SDP, SAJ, SKP, CPSU

Eero Haapalainen (Russian Эро Эрович Хаапалайнен, Ero Erovich Khaapalaynen; 27 October 1880 – 27 November 1937) was a Finnish politician, trade unionist and journalist, who served as the commander-in-chief of the Red Guards from January to March 1918 during the Finnish Civil War.

Haapalainen was one of the most prominent figures of the Finnish socialist movement in the early 1900s and the first chairman of the Finnish Trade Union Federation. Haapalainen was appointed commander of Red forces and elected to the Finnish People's Delegation of the Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic in January until he was removed from both posts by April. Haapalainen fled to Soviet Russia in May 1918 after the Reds' defeat where he joined the exile Communist Party of Finland and was active in Soviet Karelia. Haapalainen was arrested and executed during the Great Purge in 1937.[1]

  1. ^ Lazitch, Branko; Drachkovitch, Milorad M. (1986). Biographical Dictionary of the Comintern. Stanford, CA: Hoover Institution Press. p. 164. ISBN 978-081-79840-1-4.