The toiler. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1919-1922, 1921-04-16
THE KARELIAN WORK.
ERS' COMMUNE.
The Beginning Of a Red Scandinavia.
By GEORGE HALONEN.

Soviet Karelia, or the Karelial
Workers Commune, is red neigh
bour to White Finland and Whit,
Scandinavia. Diplomatically it ma,
be called Red "buffer state," ;
bulwark of Soviet Russia against tn,
Northern White world.
The Karelian Workers Commun,
was officially formed June z, 1926
by a degree of the Soviet govern
ment of Russia. The Commune ex
tends from .he River Svir, in the
south, across Lake Omega to the
White Sea and around Kola PENN,
sula to the Finish frontier, and agair
scuthward for a thousand miles
along white Finland. This equal to area
about two-thf:is of Finland, con.
tains but small population, about
100000. The politically and econo.
micaliy important Murmansk rail-
way runs entirely through this dis.
trict.
This Commune was established be-
cause revolution and only revolution
will realize the self-determination Of
small nationalities. When the imper-
ialistic states speak about the self
termination of small nationalities
they "realize" it by submitting them
to the imperialist yoke. Under the
guise of self-determination, the
natural riches and the peoples of the
small nations are exploited and op-
pressed.
White Finland, in its imperialistic
dream about "Great Finland" also
spoke about the "self-determination
of Karelia. The Karelians happen to
be kinsmen to the Firms. Their Ian
guage is very much like Finnish.
This was enough for the Finnish i'm
perialism to speak about "sef-deter-
mination' of Karelia.
Economic Base of Finn Regard.
In reality the hinship of the Films
and Karelians was not the cause of
the Finnish Glove" of Karelians. The
Finnish bourgeoisie, now playing
with Imperialism, knew something
about the great natural riches of
Karelia. There are great areas of
forests. The total forest area is
about 1O0,000,O0O hectares, or one
and one-half times that of Norway!
The timber is worth hundreds Of mil
lions Of dollars! So, it pays to speak.
about the "seH-determinationp Of
Karelia in order to gain possession
of this great wealth.
Karelia is also rich in minerals.
Even coal veins have been discovered.
Also zinc, copper etc. Iron ore is in
abundance. These possibilities have
been but little investigated. A single
lake, Vikujavri, showed by investiga-
tion to contain about 100000 tons
Of bog iron ore!
The lakes and rivers are supplied
with fish in great abundance. Water
power can be obtained from many
great water falls; all of which means,
that once developed, Karelia will be
one Of the most important industrial
countries Of Northern Europe.
The Finnish capitalists wanted the
"self-determinationp of Karelia and
of course, themselves as guardians,
in order to exploit and rob these
natural riches.
After the Russian workers revo-
luton, the Finish Whites concentrat-
ed part of their mercenary troops
in Karelia. The Allies also sent ar
mics. The purpose was to form Ka-
relia as white basis against Red |
Russia. Karelians were oppressed and |
forced to join the anti-bolshevist |
armies, but many Karelians fled
either to deep forests or when pos
sible, Joined the Red Army. The |
White Firms began their "self-deter-
with plundering, robbing
and murder.
The White rule, however, was put
to an end by the heroic fighting of |
the Red army. And in the spring of |
1920 the remnants Of the Finnish
Whites were driven from Karelia.
But in Finland as we'll as in other
foreign countries the capitalists in
terested in the natural riches of Ka-