Hilja Riipinen

Hilja Riipinen

Date of Birth: 30.10.1883
Country: Finland

Content:
  1. Childhood and Education
  2. Early Career and Marriage
  3. Political Activism
  4. Lapua Movement and Parliamentary Career
  5. Feminist and Traditionalist
  6. Later Life

Childhood and Education

Hilda Riksman (née Miklin) was born on November 2, 1876, in Vaasa, Finland. She was the eldest of eight children born to Christian Miklin, a police constable, and his wife. The family was deeply religious, and Hilda was raised in the evangelical Lutheran faith.

Despite her father's loyalty to the Russian Empire, Hilda developed a strong sense of Finnish patriotism. She was fluent in Russian from an early age and became acquainted with Russian culture and literature. She later translated Ivan Turgenev's "A Sportsman's Sketches" into Finnish.

In 1902, Hilda graduated from high school and began studying philology and literature at the University of Helsinki. She financed her education through a bank loan, recognizing her talent and aspiring to become a teacher.

Early Career and Marriage

From 1906, Hilda taught Russian and German languages at a comprehensive school in Lapua. In 1910, she received her master's degree and became the school's principal in 1912. It was during this time that she met and married Heikki Ripinen, a teacher and renowned gymnast who won a bronze medal at the 1908 Olympics.

Political Activism

In 1918, during the Finnish Civil War, Hilda Ripinen joined the anti-communist White Movement. She established a hospital in her home and actively campaigned against Bolshevism. She vehemently opposed the use of weapons by women in the conflict, despite the widespread involvement of women on both sides.

Ripinen's wartime experiences fueled her strong anti-communism. She consistently warned against the dangers of "bloody Marxism" and sought to prevent its resurgence. She criticized the Social Democratic Party and condemned Marxism as an "unspiritual doctrine that corrupted society."

In 1919, Ripinen joined the Lotta Svärd, a right-wing women's organization. She held various leadership positions and became an editor of the organization's newspaper. However, she often expressed independent views and criticized the leader, Fanny Luukkonen. This led to her removal from leadership roles in 1936.

Lapua Movement and Parliamentary Career

In November 1929, Ripinen co-founded the Lapua Movement, a populist anti-communist organization. It became the vanguard of Finland's extreme right, and Ripinen served as an active organizer and propagandist for the movement.

In the 1930 elections, Hilda Ripinen was elected to Parliament as a member of the conservative National Coalition Party. She represented the party's far-right wing and advocated closer ties with the Lapua Movement. This led to conflicts with more moderate conservatives.

In 1933, Ripinen moved from the Coalition faction to the parliamentary group of the right-wing Patriotic People's Movement. She remained a member of Parliament until 1939. Her political views were influenced by European far-right ideologies, including Italian fascism, Spanish Falangism, and German Nazism.

Feminist and Traditionalist

Hilda Ripinen was also a staunch advocate for women's equality. She campaigned for improved education opportunities and state support for women's employment. She proposed allowing women to become ordained as Lutheran pastors and headed the party's women's section.

However, Ripinen also held conservative traditionalist beliefs. She actively supported the temperance movement, advocated for strict punishments for sexual offenses, and opposed the government's collaboration with the Social Democrats.

Later Life

After her political career, Ripinen focused on her school in Lapua, which became an ideological center for the far right. She also wrote extensively on education, anti-communism, and women's issues.

Despite the changing political landscape in Finland after 1944, Ripinen faced no repercussions for her past activities. Her contributions to education and the women's movement were acknowledged by the government, and she received an honorary degree from President Paasikivi in 1953.

Hilda Ripinen died in Lapua on March 4, 1958, at the age of 82. She was buried alongside her husband. Her legacy as a political activist, feminist, and traditionalist continues to be debated and analyzed in Finland.

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