Young Communist League of Finland

[1] Gradually, young members of the SKP began setting up secret party cells of their own.

Activity towards the build-up of the organization intensified and in August 1924, the SKP began publishing Nuori Kommunisti ('Young Communist').

As of September 1925 the SKNL had cells in the Helsinki, Tampere, Pori, Vaasa, Lappeenranta, Vyborg and Kuopio regions.

[6] The SKNL was active in the 1927 parliamentary election, campaigning for the Socialist Electoral Organisation of Workers and Smallholders.

[8] The second conference, which was attended by eight delegates, took place in connection with the congress of the Communist Youth International in August 1928.

Eino Lehto and Nestori Parkkari remained at large for a brief period, before going into exile in the Soviet Union.

In late 1929 the leadership of SKNL included Heikki Ilvesviita, Toivo Karvonen, Tatu Väätäinen, Paavo Kivikoski, Aatto Sallinen, Aili Mäkinen, Airi Virtanen and Reino Tynkkynen.

SKP and SKNL formed special defence groups to engage in street-fights with the police.

In response, police raided the offices of various organisations connected to SKP and SKNL in Helsinki.

SKNL also argued intensely against the so-called vacillators, the Left Group of Finnish Workers, which split from the communist controlled fronts after getting fed up with the Comintern's Third Period policies.

The STL leadership did not like the infiltration, and they instructed district organizations to be vigilant against communist influences.

At the STL congress in May 1937 there were around 20-30 representatives of the leftwing opposition, a grouping indirectly tied to the SKNL.

As of 1928 there were seven district organisations of SKNL; Helsinki, Tampere, Vaasa, Viipuri, Kuopio, Oulu and Turku.

The organisers of the youth bureau included Toivo Antikainen, Pekka Paasonen, Hannes Mäkinen, Kaarlo Kosunen, Hertta Kuusinen, Inkeri Lehtinen, Eino Lehto and Ville Honkanen.

[22] In the 1920s, left-wing early youth (under 14) work was organised inside Työväen Järjestönuorten Liitto.

The sixth world congress of the International, held in 1935, was attended by the SKNL delegate Veikko Sippola.