Fennoman movement

The opposition, the Svecomans, tried to defend the status of Swedish and the ties to the Germanic world.

Although the notion of Fennomans was not as common after the generation of Juho Kusti Paasikivi (born 1870), their ideas have dominated the Finns' understanding of their nation.

[further explanation needed] The mother tongue of many of the first generation of Fennomans, like Johan Vilhelm Snellman, was Swedish.

Some of the originally Swedish-speaking Fennomans learned Finnish, and made a point of using it inside and outside the home.

The Fennoman motto attributed to Adolf Ivar Arwidsson was actually coined by Johan Vilhelm Snellman: "Svenskar äro vi icke, ryssar vilja vi icke bli, låt oss alltså vara finnar."

A set of graves in Tampere , showing the original surname "Kyander" as well as the fennicized "Kiianmies"
Senator Johan Vilhelm Snellman (1806–1881), who also possessed the professions of philosopher , journalist and author , was one of the most influential Fennomans and perhaps one of the most internationally known Finnish statesmen. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ 3 ] [ 4 ] [ 5 ]