Chronology of the Collections

The Commission of Finnish Labour Tradition was founded in 1960 as the result of a compelling need to collect memories and narrative history from the side that lost the Civil War.

The commission has provided several collections (research surveys and competitions) of oral history and other memory based sources with different themes in decades past. The 21st century collections include “Face of the Environment” on our living environment and relationship with nature; “My Social Life” describing social traditions and “Unforgettable Holiday” with holiday experiences.

Collections from 1960:

1960-1964 Finnish Labour periods 1880-1918, life in Helsinki
“Work Done with Strong Hands”

1965-1966 Finnish Labour periods 1880-1918, especially 1905-1907
Memories of the co-operative activities

1967-1968 Finnish Labour periods 1880-1918, and 1905-1907

1969 “The First Decade of the Republic” 1919-1929 and 1905-1918

1970 “The Second Decade of the Republic” 1929-1939 and 1880-1929

1971-1972 Periods 1919-1929, 1929-1939
Memoirs of the labour educational movement

1973 Periods 1919-1929, 1929-1939 and 1940s, including the period between wars

1974-1975 Periods 1919-1929, 1929-1939, the period between wars
1940s and early 1930s: period of conflicts

1976 Dark years 1939-1945 and periods 1919-1929, 1929-1939

1977-1978 Dark years 1939-1945 and periods 1919-1929, 1929-1939
Theatre Memoirs

1979-1980 After war 1944- and periods 1929-1939, 1939-1945
Insurance Memoirs

1981 After war 1944- and periods 1929-1939, 1939-1945
Life-story Memoirs

1982 After war 1944- and periods 1929-1939, 1939-1945
Memoirs from the prison camp in the fortress of Suomenlinna (Viapori), memories of deserters, about the games played by children
Labour house culture

1983 Post-war 1944- periods 1939-1945

1984 My Life Story and post-war 1944-

1985 “Work and Movement in My Life”
Series I: Anecdotes, jokes and stories
Series II: Life story memoirs and interviews

1986 My life story: “Decades of Changes – Collected Memoirs”

1987 “From the General Strike to Dispersion”

1988 memory based sources and tradition

1989 The organisation in my life
E-movement

1990-1991 “From the Regulated Economy to Consumer Society”

1992-1993 The activity of the labour youth after war
Labour Entertainment, Memoirs of the Social Democratic Women

1994-1995 Foreigners in Finland – oral history on foreigners

1995 “Bank as Servant and Master”
Memoirs of labour bank activities
From the 1960s to STS bank

1996 “Who Went to School”. Labour educational academies in my memories

1996-1998 “At the Sources of Knowledge”. Class memoirs of main academies of the labour movement
(In collaboration with: Kiljava Institute, Sirola Institute, Voionmaa Institute and The Workers’ Academy (Työväen Akatemia))

1999 “The Beginning of Changes” (special edition)
Community experiences of the 1960s and 1970s, Work and opinion world

2000-2002 “Professionals of Ideology”. Soc. dem. press memoirs

2001 “The Professionals of Well-being”.
The memoirs of trade union activities (project in collaboration with KTV)

2002 “My Social Life” (In collaboration with: EKL)

2003 “Face of the Environment”
How my home environment has changed during my lifetime

2010-2011 “Unforgettable Holiday”
Holidays to balance work life