Vilho Annala

Vilho Annala (17 January 1888 – 28 July 1960) was a Finnish civil servant, economist and far right politician.

Early years Annala was born in Lapua, and first came to prominence as a student at the University of Helsinki, where he edited the student union newspaper Ylioppilaslehti from 1916 to 1919. He went on to work for the Bureau of Statistics, whilst serving on the editorial staff of the conservative daily Uusi Suomi. He supported the co-opting of the working classes into the Lapua Movement and opposed the influence of wealthy industrialists. It was Annala who dictated the policy of the movement although his hard-line views led to condemnation by both the government and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland that damaged the group. This however was a last throw for the IKL as the group faded soon afterwards and Annala left politics. He died in Helsinki, aged 72.