his Christian background, Alkio was a strong opponent of state church. In 1906 Alkio wrote that "We want to liberate the beautiful and simple teachings of Jesus from the tyranny of theology and that is why we would like to withdraw the support of the state from one confession and to proclaim it to all." As a nationalist, Alkio supported the independent Senate of Svinhufvud. During the summer of 1917, he had supported usurping the highest power in the land from Russia via the Power of Government Act (Lex Tulenheimo) while the parties on the right still opposed it. Alkio thought the red revolt supported by Russian soldiers was an attempt to return Finland to Soviet Russia: "It [the revolt] is meant to set Finnish independence at nought." ("Sen [kapinan] tarkoituksena on tehdä tyhjäksi Suomen itsenäisyys.") Alkio was also a pacifist. He attributed this to the influence of Mahatma Gandhi. On 15 January 1920, he wrote in Maan Ääni newspaper that Europe should consider the question of the United States of Europe. This article made him one of the first important proponents of European integration. He died in Laihia. Bibliography Teerelän perhe (1887) Puukkojunkkarit – kuvauksia nyrkkivallan ajalta (1894) (full text) Murtavia voimia (1896) (full text) Jaakko Jaakonpoika (1913) (full text) Uusi aika (1914) Patriarkka (1916) Ihminen ja kansalainen (1919) Yhteiskunnallista ja valtiollista (1919) Maalaispolitiikkaa I–II (1919, 1921) Kootut teokset I–XIII (1919–1928) Valitut teokset (1953) References External links Keskusta-party web-page 1862 births 1930 deaths People from Laihia People from Vaasa Province (Grand Duchy of Finland) Young Finnish Party politicians Centre Party (Finland) politicians Ministers of Social Affairs of Finland Members of the Parliament of Finland (1907–08) Members of the Parliament of Finland (1909–10) Members of the Parliament of Finland (1910–11) Members of the Parliament of Finland (1911–13) Members of the Parliament of Finland (1916–17) Members of the Parliament of Finland (1917–19) Members of the Parliament of Finland (1919–22) People of the Finnish Civil War (White side) Writers from Ostrobothnia (region) Finnish temperance activists