no other reason than that the parliamentary changes brought the new franchise, which brought a tenfold increase in the number of voters.

As a result of these changes, the Pro-Swedes lost the most ground. Previously, they had held a majority in two Estates, so that it had been impossible to reach any Diet decisions without their approval, while in the new parliament the Swedes faced the prospect of holding but one-eighth of all the seats, and that only if all Swedish-speaking Finns gave that party their vote. The Swedes perforce organized their party on a new basis: with the aim of safeguarding the linguistic and cultural advantages they possessed, they tried to unite all Swedish-speaking Finns, regardless of what class of society they belonged to, within the Swedish Peoples' Party (Svenska folkpartiet). Their social platform consequently remained a cautious one, and the Swedish-speaking population, fearing that Swedish influence would otherwise be at the mercy of a victorious Finnish trend, was generally gathered into the fold. (In 1956, the party still existed, and its program still remained, unchanged.)

The Finnish or Old Finnish party, on the other hand, adopted a radical social program and, above all, a sharply pro-Finnish stand which was greatly to its advantage, since its strongest opponent, the Young Finns, were in coalition with the Swedes. The Young Finns, therefore, also had to adjust their program in an attempt to increase their influence. In social issues their program became almost as radical as that of the Old Finns, with demands for improvements in the lot of tenant farmers and cotters and industrial workers, in the realization of compulsory education, the advancement of temperance, and so forth. (After the battles for Finnish independence in 1918, both these parties disappeared when new political parties were formed.)

A totally new party on the scene was the Agrarian League, founded in 1906. As its name indicated, it was concerned primarily with representing the rural population and small farmers, and in constitutional issues it followed the line of the Young Finns, but in the language issue it took a somewhat stronger stand. (In 1956, the Agrarian League was Finland's second largest political party.)

The battle for parliamentary reforms meant a period of rapid progress for the Social Democratic Party. The general strike had been a touchstone for the labor movement, and the party had come through with increased strength. Previously, the ordinary people had lived their day to day existence without concerning

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