Herman Gummerus facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Herman Gummerus
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Herman Gummerus
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| Born |
Herman Gregorius Gummerus
24 December 1877 |
| Died | 18 July 1948 (aged 70) |
| Citizenship | Finnish |
| Occupation | Classics lecturer |
| Employer | University of Helsinki |
| Known for | Politician, diplomat |
| Political party | Patriotic People's Movement |
Herman Gregorius Gummerus (born December 24, 1877 – died July 18, 1948) was an important Finnish historian and diplomat. He was also one of the people who helped start a political group called the Patriotic People's Movement.
Contents
Early Life and Studies
Herman Gummerus was born in Saint Petersburg into a family that spoke Swedish. He became an expert on the way people lived and worked in Ancient Rome. He taught at the University of Helsinki for many years, from 1911 to 1920 and again from 1926 to 1947. He first studied in Helsinki. Later, he learned more about ancient history in Berlin, Germany.
Academic Career
Studying Ancient Rome
Gummerus was very interested in the daily life of people in the countryside during the later years of the Roman Empire. He wrote many books and articles about this topic. His main research looked at large Roman farms. He studied old writings from famous Roman authors like Cato, Varro, and Columella.
He also studied the economic system of the Roman Empire. This means he looked at how money, goods, and services were produced and exchanged. He used Archeological artifacts in his research. This was a new way of studying history at the time. His methods were used by other historians later on.
Political Career
Working for Finnish Independence
Herman Gummerus strongly believed that Finland should be an independent country. Because of his beliefs, he was put in prison in 1904. He spent time in the Peter and Paul Fortress in Russia.
Later, he edited a magazine called Framtid. In 1915, he helped create a group in Germany called the Wetterhof Bureau. This group worked against Russia's control over Finland. It was later renamed the Finnish Bureau.
Diplomat and Politician
After Finland became independent, Gummerus worked as a diplomat. He was sent to Stockholm, Sweden, and Kiev, Ukraine. In Ukraine, he helped set up a Finnish office during Ukraine's short period of independence.
From 1920 to 1925, he was Finland's representative in Rome, Italy. While living in Italy, he became interested in the growing fascist movement there.
When he returned to Finland, he helped start the Patriotic People's Movement (IKL). This group was a continuation of an earlier movement. Gummerus was a conservative person. He wanted his party to work with another political party in Finland. However, many members of the IKL did not agree with him.
The IKL also strongly supported the Finnish language. This was a challenge for Gummerus, who spoke Swedish. He left the movement in 1934 and stopped being involved in active politics.
Views on Sweden
Even though he spoke Swedish, Gummerus later criticized Sweden. He disagreed with a report from Sweden's former foreign minister. This report said that Sweden only wanted Finland to be a good neighbor during the Åland crisis. Gummerus argued that Sweden's actions made Finland feel distrustful. He believed this created suspicion between the two countries.
