Konni Zilliacus facts for kids

Konni Zilliacus (born 13 September 1894 – died 6 July 1967) was a British politician. He was a Member of Parliament (MP) for Gateshead from 1945 to 1950. Later, he represented Manchester Gorton from 1955 until his death. He was a left-wing politician from the Labour Party.

Zilliacus could speak nine languages very well. He spent a lot of his time focusing on international problems. He worked for the League of Nations between the two World Wars. After World War II, he served in the House of Commons. Many people thought he supported communist ideas. This caused disagreements with the Labour Party leaders. In 1949, he was even removed from the party. He lost his seat in parliament in 1950. However, the Labour Party let him rejoin in 1952. He returned to the House of Commons in 1955.

Zilliacus believed in spending less money on weapons. He was one of the first members of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. He also spoke out against the Vietnam War. His father was Konrad Viktor Zilliacus, who was an activist for Finland's independence.

Early Life and Education

Konni Zilliacus was born in Kobe, Japan, in 1894. His father, Konrad Viktor Zilliacus, was a Finnish nationalist who had to leave his home country. His mother was Lilian McLaurin Grafe, who was American. Konni traveled around the world with his parents until 1909. They then settled in England.

Zilliacus went to Bedales School in Hampshire. There, he became friends with the sons of Josiah Clement Wedgwood, another politician. He later studied at Yale University in the United States. He graduated in 1915 as the top student in his class.

World War I and Early Politics

During World War I, Zilliacus wanted to join the British Royal Flying Corps. But he could not because of health reasons. Instead, he worked as an orderly for a French medical team near the war front. He soon got sick with diphtheria and had to leave the medical corps.

Zilliacus returned to Britain and joined the Union of Democratic Control. He also worked for Liberal Party MPs Noel Buxton and Norman Angell. He traveled to Russia with Wedgwood. There, he became interested in the October Revolution. He even shared secret information about Britain's involvement in the Russian Civil War with the newspapers. In 1919, he joined the British Labour Party. He also married Eugenia Nowicka and had a daughter named Stella.

Working for the League of Nations

Because he spoke many languages, Zilliacus found a job with the League of Nations. This was an international organization created to prevent wars. He worked as the British representative alongside Philip Noel-Baker.

In 1931, during the Manchurian Crisis, he helped write speeches for the League's committee. This committee worked with China. He was also the official interpreter for Russian visitors in Geneva. Zilliacus strongly believed that international organizations could prevent wars. He worked hard for the League of Nations. He resigned from his job when Nazi Germany invaded Czechoslovakia.

Time in Parliament

During World War II, Zilliacus worked for the Ministry of Information. He also joined the 1941 Committee.

First Election and Views

In 1945, he was elected as a Member of Parliament for Gateshead. He quickly became known for criticizing the government's foreign policy. He was considered a left-wing voice.

Leaving and Rejoining the Labour Party

Zilliacus was often accused of being a communist. This was because he seemed to support some Soviet policies. He also wrote articles for liberal British newspapers. However, he was not a member of the Communist Party of Great Britain. In 1947, writer George Orwell called him one of the "crypto-communists" in parliament.

In 1949, Zilliacus voted against Britain joining NATO. He continued to openly criticize Foreign Secretary Ernest Bevin and his policies against the Soviet Union. Because of this, he was removed from the Labour Party in 1949. He tried to get re-elected in the 1950 general election, but he lost his seat.

In 1952, the Labour Party allowed him to rejoin. He then won the Manchester Gorton seat in the 1955 general election. He remained an MP until his death in 1967.

Later Years in Parliament

Zilliacus became a founding member of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. In 1961, he was temporarily suspended from the Labour Party. This happened because he wrote an article for a Czech magazine. Zilliacus was a strong supporter of peace. He pushed for less spending on weapons and nuclear testing in the 1950s. He also spoke out against the Vietnam War in the 1960s. He passed away from leukaemia at the age of 72.

Personal Life

Konni Zilliacus married Eugenia Nowicka in 1919. She was a 19-year-old Polish woman he met in Siberia. She took the name Eugenia Nowicka Zilliacus.

He also had a long-term relationship with Jan Trimble, who was the daughter of an American film director. She took the name Zilliacus and they had a daughter together in 1945. The Zilliacus family lived in London. Jan Trimble was a volunteer at the London Zoo and was active in the local Labour Party until her death in 1999.

Works

Zilliacus wrote many articles and books, often using different pen names.