The Prohibition Act expired 90 years ago

When the reading string is opened slightly, 5.4. in 1932 at 10 p.m.

Then the Prohibition Act came to an end and Alkot opened its doors.

From 1919 to 1932, the sale and manufacture of alcohol was banned in Finland. Although alcohol was banned, it was available.

– Alcohol was sold, among other things, as a medicine in pharmacies. The finest restaurants served alcohol throughout the Prohibition Act, but in secret, says the director of the hotel and restaurant museum Anni Pelkonen.

A strong sobriety movement emerged in Finland in the mid-19th century. It particularly affected the labor movement and the countryside. The sober peasant agreed with the notion of a healthy and clean countryside.

In addition, the city had specified where to drink and sell alcohol. Alcohol was banned in the working-class neighborhoods. No restaurants had even been set up in the countryside.

The Prohibition Act had strong support in 20th century Finland.

The aim was to protect the countryside and the working population from the dangers of alcohol. There was a drinking strike movement and marches.

Nevertheless, according to Pelkonen, Finns were quite a sober nation at the beginning of the 20th century when compared to other countries. In the light of statistics, alcohol consumption was lower than elsewhere in Europe.

However, at that time we started talking about the Finnish vodka head and the fact that our drinking habits differ from the drinking habits of other countries.

– The myth was developed under the Prohibition Act to support why alcohol should be banned.

Pelkonen does not deny that there has been problem use and problem behavior in Finland, but the problem may not have been as extensive as has been suggested.

What was the benefit of the Prohibition Act?

The simple answer to the benefits of the Prohibition Act is tax revenue. During the Prohibition Act, a state alcohol store was established, which after the Prohibition Act became Oy Alkoholiliike ab, later Alko.

During the Prohibition Act, the sale of alcohol took place on an exclusive state basis.

When the Prohibition Act was abandoned, the state monopoly continued to regulate the sale and manufacture of alcohol. Exactly regulated was where to buy alcohol, how many places to buy, who was allowed to produce and what was in the product range.

It is often thought that the Prohibition Act would only be a Finnish specialty, but it was also the case in the United States. The law was also planned in Sweden, but in the end it never materialized.

Soviet Russia also had occasional local bans.

Although the sobriety movement was emphasized in the working class, it was glorified in all strata of the people.

Of course, it was thought that civilized people could drink their alcohol properly, and there was no reason to protect it. The finest restaurants were not as tightly regulated as the others. Throughout the Prohibition Act, they served wines, champagne, liqueur, and cognac.

When the inspector arrived, the drinks were quickly hidden. Inspection visits may sometimes also have been known in advance.

How did the Prohibition Act affect our drinking culture?

Prior to the Prohibition Act, there were international-level restaurants in Finland and top continental hotels were established here, such as Kämp and Fennia in Helsinki or club rooms in smaller cities.

According to Pelkonen, the menus in the collections of the hotel and restaurant museum tell about high-quality restaurants. The wine lists were also twenty pages long and many restaurants brought their own drinks to the country.

The Prohibition Act faded this culture for a long time. The Prohibition Act marked the beginning of Alko’s reign, the strict monopoly of which had a major impact on the beverage culture. Of course, the recession and war of the early 1930s left their mark.

Just before the Prohibition Act, cocktail culture and American bars had landed in Finland.

During the Prohibition Act, spirits were highlighted, but it is unclear whether consumption increased overall.

Alcohol was available throughout the Prohibition Act. It was smuggled into the country and enjoyed in homes. Among other things, the gentlemen brought cognac from the trips.

The Prohibition Act caused an explosion in smuggling. If there was no liquor, it was made yourself. Home burning was available especially in rural areas.

If it hadn’t been forbidden?

When the ban came to an end, there was a crowd in front of the shops. Some customers even came to the street to queue at night.

In places, the rush was so loud that the cash registers came loose from their joints as people crammed inside.

There was a false rumor in the shop that the first customers would get a bottle of liquor for free.

Although the Prohibition Act had expired, the purchasing situation in the store was highly controlled.

Price lists were on display, but there was no information about today’s customer service.

What would have been different if there had been no prohibition law?

Pelkonen reminds that he has a cultural-historical perspective on alcohol and the Prohibition Act, so he does not take a position on public health.

“In Finland, restaurants are often seen as one-sided places where alcohol is consumed. In conversations, the restaurant is always linked to alcohol. The same has been seen in the speeches of the Korona era, Pelkonen reflects.

He regrets that Finland has not developed a tradition of developing rural restaurants from local ingredients and traditional dishes. This has an effect on the type of food eaten in Finnish restaurants.

– We have only had international restaurant food for a long time, not Finnish. The development of Finnish restaurant food did not materialize for a long time.

Decades of regulation

Since the war, Finnish alcohol policy has taken steps towards liberation.

During the war, store certificates had been introduced, which in folklore turned into vodka cards.

The customer had to register in one store, so that his consumption could be monitored. If it was excessive, there was an interview and a home visit.

Buyer surveillance ended in 1958, but the store certificate served as proof of identity until the 1970s.

In the late 1950s, consumption began to be directed towards softer beverages and consumers were introduced to wines. The background was the image of a European drinking culture.

In 1962, an experiment with a beer restaurant began, in order to find out how a more relaxed beer restaurant is suitable for Finns.

In 1969, the Central Beer Act was enacted and III beers were allowed to be sold in grocery stores.

There was a backlash in the 1970s, as with medium beer, total alcohol consumption increased as availability increased. Many municipalities banned the sale and drinking of beer.

In 1995, Finland’s EU membership was a big change. Alko’s monopoly ended and the outing of small breweries began, among other things.

In 2018, the sale of alcohol from restaurants and small breweries was allowed.

Alko’s first full-service self-service store was opened in 1971, and the last counter store was closed in Kruununhaka, Helsinki, in 1998.