Career
He is also considered to be the ideological father of Finnish Centre Party. Alkio"s parents were Juho and Maria (née Jakku) Filander. Initially Santeri Alkio was active in the Young Finnish Party, but in the end decided it was too liberal for the farming population.
Urbanized parties did not, in his estimation, pay enough attention to the causes that were most important to farmers.
Alkio became the chief ideologue of the Maalaisliitto, and is still considered the father of the party in spirit. The party still refers to alkioish tendencies in some of its factions.
He was vice-chairman of the Eduskunta in 1917 and 1918, and minister of social affairs from 1919–1920. He was the minister of social affairs of the Vennola government from (15 August 1919 – 15 March 1920).
An ardent temperance-movement activist, he participated in drafting the Finnish Prohibition and also was the minister responsible for the confirmation of president K. J. Ståhlberg.
Alkio was an extremely prolific author He founded the newspaper Ilkka and was its editor through the years 1906–1930. His likeness graced a Finnish stamp on 17 July 1962.
Alkio"s views
Alkio was a fervent spokesman for democracy and Finnish national independence.
Despite 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 Acting (Lex Tulenheimo) while the parties on the right still opposed lieutenant Alkio thought the red revolt supported by Russian soldiers was an attempt to return Finland to Soviet Russia: "lieutenant is meant to set Finnish independence at nought." ("Senator 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.