Jaakko Paavolainen

Jaakko Paavolainen (23 July 1927 in Viipuri – 30 October 2007 in Helsinki), was a Finnish historian, PhD 1966. He became professor in history at Turku University 1986-1989.

Jaakko Paavolainen published his much noticed results about the red terror and white terror during the Finnish civil war in three volymes and has also published a biography of Väinö Tanner (4 parts, 1977–89). His boyhood memories från Carelia he pictures in Lapsuus Kanneljärvellä (1982) and the life of his cousin Olavi Paavolainen in a 1992 published volume.

Jaakko Paavolainen is the son of Erkki Paavolainen and the father of Pentti Paavolainen (b. 1953), professor in arts research at Teaterhögskolan.