Julio Reuter’s mentor, Otto Donner, also began Reuter’s political career, when he arranged for Reuter to travel to England in February 1899 to manage anti-Russian communications. In 1901, Reuter became secretary of the clandestine organisation the Kagal, and he disseminated political propaganda, particularly among the Anglo-Saxon press.

Through passive resistance and propaganda, the Kagal attempted to oppose Russification efforts in Finland. The society was founded in September 1901, and its leadership included Heikki Renvall and P. E. Svinhufvud. In May 1902, a similar organisation for women was established, its leaders including the likes of Tekla Hultin. The Kagal’s operations were short-lived, and had all but ceased by November 1905.

In 1918, Reuter participated in the delegation which petitioned the Danish, Norwegian and US governments to recognise Finnish independence. Finland dispatched several delegations to announce Finland’s declaration of independence and secure recognition for it. The first to recognise Finnish independence were Sweden, Russia and France on January 4, 1918. Within a week, Denmark and Norway, among others, also recognised Finnish independence, but it was not until the spring of 1919 that the US followed suit.

In 1919, Mahatma Gandhi joined the Indian resistance movement, simultaneously making passive resistance a topical issue in Finland too. As a result, Reuter took on the task of writing the history of the Kagal, which he completed in 1927.

• M. Väisänen, Reuter, Julio (1863–1937), National biography. Accessed July 8, 2015 (available for from on the Nelli portal)
• J. N. Reuter, Wikipedia. Accessed July 8, 2015
• Kagaali, Wikipedia. Accessed July 8, 2015
• Euroopan maat tunnustavat Suomen itsenäisyyden - vivat, floreat, crescat, (‘European countries recognise Finnish independence – vivat, floreat, crescat’ ) Ministry of Foreign Affairs 90th anniversary website.