Yrjö Esalas Emanuel Mäkelin (1 June 1875 – 18 September 1923), was a Finnish Socialist, journalist, a leader of the Finnish labour movement and Member of Parliament 1908–1910, 1913–1918.

Mäkelin was born in Tampere. He was editor of Kansan Lehti (People's Paper), later also of Oikeus (Justice), which he founded in Helsinki, and of Kansan Tahto (People's Will) in Oulu.

Mäkelin wrote several important texts: Finnish Labour Party's 1903 Forssa Declaration on Universal Suffrage; the Red Declaration during 1905 general strike that demanded dissolution of Senate of Finland and universal suffrage, political freedoms, and abolition of censorship.  18 July 1917 Socialist-majority Parliament accepted (pro 135, against 55) a law crafted by his committee to transfer the ultimate political power in Finland to Parliament of Finland.  The Russian Provisional Government chose to ignore the law and dissolved the Parliament of Finland.

After the Finnish Civil War he was captured by the Whites and sentenced to death, later converted to a life sentence.  A general pardon was granted 1922 and Mäkelin was released.  After the division of the Finnish Social Democratic Party, he chose the Communist side, so he was arrested again in August 1923, and then committed suicide in prison in September 1923.

6000–7000 people took part in his funeral in Oulu. A street was later named after him.

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1875 births
1923 suicides
1923 deaths
Politicians from Tampere
People from Häme Province (Grand Duchy of Finland)
Social Democratic Party of Finland politicians
Finnish communists
Members of the Diet of Finland
Members of the Parliament of Finland (1908–1909)
Members of the Parliament of Finland (1909–1910)
Members of the Parliament of Finland (1910–1911)
Members of the Parliament of Finland (1913–1916)
Members of the Parliament of Finland (1916–1917)
Members of the Parliament of Finland (1917–1919)
People convicted of treason against Finland
Prisoners sentenced to death by Finland
Finnish prisoners sentenced to death
People of the Finnish Civil War (Red side)
Recipients of Finnish presidential pardons
Prisoners who died in Finnish detention
Finnish politicians who committed suicide
Drug-related suicides in Finland
People who died by suicide in prison custody