Finnish Civil War

Finnish Civil War
Part of World War I, Russian Civil War and Revolutions of 1917–1923
Ruinous buildings, with only the parts made out of concrete left standing, after the Battle in Tampere.
Tampere's civilian buildings destroyed during the Battle of Tampere
Date
  • 27 January – 15 May 1918
  • (3 months, 2 weeks and 4 days)
Location
Finland
Result

Finnish Whites victory

  • Establishment of the Kingdom of Finland
  • German hegemony until November 1918
  • Division in Finnish society
  • Collapse of the Finnish Reds
Belligerents
Commanders and leaders
Units involved
Order of battle Order of battle
Strength
Casualties and losses
  • Whites
    • 3,500 killed in action
    • 1,650 executed
    • 46 missing
    • 4 prisoner deaths
  • Swedish volunteers
    • 55 killed in action
    • Germans
    • 450–500 killed in action[5]
  • Total
    • 5,700–5,800 casualties (100–200 neutral/White civilians)
  • Reds
    • 5,700 killed in action
    • 10,000 executed
    • 1,150 missing
    • 12,500 prisoners deceased, 700 acute deaths after release
  • Russians
    • 800–900 killed in action
    • 1,600 executed[5]
  • Total
    • 32,500 casualties (100–200 neutral/Red civilians)

The Finnish Civil War[a][b] was a civil war in Finland in 1918 fought for the leadership and control of the country between White Finland and the Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic (Red Finland) during the country's transition from a grand duchy ruled by the Russian Empire to a fully independent state. The clashes took place in the context of the national, political, and social turmoil caused by World War I (Eastern Front) in Europe. The war was fought between the Red Guards, led by a section of the Social Democratic Party, and the White Guards, conducted by the senate and those who opposed socialism with assistance late in the war by the German Imperial Army at the request of the Finnish civil government. The paramilitary Red Guards, which were composed of industrial and agrarian workers, controlled the cities and industrial centres of southern Finland. The paramilitary White Guards, which consisted of land owners and those in the middle and upper classes, controlled rural central and northern Finland, and were led by General C. G. E. Mannerheim.

In the years before the conflict, Finland had experienced rapid population growth, industrialisation, urbanisation and the rise of a comprehensive labour movement. The country's political and governmental systems were in an unstable phase of democratisation and modernisation. The socio-economic condition and education of the population had gradually improved, and national awareness and culture had progressed. World War I led to the collapse of the Russian Empire, causing a power vacuum in Finland, and the subsequent struggle for dominance led to militarisation and an escalating crisis between the left-leaning labour movement and the conservatives. The Reds carried out an unsuccessful general offensive in February 1918, supplied with weapons by Soviet Russia. A counteroffensive by the Whites began in March, reinforced by the German Empire's military detachments in April. The decisive engagements were the Battles of Tampere and Viipuri, won by the Whites, and the Battles of Helsinki and Lahti, won by German troops, leading to overall victory for the Whites and the German forces. Political violence became a part of this warfare. Around 12,500 Red prisoners died of malnutrition and disease in camps. About 39,000 people, of whom 36,000 were Finns, died in the conflict.

In the immediate aftermath, the Finns passed from Russian governance to the German sphere of influence with a plan to establish a German-led Finnish monarchy. The scheme ended with Germany's defeat in World War I, and Finland instead emerged as an independent, democratic republic. The civil war divided the nation for decades. Finnish society was reunited through social compromises based on a long-term culture of moderate politics and religion and a post-war economic recovery.

  1. ^ Including conspirative co-operation between Germany and Russian Bolsheviks 1914–1918, Pipes 1996, pp. 113–149, Lackman 2009, pp. 48–57, McMeekin 2017, pp. 125–136
  2. ^ a b Arimo 1991, pp. 19–24, Manninen 1993a, pp. 24–93, Manninen 1993b, pp. 96–177, Upton 1981, pp. 107, 267–273, 377–391, Hoppu 2017, pp. 269–274
  3. ^ Ylikangas 1993a, pp. 55–63
  4. ^ Muilu 2010, pp. 87–90
  5. ^ a b Paavolainen 1966, Paavolainen 1967, Paavolainen 1971, Upton 1981, pp. 191–200, 453–460, Eerola & Eerola 1998, National Archive of Finland 2004 Archived 10 March 2015 at the Wayback Machine, Roselius 2004, pp. 165–176, Westerlund & Kalleinen 2004, pp. 267–271, Westerlund 2004a, pp. 53–72, Tikka 2014, pp. 90–118


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