Finnish Civil War

The Finnish Civil War was a civil war in Finland between January 27 and May 15, 1918 that was fought between the Reds and the Whites. The Reds were led by a section of the Social Democratic Party and were supported by Soviet Russia. The Whites were led by the conservative-based Senate (government) and were supported by the Imperial German Army. The Whites won the war. As a result, Russian influence on Finland decreased, but the Finnish people continued to be divided for a long time.

Background

The Russian Empire had broken after the First World War, and Finland had gained independence on 6 December 1917. The Finns did not agree on how Finland should be governed.

Aftermath

The war divided Finland for a long time. After the war, about 80,000 Reds had to go to prison camps.^[1] About 1,300 of them died because of diseases and hunger, and about 500 of them were sentenced to death.^[1]

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Hämäläinen, Eenariina; Kohi, Antti; Päivärinta, Kimmo; Vihervä, Vesa; Vihreälehto, Ira (2012). Forum 7 Historia. Otava. ISBN 9789511252825.

[:0-1] 1.0 ^1.1 Hämäläinen, Eenariina; Kohi, Antti; Päivärinta, Kimmo; Vihervä, Vesa; Vihreälehto, Ira (2012). Forum 7 Historia. Otava. ISBN 9789511252825.

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