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. About 1,300 of them died because of diseases and hunger, and about 500 of them were sentenced to death.

References

Category:History of Finland
Category:Civil wars involving Europe
Category:1910s conflicts
Category:1918 in Europe
Category:20th century in Finland