Red Guards (Finland)
Encyclopedia
The Red Guards formed the army of Red Finland during the Finnish Civil War
in 1918. The combined strength of the Red Guard was about 30,000 at the beginning of the Civil War, and peaked at 90,000-120,000 during the course of the conflict.
The leadership of the Red Guards altered during the war: Ali Aaltonen
, Eero Haapalainen
, Eino Rahja
and in the end Kullervo Manner
. The government of Red Finland was called "The People's Deputation". The Red Guards were in power from 28 January to the end of April 1918 in southern Finland
.
The Red Guards' general staff were located in Helsinki
; the other major cities controlled by the Red forces were Tampere
, Turku
, Pori
and Viipuri. Red Tampere came to its end on 6 April 1918 after bloody battles when Mannerheim's White Guards conquered the city
.
Thousands of Red Guards were imprisoned, hundreds of them were executed and the rest were transported to POW
camps. Helsinki was in White control by April 12, 1918.
During the general strike of 1905 "National Guards" were formed in Finland. These Guards included both socialists and non-socialists, but eventually they were divided into opposing militias. In that year, however, bloodshed was still avoided.
The last surviving Red Guard, Aarne Arvonen, became Finland's oldest man ever before his death in January 2009.
Finnish Civil War
The Finnish Civil War was a part of the national, political and social turmoil caused by World War I in Europe. The Civil War concerned control and leadership of The Grand Duchy of Finland as it achieved independence from Russia after the October Revolution in Petrograd...
in 1918. The combined strength of the Red Guard was about 30,000 at the beginning of the Civil War, and peaked at 90,000-120,000 during the course of the conflict.
The leadership of the Red Guards altered during the war: Ali Aaltonen
Ali Aaltonen
Ali Aaltonen was a Lieutenant in the Imperial Russian army, journalist, and Finnish socialist leader. He participated in the Russo-Japanese battles as a lieutenant and later in the Russian revolution of 1905. The revolution failed and this led to Alltonen's loss of officer status within the...
, Eero Haapalainen
Eero Haapalainen
Eero Haapalainen , was a Finnish Communist leader. He was born in Kuopio, in eastern Finland. His mother, Wilhelmiina, worked in Minna Canth's fabric shop, and his father, Aaro, was a carpenter....
, Eino Rahja
Eino Rahja
Eino Abramovich Rahja was a Finnish-Russian politician who joined the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party in 1903, becoming aligned with the party's Bolshevik faction. Rahja organized Lenin's temporary escape to Finland in the summer of 1917. During the Finnish Civil War, Rahja was one of the...
and in the end Kullervo Manner
Kullervo Manner
Kullervo Achilles Manner was a Finnish journalist and politician. He was a member of the Finnish parliament, serving as its Speaker in 1917. He was also chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Finland between 1917–1918. During the Finnish Civil War, he led the Finnish People's Delegation...
. The government of Red Finland was called "The People's Deputation". The Red Guards were in power from 28 January to the end of April 1918 in southern Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
.
The Red Guards' general staff were located in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
; the other major cities controlled by the Red forces were Tampere
Tampere
Tampere is a city in southern Finland. It is the most populous inland city in any of the Nordic countries. The city has a population of , growing to approximately 300,000 people in the conurbation and over 340,000 in the metropolitan area. Tampere is the third most-populous municipality in...
, Turku
Turku
Turku is a city situated on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River. It is located in the region of Finland Proper. It is believed that Turku came into existence during the end of the 13th century which makes it the oldest city in Finland...
, Pori
Pori
Pori is a city and municipality on the west coast of Finland. The city is located some from the Gulf of Bothnia, on the estuary of the Kokemäenjoki river, which is the largest in Finland. Pori is the most important town in the Satakunta region....
and Viipuri. Red Tampere came to its end on 6 April 1918 after bloody battles when Mannerheim's White Guards conquered the city
Battle of Tampere
The Battle of Tampere of the Finnish Civil War was fought in Finland in 1918 between Red and White forces. The White forces besieged and captured the main city of the Red Guards, Tampere, taking around 10,000 Red prisoners....
.
Thousands of Red Guards were imprisoned, hundreds of them were executed and the rest were transported to POW
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
camps. Helsinki was in White control by April 12, 1918.
During the general strike of 1905 "National Guards" were formed in Finland. These Guards included both socialists and non-socialists, but eventually they were divided into opposing militias. In that year, however, bloodshed was still avoided.
The last surviving Red Guard, Aarne Arvonen, became Finland's oldest man ever before his death in January 2009.
Strength
| End of 1917 | 20,000 men estimate |
|---|---|
| When the civil war started | 30,000 men |
| Middle of conflict, (Peak) | 90,000+ men |
| In 1920 | Thousands, though all in Russia(Mostly Karelia/St.Petersburg), see Heimosodat Heimosodat The term in Finnish historiography heimosodat in English literally "Kindred Nations Wars", "Wars for kindred peoples" or "Kinship Wars" for Finnic kinship. It is often erroneously translated as "Tribal Wars"... |
See also
- Finnish Socialist Workers' RepublicFinnish Socialist Workers' RepublicThe Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic was a short-lived Finnish socialist government, established by a revolution just prior to the Finnish Civil War and in the aftermath of the October Revolution...
- Red TerrorRed Terror (disambiguation)The Red Terror was a campaign of mass arrests and executions conducted by the Bolshevik government of Soviet Russia in 1918–1922.Red Terror may also refer to:*Communist terrorism*Revolutionary terror...
- White Guards (Finland)