Finnish Civil War

Finns have many names for this conflict: vapaussota (War of Liberty), kansalaissota (Citizens War) or sisällissota (Civil War), luokkasota (Class War), punakapina (Red Rebellion), torpparikapina (Crofters' Rebellion), veljessota (the war between brothers) even vallankumous (Revolution). Present-day historians point out that all of these different names have their merits, although their propagandist charges differ.

The Civil War and the Continuation War have been the two most controversial and emotionally loaded events in the history of modern Finland. They are often seen as the hinges or pivots of Finland's fate; both have also had a great influence on the foreign relations of Finland.

Background

Peasants on the field. Propertyless peasants, who worked rented farms and paid their rent through work, were people who had no political influence in the political system run by the estates.The background of the Civil War can be traced to political polarization caused by the major conflict between Imperial Russia and the autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland, which commenced in 1889 as an outcome of Russian Pan-Slavism, and was intensified in 1899 with the attempted Russification of Finland. As one consequence Finland's army was abolished.

Until then, Finland's Senate had successfully pursued a Conservative-Loyalist policy towards Russia, aiming at securing Finland's vital national interests through domestic autonomy. It was widely recognized that "the people" must be diverted from radical outbursts, which could disturb the Imperial court in Saint Petersburg. As this policy collapsed, both the Left and the Right started to radicalize.

The Rightist radicalization was in response to attempts at Russian cultural and constitutional hegemony, and would ultimately lead to covert collaboration with Imperial Germany, which had emerged as a new Great Power in the Baltic region after its 1871 unification.

The Leftist radicalization was chiefly a reaction to the emergence and growth of a propertyless peasantry, without land of their own to cultivate (Torpparit). The Finns had no traditional experience of this, as they were used to being a people of poor but independent farmers with no lords other than the king and his civil servants. In addition the Industrial Revolution had started to affect southern Finland. It was a good time for trade, and the rift between rich and poor widened.

Public opinion was dominated by the educated classes, and had during the 19th century become used to seeing Finland's problems in terms of culture, language, education and the Constitution. The threat from the common enemy, Russia, veiled the deepening rift between the classes, but when the Russian oppression was mitigated, a frightening conflict surfaced.

The General Strike (1905)

Tensions during Russia's failed war against Japan led, among other things, to a general strike in 1905, during which "Red" (Socialist) "Protection Guards of Workers" (Punakaarti) and "White" (anti-Socialist) Protection Guards (Suojeluskunnat) were organized. The White and Red Guards were typically disguised as fire-brigades, which became a matter of great national concern in Finland.

In an attempt to quell the general unrest, universal suffrage was introduced. This soon led to near 50% turnouts for the Social Democrats, but no improvements for their voters, as legislation was "shared" between the Parliament and the Russian Tsar (in his role as Grand Duke of Finland). The legacy of the 19th century was the widespread belief that Finland's interests were best served by the status quo.

The February Revolution (1917)

On strike in Helsinki, 1917. Workers demanded food and a complete shifting of legislative power from the Russian government to the Finnish parliament.Though the first violent clash between Red and White Guards had begun in July 1906 in Helsinki, renewed Russian oppression had a unifying effect on the Finns and delayed more serious conflict until after the February Revolution in Russia 1917.

After the general elections of 1916, when the Social Democrats had gained an absolute majority in the Parliament of Finland, the Finland's Senate was a broad coalition-cabinet led by Oskari Tokoi, Social Democrat and trade Union leader. His cabinet's attempt to gain increased autonomy failed however. According to the Left wing, this was chiefly due to secret resistance from the non-Socialists and their collaboration with the revolutionary but "bourgeois" Provisional Government under Aleksandr Kerensky in Saint Petersburg.

The Senate's view was that the personal union with Russia ended when the Tsar was dethroned. They expected the Tsar's authority to be transferred to Finland's Parliament, which the Provisional Government of Russia could not accept.

The non-Socialists in the Senate were less than enthusiastic about the Senate's bill (the so-called "Power Act") enacted by the Parliament in July 1917, (particularly with regard to its content on Parliamentarism, on which the Social Democrats had insisted), deeming it both too far-reaching and provocative for Saint Petersburg, but also too radical and dangerous for Finland. The bill restricted Russia's influence on domestic Finnish matters, but didn't touch the Russian government's power on matters of defence and foreign affairs. For the Russian Provisional Government this was, as expected, far too radical. The Parliament was dissolved, and new elections were announced.

Thus it turned out, that from the point of view of the poorest Finns, Oskari Tokoi's Senate's attempt was as much of a failure as universal suffrage had been. Large numbers starved, and unemployment was bad and getting worse. Democracy didn't seem to offer a solution to these problems. Political violence increased during the following election campaign conducted by what their adversaries labeled "Rogue Reds" and "White Butchers" respectively. Subsequently the Left lost their absolute majority in the Parliament.

Finland's autonomy had been restored by the Provisional Government of Russia, but in the process the police force in Finland was virtually abolished. In this situation some of the old "fire-brigades" were revived, simply as an answer to insecurity and lawlessness. General fear was widespread, but the relations between Reds and Whites were still reasonable in many places in Finland. White Guards were organized by leaders of the local societies, usually Conservative academics and industrialists, while the Reds were often collectively invited through their employers or their local labor union.

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