Conflict of 1918 in Finland - Essay Example

?AR Conflict of 1918 in Finland Conflict of 1918 in Finland Introduction In the history of the world many ups and downs have been witnessed which pertain to the freedom of individuals. Countries have either become independent or have been conquered by super powers. Finland is one such country which has a history of bloodshed along with different movements which led to its independence. Finland was ruled over by the Soviet Union in the beginning of the twentieth century but soon after a movement was seen in the country which led to its independence. The movement has become known to be a civil disobedience movement launched by the citizens of Finland but on the other hand some people deny calling it a civil disobedience movement but rather call it a war of independence fought by the citizens of Finland. Different events led to the war fought between the citizens of Finland and these shall be analyzed in this essay. The citizens of Finland were divided into the Democrats (Reds) and Conservatives (Whites) and they both fought with each other to retain power of the state. All this happened in the year 1918 when Russia itself became affected by the World War One. World War I is known to play a significant role in the independence of Finland. In my view 1918 was a year in which civil disobedience movement was launched by the two factions which ultimately led to the independence of the state. In other words the movement started as a civil disobedience movement but turned out to be a war of independence because of the events that took place in the World War I (Arter 1999; Jussila et al 1999; Alapuro 1998; Jutikkala et al 2003). Start of the Conflict The Civil war in Grand Duchy started in the 1918 but it could always be expected after the growing tensions between Russia and Germany in 1914. Finland had been a source of raw material, weapons and army and it was the interest of both the states from the very beginning. The German empire always had a keen interest in the state of Finland as it provided a path for entering Russia. In the nineteenth century the relations between the Finnish and Russians were quite peaceful because of which there were no conflicts in between them. However after 1899, Russia began the process of Russification in which they integrated the Russian language in all the schools of Finland and tried to enhance their military power on the Grand Duchy. This was considered as the beginning of the oppression in Finland. The relationships between Russia and Finland were thereafter not peaceful as they used to be. The problems were further aggravated when the Tsar of Finland Nicholas II carried out the activities of Russification in throughout the beginning of the 20th century. His policies were not famous amongst the working class people of Finland and many workers were opposing his activities. Nicholas II made the parliament a mere advisor and snatched away all the powers from the Parliament. Hence it was Nicholas II who was to decide everything on the issues of Finland. This led to the famous revolutions known as February Revolution and the October Revolution (Alapuro 1988; Jussila et al 1999). February Revolution The Russification of Finland did not stop but rather a second wave of Russification started in 1908 and it did not stop until the Finns took an action. The Russian Tsars Nicholas II was removed from the parliament in 1917 to provide all the rights to the parliament which they deserved. The February Revolution took place because of the downfall of the Russian empire in 1917 following the World War I. The power of Tsar were transferred to the Russian Duma and provisional government following the revolution. The status of Finland was revived as an autonomous state as it used to be without any interference of the Russian Empire in its policies (Smith 1955; Jussila et al 1999). After revolts in Russia the power was transferred to the four main parties in Finland which were Finnish Party, Young Finnish Party, Agarian League and Swedish People’s Party. The problem of civil disobedience movement started after 1917 revolt in Russia when the Finns were not able to divide the power granted to them accordingly. The Finns did not have a controlling party after Russia became unstable and the Democrats and Conservatives feared their own downfall after power was handed to the state. The Democrats won a considerable majority in the elections of 1916 and formed the Senate in 1917. The new Senate was unable to solve the problems of the state because of its weak nature and this led to a wide spread strikes and disobedience movements. Following the February revolution more problems arose in the state because of food shortage. It was seen that Russia was a source of supply of food for Finland but after the war Russia could not export its products to Finland and this resulted in a price fixing accommodation by the government. The farmers of Finland thereby responded with strikes and protests (Katkov 1967; McNeal & Hasegawa 1982). Struggle for Power It was after February Revolution that the struggle of power between the two parties in the country began. The Social Democrats in the state had a chance to win the seats in parliament and achieve political power as they had dominance in the seats which they won in the elections. Conservatives on the other hand did not want to leave their dominion into the hands of the Socialists. Both the parties then had a conflict of power because of which the civil disobedience movement started. The Power Act was enacted in 1917 which ended the power of Russia in Finland and stopped their interference in the state affairs. It enhanced the power of the parliament and the opposition of conservatives in the parliament resigned in response. The Democrats were backed by the Russian Leader Vladmir Lenin and Bolsheviks. The Democrats in 1917 planned a revolt against the provisional government by the backing of Lenin and Bolsheviks. The Power Act was rejected by the Russian parliament and they decided to send troops to Finland in response. Elections were announced in 1917 and the Democrats lost their votes in the parliament. This gave a way to the conservatives to win the elections. The February Revolution resulted in the dissolution of Russia from the politics of Finland and left the state of Finland in a chaos. It was after February Revolution that both the political groups started assembling security forces on their sides so they could fight for power (Smith 1955; Katkov 1967). The groups assembled by the parties were known as the White Guards and the Red Guards. The Red Guards were the ones assembled by labor unions and Democrats. These Red Guards were backed by the Russian government and the White guards were backed by the Germans. The White guards were organized by the conservatives and they wanted to win over the state too. October Revolution The paramilitary groups in Finland were on the rise in November 1917 when both the parties were organizing units in order to gain control of the state. In July 1917 the conservatives formed a government in the state of Finland and on November 27 a cabinet was formed under the supervision of Pehr Evind. It was then decided that Finland be separated from Russia and the military powers in the state are also strengthened. The conservatives tried to establish peace with the Democrats as it was expected that they would revolt in response to the parliamentary elections of 1917. But before the peace process was launched the Germans helped the White Guards with weaponry which reached Finland in a matter of some days. Around 70,000 rifles were sent to these White Guards so that they could take over the power in the state. By January 1918 it was seen that the White Guards had established an army of 408 units along with experienced military training. It was soon after that the Social Democrats backed by Germany launched programs in order to dissolve the parliamentary government. They demanded the disbanding of the civil guards along with the dissolution of the present government. The program launched by the Democrats was known as ‘We Demand’. A strike was launched by the Democrats in November 1917 against the government to get their demands accepted. Finland was a sensitive area for both Germany and Russia as they wanted to seize power of the state so they could fight with each other. The demands of the Democrats were that they wanted to dissolute the parliamentary elections of 1917 which were won by the conservatives. It was because of these conditions that the resentment between the two paramilitary groups increased day by day and led to a war (Karatnycky 2003; Pomper 2010). The program ‘We Demand’ launched by the democrats failed and the conservatives carried on with their government without the involvement of the democrats. The situation in Finland was directly related to Lenin and Bolshevik who were against the Russian government and were probably backed by the Germans. Lenin was sent to Petrogad and finally had to reach Finland but in order to reach Finland the social democrats had to take over the government. Hence Lenin and Bolsheviks urged the democrats to ask for freedom from the government and this led to a wide spread strike in Finland. The strike was quite successful in achieving its aims but the Workers Revolutionary council won the elections with a narrow majority. The strike was then called off as the results were not fruitful enough. After the strike became successful the parliament of Finland was forced to take into consideration the points given out by the democrats. It was here during the strike that many clashes began between the two sides but the clashes were not severe enough to be termed as a war (McDonnell 1994). The probable reason of a war not taking place in those times was that the weaponry possessed by the two sides was not enough. It was after the October Revolution that the sovereignty of Finland was being discussed amongst the masses as Russia was being disintegrated. It was on December 6, 1917 that Finland finally was declared independent under the proposal laid down by Pehr Evind Svinhufvud. Both the socialist and conservative parties agreed on the decision of independence but here also it was not decided as to who would lead the state after the independence. On December 31, 1917 the sovereignty of Finland was finally achieved with the concession of Lenin (Pomper 2010; McDonnell 1994; Karatnycky 2003). Reasons for the Civil War The condition in Finland was getting worst day by day as both the parties were trying to get hold of the power. The Whites were supported by the Germans whereas the Reds were supported by the Russians. It is believed that the Whites aimed to free Finland from the rule of Russia whereas the Reds only wanted to increase their power. The whites believed that if the Reds won the war then Finland would again go into the hands of Russia. But this reason was only secondary as the primary reason for the civil war is cited to be the conditions in which the people were living in those times. The people in Finland did not have a right on their own lands and houses which were under the control of the Russian majesty and this led to a civil disobedience movement. Linna states the reasons of the war in these words “...social problems, hunger and anguish and decades of oppression and injustice" (Linna & Impola 2001). Some reason that the civil war in Finland took place because the Reds were being controlled by the Russians and this is because of which they rejected the bill of independence. But here also a controversy can be clearly seen as the opponents argue that the Reds did not like the articles of the bill of independence as they gave them less power (Lina & Impola 2001). The leadership differences between the two parties were a cause of the civil war in 1918. The excess weaponry which was sent to the guards through different sources was also a source of the civil war in Finland. All the reasons together formed a strong reason for the civil war to take place in the spring of 1918. Civil War – The Beginning The starting events of the civil war were the February and October revolution. The strike was the final blow which saw casualties in Finland and led to a civil war in its later stages. In January 1918 the activities of both White and Red Guards increased which ultimately led to the civil disobedience movement. The workers association formed their own guards and they became known as the Red Guards who then became a part of the Social Democrats. The social democrats backed these red guards with weaponry and other requirements. The Red Guards were leaded by Ali Aaltonen. To counteract the forces of the democrats the conservatives had to take some action too. It was then that the conservatives decided to legalize the White Guards who became a strong police force in the state of Finland. The Senate named these White Guards as the White Finnish Army. Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim was the leader of the White Guards in those times. It is believed that the civil war started from the 17th of January when war was fought in Karelia between the two factions (Suchoples & United States 2007). The mobilization of both the guards took place simultaneously when the Red guards were mobilized on the 27th of January whereas the White guards were mobilized on the 28th of January (Smith 1955). When the war began it was seen that areas were divided amongst the armies of Finland. The Red Guards controlled a specific area of industries and farms whereas the White Guards controlled a major share of the state. The towns controlled by the White guards were Varkaus, Kuopio, Oulu, Raahe, Kemi and Tornio whereas the Red guards controlled the Porvoo, Kirkkonummi and Uusikaupunki. The area controlled by the Red Guards later became known as the Red Finland. Lenin in Russia strongly supported the Red Guards and continuously sent arms and weapons to the army through trains. The other part of Finland became known as the White Finland and its capital was shifted to the city of Vaasa from which it ran all the political and military matters. The White guards were being helped by the arms and weapons of Germany. Both the guards tried to cut the supplies of each other by attacking the railway spots. But it was seen that the supplies of neither guards were affected much by the attacks. The army of the White guards was more than the Red Guards and it was supported by educated and wealthy people. Red Guards were mainly workers who vowed to take back the rights of the workers in Finland (Lavery 2006; Suchoples & United States 2007; Pomper 2010). The Civil War In the war it was seen that the Red Guards dominated at first with the help of the Russian counterparts. They took control of the Finnish capital Helsinki on January 28. This control of the capital could have won the war for them but because of their weak leadership and inexperienced soldiers they could not survive much long in the war. The Red guards were civilians only who were not given proper training, hence they were at loss in the battle fields. The Red Guards could not compete with the experience of the White guards and their leadership and this can clearly be witnessed in the swapping of leadership posts of the Red Guards. The Red Guards were very unsuccessful in their encounters with the White guards and they lost the whole of the Red Finland to the White guards. The Russian army deployed to help the Red Guards did not prove to be effective enough during the course of the war because of their lost interest in Finland. The Russian army could not support the Red Guards after the treaty signed between Germany and Russia on March 3 and thus after March 3 the troops of Russia almost became extinct from the precincts of Finland. The Civil War was lost by the Red Guards only because they did not have experience nor the help of professionals except for some (Kirby & Hamalainen 1980; Suchoples & United States 2007). The White guards on the other hand had experience and the perfect leadership. The troops of the white guards were professionals who had fought previously and were further trained for the purposes of wars. General Mannerheim was their leader who proved to be very effective in carrying out successful plans in the battle fields. It was seen that both the factions of Finland committed many acts of violence against each other. Both the factions executed troops from each other’s factions in order to spread terror across the streets (Lavery 2006; Katkov 2007; Smith 1955). Battle of Tampere Tampere was a place which was controlled by the Red guards and was a stronghold for their army. Thus Mannerheim selected Tampere to decrease the strength of the Red Guards in Finland. The White guards attacked Tampere on March 16 and the Red Guards were totally shaken by the strength of the white guards. The white guards lay siege to the whole town so that the red guards could not escape it. It was a largest war fought between the two major factions of Finland. The battle ended on April 6 with great losses to the army of Red guards. The Red Guards lost 1500 soldiers during the war while the rest of the soldiers either retreated or were imprisoned by the White guards. It was after the Battle of Tampere that the White guards moved towards the strongholds of the Red Guards where they finally captured the cities and won the war. Germany interfered in the civil war by helping the White Guards fight the Russian army. The peace deal between Germany and Russia was shook off by the actions of Trotsky and this made Germany send troops to Finland to wipe out the remaining Russian forces. It was then that forces of Germany entered Helsinki and took over control from Russia (Kirby & Hamalainen 1980; Suchoples & United States 2007; Arter 1999) After the Civil War The Civil War ended on May 14-15 1918 when the Red Guards laid down their arms. The White Guards were the dominant ones in the whole civil war. The Civil War is still remembered in histories because of its controversial nature. It was a fight within a nation between brothers who wanted power. It is estimated that around 40,000 people were killed during the war out of which most of the individuals belonged to the state of Finland. It was seen that after the civil war the Red Guards disbanded and left Finland to immigrate to Russia. After the civil war the Senate was formed by the conservatives and the person leading them was Paasikivi. On the other hand the Democrats suffered great defeats at the hands of the conservatives and most of the revolutionary democrats were removed from the Senate. The Democrats of Finland were then divided into three groups respectively after the civil war. As the White guards had asked the Germans for help during the war it became necessary for the Senate of Finland to abide by the rules of the German empire. Hence the German army was not removed even after the civil war ended in Finland. On October 9 a German Prince Friedrich Karl was chosen to run the state affairs. Here again the sovereignty of Finland was questioned as Germany was now slowly taking over the state of Finland through its resources. The German Prince however left his post on December 20th because of the German defeat in 1918. The German troops also emptied Finland after their defeat in the World War I and this made the way for independence for the Finnish people. The war indirectly turned out to be a war for independence rather than a civil war at this time. Finland was recognized as a sovereign state on May 7 1919 (Jussila et al 1999; Katkov 1967; Smith 1955; Jutikkala 2003). The economic conditions after the civil war were worsened in the state as food supplies were further decreased to the state. Many people in the camps died because of different diseases and starvation. The economics of Finland was not revived until the 1930s when the government took strong economic measures. After the war around 80,000 Red Guards were imprisoned because of their treachery. It was after this event that trials started in order to bring justice to these Red Guards. Many of the Red Guards were given lenient sentences however some were also executed. Some of the individuals who were imprisoned were not guilty and were released in accordance to their crimes. The factions created by the civil war persisted for quite a while in the state of Finland. The presidents who ruled over the state made sure that these problems were eradicated and the people once again lived as Finns and not as Red or White Guards. The White Guards in the civil war won easily over the Red Guards because of their wealthy and educated background. The leadership skills can also be cited here as the White guards were led by an official who had prior military experience. Finland is a developed nation in the twenty first century and has recovered from the problems that it faced in the past (Arosalo 1999; Kirby 2006). A Civil War or a War of Independence? The Civil war fought in 1918 in Finland was a war which led to the independence of the nation. It has been termed by many as a war of independence rather than a war fought between two factions of the nations. In my view it was a civil war fought between two factions which led to the independence of the nation. Both the factions during the war were fighting for the cause of power and not for independence. This can be clearly seen in the actions of Red Guards and White Guards. The White Guards were supported by the Germans whereas the Red Guards were supported by the Russians. After the war ended it was seen that Germany did not give the deserved sovereignty to Finland but rather appointed its own prince over the state. Similarly if the Red Guards had won the war then Russia would have never granted sovereignty to the state. In other words both the factions were making way for the other countries to come and enter to rule and not grant independence to the state. However the events that took place in the wake of civil war were in favor of the sovereignty of Finland and this led to the independence of the state. It can be said that the war was indeed a civil war but led to the fruitful results of independence for Finland (Kirby 2006; Arosalo 1999; Arter 1999; Jussila et al 1999). Conclusion The Civil War in Finland can be rooted to the problems which were brought down by Russification. The problems started from there and the February and October revolution gave a way to the two factions to rise in Finland. The strength of the two factions was further increased by the two rival nations Russia and Germany. The end of the war proved to be fruitful for the independence of Finland as Germany lost the war with allies in 1918. References Arter, D. (1999). Scandinavian politics today. Manchester: Manchester University Press. Bottom of Form Top of Form Jussila, O., Hentila?, S., & Nevakivi, J. (1999). From Grand Duchy to a modern state: A political history of Finland since 1809. London: Hurst & Company. Alapuro, Risto. 1988. State and Revolution in Finland. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. Top of Form Jutikkala, E., Pirinen, K., & Sjo?blom, P. (2003). A history of Finland. Helsinki: Werner So?derstro?m. Top of Form Smith, C. J. (1955). Russia and the origins of the Finnish Civil War of 1918. n.p.. Bottom of Form Top of Form Katkov, G. (1967). Russia, 1917: The February revolution. New York: Harper & Row. Bottom of Form Top of Form McNeal, R. H., & Hasegawa, T. (January 01, 1982). Review of The February Revolution: Petrograd, 1917. The American Historical Review, 87, 3, 825. Top of Form Pomper, P. (2010). Lenin's brother: The origins of the October Revolution. New York: W.W. Norton & Co. Top of Form Karatnycky, A. (January 01, 2003). Putin's October Revolution - A scary time in Russia. National Review, 55,23, 27. Top of Form McDonnell, . L. (1994). October revolution. Staplehurst: Spellmount. Bottom of Form Top of Form Linna, V., & Impola, R. A. (2001). Under the North Star. Beaverton, Ont: Aspasia Books. Top of Form Suchoples, J., & United States. (2007). Finland 1917-1918 in the documents of the US Department of State. Wroclaw: "Atut". Top of Form Lavery, J. E. (2006). The history of Finland. The Greenwood histories of the modern nations. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press. Top of Form Arosalo, S. (August 01, 1999). Social conditions for political violence: red and white terror in the Finnish Civil War of 1918. Peace Research Abstracts, 36, 4.) Bottom of Form Top of Form Kirby, D., & Hamalainen, P. K. (January 01, 1980). Review of In Time of Storm: Revolution, Civil War, and the Ethnolinguistic Issue in Finland. The Journal of Modern History, 52, 1, 176-177. Bottom of Form Top of Form Kirby, D. G. (2006). A concise history of Finland. Cambridge concise histories. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. Read More