How Marshal Mannerheim saved his country by quitting and telling everyone to fuck off

Desperate times...

More people are becoming aware of the Russian Revolution and Civil War (1917-1921), especially as it relates to the increase in leftwing political violence in America. However, within these massive topics are many smaller conflicts that are just as interesting. One of these is the Finnish Civil War (1918), which saw just five months of fighting between communist “Red” and anti-communist “White” forces.

Although many nations broke away from the Russian Empire after it was hijacked by communism, in the ensuing years nearly all of them would be conquered by the new Soviet Union. The success of Finland in staying independent and free through decades of titanic world events is something that must be studied.

When the Russian Revolution broke out, Finland was in a uniquely stable position compared to other areas. Although part of the Russian Empire, Finland had been a relatively autonomous “Grand Duchy” for more than a century. It had its own unique culture, language, history, and institutions that provided an extra layer of separation from the massive social upheaval that allowed the communists to quickly take control of Russian society.

In 1917, the parliament of Finland declared its formal independence from Russia. For Finnish nationalists, this was the culmination of hundreds of years of struggle against foreign control. The Bolsheviks, communist radicals who had violently seized Russia’s government, quickly issued a decree recognizing Finland as an independent nation.

The Bolsheviks, however, were no friends of Finland. Their move of granting independence was done as part of a cynical divide-and-conquer scheme used on the many different states that broke away from the Russian Empire during that period.

They knew that Finland was traditionally conservative. Rather than fight Finland immediately, and potentially be defeated by united anti-communist forces from all over the collapsing Russian Empire, they thought they would be able to invade Finland later, after it was weakened by the internal divisions that always followed any major political transition like independence. The Bolsheviks quickly began setting up puppet organizations in Finland and preparing for war.

The situation grew more desperate in independent Finland by the day. Although the Bolsheviks had promised to not interfere in Finnish affairs, heavily-armed Bolshevik troops remained stationed in former Imperial Russian military bases all over the country. These troops terrorized the public and provided weapons to Finnish communists. Making matters worse was that the old Russian government had handled law enforcement in Finland before independence. When Finland separated from Russia, the police stopped getting paid and eventually disappeared.

Filling the void left by the old Imperial police in major cities were “worker” police units and “Red Guards” sponsored by the Bolsheviks. These groups were no better than criminal gangs. As the economic situation worsened in Finland due to the chaos of the revolution and World War I, causing massive shortages and the threat of famine, these gangs robbed, extorted, and kidnapped largely without opposition.

Communist unions staged huge strikes in major cities, grinding the already fragile Finnish economy to a halt to extract political concessions. Workers who opposed this terror were ostracized and physically attacked. Conservative Finns, recognizing that newly independent Finland was nearing its own communist revolution, began creating self-defense forces and preparing for the worst.