Whites (Finland)

Common card · No. 224175

White Finland is the informal name for the part of Finland controlled by the Finnish government, the Senate, during the Finnish Civil War of 1918. Its forces, known as the White Guard, led by Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim, fought against the forces of the rival Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic, known as the "Reds". At the start of the civil war, the Whites controlled the majority of Finland's territory, chiefly its central and northern areas. These were largely rural areas however, and most industrial centres, including the capital of Helsinki, were under Red control, forcing the senate to relocate to the coastal city of Vaasa. Imperial German support, coupled with a comparatively lacklustre Soviet support for the Finnish Reds helped the Finnish Whites ultimately win the short but brutal civil war. The Whites also enjoyed support from Swedish and Estonian volunteers, as well as the Polish Legion in Finland and some Russian White Guards. "White Finland" would end with the decision to proclaim...

Read on Wikipedia · Image Original map of the War: Ville Virrankoski. Base map of Finland in 1918: Jniemenmaa, CC BY-SA 3.0