Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic
Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1918 | |||||||||
| Capital | Helsinki | ||||||||
| Common languages | Finnish, Swedish | ||||||||
| Government | Socialist republic | ||||||||
• Chairman of the Finnish People's Delegation | Kullervo Manner | ||||||||
| Legislature | Finnish People's Delegation | ||||||||
| Historical era | |||||||||
• Established | 29 January 1918 | ||||||||
• Disestablished | 5 May 1918 | ||||||||
| Currency | Markka | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| Today part of | Finland Russia | ||||||||
The Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic (FSWR), more commonly referred to as Red Finland, was a self-proclaimed socialist state in Finland during the Finnish Civil War from January to May 1918.
The FSWR was established by the Finnish People's Delegation, a government formed by members of the Social Democratic Party to rival the existing Government of Finland, with support of the Red Guards. The FSWR controlled the capital Helsinki and most of southern Finland until March. Kullervo Manner served as its sole leader as Chairman of the Central Committee of the Finnish People's Delegation. The FSWR collapsed when the Red Guards were defeated by the White Finns and Germany, with Manner and most of the Finnish People's Delegation fleeing to Soviet Russia.
The name "Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic" (Finnish: Suomen sosialistinen työväentasavalta) appeared only in the Treaty between Finnish People's Delegation and Russian Council of People's Commissars, signed on 1 March 1918. The People's Delegation had earlier used the name Republic of Finland (Suomen tasavalta), but Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin proposed adding "Socialist Workers' Republic" into the name during negotiations. The People's Delegation later blamed its delegates for succumbing to Lenin's demand, since the official name of the state should have been decided by the Finns themselves.