Start of Finnish Civil War

Date: January 26, 1918 • Location: Kallio, Finland

This milestone marked the outbreak and beginning of this historic period, which spanned 1918.

A group of Red Guards hung a red lantern atop the tower of the Helsinki Workers' House, symbolically marking the start of the Finnish Civil War.

The Red Guards were the paramilitary units of the labour movement in Finland during the early 1900s. The Red Guards formed the army of Red Finland and were one of the main belligerents of the Finnish Civil War in 1918.