The Finnish declaration of independence sparked a civil war in Finland between the Whites, supported by German troops who landed in the country, and the Reds, both Finnish and Russian, who occupied the country. The Whites won the civil war in May 1918. Not without massacres on the part of the Whites as well: 8,000 Reds were shot and another 20,000 died of hunger and hardship. This was the first of three wars the Finns fought and won against the Soviets during the 20th century. (An unmatched record.)
