The Red Guards were the armed forces of the unrecognized Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic in southern Finland during the 1918 Finnish Civil War. The Red Guards were formed in 1905 during the failed 1905 Revolution against the Russian Empire, being disbanded in 1907 after it was quelled. However, in 1917 the Red Guards were raised once more after the Russian Revolution, fighting against Carl Mannerheim's Finnish White Guards during the Finnish Civil War in 1918 after Finland became an independent yet weak country. The Red Guards controlled southern Finland, including the capital of Helsinki, while Tampere, Turku, Pori, and Viipuri served as other Red Guards strongholds. However, from January to May 1918, the White Guards succeeded in destroying the Red Guards and seizing their power bases, preventing Finland from following in the footsteps of the neighboring Soviet Union. It had a maximum of 120,000 troops during the conflict, and on 15 May 1918 "Red Finland" came to an end with the Finnish White Guards' capture of Helsinki and the other major Finnish cities.
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