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[[Category:Miersa]]{{Infobox country
[[Category:East Miersa]][[Category:Socialism (Kylaris)]]{{Infobox political party
|conventional_long_name = Miersan Socialist Republic
| name = Miersan Section of the Workers' International
|native_name = ''Mierska Socjalistyczna Republika''
| native_name = Mierska Sekcja Międzynarodówki Robotniczej
|common_name = East Miersa
| logo = MSMR emblem.png
|image_flag = East Miersa flag.svg
| logo_size = 150px
|alt_flag =           <!--alt text for flag (text shown when pointer hovers over flag)-->
| logo_alt =
|flag_border = no
| caption =
|image_flag2 =       <!--e.g. Second-flag of country.svg-->
| colorcode = #CC0000
|alt_flag2 =         <!--alt text for second flag-->
| abbreviation = '''MSMR'''
|flag2_border =       <!--set to no to disable border around the flag-->
| leader =  
|image_coat = East Miersa Arms.svg
| president =  
|alt_coat =           <!--alt text for coat of arms-->
| chairperson =       <!-- or | chairman = -->
|symbol_type =  
| general_secretary = [[Marek Mackiewicz]] (1959-1967)
|symbol_footnote =    <!--optional reference or footnote for the symbol caption-->
| first_secretary =
|national_motto = "''Przerwij Łańcuchy!''" <br><small>"Break the Chains!"</small>
| secretary_general =  
|englishmotto =       <!--English language version of motto-->
| presidium = [[Miersan Section of the Workers' International#Organisation|Organisation and Policy Committee]]
|national_anthem = [[Hymn Socjalistyczna Republika]]<br><small>"Hymn of the Socialist Republic"</small><br>
| standing_committee =
[[File:MediaPlayer.png|link=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VkE6PiwZfQ|200px]]
| secretary =
|royal_anthem =       <!--in inverted commas and wikilinked if link exists-->
| spokesperson =     <!-- or | spokesman = -->
|other_symbol_type = <!--Use if a further symbol exists, e.g. hymn-->
| leader1_title =  
|other_symbol =
| leader1_name =  
|image_map = East Miersa map.png
| leader2_title =  
|loctext =           <!--text description of location of country-->
| leader2_name =  
|alt_map =           <!--alt text for map-->
| leader3_title =  
|map_caption = Location of East Miersa (dark green) and claimed but uncontrolled territories (light green) in [[Euclea]].
| leader3_name =  
|image_map2 =         <!--Another map, if required-->
| leader4_title =  
|alt_map2 =           <!--alt text for second map-->
| leader4_name =  
|map_caption2 =       <!--Caption to place below second map-->
| leader5_title =  
|capital = [[Żobrodź]] (''de jure'')<br>[[Dyńsk]] (''de facto'')
| leader5_name =  
|capital2 =          <!--Name of country/territory's capital, wikilinked if link exists-->
| founder =          <!-- or | founders = -->
|coordinates =       <!-- Coordinates for capital, using {{tl|coord}} -->
| founded = {{start date|1897|09|28}} (as MSdPR)<br>{{start date|1901|02|02}} (as MSMR)
|largest_city = [[Dyńsk]]
| registered =  
|official_languages = {{wp|Polish language|Miersan}}
| legalised =  
|national_languages = <!--Country/territory-wide languages recognised but not necessarily in country/territory-wide law, etc-->
| dissolved = {{start date|1967|10|21}}
|regional_languages = {{wp|Wenedyk|Selórzan}}, {{wp|Silesian language|Chrebian}}, {{wp|Hungarian language|Savader}}
| merger =  
|languages_type =     <!--Use to specify a further type of language, if not official, national or regional-->
| split =  
|languages =         <!--Languages of the further type-->
| predecessor =  
|languages_sub =     <!--Is this further type of language a sub-item of the previous non-sub type? ("yes" or "no")-->
| merged =  
|languages2_type =   <!--Another further type of language-->
| successor = [[Miersan Section of the Workers' International (Continuation)|MSMR-C]]
|languages2 =         <!--Languages of this second further type-->
| headquarters = [[Żobrodź]] (1897-1938)<br>[[Dyńsk]] (1938-1967)
|languages2_sub =    <!--Is the second alternative type of languages a sub-item of the previous non-sub type? ("yes" or "no")-->
| newspaper = ''Dźwięk Socjalizmu''<br><small>(''the Sound of Socialism'')</small>
|ethnic_groups = Miersan (71.6%)<br>Selórzan (11.2%)<br>Chrebian (10.8%)<br>Savader (2.2%)<br>Other (4.2%)
| think_tank =  
|ethnic_groups_year = 2016
| student_wing =  
|religion = Irreligious (54.2%)<br>Catholicism (27.4%)<br>Episemialism (11.8%)<br>Other (6.6%)
| youth_wing = [[Miersan Section of the Workers' International#Sons and Daughters of the Revolution|SiCR]]
|religion_year = 2016
| womens_wing =
|demonym = East Miersan<br>Miersan
| wing1_title = Trade union wing
|government_type = {{wp|Federation|Federal}} {{wp|socialist state|socialist}} {{wp|soviet democracy|council republic}}
| wing1 = [[Congress of Miersan Trade Unions|KMZZ]]
|leader_title1 = [[Premier of East Miersa|Premier]]
| wing2_title =  
|leader_name1 = [[Anna Wlodarska]]
| wing2 =  
|leader_title2 =  
| wing3_title =  
|leader_name2 =
| wing3 =  
<!--......-->
| wing4_title =  
|leader_title14 =      <!--(up to 14 distinct leaders may be included)-->
| wing4 =  
|leader_name14 =
| membership_year = 1967
|legislature = [[People's Congress of East Miersa|People's Congress]]
| membership = 3.4 million
|upper_house =       <!--Name of governing body's upper house, if given (e.g. "Senate")-->
| ideology = {{wp|Communism}}<br>{{wp|Council communism}}<br>{{wp|Left-wing nationalism}}
|lower_house =       <!--Name of governing body's lower house, if given (e.g. "Chamber of Deputies")-->
| position = {{wp|Far-left politics|Far-left}}
|sovereignty_type = Formation
| religion =  
|sovereignty_note =  
| national =  
|established_event1 = [[Union of the Three Crowns]]
| regional =         <!-- or | regional affiliation = -->
|established_date1 = 1257
| european =  
|established_event2 = [[Miersan Intrregnum|Interregnum]]
| continental =       <!-- or | continental affiliation = -->
|established_date2 = 1623
| international = [[Congress of the Workers' International]]
|established_event3 = [[First Miersan Revolt|Final Partition]]
| europarl =  
|established_date3 = 1687
| affiliation1_title =  
|established_event4 = [[Godfredson Plan]]
| affiliation1 =  
|established_date4 = 1936
| affiliation2_title =
|established_event5 = [[Miersan War#Treaty of San Alessandro|Treaty of San Alessandro]]
| affiliation2 =
|established_date5 = 1982
| colours = {{colorbox|#CC0000}} Red
<!--......-->
| slogan = {{wp|Workers of the world, unite!|"''Proletariusze wszystkich krajów, łączcie się!''" <br><small>"Workers of the world, unite!"</small>}}
|established_event13 = <!--(up to 13 distinct events may be included)-->
| anthem = {{wp|The Standard of Revolt|Czerwony sztandar}}<br><small>"The Red Banner"</small><br>
|established_date13 =
[[File:MediaPlayer.png|link=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emgfZUQYHGg|200px]]
|area_rank =  
| blank1_title =  
|area_magnitude =
| blank1 =  
|area =
| blank2_title =  
|area_km2 = 197,568
| blank2 =  
|area_sq_mi =
| blank3_title =  
|percent_water =
| blank3 =  
|area_label = Total
| blank4_title =  
|area_label2 =        <!--Label below area_label (optional)-->
| blank4 =  
|area_data2 =         <!--Text after area_label2 (optional)-->
| seats1_title =  
|population_estimate = 21,740,000
| seats1 =            <!-- {{Infobox political party/seats|50|100|hex=#ff0000}} -->
|population_estimate_rank =  
| seats2_title =  
|population_estimate_year = 2017
| seats2 =  
|population_census =  
| seats3_title =  
|population_census_year =  
| seats3 =  
|population_density_km2 = 110.04
| seats4_title =      <!-- up to | seats11_title = -->
|population_density_sq_mi = 284.10
| seats4 =           <!-- up to | seats11 = -->
|population_density_rank =  
| symbol =  
|nummembers =        <!--An alternative to population for micronation-->
| flag = MSMR flag.png
|GDP_PPP =                    <!--(Gross Domestic Product from Purchasing Power Parity)-->
| flag_title =
|GDP_PPP_rank =  
| flag_alt =
|GDP_PPP_year =
| website =  
|GDP_PPP_per_capita =
| country = East Miersa
|GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank =  
| country_dab1 = East Miersa
|GDP_nominal = $562.718 billion
| parties_dab1 =  
|GDP_nominal_rank =  
| elections_dab1 =  
|GDP_nominal_year = 2015
| country2 =  
|GDP_nominal_per_capita = $25,884
| country_dab2 =  
|GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank =  
| parties_dab2 =  
|Gini =  
| elections_dab2 =  
|Gini_ref =                    <!--(for any ref/s to associate with Gini number)-->
| footnotes =  
|Gini_rank =  
|Gini_change =  
|Gini_year =  
|HDI_year =  
|HDI =  
|HDI_change =  
|HDI_rank =  
|HDI_ref =            <!--(for any ref/s to associate with HDI number)-->
|currency = East Miersan grosz
|currency_code = EMG
|time_zone =  
|utc_offset =  
|time_zone_DST =      <!--Link to DST (Daylight Saving Time) used, otherwise leave empty-->
|utc_offset_DST =     <!--in the form "+N", where N is number of hours offset-->
|DST_note =           <!--Optional note regarding DST use-->
|antipodes =         <!--Place/s exactly on the opposite side of the world to country/territory-->
|date_format =  
|drives_on =  
|cctld = .miw
|iso3166code =       <!--Use to override default from common_name parameter above; omit using "omit".-->
|calling_code =  
|patron_saint =       <!--Use patron_saints for multiple-->
|image_map3 =         <!--Optional third map position, e.g. for use with reference to footnotes below it-->
|alt_map3 =           <!--alt text for third map position-->
|footnote_a =         <!--For any footnote <sup>a</sup> used above-->
|footnote_b =         <!--For any footnote <sup>b</sup> used above-->
<!--......-->
|footnote_h =         <!--For any footnote <sup>h</sup> used above-->
|footnotes =         <!--For any generic non-numbered footnotes-->
}}
}}
The '''Miersan Section of the Workers' International''' ({{wp|Polish language|Miersan}}: ''Mierska Sekcja Międzynarodówki Robotniczej''), also known by the abbreviation '''MSMR''', was a {{wp|communism|communist}} political party in [[Miersa]] that existed from 1895 to 1967. Initially an advocate of revolutionary internationalism during the [[Great War (Kylaris)|Great War]] it became a Miersan nationalist party. It ruled the [[East Miersa|east]] from 1936 to 1967 where it espoused {{wp|council communism}} on the [[Valduvia]]n model.


The '''Miersan Socialist Republic''' ({{wp|Polish language|Miersan}}: ''Mierska Socjalistyczna Republika''), also known as '''East Miersa''' ({{wp|Polish language|Miersan}}: ''Mierska Wschodnia''), is a sovereign state in [[Euclea|central Euclea]], comprising the eastern portion of the historical nation of [[Miersa]]. It is bordered by [[Velzemia]] and [[Swetania]] to the north, by [[Aimilia]] and [[Gaullica]] to the east, and ??? to the south. To the west, it is bordered by [[West Miersa]], though like its western counterpart, East Miersa claims to be the legitimate government of the entire Miersan basin. The country has an area of 197,568 km<sup>2</sup> (76,281 sq mi) and a population of 21.7 million. According to the constitution, [[Żobrodź]] is the ''de jure'' capital, but [[Dyńsk]] is the ''de facto'' seat of government.
Founded as the  '''Miersan Social Democratic Workers' Party''' (Miersan: ''Mierska Socjaldemokratyczna Partia Robotnicza''; '''MSdPR''') the party was reorganised into the MSMR at the 1901 [[Workers' International (Kylaris)|Workers' International]]. Due to the rise of the working class in industrial cities like [[Dyńsk]] and [[Ryża]], the MSMR was most influential in the [[Gaullica|Gaullican-occupied]] [[East Miersa|east]], but it also organised in the [[Soravia|Soravian-occupied]] [[West Miersa|west]]. It was a leading faction in the [[1909 Miersan Revolt]], and was repressed in its aftermath; the party then focused on organising the growing Miersan trade union movement and radicalising the Miersan working class with the aim of achieving socialism through a revolutionary {{wp|general strike}}, in addition to securing representation in the [[Gaullican Senate|Senate of the Gaullican Empire]].


Miersa was first inhabited by the {{wp|Early Slavs|early Marolevs}} in the late classical period, as the [[Solarian Empire]] expanded into the Miersan hinterlands. Although not conquered by Solaria, the Solarians left a definite legacy in the region. The three first significant Miersan states were known as the [[Three Crowns]], with East Miersa largely constituting [[Wybrzeże]]. It was [[Union of the Thre Crowns|united]] with [[Zachódnia]] and [[Firencja]] by [[Romuald the Bold]] in 1257. The subsequent [[Miersan Commonwealth]] became a significant power in central Euclea, at times rivalling neighbouring powers such as [[Sunrosia]]. In 1623, the [[Monarchy of Miersa|Cesarz]] died without issue, leading to the [[Miersan Interregnum]] and the rise of the [[Miersan Republic]]. The Republic would be short-lived, with the monarchs of [[Gaullica]] and [[Narozalica]] both claiming the Miersan throne. The conclusion of the [[War of the Miersan Succession]] in 1638 put an end to the Interregnum, with land ceded to both Empires and the [[Duchy of Żobrodź]] {{wp|buffer state}} created. In 1687 the [[First Miersan Revolt]] saw the final partition of the country. The eastern provinces became part of Gaullica, under which they developed into the industrial heartlands of Miersa.
The party was heavily repressed by the [[Functionalist Gaullica|functionalist regime]] under [[Rafael Duclerque]], and largely operated underground during the [[Great War (Kylaris)|Great War]], organising decentralised {{wp|Clandestine cell system|resisitance cells}} and the Miersan resistance, sometimes working with the [[Voyins]]. The party re-emerged in the later stages of the war, organising workers' militias to fight the Gaullicans, which were met with mixed success; the advancing [[Soravia|Soravian army]]'s reaction to them was mixed.


Following the [[Great War (Kylaris)|Great War]], Miersa was largely under the occupation of Narozalica. Following Narozalican posturing and the outbreak of a major [[1936 Miersan General Strike|general strike]], East Miersa was created as a part of the [[Godfredson Plan]], and a [[Community of Nations|CN-monitored]] [[Miersan DMZ|DMZ]] was created. The nascent council republic became a strong ally to [[Swetania]], and a rival to the Narozalican-bakced [[West Miersa|Miersan Federation]]. East Miersa experienced a post-war economic boom, allowing it to economically surpass the west. In 1979, East Miersa crossed the DMZ, resulting in the [[Miersan War]]. The interference of the Community of Nations led to the signing of the [[Miersan War#Treaty of San Alessandro|Treaty of San Alessandro]] in 1982, which attempted to normalise relations between the two states.
After the war, the party was instrumental - alongside the [[Congress of Miersan Trade Unions|KMZZ]] - in organising the [[1936 Miersan general strike|1936 general strike]], and it was a key party privy to the ratification of the [[Gofredson Plan]], being instrumental in the foundation of the [[East Miersa|Miersan Socialist Republic]]. From the foundation of the republic until 1967, it was the leading party in the country, effectively operating a {{wp|one-party state}} via its control over the {{wp|Vetting#Political_selection|vetting}} of candidates in the country's {{wp|soviet democracy|council democracy}}, despite a nominal commitment to {{wp|council communism|council socialism}}. The party promised to end the vetting of candidates when the threat of a [[West Miersa|Western]] invasion had been prevented, but this and other aspects of party control were called into question following economic mismanagement, and the party lost power in the country following the [[Rose Revolution]], in which revolutionary elements within the MSMR secured control over the party apparatus.


Today, East Miersa is a {{wp|Federation|federal}} {{wp|socialist state|constitutionally socialist}} {{wp|soviet democracy|council republic}}, operating a {{wp|socialist economy}}, with a nominal GDP per capita of $25,884. The current [[Premier of East Miersa|Premier]] is [[Anna Wlodarska]]. East Miersa is often considered a {{wp|middle power}} in central Euclea, maintaining close ties to Swetania. It is a member of the [[Community of Nations]], the [[International Council for Democracy]] and the [[Association for International Socialism]].
The party was officially dissolved in 1967, at the 66th party conference, and the East Miersan constitution was amended to ban political parties from the political process. The MSMR has a mixed legacy; in the east, it remains emblematic of Miersan defiance in the Great War, but its reputation is marred by the period of {{wp|one-party rule}}.
 
==History==
===Foundation===
[[File:Czerwoni.jpg|right|250px|thumb|The signatories of the MSMR's founding documents.]]
The MSMR was founded a the '''Miersan Social Democratic Workers' Party''' (Miersan: ''Mierska Socjaldemokratyczna Partia Robotnicza''; '''MSdPR''') in the city of Żobrodź. The MSdPR was founded by revolutionaries primarily in [[Soravia]]n-[[West Miersa|Miersa]] inspired by the political thought of [[Yuri Nemtsov]] in opposition to more populist agrarian socialist movements popular in Soravian Miersa at the time that were linked to the political thought of [[Isaac Bazin-Mordvinov]]. The party emerged from those on the Mieran left who believed that the [[Soravian Revolution]] had been a largely bourgeois revolution that failed to undertake social or economic reform to advance the cause of the working and peasant classes. In particular Miersa remained largely under the influence of the ''{{wp|szlachta}}'', large landowning families that owned huge estates. Although serfdom had been abolished many peasants remained landless and tied to the ''szlachta'' fuelling a desire for social reform in Miersa.
 
The MSdPR saw itself as a revolutionary internationalist party that operated across the entire territory of the former [[Miersa|Kingdom of Miersa]] in both Soravian and [[Gaullica]]n-[[East Miersa|Miersa]] including ethnic {{wp|Polish people|Miersans}}, [[Casavie|Selórzans]], {{wp|Walloons|Autuzians}}, {{wp|Basque people|Lemovicans}}, [[Witterites]], [[Savaders]] and {{wp|Rusyns|Soravians}} and {{wp|French people|Gaullicans}} that lived in Miersa. The MSdPR unlike other Miersan revolutionary movements at the time de-emphasised national liberation in favour of socialist revolution cooperating with other Soravian and Gaullican socialists. It remained close to the trade union movement, in particular in Gaullican Miersa which was more industrialised then the east.
 
Although founded in Soravia the MSdPR soon became a Gaullican-Miersan dominated organisation with its membership being based in the city of [[Dyńsk|Dinesie]]. The party remained clandestine in Gaullica but operated more openly in Soravia - however its calls for revolution often meant it held party congresses abroad amongst Miersan émigré groups particularly in [[Werania]] where it became influenced by {{wp|communism|communist}} ideology.
 
In 1901 the MSdPR sent representatives to the first congress of the [[Workers' International (Kylaris)|Workers' International]]. The MSdPR were the only major Miersan socialist party to prioritise revolution and autonomism within a international socialist state over national independence meaning they had much better relations with Gaullican and Soravian socialist parties. Controversially the Congress recognised the MSdPR as the Miersan representative of the international socialist movement and reorganised the party into the '''Miersan Section of the Workers' International''' (Miersan: ''Mierska Sekcja Międzynarodówki Robotniczej''; '''MSMR'''). In protest of this decision the nationalist-left in Miersa refused to recognise the decision of the Workers' International resulting in the formation of [[Social Democracy of the Gaullican Kingdom of Miersa]].
 
The party's creation was also opposed by the [[Soravian Section of the Workers' International]] - some ethnic Miersam members of the Soravian Section such as Witold Wierzbowski saw the MSMR as a Selórzan-dominated organisation under the influence of the [[Gaullican Section of the Workers' International]]. Ultimately strong pressure particularly from the [[Weranic Section of the Workers' International|Weranian]] and [[Valduvian Section of the Workers' International|Valduvian]] delegations led to the successful formation of the MSMR.
 
===Activity in occupied Miersa===
From its foundation the MSMR was deeply split over the "national question" and the place of Miersa in the socialist context. The party was split between the posybiliści who advocated the realisation of an independent socialist Miersa and the imposybiliści who advocated the creation of a pan-Euclean Union of Council Socialist Republics through the reorgnisation of Soravia and Gaullica into socialist federations. The debate over the national question generally also split along reformist-revolutionary lines with the more moderate posybiliści advocating social reform and the more radical imposybiliści revolutionary violence. The MSMR would remain dominated by the imposybiliści partially due to the strong support from non-ethnic Miersan groups within the party and partly due to the influence of the SGIO. The left-nationalist movement was also split between the posybiliści, social democrats and peasant socialists whilst the imposybiliści monopolised the radical left in Miersan politics. 
[[File:Rosa Lux Stuttgart 1907.jpg|thumb|250px|[[Natalia Rybka]], the dominant figure in the party in the pre-war period, speaking at a party rally in Ryża in 1908.]]
The MSMR was most active in the Gaullican-occupied east of the country, and the industrial cities of [[Dyńsk]] and [[Ryża]] soon became strongholds for the party, alongside the industrial coal-mining region known as the [[East Miersa|Czarny Kraj]]. The party focused on organising the growing Miersan trade union movement, and worked closely with the Congress of Miersan Trade Unions to this end.
 
The MSMR was a participant in the [[1909 Miersan Revolt]], which saw Miersan nationalists across the border enter a state of insurrection against both the Gaullican and Soravian authorities. The MSMR and other Miersan nationalist groups worked together to plan the uprising, but proved unable to work productively with the other groups during the actual uprising. The uprising came to an end after less than two months, and was widely considered a failure; in the aftermath of the revolt, the MSMR was completely banned in Soravia and temporarily proscribed in Gaullica.
 
Following the failure of the revolt, the party primarily focused on industrial organisation through trade unions, and officially advocated a {{wp|general strike}} to achieve a socialist revolution. Some members embraced the idea of {{wp|organic work}}. The party also organised itself to take part in parliamentary elections on both sides of the border. It had little to no success to this end in the Soravian-occupied west - where conservative nationalists and religious elements had more success - but in the Gaullican-occupied east it continually secured representation in the [[Gaullican Senate|Senate of the Gaullican Empire]]. The Gaullican government unofficially worked to hinder its operations, such as by {{wp|gerrymandering}} Senate constituencies in Miersan-majority areas.
 
The party was supportive of the 1919 [[April Revolution]], and a number of MSMR members participated in the [[April Revolution#Verised Päevad|ensuing civil strife]] in [[Kirenia]] on behalf of the {{wp|council communism|councillists}} as part of the international battallions; these members returned to Miersa as veterans knowledgeable in civil conflict.
 
===Repression and wartime activities===
[[File:Akcja Socjalistyczna, Gdynia przed 1939.jpg|right|220px|thumb|An MSMR-affiliated armed militia in the city of [[Ryża]] in the closing stage of the [[Great War (Kylaris)|Great War]].]]
When [[Rafael Duclerque]] and his [[Parti Populaire]] came to power in Gaullica in 1919, one of the first acts of their [[Functionalist Gaullica|functionalist regime]] was to move to repress the MSMR. The party was seen as a threat not only due to it's socialist ideology, but also due to it's advocacy for Miersan independence. The Miersan Section was proscribed alongside the SGIO, and as such was banned from contesting elections, had its delegates to the Senate imprisoned, and was banned from organising. The organisation as a whole was also declared to be a terrorist organisation, and was targeted by the Gaullican secret police.
 
Throughout the [[Great War (Kylaris)|Great War]], the Miersan Section was heavily repressed by the Duclerque regime, and organised largely underground in opposition to the Gaullican government. In the early years of the war, the MSMR struggled to re-assert itself, as it's leadership had been largely apprehended by the Gaullican authorities. Nevertheless, the party managed to continue to operate by implementing a decentralised {{wp|Clandestine cell system|cell structure}} with the aim of constructing an "underground state" that could emerge once Gaullica was weak. The MSMR came to organise the Miersan resistance, at times working with the [[Voyins]].
 
In the later stages of the war, when the tide had turned against the [[Entente]], the MSMR re-emerged from hiding. Its organisation of the resistance came to fruition, as the party began to assemble workers' militias to help liberate Miersa from Gaullican functionalist rule. The results of this was mixed; MSMR resistance cells in Dyńsk were essentially obliterated by the Gaullicans after they entered open resurrection, whereas in the north of the country the MSMR militias were able to link up with advancing [[Kirenia|Kirenian]] forces to achieve more success. Miersan militias which encountered the advancing [[Soravia|Soravian army]] from the west were met with mixed reactions, with the Soravian army on some occasions treating the militias as hostile forces, and other times as begrudging allies, depending on the overall strategic situation.
 
===General strike and Godfredson plan===
[[File:SesiónDelSóvietDePetrogradoAComienzosDeLaRevolución1917.png|left|250px|thumb|A session of a {{wp|soviet|workers' council}} during the [[1936 Miersan general strike|1936 general strike]].]]
As the Great War came to a close, the MSMR expected to be rewarded for their efforts, but instead Miersa as a whole came under the occupation of Soravia, with Soravia aiming to integrate Miersa as part of it's {{wp|pan-Slavism|pan-Marolevic}} ambitions. The MSMR was opposed to this, and organised the [[1936 Miersan general strike|1936 general strike]] alongside the Congress of Miersan Trade Unions, and with Kirenain support. The strike effectively brought the already-battered economy of Miersa to a hold, as [[Żobrodź]] and other major cities came to a standstill. The strikers also took control of their workplaces, establishing impromptu {{wp|soviet|workers' councils}}.
 
After only a few weeks a number of cities, most notably the port city of Dyńsk, were effectively administered by the strikers. The Soravian government wanted to confront the strikers with force, but Kirenia's support for the strikers prevented this. As such, the [[Community of Nations]] intervened to resolve the situation, working with [[Estmere|Estmerish]] [[President of Estmere|President]] [[Wolfgar Godfredson]] to create the [[Godfredson Plan]], which partitioned Miersa into two new countries; the [[East Miersa|Miersan Socialist Republic]] to the east, aligned with Kirenia, and the [[West Miersa|Miersan Federation]] to the west, under Soravian influence.
 
The Miersan Section was a key signatory to the plan, alongside western authorities. The party was instrumental in the founding of the Socialist Republic, which took the form of a {{wp|federation}} of {{wp|soviet democracy|council republics}}, and the party quickly took on a leading role. Despite the democratic nature of the new state, the party had effective control over a majority of workers' councils, and the party leadership quickly rose to national leadership positions.
 
===Effective one-party rule===
[[File:Bierut Trasa WZ.jpg|right|220px|thumb|General Secretary [[Marek Mackiewicz]] (left) was seen as emblematic of the MSR's economic woes.]]
In the postwar period, the Miersan Section found itself in a leading position in the East Miersan government. The threat of [[West Miersa|western]] infilitration became a concern for the party, and in order to prevent this the MSMR and the East Miersan government established a process of {{wp|Vetting#Political_selection|vetting}} for prospective political candidates, effectively meaning that anyone aiming to achieve political office - at any level - had to be approved by agents of the MSMR. This effectively gave established East Miersa as an unofficial {{wp|one-party state}} under the MSMR. The party kept a nominal commitment to {{wp|council communism|council socialism}} during this time.
 
From the 1940s, the party presided over a post-war {{wp|economic boom}} in East Miersa, despite the country having to pay indemnities to the west. Increasing hostility from the west in the early 1950s saw the party unanimously vote to cancel indemnity payments to the west in 1953, sparking a minor diplomatic crisis. The late 1950s and early 1960s saw the post-war boom slow, and though the East Miersan economy continued to grow steadily, a number of economic sectors experienced severe mismanagement under the MSMR; incumbent General Secretary [[Marek Mackiewicz]] was seen as emblematic of this. This lead to friction between the MSMR and the emergent Miersan {{wp|middle class}}, which had emerged during the post-war boom. Seeing the growing discontent, a reformist faction soon appeared within the MSMR, which saw the end of vetting and the resumption of free council elections as neccessary to ensure the continuation of socialism in East Miersa.
 
===Decline and dissolution===
[[File:Józef Lukasik.jpg|left|250px|thumb|Radical leader [[Józef Lukasik]] at the 66th congress.]]
The new middle class and other elements of Miersan society - such as women, young people and minorities - began to openly question MSMR one-party rule starting in the 1960s, and the accusations of economic mismanagement only further intensified their critiques. These groups would join with the emergent reformist faction of the MSMR, and ultimately bring about the decline and demise of the MSMR. The reformists were essentially a {{wp|grassroots}} movement, but a number of figures such as [[Józef Lukasik]] and [[Taczyt Brzenicz]] became leading figures.
 
The non-violent [[Rose Revolution]] saw the reformist faction take control of the party apparatus of the MSMR, through {{wp|entryism|entryist}} tactics. Along with the sympathy of the military and the general public, the reformists were able to secure a peaceful transition. At the 66th annual party conference, the reformist delegates - who wore red roses to cover the mandatory MSMR party pins - proposed a motion which officially dissolved the party, and amended the East Miersan constitution to ban political parties. The western cells of the party - which had continued to operate underground despite repression by the West Miersan government - officially denounced the dissolution of the party, and continued to operate as the [[Miersan Section of the Workers' International (Continuation)|MSMR-C]].
 
===Legacy===
The MSMR maintains a strong legacy. In East Miersa, it has a mixed reputation; though it and its leaders remain lauded for its actions in liberating the country from the Gaullicans, and in founding the {{wp|socialist state}}, its reputation is often tainted by the period of {{wp|one-party rule}}. Along with the [[Dezevauni Section of the Workers' International]], it is considered an example of a {{wp|vanguard party}} which was successfully and peacefully replaced with a {{wp|non-partisan democracy|non-partisan}} {{wp|soviet democracy|council democracy}}. The MSMR-C continues the party's operations in the west of the country to this day, but remains heavily repressed by the western government and is far weaker than the MSMR it succeeded.
 
==Ideology and policy==
[[File:Kropotkin1.jpg|right|220px|thumb|The works of [[Yuri Nemtsov]] were influential in the party.]]
The MSMR was organised as a communist party, with {{wp|council communism|council socialism}} as the core founding principle of the party. In line with the material conditions in Miersa at the time of its foundation, the party also emphasised {{wp|Austromarxism|personal national autonomy}}; the idea that the non-Miersan national groups within Miersa, such as the {{wp|Silesian people|Chrebians}}, [[Savaders]], [[Lemovician people|Lemovicians]] and {{wp|Wendeyk|Kasavrines}}, could co-exist within an independent socialist Miersa, with their own nationhoods disconnected from terrtiory and instead exercised by individuals.
 
Miersan independence and Miersan nationalism were also core principles of the party, especially prior to independence. The party was also broadly internationalist, despite its nationalist policy, and was at least nominally committed to a {{wp|world revolution}}. {{wp|Anti-imperialism}} was also a concept central to the party. The MSMR argued that Miersa had been a victim of imperialism on the part of the [[Gaullican Empire|Gaullican]] and [[Soravian Empire]]s, and as such sought to cooperate with anti-imperialist elements in the {{wp|global south}}. To this end, the MSMR - and the East Miersan government it controlled - became a key sponsor of the [[Association of Emerging Socialist Economies]].
 
Upon gaining control of the state of [[East Miersa]], the party adopted a policy of {{wp|Goulash Communism|socialism with Miersan characteristics}}, emphasising the unique characteristics of socialism in Miersa. This led to the party seeking to chiefly improve living standards in the country, and to achieve greater economic growth to counteract the forced payments of indemnities to the west.
 
==Organisation==
The MSMR had an organisational structure similar to most other Sections of the Workers' International. The General Secretary acted as a leader to the party, with additional power invested in the Organisation and Policy Committee. The OPC fucntioned as a check on the power of the General Secretary - who was elected from within the OPC - and also as a discussion comittee for policy.
 
The party operated a form of internal democracy, with registered party members able to vote for representatives on the OPC - in addition to representatives from the KMZZ - and for delegates to the annual party conferences, which acted as large forums for party discusison; though these became increasingly ceremonial during the vetting period. Ultimately, it was this limited internal democracy that allowed the reformist faction to dissolve the party.
 
Party records claimed a membership of 3.4 million at the start of 1967; though the number of active members was likely far lower, as party membership had - under the one-party vetting system - become essential for work in certain sectors.
===General Secretary===
====Chairpeople (1901-1921)====
{|class="wikitable"
|-
!№
!Leader
!Portrait
!Took Office
!Left Office
|-
! style="background:#c24651; color:white;"|
|colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|{{small|Collective leadership}}<br>
{|style="text-align: center;"
|{{small|[[Damian Katschorowski]]}}
|{{small|[[Fabian Karas]]}}
|-
|[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 102-09893, Sowjet-Kriegskommissar Unschlicht.jpg|90x90px]]
|[[File:Adolf Warski.jpg|90x90px]]
|}
|16 June 1919
|24 April 1923
|-
! style="background:#c24651; color:white;"|
|colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|{{small|Collective leadership}}<br>
{|style="text-align: center;"
|{{small|[[Damian Katschorowski]]}}
|{{small|[[Natalia Marcinowska]]}}
|-
|[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 102-09893, Sowjet-Kriegskommissar Unschlicht.jpg|90x90px]]
|[[File:Rosa Luxemburg-3.4.jpg|90x90px]]
|}
|24 April 1923
|14 May 1926
|-
! style="background:#c24651; color:white;"|
|colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|{{small|Collective leadership}}<br>
{|style="text-align: center;"
|{{small|[[Władysław Sakowski]]}}
|{{small|[[Natalia Marcinowska]]}}
|-
|[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 102-00032, Felix Dzierzynski.jpg|90x90px]]
|[[File:Rosa Luxemburg-3.4.jpg|90x90px]]
|}
|19 March 1916
|22 April 1921
|}
 
====General Secretary (1921-1967)====
{|class="wikitable"
|-
!№
!Leader
!Portrait
!Took Office
!Left Office
|-
! style="background:#c24651; color:white;"|1
|[[Władysław Sakowski]]
|[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 102-00032, Felix Dzierzynski.jpg|90x90px|centre]]
|22 April 1921
|7 June 1940
|-
! style="background:#c24651; color:white;"|2
|[[Marek Mackiewicz]]
|[[File:PL Bolesław Bierut (1892-1956).jpg|90x90px|centre]]
|7 June 1940
|15 November 1952
|-
! style="background:#c24651; color:white;"|3
|[[Louiz-Josef Kaptór]]
|[[File:Louiz-Josef Kaptór.jpg|90x90px|centre]]
|15 November 1952
|27 April 1966
|-
! style="background:#c24651; color:white;"|4
|[[Taczyt Brzenicz]]
|[[File:Edward Ochab 2.jpg|90x90px|centre]]
|27 April 1966
|17 May 1967
|-
! style="background:#c24651; color:white;"|5
|[[Józef Lukasik]]
|[[File:Dubček in 1990 (Fortepan 138485).jpg|90x90px|centre]]
|17 May 1967
|21 October 1967
|}
 
===Relationship with the trade union movement===
{{main|Congress of Miersan Trade Unions}}
As the leading conference of {{wp|trade union}}s in Miersa, the KMZZ was considered representative of the Miersan labour movement. It worked closely with the MSMR throughout the latter's existence, to the extent that in many ways it began to be considered a political wing of the party. It and it's constituent members nominated 10 representatives to the OPC of the party.
 
===Sons and Daughters of the Revolution===
The Sons and Daughters of the Revolution ({{wp|Polish language|Miersan}}: ''Synowie i Córki Rewolucji'', abbreviated to '''SiCR''') was the {{wp|youth wing}} of the party. It operated a {{wp|crèche}} service for party workers, and also functioned similarly to a {{wp|Scouting|scouts organisation}} in many respects. The wing had it's own OPC and General Secretary, but these were widely considered to be powerless positions subservient to the party leadership.
 
==International affiliation==
The party was a member of the [[Workers' International (Kylaris)|Workers' International]] from its foundation, and after the Great War was seen as a key member of the organisation, owing to its position as a ruling party in East Miersa.
 
==Election results==
===Gaullican senatorial elections===
{|class="sortable wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! rowspan=2|Election
! colspan=3|Votes
! colspan=3|Seats
! rowspan=2|Position
! rowspan=2|Government
! rowspan=2|Notes
|-
! No.
! Share
! +/-
! No.
! +/-
! Share
|-
![[1902 Gaullican senatorial election|1902]]
|style="text-align:right;"|103,451
|style="text-align:right;"|0.4%
|{{increase}} 1.1
|style="text-align:center;"|{{composition bar|2|449|hex=#C24651}}
|{{increase}} 2
|style="text-align:right;"|0.5%
|11th
|{{no2|In opposition}}
|Candidates stood under "Workers' International" branding.
|-
![[1906 Gaullican senatorial election|1906]]
|style="text-align:right;"|521,854
|style="text-align:right;"|5.9%
|{{increase}} 5.5
|style="text-align:center;"|{{composition bar|13|449|hex=#C24651}}
|{{increase}} 11
|style="text-align:right;"|2.9%
|8th
|{{no2|In opposition}}
|
|-
![[1911 Gaullican senatorial election|1911]]
|style="text-align:right;"|488,193
|style="text-align:right;"|5.1%
|{{decrease}} 0.8
|style="text-align:center;"|{{composition bar|12|449|hex=#C24651}}
|{{decrease}} 1
|style="text-align:right;"|2.7%
|9th
|{{no2|In opposition}}
|4 of the elected candidates were barred from entering the [[Gaullican Senate]] owing to their participation in the [[1909 Miersan Revolt]], and their seats were left unfilled.
|-
![[1915 Gaullican senatorial election|1915]]
|style="text-align:right;"|601,349
|style="text-align:right;"|6.3%
|{{increase}} 1.2
|style="text-align:center;"|{{composition bar|25|449|hex=#C24651}}
|{{increase}} 13
|style="text-align:right;"|5.6%
|7th
|{{no2|In opposition}}
|
|-
![[1919 Gaullican senatorial election|1919]]
|style="text-align:right;"|1,229,143
|style="text-align:right;"|8.9%
|{{increase}} 2.6
|style="text-align:center;"|{{composition bar|34|449|hex=#C24651}}
|{{increase}} 9
|style="text-align:right;"|7.6%
|6th
|{{no2|In opposition}}
|The last election in which the MSMR was able to legally participate.
|-
|}
==Flags==
<gallery>
MSMR flag 1897.png|Flag used at the founding of the party in 1897
Socialist red flag.svg|Flag used from 1897 to 1924
MSMR flag old.png|Flag used from 1924 to 1956
MSMR flag.png|Flag used from 1956 to 1967
</gallery>
 
==See also==
*[[Miersan Section of the Workers' International (Continuation)]]
===Other Sections which dissolved in governance===
*[[Dezevauni Section of the Workers' International]]
*[[Valduvian Section of the Workers' International]]
 
===Other Sections still acting as governing parties===
*[[Chistovodian Section of the Workers' International]]
*[[Kabuese Section of the Workers' International]]
*[[Lavanan Section of the Workers' International]]
[[Category:Sections of the Workers' International]]

Latest revision as of 13:19, 5 November 2023

Miersan Section of the Workers' International

Mierska Sekcja Międzynarodówki Robotniczej
AbbreviationMSMR
General SecretaryMarek Mackiewicz (1959-1967)
PresidiumOrganisation and Policy Committee
FoundedSeptember 28, 1897 (1897-09-28) (as MSdPR)
February 2, 1901 (1901-02-02) (as MSMR)
DissolvedOctober 21, 1967 (1967-10-21)
Succeeded byMSMR-C
HeadquartersŻobrodź (1897-1938)
Dyńsk (1938-1967)
NewspaperDźwięk Socjalizmu
(the Sound of Socialism)
Youth wingSiCR
Trade union wingKMZZ
Membership (1967)3.4 million
IdeologyCommunism
Council communism
Left-wing nationalism
Political positionFar-left
International affiliationCongress of the Workers' International
Colours  Red
Slogan"Proletariusze wszystkich krajów, łączcie się!"
"Workers of the world, unite!"
AnthemCzerwony sztandar
"The Red Banner"
MediaPlayer.png
MSMR flag.png

The Miersan Section of the Workers' International (Miersan: Mierska Sekcja Międzynarodówki Robotniczej), also known by the abbreviation MSMR, was a communist political party in Miersa that existed from 1895 to 1967. Initially an advocate of revolutionary internationalism during the Great War it became a Miersan nationalist party. It ruled the east from 1936 to 1967 where it espoused council communism on the Valduvian model.

Founded as the Miersan Social Democratic Workers' Party (Miersan: Mierska Socjaldemokratyczna Partia Robotnicza; MSdPR) the party was reorganised into the MSMR at the 1901 Workers' International. Due to the rise of the working class in industrial cities like Dyńsk and Ryża, the MSMR was most influential in the Gaullican-occupied east, but it also organised in the Soravian-occupied west. It was a leading faction in the 1909 Miersan Revolt, and was repressed in its aftermath; the party then focused on organising the growing Miersan trade union movement and radicalising the Miersan working class with the aim of achieving socialism through a revolutionary general strike, in addition to securing representation in the Senate of the Gaullican Empire.

The party was heavily repressed by the functionalist regime under Rafael Duclerque, and largely operated underground during the Great War, organising decentralised resisitance cells and the Miersan resistance, sometimes working with the Voyins. The party re-emerged in the later stages of the war, organising workers' militias to fight the Gaullicans, which were met with mixed success; the advancing Soravian army's reaction to them was mixed.

After the war, the party was instrumental - alongside the KMZZ - in organising the 1936 general strike, and it was a key party privy to the ratification of the Gofredson Plan, being instrumental in the foundation of the Miersan Socialist Republic. From the foundation of the republic until 1967, it was the leading party in the country, effectively operating a one-party state via its control over the vetting of candidates in the country's council democracy, despite a nominal commitment to council socialism. The party promised to end the vetting of candidates when the threat of a Western invasion had been prevented, but this and other aspects of party control were called into question following economic mismanagement, and the party lost power in the country following the Rose Revolution, in which revolutionary elements within the MSMR secured control over the party apparatus.

The party was officially dissolved in 1967, at the 66th party conference, and the East Miersan constitution was amended to ban political parties from the political process. The MSMR has a mixed legacy; in the east, it remains emblematic of Miersan defiance in the Great War, but its reputation is marred by the period of one-party rule.

History

Foundation

The signatories of the MSMR's founding documents.

The MSMR was founded a the Miersan Social Democratic Workers' Party (Miersan: Mierska Socjaldemokratyczna Partia Robotnicza; MSdPR) in the city of Żobrodź. The MSdPR was founded by revolutionaries primarily in Soravian-Miersa inspired by the political thought of Yuri Nemtsov in opposition to more populist agrarian socialist movements popular in Soravian Miersa at the time that were linked to the political thought of Isaac Bazin-Mordvinov. The party emerged from those on the Mieran left who believed that the Soravian Revolution had been a largely bourgeois revolution that failed to undertake social or economic reform to advance the cause of the working and peasant classes. In particular Miersa remained largely under the influence of the szlachta, large landowning families that owned huge estates. Although serfdom had been abolished many peasants remained landless and tied to the szlachta fuelling a desire for social reform in Miersa.

The MSdPR saw itself as a revolutionary internationalist party that operated across the entire territory of the former Kingdom of Miersa in both Soravian and Gaullican-Miersa including ethnic Miersans, Selórzans, Autuzians, Lemovicans, Witterites, Savaders and Soravians and Gaullicans that lived in Miersa. The MSdPR unlike other Miersan revolutionary movements at the time de-emphasised national liberation in favour of socialist revolution cooperating with other Soravian and Gaullican socialists. It remained close to the trade union movement, in particular in Gaullican Miersa which was more industrialised then the east.

Although founded in Soravia the MSdPR soon became a Gaullican-Miersan dominated organisation with its membership being based in the city of Dinesie. The party remained clandestine in Gaullica but operated more openly in Soravia - however its calls for revolution often meant it held party congresses abroad amongst Miersan émigré groups particularly in Werania where it became influenced by communist ideology.

In 1901 the MSdPR sent representatives to the first congress of the Workers' International. The MSdPR were the only major Miersan socialist party to prioritise revolution and autonomism within a international socialist state over national independence meaning they had much better relations with Gaullican and Soravian socialist parties. Controversially the Congress recognised the MSdPR as the Miersan representative of the international socialist movement and reorganised the party into the Miersan Section of the Workers' International (Miersan: Mierska Sekcja Międzynarodówki Robotniczej; MSMR). In protest of this decision the nationalist-left in Miersa refused to recognise the decision of the Workers' International resulting in the formation of Social Democracy of the Gaullican Kingdom of Miersa.

The party's creation was also opposed by the Soravian Section of the Workers' International - some ethnic Miersam members of the Soravian Section such as Witold Wierzbowski saw the MSMR as a Selórzan-dominated organisation under the influence of the Gaullican Section of the Workers' International. Ultimately strong pressure particularly from the Weranian and Valduvian delegations led to the successful formation of the MSMR.

Activity in occupied Miersa

From its foundation the MSMR was deeply split over the "national question" and the place of Miersa in the socialist context. The party was split between the posybiliści who advocated the realisation of an independent socialist Miersa and the imposybiliści who advocated the creation of a pan-Euclean Union of Council Socialist Republics through the reorgnisation of Soravia and Gaullica into socialist federations. The debate over the national question generally also split along reformist-revolutionary lines with the more moderate posybiliści advocating social reform and the more radical imposybiliści revolutionary violence. The MSMR would remain dominated by the imposybiliści partially due to the strong support from non-ethnic Miersan groups within the party and partly due to the influence of the SGIO. The left-nationalist movement was also split between the posybiliści, social democrats and peasant socialists whilst the imposybiliści monopolised the radical left in Miersan politics.

Natalia Rybka, the dominant figure in the party in the pre-war period, speaking at a party rally in Ryża in 1908.

The MSMR was most active in the Gaullican-occupied east of the country, and the industrial cities of Dyńsk and Ryża soon became strongholds for the party, alongside the industrial coal-mining region known as the Czarny Kraj. The party focused on organising the growing Miersan trade union movement, and worked closely with the Congress of Miersan Trade Unions to this end.

The MSMR was a participant in the 1909 Miersan Revolt, which saw Miersan nationalists across the border enter a state of insurrection against both the Gaullican and Soravian authorities. The MSMR and other Miersan nationalist groups worked together to plan the uprising, but proved unable to work productively with the other groups during the actual uprising. The uprising came to an end after less than two months, and was widely considered a failure; in the aftermath of the revolt, the MSMR was completely banned in Soravia and temporarily proscribed in Gaullica.

Following the failure of the revolt, the party primarily focused on industrial organisation through trade unions, and officially advocated a general strike to achieve a socialist revolution. Some members embraced the idea of organic work. The party also organised itself to take part in parliamentary elections on both sides of the border. It had little to no success to this end in the Soravian-occupied west - where conservative nationalists and religious elements had more success - but in the Gaullican-occupied east it continually secured representation in the Senate of the Gaullican Empire. The Gaullican government unofficially worked to hinder its operations, such as by gerrymandering Senate constituencies in Miersan-majority areas.

The party was supportive of the 1919 April Revolution, and a number of MSMR members participated in the ensuing civil strife in Kirenia on behalf of the councillists as part of the international battallions; these members returned to Miersa as veterans knowledgeable in civil conflict.

Repression and wartime activities

An MSMR-affiliated armed militia in the city of Ryża in the closing stage of the Great War.

When Rafael Duclerque and his Parti Populaire came to power in Gaullica in 1919, one of the first acts of their functionalist regime was to move to repress the MSMR. The party was seen as a threat not only due to it's socialist ideology, but also due to it's advocacy for Miersan independence. The Miersan Section was proscribed alongside the SGIO, and as such was banned from contesting elections, had its delegates to the Senate imprisoned, and was banned from organising. The organisation as a whole was also declared to be a terrorist organisation, and was targeted by the Gaullican secret police.

Throughout the Great War, the Miersan Section was heavily repressed by the Duclerque regime, and organised largely underground in opposition to the Gaullican government. In the early years of the war, the MSMR struggled to re-assert itself, as it's leadership had been largely apprehended by the Gaullican authorities. Nevertheless, the party managed to continue to operate by implementing a decentralised cell structure with the aim of constructing an "underground state" that could emerge once Gaullica was weak. The MSMR came to organise the Miersan resistance, at times working with the Voyins.

In the later stages of the war, when the tide had turned against the Entente, the MSMR re-emerged from hiding. Its organisation of the resistance came to fruition, as the party began to assemble workers' militias to help liberate Miersa from Gaullican functionalist rule. The results of this was mixed; MSMR resistance cells in Dyńsk were essentially obliterated by the Gaullicans after they entered open resurrection, whereas in the north of the country the MSMR militias were able to link up with advancing Kirenian forces to achieve more success. Miersan militias which encountered the advancing Soravian army from the west were met with mixed reactions, with the Soravian army on some occasions treating the militias as hostile forces, and other times as begrudging allies, depending on the overall strategic situation.

General strike and Godfredson plan

A session of a workers' council during the 1936 general strike.

As the Great War came to a close, the MSMR expected to be rewarded for their efforts, but instead Miersa as a whole came under the occupation of Soravia, with Soravia aiming to integrate Miersa as part of it's pan-Marolevic ambitions. The MSMR was opposed to this, and organised the 1936 general strike alongside the Congress of Miersan Trade Unions, and with Kirenain support. The strike effectively brought the already-battered economy of Miersa to a hold, as Żobrodź and other major cities came to a standstill. The strikers also took control of their workplaces, establishing impromptu workers' councils.

After only a few weeks a number of cities, most notably the port city of Dyńsk, were effectively administered by the strikers. The Soravian government wanted to confront the strikers with force, but Kirenia's support for the strikers prevented this. As such, the Community of Nations intervened to resolve the situation, working with Estmerish President Wolfgar Godfredson to create the Godfredson Plan, which partitioned Miersa into two new countries; the Miersan Socialist Republic to the east, aligned with Kirenia, and the Miersan Federation to the west, under Soravian influence.

The Miersan Section was a key signatory to the plan, alongside western authorities. The party was instrumental in the founding of the Socialist Republic, which took the form of a federation of council republics, and the party quickly took on a leading role. Despite the democratic nature of the new state, the party had effective control over a majority of workers' councils, and the party leadership quickly rose to national leadership positions.

Effective one-party rule

General Secretary Marek Mackiewicz (left) was seen as emblematic of the MSR's economic woes.

In the postwar period, the Miersan Section found itself in a leading position in the East Miersan government. The threat of western infilitration became a concern for the party, and in order to prevent this the MSMR and the East Miersan government established a process of vetting for prospective political candidates, effectively meaning that anyone aiming to achieve political office - at any level - had to be approved by agents of the MSMR. This effectively gave established East Miersa as an unofficial one-party state under the MSMR. The party kept a nominal commitment to council socialism during this time.

From the 1940s, the party presided over a post-war economic boom in East Miersa, despite the country having to pay indemnities to the west. Increasing hostility from the west in the early 1950s saw the party unanimously vote to cancel indemnity payments to the west in 1953, sparking a minor diplomatic crisis. The late 1950s and early 1960s saw the post-war boom slow, and though the East Miersan economy continued to grow steadily, a number of economic sectors experienced severe mismanagement under the MSMR; incumbent General Secretary Marek Mackiewicz was seen as emblematic of this. This lead to friction between the MSMR and the emergent Miersan middle class, which had emerged during the post-war boom. Seeing the growing discontent, a reformist faction soon appeared within the MSMR, which saw the end of vetting and the resumption of free council elections as neccessary to ensure the continuation of socialism in East Miersa.

Decline and dissolution

Radical leader Józef Lukasik at the 66th congress.

The new middle class and other elements of Miersan society - such as women, young people and minorities - began to openly question MSMR one-party rule starting in the 1960s, and the accusations of economic mismanagement only further intensified their critiques. These groups would join with the emergent reformist faction of the MSMR, and ultimately bring about the decline and demise of the MSMR. The reformists were essentially a grassroots movement, but a number of figures such as Józef Lukasik and Taczyt Brzenicz became leading figures.

The non-violent Rose Revolution saw the reformist faction take control of the party apparatus of the MSMR, through entryist tactics. Along with the sympathy of the military and the general public, the reformists were able to secure a peaceful transition. At the 66th annual party conference, the reformist delegates - who wore red roses to cover the mandatory MSMR party pins - proposed a motion which officially dissolved the party, and amended the East Miersan constitution to ban political parties. The western cells of the party - which had continued to operate underground despite repression by the West Miersan government - officially denounced the dissolution of the party, and continued to operate as the MSMR-C.

Legacy

The MSMR maintains a strong legacy. In East Miersa, it has a mixed reputation; though it and its leaders remain lauded for its actions in liberating the country from the Gaullicans, and in founding the socialist state, its reputation is often tainted by the period of one-party rule. Along with the Dezevauni Section of the Workers' International, it is considered an example of a vanguard party which was successfully and peacefully replaced with a non-partisan council democracy. The MSMR-C continues the party's operations in the west of the country to this day, but remains heavily repressed by the western government and is far weaker than the MSMR it succeeded.

Ideology and policy

The works of Yuri Nemtsov were influential in the party.

The MSMR was organised as a communist party, with council socialism as the core founding principle of the party. In line with the material conditions in Miersa at the time of its foundation, the party also emphasised personal national autonomy; the idea that the non-Miersan national groups within Miersa, such as the Chrebians, Savaders, Lemovicians and Kasavrines, could co-exist within an independent socialist Miersa, with their own nationhoods disconnected from terrtiory and instead exercised by individuals.

Miersan independence and Miersan nationalism were also core principles of the party, especially prior to independence. The party was also broadly internationalist, despite its nationalist policy, and was at least nominally committed to a world revolution. Anti-imperialism was also a concept central to the party. The MSMR argued that Miersa had been a victim of imperialism on the part of the Gaullican and Soravian Empires, and as such sought to cooperate with anti-imperialist elements in the global south. To this end, the MSMR - and the East Miersan government it controlled - became a key sponsor of the Association of Emerging Socialist Economies.

Upon gaining control of the state of East Miersa, the party adopted a policy of socialism with Miersan characteristics, emphasising the unique characteristics of socialism in Miersa. This led to the party seeking to chiefly improve living standards in the country, and to achieve greater economic growth to counteract the forced payments of indemnities to the west.

Organisation

The MSMR had an organisational structure similar to most other Sections of the Workers' International. The General Secretary acted as a leader to the party, with additional power invested in the Organisation and Policy Committee. The OPC fucntioned as a check on the power of the General Secretary - who was elected from within the OPC - and also as a discussion comittee for policy.

The party operated a form of internal democracy, with registered party members able to vote for representatives on the OPC - in addition to representatives from the KMZZ - and for delegates to the annual party conferences, which acted as large forums for party discusison; though these became increasingly ceremonial during the vetting period. Ultimately, it was this limited internal democracy that allowed the reformist faction to dissolve the party.

Party records claimed a membership of 3.4 million at the start of 1967; though the number of active members was likely far lower, as party membership had - under the one-party vetting system - become essential for work in certain sectors.

General Secretary

Chairpeople (1901-1921)

Leader Portrait Took Office Left Office
Collective leadership
Damian Katschorowski Fabian Karas
Bundesarchiv Bild 102-09893, Sowjet-Kriegskommissar Unschlicht.jpg Adolf Warski.jpg
16 June 1919 24 April 1923
Collective leadership
Damian Katschorowski Natalia Marcinowska
Bundesarchiv Bild 102-09893, Sowjet-Kriegskommissar Unschlicht.jpg Rosa Luxemburg-3.4.jpg
24 April 1923 14 May 1926
Collective leadership
Władysław Sakowski Natalia Marcinowska
Bundesarchiv Bild 102-00032, Felix Dzierzynski.jpg Rosa Luxemburg-3.4.jpg
19 March 1916 22 April 1921

General Secretary (1921-1967)

Leader Portrait Took Office Left Office
1 Władysław Sakowski
Bundesarchiv Bild 102-00032, Felix Dzierzynski.jpg
22 April 1921 7 June 1940
2 Marek Mackiewicz
PL Bolesław Bierut (1892-1956).jpg
7 June 1940 15 November 1952
3 Louiz-Josef Kaptór
Louiz-Josef Kaptór.jpg
15 November 1952 27 April 1966
4 Taczyt Brzenicz
Edward Ochab 2.jpg
27 April 1966 17 May 1967
5 Józef Lukasik
Dubček in 1990 (Fortepan 138485).jpg
17 May 1967 21 October 1967

Relationship with the trade union movement

As the leading conference of trade unions in Miersa, the KMZZ was considered representative of the Miersan labour movement. It worked closely with the MSMR throughout the latter's existence, to the extent that in many ways it began to be considered a political wing of the party. It and it's constituent members nominated 10 representatives to the OPC of the party.

Sons and Daughters of the Revolution

The Sons and Daughters of the Revolution (Miersan: Synowie i Córki Rewolucji, abbreviated to SiCR) was the youth wing of the party. It operated a crèche service for party workers, and also functioned similarly to a scouts organisation in many respects. The wing had it's own OPC and General Secretary, but these were widely considered to be powerless positions subservient to the party leadership.

International affiliation

The party was a member of the Workers' International from its foundation, and after the Great War was seen as a key member of the organisation, owing to its position as a ruling party in East Miersa.

Election results

Gaullican senatorial elections

Election Votes Seats Position Government Notes
No. Share +/- No. +/- Share
1902 103,451 0.4% Increase 1.1
2 / 449
Increase 2 0.5% 11th In opposition Candidates stood under "Workers' International" branding.
1906 521,854 5.9% Increase 5.5
13 / 449
Increase 11 2.9% 8th In opposition
1911 488,193 5.1% Decrease 0.8
12 / 449
Decrease 1 2.7% 9th In opposition 4 of the elected candidates were barred from entering the Gaullican Senate owing to their participation in the 1909 Miersan Revolt, and their seats were left unfilled.
1915 601,349 6.3% Increase 1.2
25 / 449
Increase 13 5.6% 7th In opposition
1919 1,229,143 8.9% Increase 2.6
34 / 449
Increase 9 7.6% 6th In opposition The last election in which the MSMR was able to legally participate.

Flags

See also

Other Sections which dissolved in governance

Other Sections still acting as governing parties