Lucian Purge

Lucia Borloni arriving in the Free Territories on 16 April 1956

The Lucian Purge (French: épuration lucienne; Italian: epurazione luciana), also referred to as the Borloni Purge (Italian: Epurazione Borloni), was a purge of authoritarians and statists that took place in the Free Territories in 1956. The purge coincided with actress Lucia Borloni's goodwill tour of the Free Territories in late April, thus giving it its name.

The purge marked the end of a political struggle in the second phase of the Liberation War between anarchists and authoritarian socialists and communists. The latter were fired from their existing positions, vilified in the press, and excluded from public life. Historians regard the Lucian Purge as a critical point in Gylian history, which nevertheless caused unforeseen consequences during the wretched decade.

Background

The second phase of the Liberation War had seen the formation of a popular front behind the Free Territories and People's Army against Xevden. However, tensions existed within the "alliance of convenience" between anarchists and statists–authoritarians. Some socialists and communists' willingness to countenance imposition and maintenance of their system by force, such as the former right faction of the Communist Party of Alscia, irritated and alarmed anarchists.

With the war progressing in the Free Territories' favour, the question of political supremacy had grown in importance. Anarchists were determined to avoid the precedent of the Ruvelkan Free Territories, which had lost the civil war to the Imperial Separatists, or Megelan's communist–socialist conflict, which brought the Futurist regime to power in 1919.

In communal assemblies, the General Council, and public life, the anarchists made efforts to split off moderate socialists and communists from hardliners, and were comfortable forming alliances with liberals and centrists to combat authoritarians.

By 1956, many leading figures of Free Territories politics had come to favour a forceful end to the "alliance of convenience". The Freeman sisters were concerned about entryism in the Democratic Communist Party. The RYU increasingly incited conflicts with rival authoritarian pioneer organisations. Plans were made for a purge, with the aim of quickly removing authoritarians without inciting violence.

An unexpected benefit came from Adélaïde Raynault's death on 15 April 1956. Adélaïde had started off an anarchist in Free Territories politics but had been gradually veering towards authoritarianism; her popularity and vocal radicalism had made anarchists wary of moving against her openly. Her death deprived authoritarians of their most high-profile and respected figure, and purge preparations were hastened to take advantage of their disarray.

Actions

The purge was launched to coincide with Lucia Borloni's goodwill tour of the Free Territories, which began on 16 April 1956.

Throughout the Free Territories, known statists and authoritarians were fired from public posts and brought to trial on charges of working with Free Territories enemies and conspiracy to impose authority. A significant role in organising and coordinating the purge was played by Diana and Georgina Shelley, of the Shelley family. Another major role was played by Julie Legrand, whose participation cemented her status as a rising star in the DCP.

Encouraged by the Freeman sisters and Julie, the regional DCP offices introduced motions at local assemblies with deliberately provocative language to root out authoritarians, and those who voted against them were expelled from the party. Similar purges were carried out in the SP and SDP.

Many authoritarians were publicly vilified and humiliated in the press. In some cases, anarchist activists and RYU members gathered crowds to publicly humiliate them; some especially hated authoritarians were paraded through cities wearing dunce caps and wooden boards with insulting remarks.

The purges lasted until 30 April, and affected some 20.000 people. While many of the legal charges brought against authoritarians were dismissed for lack of evidence, they accomplished their purpose: the charges were used as pretexts to remove them from the General Council and exclude them from communal assemblies. Overall, only 112 were found guilty and sentenced, of which just 57 received sentences of dégradation civique or expulsion from the community.

The anarchists deliberately exercised restraint in their actions against authoritarians: they were satisfied with vilifying and humiliating them, and avoided inciting violence against them.

Legacy

The Lucian Purge was highly influential on subsequent Gylian history and politics. It severed the "alliance of convenience" two years before the Liberation War ended, and ensured that anarchism retained a dominant position that could influence the transition from the Free Territories to Gylias. Diana and Georgina Shelley's crucial supporting role also paved the way for the Shelley family's rise to prominence after the war, by supporting and helping bankroll the Golden Revolution.

The purge served to release much of the pent-up hostility that the alliance had engendered over years of wartime expediency. By moving against authoritarians, the anarchists confirmed their willingness to ally with liberals and even "constructive" conservatives for the greater cause of maintaining a cordon sanitaire against authoritarians and reactionaries. This popular front influenced Gylian politics and the drafting of its Constitution, and was explicitly cited as an example by the Filomena Pinheiro government.

The marginalised authoritarians formed parties that constituted the Revolutionary Rally, and remained isolated from public life and mainstream politics. The RR's joint first place finish in the 1976 federal election caused shock, and the subsequent Aén Ďanez government was defined by the grievances and mutual mistrust of the RR and PA, contributing to the wretched decade. Its collapse after the Ossorian war crisis of 1986 was followed by a renewed and more intense crackdown on authoritarians, permanently removing them from public life.

The purge was criticised and condemned in some quarters. They were perceived as an excessive reaction against a numerically small minority for political reasons, which influenced foreign views of the Arnak Trials.

Lucia retained a sense of humour about being the namesake of the purge. In her autobiography, she titled the chapter discussing the goodwill tour "How I destroyed tankie-ism in Gylias".