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The Faldarunic Civil War (Faldarunic: ᛒᚮᚱᚵᛆᚱᛆᛋᛐᛦᚱᛁᚯᛚᛑ ᚡᛆᛚᛑᛆᛋᚱᚢᚿ, tr. Borgarastyrjöld Valdasruni), widely known in Faldarun simply as the Civil War (Faldarunic: ᛒᚮᚱᚵᛆᚱᛆᛋᛐᛦᚱᛁᚯᛚᛑ, tr. Borgarastyrjöld) and not to be confused with an earlier civil conflict, took place from 1917 to 1919 and was fought between the Confederals, a rebel alliance comprised of anarchists, socialists, communists and democrats, and the Imperials, who were based around the Faldarunic Imperial Army and various ultra-nationalist paramilitary forces.
Sparked by the Faldarunic Revolution that preceded it in which the Emperor Vilhjálmur II was assassinated and his assassin, the young Dagur Ingolfsson, executed by ultranationalist Benedikt Mikaelsson, the conflict began with an uprising in Rykborg, and quickly expanded to include the entire country. Battles in Vesturfalla and Nýbaunir in early 1917 saw confederal and imperial victories respectively, and set the stage for a long, drawn out and bloody conflict. The belligerent sides themselves were quick to form, with the generally left-leaning Confederal forces coalescing around the anarchist Black Liberation Army, while nationalist Army for National Brotherhood quickly took a leading role in the Imperial side, alongside the Imperial army itself.
The war eventually ended in a victory for the confederal forces, and the stage was set for the foundation of the modern-day Confederation of Faldarun. Many leading figures on the confederal side, quick to secure the peace they had achieved, called for a Constitutional Convention open to all in order to decide on the course of action that Faldarun would take. The victorious confederals controlled most of the convention, however several former imperials also joined in the event. Eventually, after much debate, the end result of the convention was the New Social Code, which indicated that Faldarun would become the world's first stateless society, built along the ideas of anarchism and socialism, in the system known as democratic confederalism.
As the first in a wave of civil conflicts known as the Lost Revolutions, the civil war and preceding revolution are considered to be defining events of the Ordic twentieth century, and set the stage for what would be an era of ideological conflict. The war was also notable for the immense passion and political division it inspired, and has in many ways been considered the first modern civil war in Ordis.
Background and outbreak
At the turn of the century, the Faldarunic Empire was at a crossroads. It's alliance with the Celestial Empire of Kolintha and Declaration of Protection towards the Ottmari Empire had brought it ever closer into direct conflict with the Holy Khorneran Empire - a long time rival - and it's allies, and in the years immediately preceding the First Endwar there was much doubt as to whether or not the Empire was ready to face it's much more prestigious foe. While the Emperor Vilhjálmur II was certain that the country was ready, there was widespread opposition from many military officials, who saw the country as being close to economic and social collapse in many aspects.
Many revolutionary organisations, particularly the anarchists, had great influence among the lower classes of society, and in the years preceding the war led numerous failed attempts - such as the 1906 Rykborg Riots - to overthrow the government. This, many high officials feared, was a sign that the country was in a state of instability, and not fit to fight a war. Regardless, in opposition to most of his advisers, the Emperor maintained his promise to the Ottmari, and led Faldarun into the First Endwar in 1914. At the outbreak of the war, the country was divided, as were revolutionary organisations. While many stuck to their anti-war platforms, a great many supported the war in it's early stages, latching onto bolstered nationalism. Indeed, many in the lower classes showed extreme patriotic fervor at the outbreak. This would change as it dragged on.
By 1916, it had become clear that the war would drag on indefinitely, and discontent in the country had grown immensely. The stories of entire battalions - entire regiments, on occasion - wiped out in pointless, bloody charges that gained but an inch of ground - in many cases, only to lose it later - had a severely negative impact on morale, both at the front-lines and on the home front. Even the declaration of a Holy War on Auridite Khornera by both the Council of the Goði and the Church of Faldarun did little to increase morale, as the body count grew and grew. Anti-war demonstrations across Faldarun became commonplace, and even as early as the August of 1916 the power of the Emperor's law was crumbling, as both urban and rural crime became widespread.
The final tipping point in the outbreak of the war was undoubtedly Vilhjálmur's decision to overrule the wishes of the admiralty and order the Faldarunic Imperial Navy's Third Fleet to leave port before repairs were completed in order to engage the smaller Khorneran fleet in the Battle of Björn's Blight. The battle was an indisputable Khorneran victory, with the majority of the Third Fleet destroyed and the rest scattered. Khornera, for the first time in the war, had complete naval superiority over Faldarun, and began a brutal blockade against the country. In Rykborg and other northeastern cities especially, starvation grew an ever increasing possibility, and resentment at the Emperor increased. Trade unions called for strikes, and the people took to the streets to demand an end to the war. When Dagur Ingursson learned of the Emperor's plan to shell the city into submission, he assassinated him. His subsequent execution by nationalist radical Benedikt Mikaelsson led to the culmination of the Faldarunic Revolution, and the organisation of the Confederal and Imperial factions in the subsequent month led to the start of the Civil War in late March.
Combatants
Confederals
Imperials
Foreign involvement
Khornera
New Spanishland
Kolintha
Meriad
Prior to and during the First Endwar, Faldarun was considered a major Meriadni cultural and economic ally, and though none of the numerous factions truly represented Meriadni governmental beliefs, the Royal Navy dispatched a destroyer to the country in order to observe the conflict and, if necessary, serve as an intermediary between the factions. The destroyer was accompanied by a contingent of army soldiers, many of whom had served in special forces units during the First Endwar. These soldiers assisted in gauging the political, military, and economic climate of the region by executing brief forays towards the interior of the country. While Meriad never formally issued a declaration supporting any of the factions, in several cases the military detachment did on occasion provide advice and limited assistance to the Confederal forces.
Course of the war
Late revolution
Spring-Summer Campaign
Operation Fönix / Winter Offensive
Last Long March
Social revolution
Aftermath
Art and propaganda
- Red Guard Barricades.jpg
Til Götuvígi!, a depiction of the Red Guard defence of Gleði, 1918.
- Advance.jpg
Fyrirfram!, a depiction of the Rykborg Uprising that preceded the war.
- Forward.jpg
Áfram, a depiction of the storming of the Vetrarhöllin in 1918.
- Nieuw Keulen uprising.jpg
Zege!, a Helderian depiction of the 1917 battle in Nieuw Keulen.
- Victory to the revolution.png
Sigur á Byltingu, a Confederal propaganda poster.