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Greater Menghean Empire 대멩제국 / 大孟帝國 Dae Meng Jeguk | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1927-1944 | |||||||||
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Flag | |||||||||
| Anthem: Aegukka | |||||||||
| Capital | Donggyŏng | ||||||||
| Common languages | Menghean | ||||||||
| Religion | Sindoism and Chondoism | ||||||||
| Government | One-party military dictatorship | ||||||||
| Emperor of Menghe | |||||||||
• 1927-1937 | Kwon Chong-hoon (Gwangmu Emperor) | ||||||||
• 1937-1944 | Kim Myŏng-hwan (Donghŭi Emperor) | ||||||||
| History | |||||||||
• Coup of February 18th | February 18, 1927 | ||||||||
• Ereyentsav conflict | 1933 | ||||||||
| 1935–1944 | |||||||||
• Surrender to the Allied Powers | November 29, 1944 | ||||||||
| Area | |||||||||
| 1927 | 3,032,657.24 km2 (1,170,915.51 sq mi) | ||||||||
| Population | |||||||||
• 1927 | 274,800,000 | ||||||||
| Currency | Menghean Won | ||||||||
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The Greater Menghean Empire (Menghean: 대멩제국 / 大孟帝國, Dae Meng Jeguk) was the historical government of Menghe between 1927 and 1944. It began with the Coup of February 18th, which brought General Kwon Chong-hoon to power, and ended with Menghe's surrender in 1944, which handed the country over to an Allied occupation authority. Both Kwon Chong-hoon and his successor Kim Myŏng-hwan ruled under the title of Emperor (Daeje), but they were not related to one another, nor were they descended from Menghe's historical lines of Emperors - a practice of non-hereditary Imperial succession dating back to the Ŭi dynasty.
Under the rule of General Kwon, Menghe undertook a more aggressive and expansionist foreign policy, part of a long-standing nationalist movement to restore the country to its rightful place as a hegemonic power. Its conventional ground forces expanded in size, bringing over five million personnel into the Army by 1934. On May 2nd, 1935, Menghe launched a surprise invasion of the Sylvan port city of Altagracia, as well as its colony in Innominada, setting off the Great Conquest War in the Eastern Hemisphere. After Kwon's death, Kim Myŏng-hwan succeeded him as Emperor, and oversaw the escalation of the war to include Maverica, New Tyran, and the Organized States of Columbia. Unable to match the combined industrial output of its adversaries, the Greater Menghean Empire saw its advance grind to a halt and slide into retreat. In November 1944, the Greater Menghean Empire formally surrendered to the Allied powers, and its government was dissolved for an interim period of occupation. The country would not regain formal independence until 1948, when the Republic of Menghe was formed.
The Greater Menghean Empire period was also characterized by widespread discrimination against Casaterrans, Christians, and mixed-race persons, both in Menghe and in the areas it conquered. Atrocities against persons of colonial descent were particularly widespread during the occupation of Maverica and Innominada. In recent years, foreign governments and NGOs have accused the current Menghean government of whitewashing Menghe's war crimes and glorifying the Greater Menghean Empire.
Formation
Between 1898 and 1927, Menghe had been ruled by a parliamentary government based on the contemporary Casaterran model, with universal suffrage for males over the age of 24 and an elected National Assembly with a Prime Minister. This period had also seen considerable economic growth, as the Namyang, Sinŭi, and Uzerdiyar factions unified into a single country and opened to trade with the West. By the 1920s, Menghe boasted a navy on par with the Casaterran great powers, and rising levels of overall economic output. Yet under the prevailing attitudes of the time, Menghe was still widely viewed as a racially inferior country, and it lacked the vast colonial holdings of its Casaterran counterparts.
Under these conditions, a growing nationalist faction began calling for Menghe to restore the "pre-1500 status quo," when the Ŭi dynasty had dominated the South Menghean Sea belt region with New Oyashima and Khalistan as its only real rivals. When Casaterran explorers and traders arrived in the early 16th century, however, they brought with them diseases to which the locals had no immunity, setting off the Menghean Black Plague. Spreading quickly through the country's large cities and along its trade routes, the plague wiped out at least half of the population and toppled its government. In addition to setting the country back economically, this plague led many Menghean radicals to associate Casaterran traders with national decline and disease.
A leading voice in the nationalist faction was Kwon Chong-hoon, a high-ranking General who had attained war-hero status for his deeds in the assault on Fort Henri, Qusayn. With the support of the Army and Navy, General Kwon staged a military coup on February 18th, 1927, seizing control of government buildings in Donggyŏng and other major cities. In homage to Ŭi and Sinŭi rulers, he proclaimed himself Emperor, and reorganized the national government as the Greater Menghean Empire.
Government
The most important organ of state in the Greater Menghean Empire was the Imperial Council, similar in structure and role to the Supreme Council of Menghe today. It consisted of the Emperor, his closest advisers, and the members of the Cabinet, but in practice the Emperor's word was law. Ruling methods differed somewhat between Kwon and Kim, with the latter generally delegating more tasks to his ministers and seeking more guidance from his advisers.
As the legislature was dissolved in the wake of the Coup of February 18th and never reorganized, there was no elected political body in the Greater Menghean Empire, and all officials were appointed from above.
Economy
In the economic realm, General Kwon sought to promote the slogan of Buguk Gangbyŏng (부국강병 / 富國强兵), literally "rich country, strong military," which had already grown popular in the Federal Republic era. Compared with his predecessors, Kwon urged a greater focus on heavy industry, including coal, oil, and steel.
While this strategy led to impressive growth in Menghe's industrial output specifically, and allowed it to shoulder the costs of a long conventional war, it also came at a cost to light industry and other sectors. Kwon's aggressive foreign policy also led to a decline in trade and foreign investment, which intensified the military's search for potential resource-rich colonies.
Throughout the later interwar period, and the war itself, Menghe remained a largely agrarian and deindustrialized nation, leveraging its large population to compensate for its other weaknesses. While its total steel output was respectable, per-capita figures fell well behind the overall norm, and quality of life for most citizens remained poor. These problems were especially visible in the final years of the Great Conquest War, as the cost of nine years of mobilization became apparent.