Akashian Civil War

Akashian Civil War
Date 10 February 1935 – 10 February 1940 (5 years) Location Akashi Result National Renewal Movement victory
Belligerents
First Akashian Republic: Akashian military Supported by: Alscia (1935–1939)	File:Roter Stern.png Far-left: United Red Army Supported by: Ruvelka	Far-right: Great Akashi Army Supported by: Æþurheim Megelan Đại Quến	Yurikarists: National Renewal Movement Supported by: ?

The Akashian Civil War (Miranian: 乙亥戦争 Otsugai Sensō, lit. "War of the Year of the Wood Pig"; Gothic: 𐌰ᚴ𐌰𐍊𐌴 𐌰𐌻𐌰𐌸𐌹𐌿𐌳𐍉 𐍅𐌹𐌲𐌰𐌽 Akaśe Alaþiudō Wigan) was a civil war in Akashi that lasted from 1935 to 1940, fought between different armed groups and the Akashian government.

The conflict was caused by latent tensions that undermined the first Akashian republic, and triggered by the social and economic crisis of the 1930s. Apart from the government, the main factions were the far-left, far-right, and a moderate faction led by Yurika Ehara. The war saw the destruction of the first Akashian republic, followed by the factions turning against each other, with the Yurikara faction winning.

The war had a great impact on Akashian society and politics, and is considered the foundation of modern Akashi.

Background

Akashi's dual monarchy was overthrown and replaced by a republic in 1900. While it enjoyed two decades of peace and development, culminating in the Roaring Twenties (狂騒の1920年代, kyōsō no 1920-nendai), tensions mounted from various factors: class stratification, capitalist inequality, rising labour militancy, and ethnic tensions between Miranians and Goths.

An economic decline in the 1930s exacerbated existing tensions, and the situation became a full-blown crisis.

The Futurist Political Party tried to launch a coup d'état on 10 February 1935. Although the immediate uprising in Hirakawa was suppressed, the party fled to the countryside. The failed coup showed the government's weakness enough to encourage other factions to take up arms.

Factions

Besides the Akashian government, usually referred to in this context as the "old republic" (Miranian: 旧共和国 Kyū kyōwakoku; Gothic: 𐌰𐌻𐌸𐌴𐌹𐍃 𐌱𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌲𐌾𐌰𐍂𐌰𐌲𐌹𐌽𐍉𐌽 Alþeis Baurgjaraginōn), three major factions emerged:

• The United Red Army (連合赤軍 Rengō Sekigun), a far-left faction led by the Communist Party.
• The Great Akashi Army (大明軍 Dai Akashigun), a far-right faction led by the Futurist Political Party.
• The National Renewal Movement (全国更新運動 Zenkoku kōshin undō), a moderate faction led by Yurika Ehara.

Course of the war

The war began with the major factions seizing a large part of Akashian territory, confining the Akashian government largely to the capital Hirakawa. Matō, the largest province, was a particular battleground.

Yurikara's faction set up its base in Mikasa, and was able to consolidate and grow in strength due to the relative isolation of the Kagi peninsula and effective defenses. The URA dominated in north Akashi, with its headquarters in Honnobe. The GAA was based in Enri and largely focused on dominating eastern Akashi; it also held an enclave in Yoshino that was the site of fierce fighting and sieges from the URA.

Kagishi notably fell under the control of local forces, and managed to retain independence from the other factions until the end of the conflict.

The war polarised Akashian society. Most right-wing parties backed the GAA due to anti-communism, while most left-wing parties joined the United Red Army.

The factions sought foreign support. The URA was supported by Ruvelka. The GAA was backed by the Political Futurist regimes of Æþurheim and Megelan, and Quocvangist Quenmin. The consistent weakness of the "old republic" led to it losing international support.

Most of the conflict was a stalemate between the URA and GAA, with fierce battles along the Furēya river basin and Tōhō Sanmyaku. The GAA attacked Hirakawa, destroying the remnants of the "old republic", and were in turn beaten out of the capital by the URA.

The NRM ultimately benefited the most from the URA–GAA battles. The NRM and URA largely allied to defeat the GAA. Afterwards, Yurikara triumphed in a power struggle with a combination of offensives against an exhausted URA and generous concessions to gain a peace deal. With the government of the "old republic" destroyed, she entered Hirakawa on 10 February 1940 and declared a new republic, provisionally taking the posts of President and Prime Minister simultaneously.

Aftermath

The Akashian Civil War was the most devastating conflict experienced by the country, which emerged from it with a ruined economy and smaller population. It left a permanent mark on Akashian society, with the Yurikarists scrambling to create a new unifying identity that would prevent a repeat of the Miranian–Goth tensions. The Constitution of 1941 specifically declared Akashi to be founded on "the union of Miranians and Goths", a wording that has remained in the Constitution of 1984.

The war brought a complete transformation of Akashian politics. Most parties associated with the "old republic" were dissolved or banned after the war, with the few surviving parties mainly being on the left. The Akashian right was discredited by its decision to side with the Political Futurists, and the Conservative National Party was shunned and struggled in elections for nearly 4 decades. The right being discredited and the left being exhausted from battle helped pave the way for the National Union's long dominance and the emergence of the Yurikaran consensus.

Yurikara expertly harnessed the legacy of the war during her time in office, presenting herself as a unifying figure for Akashians and implicitly warning that a destruction of the Yurikaran consensus would mean renewed civil war. During the Summer of Freedom, she vehemently refused to take violent measures to end unrest for fear of starting another civil war.