Frozen War

Frozen War
Part of the post-Second Great War era
Date 5 January 1946 – 12 March 1976 (30 years, 2 months and 1 week) Location Worldwide Result Breakup of the Yedinburg Pact Fall of the Niagaran Senatorial Republic Decolonization Communist takeover in Gagium Creation of the Lauilliac Pact and Third Coalition Start of the Third Great War
First phase: Alanna Gryva Niagaran Senatorial Republic Inglaterra Pätschlàn Seocheon		First phase: Alaoyi Fluvannia Gagium Niagaran government-in-exile The Furbish Islands
Second phase: Alanna Gryva	Second phase: Niagaran Senatorial Republic Seocheon	Second phase: Inglaterra Pätschlàn	Second phase: Alaoyi Fluvannia Gagium Niagaran government-in-exile The Furbish Islands
Third phase: Alanna Gryva	Third phase: Seocheon	Third phase: Inglaterra Pätschlàn	Third phase: Alaoyi Fluvannia Gagium Greater Niagara The Furbish Islands
Fourth phase: Alanna Gagium Gryva Inglaterra Pätschlàn Seocheon		Fourth phase: Alaoyi Fluvannia Greater Niagara The Furbish Islands

The Frozen War refers to a period of heightened tensions between major powers in the years between the Second and Third Great Wars. The name partly comes from the fact that there was little direct conflict between all major powers, instead they primarily fought through proxy wars, espionage, and some diplomatic and economic actions. Infighting also took place between different alliances, and the period was marked by several changes in government.

Though the beginning and end of the Frozen War is often debated by historians, most say it began immediately after the end of the Second Great war as tensions between the former Second Coalition and Yedinburg Pact remained high. Despite losing the war, Coalition powers including Fluvannia, Gagium, Hrvada, and the Zarare-based Niagaran government-in-exile continued to project power in their respective regions, coming into conflict with the victorious Yedinburg Pact powers. This began the brief first phase of the Frozen War, as diplomatic tensions led to economic conflicts and proxy wars in more volatile regions like the Gulf of Atily and former León Monarchy.

Ideological differences between Yedinburg Pact members soon led to cracks forming in the alliance. By 1948 it split into three blocs: one led by Gryva and Alanna, one led by Pätschlàn and Komrep Inglaterra, and a third led by the Niagaran Senatorial Republic and Seocheon, which marked the beginning of the second phase. Nominally the Yedinburg Pact was never dissolved, but the three sides fought proxy wars between each other, and tensions remained high. The largest of these wars was the Sol'Vin War between 1954 and 1958, which started as a war between Gryvan and Niagaran occupied sections of Sol'Vin, but Gryva and Niagara would provide most of the manpower during the war. After a high loss of life and destruction, little changed from before the war, which only ended after the death of Niagaran president Anton L. Alvestad. The Sol'Vin War contributed to the fall of the Niagaran Senatorial Republic and the fascist National Revival Party regime in Gryva, the latter being replaced by the communist Gryvan Peoples' Front.

This realigning marked the beginning of the third phase. Many Niagaran colonies campaigned or fought for independence at this time, some movements being supported by the communist blocs.

Shifts in politics that took place in Gagium in 1971 marked the beginning of the brief fourth phase of the Frozen War. The communist Revolutionary Committee for Reform, led by Ulysse Cohen, was elected. They began to suppress all forms of dissent, while also withdrawing troops from the Gulf of Atily. Fears of a communist takeover caused people in Greater Niagara and The Furbish Islands to elect aggressively anti-communist governments, under Lars Korvald in 1972 and Robbert Pelt in 1973 respectively. The Furbish Islands began to take a more active foreign policy, becoming one of the founding members of the Third Coalition. As tensions before the Third Great War began to increase, the feuding communist countries realized they stood little chance against the Third Coalition, so they worked to ease tensions and form the Lauilliac Pact.

The Frozen War is often overshadowed by the wars that came directly before and after it, but it still had a lasting impact.

Origins of the term

The term "Frozen War" was first used by Furbish author György Orban, who in 1948 wrote:

Neither side is happy with the outcome of the Last Great War. To them it is like the War never ended, and that today we are in a Frozen War rather than a lasting peace.

Around a week later, this was referenced by the Furbish Deputy Prime Minister of Foreign Affairs XXX, who said in a speech to the National Assembly:

Many nations treat the new order not as a lasting peace but as György Orban wrote: a Frozen War.