Tengarian Civil War
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Tengarian Civil War | ||||||||
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Loyalist Armored Convoy in the Streets of Lenovo | ||||||||
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Belligerents | ||||||||
Republic of Tengaria (Loyalists) | Republic of Tengaria (Republicans) | People's Republic of Tengaria | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | ||||||||
Simeon Radez † Simeon Kovachev |
Rumen Santov Todor Stoychev † |
Vladimir Vasilov Boris Ernev † | ||||||
Strength | ||||||||
Tengarian National Army: 342,500 Other Loyalist forces: 132,000 |
Tengarian Republican Army: 44,000 Republican Resistance: 65,700 (estimated) |
People's Army of Tengaria: 10,500 Labour Resistance: 22,200 (estimated) | ||||||
Casualties and losses | ||||||||
5,014 killed 10,863 injured 444 missing | 14,000 killed or injured (estimated) | 4,500 killed or injured (estimated) | ||||||
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The Tengarian Civil War (Tengarian: Гражданска Война Тенгария) was a civil war in Tengaria from November 1955 to November 1957, fought between Tengarian Restorationist government, the Republicans, and the proclaimed People's Republic of Tengaria. Each faction claimed to be the true legitimate government of the Republic of Tengaria, ultimately resulting in an armed conflict between all sides. Lasting just under two years, the Civil War saw the steady defeat of both the Republican and Labour factions in the Tengarian Republic, and the rise of Simeon Kovachev as Tengaria's primary statesman and the rise of the National Rally.
Tengaria was an Empire before the events of the Great War, after which Narozalica imposed a republic on it. The early Republic was marked with financial disasters, partisan political conflict, and government incompetence; a President never managed to secure more than 41% of the popular vote. Voter turnout was very low; few people had an interest in the workings of the republic run by a collection of mostly pro-Narozalic academics of he Renewal Party and the Reform Party. Each party often only controlled a portion of the government and not the other, and found themselves unable to do much. Initially, the Labour Party was hoped to bring about change, but when that failed as well after the two failed terms of Vladimir Vasilov, all three establishment parties began to rapidly lose public support.
The 1955 elections saw the formerly fringe Restoration Party, a pro-monarchist party, swept the elections on a platform of restoring the Empire and solving the problems the republic had faced. Essentially kicked out of the government, the National Assembly and the Senate refused to acknowledge the outcome of the elections. The new president, Dimitri Denov, tried a peaceful solution, but was assassinated on the way to speak with the National Assembly. The incumbent Republican members of Grand Assembly fled Lenovo out of fear of retribution, and three days later proclaimed themselves the legitimate government of Tengaria, with Rumen Santov as their President. On the same day, at a Labour Rally, Vladimir Vasilov was proclaimed President of the People's Republic of Tengaria, in opposition to the Restoration government in Lenovo. Acting President Simeon Radez ordered the rebels to stand down, but after refusal by both, the Civil War began in earnest.
Although a portion of the National Army deserted, the vast majority remained on the Loyalist side under the command of Simeon Kovachev, commander of the army and a Great War hero. The Loyalists consistently outnumbered, outgunned and outmaneuvered the other factions. The rebel factions also lacked popular support, often resorting to killing political opponents to keep control of their occupied territory. Faced against a stronger opposition, both rebel groups frequently resorted to guerilla warfare. Only funding from outside sources and setbacks like the assassination of President Radez delayed the long march of defeat for the rebel groups. Simeon Kovachev took power as provisional head of government and began the National Rally movement to bring about National Unity. Eventually, both rebel groups capitulated to government forces. The Civil War ended with a decisive loyalist victory. After the war, Simeon Kovachev rewrote the Tengarian constitution, giving more power to the presidency, and used the National Rally as a means to move beyond partisan conflict and heal the wounds of the war.