Marveil Urshlo
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Marveil Urshlo | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Mervoret of Drevstran | |
| In office 1959–1969 | |
| Preceded by | Obrichko Dursila |
| President of Nepserot | |
| In office 1953–1975 | |
| Preceded by | Creation of the position |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | Nepserot! |
| Children | 4 |
| Profession | Businessman |
Marveil Urshlo was a Drevstranese politician and businessman who served as the fourth Mervoret of Drevstran in the wake of Obrichko Dursila's mandate. Considered a centrist by its contemporaries, he is credited for many reforms and decisions that continue to shape the country to this day. He began his political career as part of the so-called Clique of Pristlav, an unofficial circle and think-tank of liberal businessmen and officials who wished for the end of the Skolad Dictature and prepared for the aftermath of a potential overthrow of the Mayor of the Palace. After the Black Street Days and the proclamation of the Second Mervoshia, Urshlo founded and presided over his own party, the center-right Yednosc. He would himself be elected to the position of Mayor of the Palace in 1959 as the main political opponent and alternative to the Anarchists.
As a Mervoret, Urshlo came back on many of Dursila policies: he re-opened or rebuilt the places of worship that had been closed or destroyed by the Anarchists, began the liberalization of the country and, more importantly, began a policy of friendship with the Latium to escape the domination of either Ostrozava or Garima and open the Mervoshia to new geopolitical and economical possibilities. However, he was unable to completely get rid of the Anarchists' legacy: the Labour Code remained unchanged, the special status of public industries were vehemently protected by their Unions, and agricultural collectives weren't dismantled despite his promises to do so.
Personal History
Early life and education
Born in 1888 in Angrast, Marveil was not in Drevstran when the Civil war began, as he was still at the Castellum Polytechnic School for his economic studies after having spent a few years in Garima own school system. He would only return to Drevstran in 1920, and would settle in Pristlav, the main portuary city of the country. Under the Orbraggist regime, he built his wealth as a Freight transporter, with his own small cargo fleet.
Political activism
It's only with the growth of Skolad's powers that Urshlo began to involve himself in politics. He opposed the Mervoret's actions, and secretly milited for the liberalisation of the country alongside other reforms. Because of the state's censure and crackdowns on political opponents, real or perceived, Urshlo and other like-minded people organized their political and intellectuel activities in secret in what would be later known as the Clique of Pristlav. Their main concern were Skolad' efforts to nationalize most of the country's industrial capacities as well as the rising taxes and tariffs justified by the still ongoing conflict with West Besmenia.
Second Mervoshia
Neither Urshlo nor the Pristlav Clique played a major role in the Black Streets Days and the fall of Skolad. Instead, it would be the odd cohabitation between the Anarchists and the remnants of Yednosc! that would take the leadership of the country and organize the creation of the Second Mervoshia. As soon as it became possible, Urshlo launched his own political party, called Nepserot, to represent the interest of the liberal-minded and Periclean-looking eastern coast of Drevstran. Financial difficulties and the rapidity of the events led to confusion and slowed-down Urshlo in his task, but he and his Party nonetheless managed to gain a comfortable number of seat in the Parliamentary Elections of 1954, de-facto replacing Yednosc! as the main opposition party to Obrichko Dursila.
Mervoret Mandate
Nepserot only kept on growing as the Anarchists weakened until Urshlo won against Dursila himself during the elections of 1959. He was especially popular among the urban populations of eastern Drevstran, the Ludz, and the Orthodox believers. Within the country, he re-opened many places of worship, restored supports to the various recognized Churches of Drevstran and launched himself into a campaign of liberalization and de-corruption of Drevstran.
While many of his tax reforms were accepted, attempts to get rid the public factories, reduce the power of the unions, abolish the Agricultural Collectives, or change the Labour Code, all ended in failure and badly damaged his image. However, while the support of the parliament proved wavering, Urshlo relied more and more on his ties with the judiciary to get his anti-corruption efforts going. Many anarchists local figures and politicians in their pockets were deposed or even jailed because of their mishandling of public funds, electoral frauds. These "Countryside Chieftains" often used and abused of their ties with the mobs and their own "black gangs" to protect themselves from law enforcement and maintain their deep local uprooting. To get rid of the last remaining Countryside Chieftains and their networks, Urshlo distantly supported the creation of the Blue Guards, militias recruited from various elements of the right and opposed to the Anarchists. In the cities, the Blue Guards were used as unofficial police auxilliaries in case of anarchists riots or students protests, allowing law enforcement to remain clean despite growing violence. In the countryside, Blue Guards units would often end up serving as bodyguards for administrators elected without the approval of the Countryside Chieftains, while also often mounting operations on their own against anarchists cells and mobsters.
Foreign Affairs
Marveil Urshlo was the mastermind behind a policy that would have long lasting consequences on Drevstranese diplomacy. Because of the always present tensions between Ostrozava and Garima, he decided to move Drevstran' center of gravity away from Lake Kulpanitsa and to the Periclean. To do so, he notably made multiple contacts to the Latin Empire, which proved to be successful. In 1961, the two countries signed their first trade agreement. From there, the idea of abandoning traditional allignements and conflicts with Kulpanitsan nations while favoring relations with outside powers. For this, Urshlo is often credited for ending the economic downtime that characterized the early years of the Second Mervoshia.
End of mandate
Urshlo's victory in the 1964 elections was already tenuous, he barely won the mayorship and his party lost its majority in the Parliament. His second term was thus an awkward cohabitation between himself and a parliament led by the Socialist party Skozi. It's during this mandate that Urshlo would strengthen his anti-corruption campaign, and where the violence between Anarchists and Blue Guards reached its peak to the point observers began to wonder if the young Second Mervoshia was already on its last leg. Angrast and the central Drev Valley were especially susceptible to this violence while less politicaly diverses cities like Pristlav, which had always been a Nepserot bastion, quickly ended their own troubles and remained peaceful allowing Urshlo's economic reforms to have their full effect.
By 1963, despite a decrease in violence, the dismembering of many Blue Guards, and the emprisonment of the last few Countryside Chieftains and of their men radicalized by the anti-corruption campaign, and the unwavering support of the Periclean Coast to Nepserot, the rest of the country had gotten tired of Marveil Urshlo. In 1964, his party lost the presidency and could only maintain itself in the eastern bastion. Despite this, Urshlo would manage to maintain at the head of the party and would spend the rest of his political life as Mayor of Pristlav until his death in 1977.