Estharian Civil War
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The Estharian Civil War (July 18, 1932 - April 1, 1935) was a civil war that took place in Esthar and Balamb fought primarily between the Republicans consisting of socialists, communists, separatists, anarchists, and republicans against the Nationalists consisting of reformed falangists, monarchists, conservatives, religious, and traditionalists led by Balambian Johtaja A.C.G. Lindholm who achieved a preponderant role. Both sides had their respective supporters; The republicans had the support of the Autocratic East Europan Imperial Alliance, Archadia-Archedes, and the Empire of Quenmin while the Nationalists gained support of the Lucis Commonwealth, the Holy Galbadian Empire, and Dalmasca and Nabradia. The war has been called as both a political and religious struggle, between revolution and counterrevolution, and between Imperialism and Democracy. The war has been seen as the prelude to the Second Europan War.
The root causes of the war were the religious intolerance by the Republican government, persecuting church leaders of both Islam and Christianity, the disagreements between left and right, and the desire of the Republicans to bring about a religious-free society, something which deeply upset many Estharians and Balambians, majority of which still clung to a traditional way of life guided by religion. However, the biggest blunder of the Republicans was the refusal to recognise the Balambian State's autonomy, by which President Jose Carlos Valle wanted Balamb to be directly governed by Madrid, violating Balambian autonomy which had been set during the rule of Maria III.
The war began during the failed coup of 1932 against the Republican government by a group of Estharian Republican Army Generals who rebelled, having Antonio Mola as the primary planner and Enrico Sanjurjo as figurehead. At that time, the government was a coalition of Republicans, supported by the Republican Cortes consisting of Communists and Socialists under the leadership of President Alberto Deling. The Nationalists was supported by a number of conservative and traditionalist groups, including CEAR, Army of Africanna, monarchists, Ferdinandists, and Reformed Falangists. The biggest support came from the Balambian State, an entirely Finlandian-speaking state led by Lindholm. Following the deaths of Sanjurjo and Mola, Lindholm emerged as the overall figurehead and leader of the Nationalist side, having been given the title of Johtaja (Leader) in his native Balamb, and El Director by the Estharian Nationalists.
At the start, the coup was supported by military units in Estharian Marocca, Pamplona, Burgos, Zaragosa, Valladolid, Seville, Córdoba, and Cádiz. The rest of the rebelling units in almost all important cities such as Madrid, Barcelonia, Valencia, Bilbao, and Málagia did not gain control and remained under the Republican government. This left Esthar militarily and politically divided. The Nationalists initially received support from the Imperials but when Lindholm denied allowing the Imperials control of Estharian Ports after the war, the Imperials immediately switched support to the Republicans. This led to Lindholm approaching the West for help. As a result, the Nationalists received munitions, soldiers, and air support from the Lucis Commonwealth, Galbadia, and Dalmasca while the Republicans received support and volunteers from East Europa, Archadia, and Quenmin.
The situation in Balamb was much more different later on during the Winter of 1932, when the Republican government attempted to march towards Satamakaupunki, only to be halted by elements of the Balambian Defence Forces who have joined the side of the Nationalists on 30 November 1932. The Republic, with support of its volunteers lost its foothold in Balamb on 13 May 1933 following the Battle of Rantala, as many Estharian Republican forces escaped the pursuing Balambians. Lindholm immediately flew his troops across the Rantala Strait with the help of the RAF and into Esthar to join the rest of the Nationalist forces there. By 1933, the Nationalists advanced from west to the eastern coastline of Esthar, capturing most of it in 1934. They began besieging Madrid in 1933 and the area to its south and west for the rest of the war. After much of Catalunya was captured in 1934 and 1935, and Madrid cut off from Barcelonia, the Republican military position became hopeless. Following the fall of Barcelonia in February 1935, Lindholm's government was recognised by Great Lucis as the legitimate ruling government of both Esthar and Balamb. On 5 March 1935, in response to the heavy Imperial dominance of the republican government and deteriorating military situation, Colonel Roberto Casado led a military coup against the Republican government. These peace overtures, however, were rejected by Lindholm. With the growing internal infighting within the Republican government, the Imperials immediately withdrew all their support from the Republicans, as Lindholm entered Madrid and declared the end of the war in the midst of many republicans fleeing the country.
The closing year of the war saw the beginning of the Second Europan War but the Imperials no longer had interest in maintaining influence in Esthar as East Europa moved to invade the rest of Europa and Scandinavia, Archadia in East Africanna and in Lorica, and Quenmin to the rest of the Middle East and Pacificanna. The war ended in 1 April 1935 and Lindholm was successful in preventing Esthar from joining the war, until in 1936 during the Incident at the Schwarz Canal, in which elements of the Archadian and Quenminese Air Force attacked the Estharian Navy at the Schwarz Canal, prompting Lindholm to join on the side of the Allies and regaining its support from the Western Allies.