Aleksis Kraulis
Aleksis Kraulis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General Secretary of the Jedorian Communist Party | |
| Assumed office September 23rd, 1954 | |
| Preceded by | Position Established |
| Succeeded by | Alberts Vollis |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Aleksis Kraulis 5 April, 1918 Daugavbile, Bessarabia |
| Died | 12 March, 2000 Lothas, Bessarabia |
| Spouse | Kersti Aasmae (1929-1978) |
Aleksis Kraulis (born 5 April, 1918; Died 12 March, 2000) was a Jedorian politician and founder of the Socialist Republic of Jedoria. He ruled as General Secretary of the Jedorian Communist Party from 1954 to 2000, which effectively made him Jedoria's de facto dictator. He initiated a series of border conflicts with Jedoria's neighbors while also passing wide sweeping reforms to Jedoria's industry and society during his tenure, which by large established Jedoria as a modern industrial state.
Kraulis was born in Bessarabia-then part of the Confederation of Jedoria- and was raised in Lothas. He joined the Jedorian Communist Party in 1937 at the age of nineteen, and was later conscripted into the Royal Confederate Army during the Northern War, where he was awarded thrice for his performance. Following Jedoria's defeat, Kraulis became a vocal critic of the ruling elite, and organized mass strikes by Jedorian workers. He helped cultivate a period of growing unrest that erupted into the Jedorian Revolution in 1954, resulting in the dissolution of the Confederation and the establishment of the Socialist Republic. Aided by Polvokia and Letnia, Kraulis instituted a wide range of reforms, which industrialized and modernized much of Jedoria through major public works projects. Exploitation of Jedoria's abundance of natural resources allowed Jedoria to become a major producer of oil, steel, coal, and lumber, during which it became one of the fastest growing economies in the world.
Kraulis's domestic policies however were largely overshadowed by his foreign policy. An ardent nationalist at heart, Kraulis early on in his reign established his desire for a "crusade against imperialism", which was his way of describing Jedorian efforts to reclaim disputed territories. Kraulis established and oversaw the expansion of the Jedorian People's Army, which he used to invade Andor in 1961, sparking the Vinyan War. Kraulis's perception of Jedorian success led him to believe Jedoria could become a major power on its own, which ultimately let to a souring of relations with Lentia, which resulted in a border conflict with Letnia's ally Kolodiya. A decade later Jedoria would invade [[Vyzhva (Septentrion)|Vyzhva) during the Vyzhvan-Jedorian War.
Kraulis's declining health following the death of his wife led to an increase in erratic behavior, marked by bouts of paranoia and suspicion. In 1996 he ordered the invasion of Cherniya, sparking the Cherniyan War. The stress of the conflict ultimately worsened his health, and he died in March 2000. Jedoria sued for peace shortly thereafter, and the Socialist Republic collapsed into civil war four years later.
Kraulis remains a controversial figure to this day, and is largely vilified in Jedoria itself. While Kraulis's reforms are largely credited with transforming Jedoria into a modern, industrialized state, his war mongering is believe to have resulted in the deaths of over one million Jedorians during his reign. Kraulis himself did not maintain a major personality cult, but during his rule often tried to present himself as a grandfatherly figure, especially in his later years. Several monuments were built to Kraulis during his reign, but all were destroyed or removed following the end of the civil war.