Chen Xuechang
Chén Xuéchāng | |
|---|---|
| 陳学昌 | |
 Official portrait of Chen Xuechang | |
| 3rd Premier of Xiaodong | |
| In office 24th August 1945 – 20th November 1965 | |
| President | Wu Jinmo Ma Renzhong Li Zhaozheng |
| Deputy | Zhou Hongkui Li Zhaozheng Li Shengjun |
| Preceded by | Luo Huizhong |
| Succeeded by | Lu Zhaohui |
| Minister of International Affairs | |
| In office 13th October 1940 – 20th March 1954 | |
| Premier | Zhou Hongkui Luo Huizhong Himself |
| Preceded by | Post established |
| Succeeded by | Luo Wenjing |
| Member of the State Presidium of Xiaodong | |
| In office 13th October 1940 – 20th November 1966 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 16, 1892 Majing, Anqian province, Xiaodong |
| Died | November 20, 1965 (aged 73) Baiqiao, Xiaodong |
| Political party | Xiaodongese Section of the Workers' International Xiaodong Regeneration Society |
| Spouse | Liu Ran |
| Children | 4 |
| Alma mater | University of Baiqiao |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Heavenly Xiaodongese Empire (1928-1932) Xiaodongese Section of the Workers' International (1936-1940) |
| Branch/service | Heavenly Xiaodongese Army (1928-1932) Army of National Salvation (1936-1940) |
| Rank | General |
| Battles/wars | Senrian-Xiaodongese War, Xiaodongese Civil War |
- This is a Xiaodongese name; the family name is Chen (陳).
Chen Xuechang (Xiaodongese: 陳学昌, Chén Xuéchāng; June 16th 1892 - November 7th 1965 aged 73) was a Xiaodongese politician, revolutionary, theoretician and military officer who served as premier from 1945 to 1965. Chen also served as Minister of International Relations from the posts creation in 1940 to 1954 and was an inaugural member of the State Presidium of Xiaodong serving on the body until his death in 1965.
Born in Majing in 1892, Chen came from a bureaucrats family. Chen moved to Gaullica in 1910 after taking up work for the Gaullican navy, eventually working in Verlois at dockyards. Whilst in Gaullica Chen was exposed to left-wing politics and sojourned with various Xiaodongese socialist and reformist intellectuals who had been exiled from their homeland, joining the overseas wing of the Xiaodongese Section of the Workers' International. Chen returned to Xiaodong in 1918 following the Great Collapse during the height of revolutionary activity in the country; Chen would act as a polemicist for the Workers' Daily, the Xiaodongese Section's propaganda paper, as well as organise strikes. During his period he became respected as one of the foremost voices of the Xiaodongese left. In 1920 Chen was imprisoned by authorities for "sedition and anti-imperial rhetoric" being sent to a prison camp in northern Xiaodong to perform hard labour.
Chen would spend the next eight years imprisoned before in 1928 he was conscripted into the Xiaodongese army to serve in Senria during the Great War. Chen was taken as a Senrian prisoner of war in 1932 being returned to Xiaodong in a prisoner swap after the Treaty of Keisi in 1935. Shortly after his return Chen re-entered socialist politics becoming de facto second in command of the Xiaodongese Section after Rao Junzhao. However Chen's politics had shifted following his return from imprisonment in Senria; rather then support the syndicalist and anarchist tendencies of the mainstream of the Xiaodongese Section Chen called for a people's democratic dictatorship under a vanguard party. This was criticised within the party as "right-revisionist".
Chen's own views on socialism and his experience fighting during the war meant he retained contacts within the Xiaodongese military who increasingly supported the neosocialism doctrine of scholar Wu Jinmo and war hero Lu Keqian which was crystallising into National Principlism. Chen was successful in persuading Rao and the Xiaodongese Section to support the Corrective Revolution and thus Lu Keqian's Army of National Salvation during the Xiaodongese Civil War; as a figure respected both by the socialists and national principlists Chen often worked as a liaison between the two to ensure cordial cooperation.
Following the victory of the Army of National Salvation in 1940 Chen was appointed as the first Minister of International Relations in the new regime by Lu with Rao becoming premier. Between the two men however conflict within the party was reaching a crisis point; Rao as the leader of the orthodox-internationalist wing of the party supported an alliance with Kirenia and the use of a piecemeal strategy to undermine Lu and eventually seize power themselves. Chen meanwhile led the unorthodox-nationalist wing that supported continuing the alliance with the Regeneration Society, embracing a neosocialist approach and supporting the creation of a Xiaodongese-led southern Coian confederation rather then an alliance with other socialist nations. This crisis was exploited by Lu who supported Chen; in 1945 he appointed Chen as premier, leading to a de facto split within the Xiaodongese Section between Chen's supporters and opponents. Following Lu's death Chen was seen as a key figure in the power struggle that followed, with Chen and his supporters leaving the Xiaodongese Section joining the Regeneration Society giving the new head of state Ma Renzhong the pretext to purge the rump Xiaodongese Section and monopolise power around the Regeneration Society. Chen was rewarded by maintaining his post as Premier, International Relations Minister and his seat in the State Presidium. Chen also became leader of the left-wing of the Regeneration Society supporting a more socialist economic approach and an anti-colonial attitude in regards to Coian powers.
As Minister of International Relations Chen played a crucial part in Xiaodong's post-war foreign policy, overseeing the annexation of the separatist Ba and Chanwan Republics. Chen officially repudiated the Treaty of Keisi and was involved in negotiations that saw Xiaodong pay limited reparations to Estmere and Werania although failed to repair relations with Senria. Under Chen's stewardship Xiaodong would emerge as a powerful voice advocating decolonisation in Coius. This included during the Solarian War Xiaodong invaded and annexed the Etrurian concession of Gaoming returning it to Xiaodongese rule. Chen emerged as an important powerbroker both due to his status as leader of the socialist wing of the regime and his growing popularity amongst anti-colonial activists. Chen's support for Ma Renzhong proved crucial in the latter's rise to power making Chen the second most powerful man in Xiaodong.
As Premier Chen continued his focus on foreign policy whilst Ma concentrated on domestic affairs. Chen was crucial in the formulation of the Three Fundamentals that would guide Xiaodongese foreign policy for the next few decades - the fundamentals being the the isolation of Senria from international affairs, the maintenance of Xiaodong as a the foremost great power and the promotion of anti-imperialism in Coius and the Asteria's particularly against Euclean influence. During the 1950's after the assumption of power of Tokiyasu Kitamura in Senria Xiaodong and Senria would periodically cooperate with each other to promote decolonisation in Coius, a policy that scholars credit as having sped up decolonisation measures in the continent. This light cooperation ended with the assassination of Kitamura in 1964.
Ma and Chen were generally seen to have been effective governing together with the pair possessing a technocratic style that led to Xiaodong's fast recovery from the damage of both the Great War and civil war. Ma's stroke in 1958 led to some to speculate that Chen would succeed him as leader; however Chen's socialist leanings meant conservatives within the Regeneration Society distrusted him immensely leading to vice-premier Li Zhaozheng to eventually succeed Ma when the latter died in 1959. Compared to the cordial relationship Chen maintained with Ma his relationship with Li was poor leading to Li to overrule him increasingly on foreign affairs, such as Li's ordering of the assassination of Kitamura in 1964. During the last years of his premiership Chen became increasingly critical of the ever expanding corruption that was spreading, particularly Li's personal role in it. This occurred at the same time to which Chen was suffering from terminal lung cancer; he would die at the age of 74 in 1966, receiving a large state funeral.
A controversial figure in Xiaodongese history, Chen's reputation has changed over time between that of an opportunistic politician to an outstanding statesman. Along with Ma Renzhong in modern Xiaodong he tends to be highly regarded due to his diplomatic skill, role in reconstructing Xiaodong following the Great War, pragmatic political attitude and opposition to corruption. Chen is the longest serving premier in the history of Xiaodong serving in the role for 19 years.