Razarian Civil War

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Razarian Civil War
Part of Volatile Century
Battle for Bihać.jpg
Soldiers of the Assembly of Patriotic Forces advancing near Grabovica in 1951
Date23 April 1949 - 15 January 1954 (4 years, 8 months, 3 weeks and 2 days)
Location
Result Nationalist victory
Belligerents

Razaria Assembly of Patriotic Forces


Supported by:


Monarchist forces (1949-1951)


Supported by:

National Congress of Workers’ Liberation


Supported by:


Razarian Liberationist Party (1949-1953)
Supported by:

Various warlords
Strength
At peak:
215,000 (APF)
43,000 (Monarchists)
12,000 (NSP, NLP)
At peak:
205,000 (NCWL)
31,000 (Liberationists)
Total of around 82,000 at peak
Casualties and losses
74,281 killed
1,482 missing
129,912 wounded

NCWL forces:
69,477 killed
2,591 missing
94,501 wounded


Liberationist forces:
5,399 killed
11,982 wounded
37,845 killed
40,004 wounded
218,042 civilian deaths

The Razarian Civil War (Razarian: Razarski građanski rat) was fought in Razaria from 1949 to 1954 between various opposing left-wing and right-wing revolutionary and radical factions as well as warlords in wake of the loss of the Razarian imperial government's control over much of the country in the late 1940s. The war concluded with the victory of right-wing nationalist forces.

Tension between opposing radical right-wing and left-wing movements had begun in Razaria since the late 19th century, but in the 1940s began to expand and intensify heavily, exploiting the unwillingness of the Razarian government to take action. Across the country paramilitary groups were organized on both sides, aided by defecting or mutineering military units as well as former servicemen, and preparations were made by syndicalist and communist forces to launch a 'nation-wide proletarian revolution' starting in 1942. With most of the security forces themselves defecting to the radical movements, the Razarian government lost practically all power outside of the capital city by 1946 and most of the country fell to a state of anarchy. Territory and equipment were seized by nationalists and syndicalists, and on April 23 1949 the first official engagement between the two sides proclaimed the beginning of a civil war.

The nationalist forces were organized under the Assembly of Patriotic Forces (APF), led by the Fatherland Party, while most left revolutionaries were organized under the National Congress of Workers' Liberation (NCWL). In the first year, ideological fighting was concentrated in urban areas, while rural areas were seized by local governors and gentry with their private militias who became warlords. By 1950, the NCWL mainly controlled southeastern Razaria, the APF western Razaria, the Liberationists the western and eastern fringes, and 'middle Razaria' along with the north divided between warlords, monarchists, and vaguely APF-associated or peasant-based socialist forces.

Although initially precariously positioned, the APF steadily stabilized its status through removing all leftist strongholds on the Brzota river and containing the Liberationist forces. Monarchist troops were devastated by syndicalists following the Middle Jadar Campaign in 1951 and its remnants joined the APF. In 1952 the APF launched a series of offensives on various prominent warlord cliques, and gained success, capturing resources warlord territory possessed and significantly bolstering nationalist strength through assimilating surrendered troops by the end of 1952. Meanwhile, the NCWL-led revolutionaries expanded into central Razaria, but did not advance further due to lack of support from the conservative and agrarian local population, and focused on consolidating order in their own territories.

In the first half of 1953 the APF confronted the rebellion of fascist and pro-Zesmynian elements represented by the National Salvation Party, which occurred after a schism in the coalition regarding ideology and foreign policy. The splinter groups were however quickly destroyed by forces still loyal to the Fatherland Party in a 2-month campaign. This was followed by the destruction of Liberationist forces in the summer of 1953. In late 1953, a full-scaled offensive against left-wing forces by the APF began, and was successful to the point of eradicating the NCWL. By January 1957 nearly all NCWL forces had been destroyed or surrendered; on January 15 the remainder of the opponents of the APF all surrendered, the war was declared concluded, and the State of Razaria would soon be established.

Over 188,000 combat personnel were killed during the war in addition to 218,000 civilians from a mixture of factors such as combat, disease, starvation, execution or a mixture of the aforementioned, while the economy of Razaria was devastated. During and following the war the mistreatment and summary execution of prisoners-of-war, especially opponent officers and leaders, was common. In the aftermath of the war the AFP's dominant Fatherland Party came to rule Razaria, eventually establishing the modern Razarian state. The war was regarded as the most significant event for Razaria in the 20th century, and to some its modern industrial-age history as a whole.