Sun Yuting
Sūn Yùtíng | |
|---|---|
| 孙裕廷 | |
 Sun Yuting in 1978 | |
| State Chairman of Shangea | |
| In office 31st March 1970 – 17th January 1984 | |
| Premier | Shao Yuzhang Qian Xingwen |
| Preceded by | Li Zhaozheng |
| Succeeded by | Qian Xingwen |
| Director of the Public Security Secretariat | |
| In office 20th March 1957 – 31st March 1970 | |
| Premier | Chen Xuechang Lu Zhaohui |
| Preceded by | Han Fuqing |
| Succeeded by | Kang Jiang |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 22, 1910 Jindao, Gaullican Empire |
| Died | January 17, 1984 (aged 73) Kuoqing, Dongtou Prefecture, Shangea |
| Spouse | Cai Qichun |
| Children | 5 |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Gaullica (1928-1935) Shangea (1933-1984) |
| Branch/service | Gaullican Navy (1928-1935) Shangean Navy (1933-1984) |
| Rank | Captain-commandant |
| Battles/wars | Great War, Shangean Civil War, Coastal Crisis |
- This is a Shangean name; the family name is Sun (孙).
Sun Yuting (Shangean: 孙裕廷; Sūn Yùtíng; 22nd November 1910 - 17th January 1984, aged 73) also known by his Gaullican name of Étienne Sun was a Shangean politician and military officer who served as State Chairman of Shangea from 1970 to his assassination in 1984. Sun also served as Director of the Public Security Secretariat (Shujichu) from 1957-70 and a brigadier general. He is the only Shangean State Chairman to be assassinated.
Born in 1910 as part of a military family in the Gaullican owned city of Jindao, Sun joined the Gaullican naval fleet in 1928 serving in the Great War. In 1933 he became a member of the clandestine Xiaodong Regeneration Society and in 1936 was one of those who led the Corrective Revolution. Rising in the ranks of the naval rapidly he worked mainly in military intelligence and as such became the Director of the secret police, the Shujichu, in 1957. In 1970 he sided with military plotters led by Shao Yuzhang to remove the government of Li Zhaozheng, abolish the party-state under the Xiaodong Regeneration Society and implement a programme of Neo-National Principlism ending the period of "guided democracy" in Shangea and beginning the "Rejuvenation" period.
Sun allowed radicals to oversee a restructuring of the Shangean state under a military dictatorship. Economically the government implemented mass nationalisation of foreign industry and in the civic sphere promoted the "Cultural Revolution", a top-down campaign to improve national morality being based a mixture of traditionalist Zohism, neo-imperial worship and Euclean para-functionalism. The initial new order engaged in sweeping social and economic reform but soon became seen as losing influence to the more left-wing regime faction of premier Shao Yuzhang who promoted an aggressive foreign policy that became closer to the Association of Emerging Socialist Economies. As a result of the more aggressive foreign policy Sun begun to overturn the Treaty of Keishi, re-militarising the Kaoming peninsula and seeking to overturn Senrian influence in the region.
In 1975 a series of disputes over maritime borders between Shangea and Senria led to the Coastal Crisis, an armed confrontation between the Shangean and Senrian navies that saw Shangea and Senria fire missiles at each other and several naval battles, with full scale war only narrowly averted after Shangea revealed it had developed nuclear weapons violating the Treaty of Shanbally. The dissident Shangean Labour Union of Free Workers' in 1977 staged a strike in protest of poor working conditions, with expanded into a general pro-democracy movement - in response to this Sun led the Kuoqing Massacre murdering pro-democracy activists and trade unionists. Due to the twin pressures of the Coastal Crisis and the Kuoqing massacre the radical faction declined and Sun was able to remove them from office. Thereafter he pursued a more conventional foreign policy as the economy began to collapse with inflationary problems leading to a price and wage freeze in 1982. In 1984, Sun was assassinated by a Senrian spy for his role in the Coastal Crisis, and was succeeded by Qian Xingwen as State Chairman.
Sun's repressive regime, economic decline and role in the Kuoqing Massacre have generally meant that Sun is ranked poorly amongst Shangean leaders. However, he has gained some credit mostly regarding his work in infrastructure projects and his promotion of Shangean interests abroad, setting up the International Forum for Shangean Affairs which serves as a coordinated lobby for the Shangean diaspora. Whilst been previously praised for his image as clean, morally upstanding leader Sun's reputation has been damaged in recent years due to revelations of extramarital affairs and corruption, and allegations of sexual deviancy and connections with brothels, although these have been subject to criticism as being baseless political attacks. His death to has been subject to conspiracy theories.
Early life and education
Sun Yuting was born in the city of Jindao whilst under the control of Gaullica on the 22 November 1910. His family was mainly made up of career soldiers related to the Xiaodongese aristocracy with his father Sun Yaoshan serving in a colonial regiment in the Gaullican army. Sun had three brothers (two older and one younger) and four sisters, all but one younger than Sun.
Sun was sent to military school as a young child, being described as being a "quiet, hardworking student with impeccable loyalty". In 1926 Sun moved to Verlois working in a dockyard where he applied to join the navy. During his time in Verlois Sun became associated with the Xiaodong National Restoration Group (晓东民族復興會), a socialist nationalist group within the Xiaodongese community abroad. Whilst in Gaullica he adopted the Gaullican name of Étienne. Sun returned to Xiaodong in 1928 joining the Gaullican fleet in Coius during the early years of the Great War.
In 1929 Sun married Cai Qichun, the daughter of a minor aristocrat, in an arranged marriage.
Career
After returning to Xiaodong, Sun was assigned to serve in occupied Senria in the city of Sakata during Senrian-Xiaodongese War as a deputy within the naval administration that controlled the port, led by Gaullican admiral Léonard Bertillon. The Xiaodongese run-military government failed to suppress the Senrian guerrilla forces in Sakata which threatened Gaullican and Xiaodongese naval supplies meaning that in 1930 Sakata was put under the command of Lu Keqian. Under Lu's rule Xiaodong held onto parts of northern Senria, but by December 1931 had entered a stalemate as Lu's tactics became increasingly brutal towards rebels. Sun as an ethnic Xiaodongese sailor within the Gaullican navy worked as an interlocutor between Gaullican and Xiaodongese forces in the occupying administration, becoming supportive of Lu Keqian. Sun would in 1932 participate in the Battle of Hurasima Strait which saw the destruction of the Xiaodongese Imperial Fleet and the Flotte de l'Austral severely crippled. The destroyer Sun was assigned to survived the battle when Sun was appointed on man the Jindao naval garrison. Participating in the defence of Jindao Sun would flee Jindao in 1933 joining the Xiaodongese Empire to continue to defend the country from Grand Alliance troops.
In 1935 the March 8 Coup d'état saw a group of military officers remove the Shanrong Emperor and Prime Minister Ren Xilian from power and seek a peace accord with the Grand Alliance. The decision to end the war angered many Xiaodongese nationalists, especially those in the military, with Lu Keqian creating the Xiaodong Regeneration Society, an ultranationalist revolutionary socialist group that aimed to overthrow the "old order" of Xiaodong and overturn the "national humiliation" of the capitulation to both Senria and the Euclean powers. Sun, a staunch nationalist, joined the Xiaodong Revolutionary Society which soon became an influential clandestine group within the military and state bureaucracy.
Following the creation of the Xiaodong Regeneration Society Lu and his associates planned to overthrow the regime and replace it with an "auspicious republic". In 1936 as the country slid into civil war members of the Xiaodong Regeneration Society were strategically deployed across the major cities in Xiaodong with the purpose of retaking them in a coordinated coup d'état that would see Lu Keqian take control of the country. Sun was deployed to the city of Shenkong with the coup scheduled to the 20th September. On the 20th the Corrective Revolution was launched, with the Xiaodong Regeneration Society taking control of northern Xiaodong and declaring the Auspicious Republic of Xiaodong with Lu Keqian as Grand Marshal. However the revolutionaries failed to secure much of the south and east of the country triggering the Xiaodongese Civil War. During the civil war Sun worked as part of military intelligence (the navy de facto being defunct) specifically working to crack radio codes.
Following the Regeneration Society's victory in the civil war Sun worked in the naval division of the newly created intelligence agency, the Shujichu. In an effort to cement power over the military Lu Keqian ordered for purges to be undertaken within the armed forces to quell the chance of a coup against his own government. Sun due to his perceived loyalty and involvement in the Corrective Revolution was involved in many of the purgings, using the removal of many high ranking Xiaodongese officers to advance his own career. Sun continued to rise in the military during the 1940's and 1950's. In 1954 Sun at the age of 44 was promoted to the position of captain-commandant in the navy - his promotion at a young age to a high post was partly due to successful manoeuvring for promotion and Lu's purge of the armed forces resulting in a shortage of military officers. In 1957 he was given the post of Director of the secret police, the Shujichu, which was then a branch of the military. As Shujichu head he expanded the powers of the secret police and became infamous for his advocacy of torture by Shujichu officers against suspected spies. In 1964 the Senrian Prime Minister Tokiyasu Kitamura was assassinated by Mao Shunguo, a member of the Xiaodognese Shujichu. Initially Mao was suspected to be a lone Xiaodongese ultranationalist, but it became apparent that Mao had acted on the orders of Sun Yuting as Shujichu head at the time.
In 1961 Sun was successfully picked to be a member of the State Presidium, with First Minister Li Zhaozheng ensuring he as Shujichu Director became part of his core support group. Sun subsequently rose rapidly within the Xiaodong Regeneration Society partly due to backing by powerful military and intelligence cliques and partly because of Li's personal patronage.
Following the ascension of Yu Changshao to First Minister and Qiao Zhaohui to State Chairman tensions emerged within the government between reformist bureaucrats led by Yu and military-security officials who trusted the more hardline Qiao. In 1970 Yu to shore up his support in the military appointed Sun as Vice-Premier after facing pressure from Qiao.
Tensions within the government worsened during 1971-2 as Yu was implicated in embezzlement as the economy continued to worsen. Yu and his reformist supporters saw their support evaporate from within the military and the Shujichu, leading to Yu to consider launching an auto-coup that would allow him to purge the military and reassert control. Fearing this outcome State Chairman Qiao ordered Sun and his colleagues to launch a "soft coup" forcing Yu to resign from his positions with Qiao appointing Sun premier.
First Minister
Consolidating power
Under Yu Changshao the Xiaodongese government operated on the principles of consensus government and prioritising economic growth above all else. This had led to the regime to soften during the late 1960's in the name of economic development, much to the ire of conservatives within the regime who saw Xiaodong in the 1960's
becoming decadent and abandoning its traditional culture in the name of consensus and economic development. In particular, foreign influence from Euclea and Senria which had proved crucial in shoring up foreign investment into Xiaodong alarmed conservatives who wished to maintain national sovereignty and were afraid of the dilution of Xiaodongese culture.
Sun supported the conservatives within the regime and was sympathetic to concerns of government complacency, growing corruption and creeping foreign influence in Xiaodong. Shortly after coming to power he largely shared power with State Chairman Qiao who was seen as a reliable conservative influence. In June 1972 he launched a series of purges with the support of the regimes secret police, the Shujichu, after promoting his own right-hand man Xi Rongguo as the Shujichu's new Director. In the Autumn of 1972 Sun had his principal opponent, Ren Jiangji who led the technocratic party faction, removed from his party positions and exiled to the post of Ambassador to Eldmark.
On the 5th October 1973 Sun convened a meeting of 123 senior bureaucrats, politicians, military officers and corporate heads ostensibly to come to a consensus on a "National Programme of Revitalisation". At the meeting Sun accused some of the attendees for harbouring "reactionary, anti-Xiaodongese sympathies" and that there was a Senrian-Valentiri plot to take over the Xiaodongese government "supported by reactionary elements in Xiaodongese society". Sun then drew up a list of officials accused of being part of this plot and ordered for their immediate trial - over 57 of the attendees were arrested by Shujichu agents loyal to Sun. The 1973 meeting was seen subsequently as the "defining moment" in cementing the power of Sun over his potential rivals.
After 1973 Sun largely co-governed with Qiao Zhaohui, a fellow hardliner who supported the Premier's purge. Qiao's experience as a bureaucrat alongside his austere lifestyle contrasted with Sun whose background was solely in military and intelligence matters as well as having a taste for expensive Etrurian suits. The two presented a unified voice however on the national and international stage with their differing backgrounds allowing them both to address key policy issues with a degree of expertise.
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Qiao would increasingly become disillusioned in what he saw as Sun's overly personalist style of governance, being especially critical of Sun's lack of economic expertise, his more frequent bouts of substance abuse and his push to create a personality cult. As a result relations between the two men broke down and in 1979 Qiao was forced into retirement with Sun loyalist Wang Surong being appointed as State Chairman.
In March 1980 Sun announced a referendum that would see the promulgation of a new constitution that shifted more power into the hands of the Council of Ministers and by extension the Premier and away from the State Presidium. Whilst the State Presidium was a rubber stamping body, it had served as a launching pad for party factions to enter the Council of Ministers and encourage a more consensus based government. The new constitution would strengthen the power of the executive, thus effectively shifting Xiaodong away from a one-party system where party organs determined policy to an totalitarian autocracy based around the leadership of the Premier. The constitution passed with 98% of the vote in a rigged election thus confirming Sun's position. The Constitution would remain in effect until 1988.
Economic Policy
Sun was a supporter of Xiaodong's semi-state owned command economy, and during his term baulked at attempts to liberalise the Xiaodongese economy. His government continued publishing three-year plans with the intention of guiding the economy via nationalised industry and private conglomerates. Sun's first three year plan saw much tighter restrictions placed on industry and the small private sector as well as more state intervention championed in stark contrast to Ma and Li who preferred to guide economic developments rather than initiate them. Sun saw greater state control of the economy as not only key to economic development but also in nationalist terms, deeming private finance as being inadequately committed to national development. Sun also saw economic controls as being necessary to protect the economy from foreign influence. As such after coming to power Sun implemented protectionist policies, banning foreign ownership in Xiaodong, nationalising foreign assets and putting tariffs on foreign products. The Renjin was also rendered nonconvertible on foreign financial markets, a process that had started under Li Zhaozheng.
When Sun came to power the economy was suffering from stagflation with both inflation and unemployment rising rapidly. As Premier, Sun Yuting attempted to make Xiaodong self-sufficient in its energy needs, launching a massive infrastructure projects with the intention of mining for more coal and creating hydroelectric dams. To pay for these projects in the short term the Xiaodongese government borrowed billions from overseas, leading to extremely high budget deficits. The government in 1976 implemented emergency austerity measures, cutting government expenditure and raising taxes on land with angered the predominantly agricultural population of Xiaodong. His government encountered further troubles in 1978 when there was a collapse in rice prices, causing the regime to tighten the austerity programme. Sun however, intent of securing energy independence continued on ambitious infrastructure projects, the most famous of which was the Fushang Dam and the Ku'ang coal mining complex.
The Sun government's heavy handed regulations and recession caused the government to borrow billions from overseas to prop up both the Renjin and the increasingly common "zombie industry. In June 1980 this high rate of public borrowing came to a head as the government had difficulties with high inflation, strong stagflation and the possibility of default - Sun's economic advisers told him to devalue the Renjin, cut wages and deregulate sectors of the economy. Sun refused, instead ordering a freeze on prices and wages.
The freeze resulted in the government to restore some stability but even more reliant of borrowing from overseas, a difficult task as the collapse of Jindaoese banks and several keiretsu's in Senria had led to a regional recession in Coius that meant investors were reluctant to lend to the Xiaodongese government which seemed to be on the edge of bankruptcy. Throughout the freeze the government faced the ever-present prospect of a balance of payments crisis to maintain the overvalued exchange rate. In 1982 Sun's advisers recommend he reverse course and liberalise the economy, with Sun again refusing to do so commenting his policies were "was fundamentally ensuring the stability of the economy". In 1983 the government announced it would implement a rationing programme which resulted in riots in several urban centres, although this did little to abate the crisis.
By 1984, the economy was in a seriously precarious situation - inflation was very high at 800%, unemployment stood at 1 million people and foreign reserves were quickly being depleted. In 1987 Finance Minister Mao Zhukang stated that by March 1984 (the month the Economic Reorganising Programme was introduced) three months after Sun's death that the Xiaodongese government only had "three or four months left wherein it could finance imports with foreign reserves".
Foreign Policy
Upon coming to power, Sun attempted to make Xiaodong self-sufficient but continue amicable relations with its traditional ally Ankoren in the Estaban-Rongzhuo Axis, retaining the "Three Fundelmentals" foreign policy set out by Ma Renzhong (isolation of Senria, maintenance of Xiaodong as a regional power and reclamation of lost territories). However, his anti-Senrian
rhetoric killed any chances of general rapprochement in the region. Sun took foreign policy into his own hands, taking the Minister of International Relations portfolio for himself but was subsequently criticised for alienating foreign leaders. Abroad Xiaodong's repressive regime was rejected by large parts of the international community, rendering Xiaodong a pariah state.
When Sun had been the head of the Shujichu, Senrian Prime Minister Tokiyasu Kitamura had been assassinated under his orders, a fact known to the Senrians. The incident resulted in a notable hardening of Senrian-Xiaodongese relations, with Sun calling Senria a "barbarian country" (野蛮国家; yěmán guójiā). a term not commonly used in Xiaodong since the Senrian-Xiaodongese War.
Nevertheless, Sun encountered some success in foreign policy. In 1974 Sun oversaw the creation of the International Forum for Xiaodongese Affairs (IFXA) an organisation which represents and lobbies for the interests of the Xiaodongese diaspora. The IFXA during the 1970's promoted the rights of ethnic Xiaodongese in many countries were ethnic Xiaodongese had faced persecution, under-representation or were ignored, as well as promoting pan-Xiaodongese unity and cultural awareness amongst the Xiaodongese diaspora.
Sun also saw a historical high in Zorasani-Xiaodongese relations cultivating a close relationship with Hakim Ali Ghaddar and furthering the consolidation of the Rongzhuo Strategic Protocol Organisation (ROSPO). Although he was considered to be more confrontational to the Euclean Community then previous Xiaodongese leaders his fluency in Gaullican as well as his penchant for Gaullican wine meant he was often positively received especially in Verlois.
Defence Policy
During his time as First Minister Sun launched a comprehensive re-organisation and modernisation of the Xiaodongese Defence Force which in 1972 was seen by Sun as being corrupt, ineffective and archaic both in its training strategy and equipment. Most pressing was the system of institutionalised rivalry between the different branches of the armed forces - this measure had been implemented in 1953 to prevent coup d'état's but had hindered the cohesion of the armed forces. Sun's view was shared by Minister of Defence and Military Planning Chen Yuanchao and Vice-Chief of Staff Fang Zhengao. The support of these two men was crucial in Sun's drive to pursue unorthodox reforms to the Defence Force without alienating senior military commanders.
On the 13th June 1974 the Joint Command of the Defence Force alongside the Ministry of Defence and Military Planning sent a report to the First Minister's office that called for an overhaul of the Defence Force, including a reduction in the number of officers, centralising military decisions into the Ministry of Defence and Military Planning, creating a Joint Command that would end the institutionalised rivalry, reducing the 10 military regions to five, redirecting military spending to weapons research over officer pay and launching research into the acquisition of tactical nuclear weapons. Sun's policies led to an increase in military spending, especially in the airforce which benefited greatly due to massive investment into military research.
In 1962 Xiaodong had began construction of the first plutonium-producing nuclear reactor in the Fengjiazhi prefecture under the supervision of the Department of Scientific and Human Progress. The program was reportedly divided into research wings dedicated to the development of nuclear weapons and another wing dedicated to creating medium-range missiles. By the late 1960's and early 1970's uranium enrichment and plutonium production was well underway. The suspected first Xiaodongese nuclear test was undertaken in 1975, albeit Sun followed a policy of deliberate ambiguity that would remain in place until the mid-2000's.
Social policy
Sun's government was most known outside Xiaodong for its repression and lack of civil liberties. Sun believed that under previous governments Xiaodong had become morally and culturally decadent, and believed that a lack of societal order and discipline had led to a complacent, westernised population. As such upon coming to power Sun launched a moral crusade against "decadence, westernism and moral failings". Strict censorship was applied to books, radio and film, whilst certain forms of music (such as jazz and rock music) banned. Every citizens was requiered to attend Patriotic Cultural Festivals which celebrated traditional Xiaodongese culture. In 1974 the government passed several laws which variously banned facial hair, tattoo's, and piercings and set strict regulations on clothing and hairstyles. Women were not allowed to wear short skirts, visible cleavage and trousers with traditional dress championed instead. Long hair on men was banned, with those who wore it subject to mandatory haircuts by the police, and in 1977 men were limited to only being allowed 8 hairstyles and women 12. These restrictions were done in the name of "protecting Xiaodong from foreign fashions and protecting Xiaodongese culture " and also applied to tourists.
Under Sun's predecessors Li Zhaozheng and Yu Changshao there was a push to increase the population with an over 10 million increase in the total population under his rule. However by the mid 1970's there was a concern that the rapid growth of the population could not be sustained especially as the government expanded housing and fuel subsidies, leading to Sun to approve of a two-child policy in 1978. The policy was enforced by local governments who fined or withdrew subsidies for families who had more than two children after 1978, with the government also performing forced abortions to those who were carrying third children. The policy was met with limited protest and was unpopular, but resulted in the birthrate to stabilise during the early 1980's.
Sun's regime also banned gambling and most recreational drugs, with casino's and opium dens quickly raided and closed down under his rule. Sun also made prostitution punishable by death deeming it alien to Xiaodong and brought over by Eucleans. Sun decreed in 1970 that smoking, drunkenness and idleness were "not befitting of the Xiaodongese nation" and called for either death or a sentence in a re-education camp for those who committed those crimes. In 1973 Sun extended compulsory military service from 24 months to 28 and reintroducing internal passports, which had previously been abolished in 1955.
Coastal Crisis
Since the Corrective Revolution the Xiaodongese government had rejected calls by Senria to adhere to the Treaty of Keishi, whilst Senrian leaders continually called for Xiaodong to abide by the treaty's terms. Worsening tensions between Keishi and Rongzhuo under Sun had led to a hardening of Xiaodongese policy amongst Senrian leaders, who became more bullish in their demands that Xiaodong should honour the agreements of the Treaty. On the 14th June, hardline Senrian Prime Minister Takesi Takahata ordered two fleets of the Senrian Republican Navy to enter Xiaodongese territorial waters with the intention of forcing Xiaodong to pay reparations demanded by the Treaty.
Upon hearing of Takahata's actions, Sun called an emergency meeting of the Joint Security Council, where it was decided that the Xiaodongese navy would be deployed to escort the Senrian ships out of Xiaodongese waters. However, Senria refused to comply with Xiaodongese orders, and on the 17th June a skirmish off the coast of Baiqiao broke out, with four Xiaodongese ships and three Senrian ones being sunk. According to Xiaodongese reports, a Senrian warning shot was purposefully targeted and hit a Xiaodongese ship starting the skirmish, whilst Senrian maintains Xiaodongese ships rammed one of Senria's.
Following the sinking of the ships, another Joint Security Council was convened where the Xiaodongese government ordered for a mobilisation of its troops and began to draft a declaration of war against Senria. However a Community of Nations effort led by Estmere, Werania and Nuxica attempted to defuse tensions between the two sides. Sun's deputy, Qian Xingwen, was fluent in Senrian and working closely with his Senrian counterparts throughout the crisis was able to convince Sun to back down and accept truce with Senria in return for Senria to leave Xiaodongese waters. After a month of talks mediated in Harborough Sun agreed to the Nuxican-Estmerish proposal, narrowly averting another Senrian-Xiaodongese war.
Kuoqing Massacre
During the 1970's a repression became harsher and more intrusive the reform movement became increasingly inclined towards radical and violent solutions, often revolutionary in nature. Student groups had often formed the backbone of reformist and anti-government movements, and became influenced by radicalism, anarchism and direct democracy as reformism and gradualism became impossible. This radicalism spread to other underground organisations such as religious groups, trade unions and overseas movements opposed to Xiaodongese government policy. In March 1973 the Xiaodongese Labour Union of Free Workers' was created calling for workers' self-management, better working conditions, higher wages and more workplace democracy - however over the year the XLUFW became increasingly radical, campaigning for an end to single party rule, free elections and a radical restructuring of society into cooperatives. The XLUFW enlarged, with some its members simply wanting better working conditions, others liberal democracy and others revolutionary action.
On the 3rd May 1977 the local government of Kuoqing announced it would close over 8 industrial plants and relocate its workers' to work in the newly created Ku'ang coal mining complex within a month or leave them unemployed. Mine work was at the time notorious for being dangerous and unemployment equally risky with no welfare state supporting the unemployed. As such following the announcement workers' set to be relocated who were part of the XLUFW staged a strike in protest of the decision. Soon, the XLUFW and its associated societies staged a general strike and numerous protests, calling for greater protection of workers' and more broadly democratic reform.
When the central government in Rongzhuo heard of the general strike and pro-democracy protests Sun ordered for martial law to be imposed in Kuoqing and all "dissidents to the socialist nationalist cause" were to be crushed. The regime sent the army and the secret police, the Shujichu, into Kuoqing, gunning down pro-democracy protesters and members of the XLUFW and arresting thousands on suspicion on being affiliated with democrats. Around 2,000 people were gunned down by military and Shujichu forces as Sun announced a national emergency. Following the massacre, the regime launched reprisals on those associated with the reformist, democracy and revolutionary movements. The Xiaodong Regeneration Society was purged of moderates, all forms of organisation banned, and an expansive crackdown overseen. Between May 1977-July 1978 over 500,000 people were sent to re-education camps or sentenced to death by the regime whilst a further 800,000 were stripped of their jobs.
Assassination
Following the Kuoqing Massacre and rising unemployment the Sun regime became increasingly unpopular, whilst its forced seizures of foreign assets leading to increasing isolation. Since the assassination of Tokiyasu Kitamura and the Coastal Crisis the Senrian government under both Takeshi Takahata and later Kichirō Imahara had begun to see Sun as pushing both countries towards another Senrian-Xiaodongese War. As well as this, Sun's personal popularity with Xiaodongese people had plummeted as the economy deteriorated after facing massive growth in the 1940's-1950's and government corruption became more endemic alongside the increasing repression. Senior officials with the ruling party who identified with the moderate faction had begun to actively push for Sun's removal from office, producing serious divisions within the regime. By the end of 1983 Sun's position in the party was the weakest it had seen since 1973.
On the 17th January 1984 Sun attended a parade in Baiqiao celebrating the 115th anniversary of the surrender of the Kuoshun Garrison during the Baiqiao Revolution in the city of Kuoqing. Sun due to his regime's absolute control over the populace forwent wearing a bullet proof vest, reasoning that the populations fear of the iron fist of the regime would blunt any threat to him.
A Senrian agent, Itoyama Seiji, had infiltrated the parade by impersonating one of Sun's own body doubles whom always accompanied the leader with the order to kill Sun. At 12 o'clock as Sun addressed crowds of people during the celebration Itoyama shot Sun twice in the back, before be seized and killed by Sun's own bodyguards. Sun was rushed to hospital before dying seven hours later.
Assessment
Sun is often ranked lowly in regards to Xiaodongese First Ministers thanks to his poor economic management and overseeing the most repressive era in Xiaodongese politics. Under Sun, the Xiaodongese economy was severely damaged by several economic crisis's and crashes leading to a massive fall in living standards and severe poverty in many regions, and by the time of his death was suffering from stagnation and decline. His regime's repression also led to "cultural stagnation" during his premiership as well as a huge expansion of the secret police and prison camp system led to "the most brutal repression in Xiaodong since the Senrian-Xiaodongese Incident".
Historian Zhu Lin stated Sun was "thuggish and unimaginative...a military man at heart, Sun valued stability, but believed that only the imposition of brute force and state control could lead to long lasting stability. Any attempt at liberalisation - whether in the political, economic or social sphere - would in Sun's mind lead to a loss of control over the populace, and thus breed instability and chaos, as had happened when control was removed in the period between 1933-1934 following the March 8 coup. In that context, the heavy handedness of the Sun government can be understood as the reaction of Xiadongese leaders who truly believed their tight control over the Xiaodongese people would lead to Xiaodong to avoid the mistakes it made in the 1930's."
Some have praised Sun for consolidating Xiaodong's nuclear weapons programme which is considered indispensable in modern Xiaodongese defence policy.
Controversies
In 2007, leaked documents allegedly revealed that during his lifetime Sun had often slept with prostitutes abroad, with said prostitutes mostly being from Senria and Jindao. Such documents were considered extremely controversial when released, as the Sun government had mandated the death penalty for prostitution, and he had commonly used anti-Senrian rhetoric. The documents also tarnished the image held of Sun as morally clean. Sun's son, who was at the time serving as Deputy Minister of Energy resigned from his seat in the State Presidium. Sun's family disputes the claims of the document, saying it was most likely fabricated, with his daughter saying "my father was quite unlike his colleagues...he did not have a single concubine and detested infidelity.".
Recent documents have shown that Sun was an alcoholic often drinking copious amounts of wine and {wp|baijiu}}. Some have speculated that Sun suffered from depression.
Conspiracy theories
Sun's assassination has been linked to various conspiracy theories. Due to Sun's former role in the Gaullican navy, his adoption of a Gaullican name, his appreciation of Gaullican culture and his attempt to build better relations with Gaullica many have speculated that Sun was either heavily connected to the Gaullican secret service, was himself half Gaullican (and not ethnically Xiao) or being a secret admirer of Rafael Duclerque, with his regime being accused of emulating Duclerque. Sun's supporters meanwhile have speculated that Sun's assassination was at least partly orchestrated by Gaullica (or the Euclean Community as a whole) as a plot to open the Xiaodongese economy via the Economic Reorganising Programme. The Gaullican government has denied that Sun was either involved in the Gaullican intelligence service or that the Gaullican intelligence service played a role in his death.