User:Pixy/Great Schism
| Great Schism | |||||||||
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 Confederation troops march in Elpis in a victory parade, 1912. | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Confederation |
 Commonwealth | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
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| Strength | |||||||||
| 1,870,000 troops | 930,000 troops | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
370,000+ total dead 560,000+ wounded 930,000+ casualties |
340,000+ total dead 360,000+ wounded 700,000+ casualties | ||||||||
| XXX civilians dead | |||||||||
The Great Schism or the Afthonian Civil War (5 June 1907 - 12 December 1912) was a civil war in Afthonia between the Confederation and the Commonwealth, the latter were formed by member-state that secceeded from the Afthonian Confederation. While many factors contributed to the start of the war contemporary historians generally agree that the gradual centralization of powers from the member states of the Confederation to itself led to a dispute between its member states who supported centralization (the Centrists) and those who were against it (the Populists). The Centrists believed that a united Afthonian peninsula under a single polity was crucial to achieve long term stability and peace in the region. In effect this course of action will result in the states ceding their entire sovereignty to the Confederation. On the other hand the Populists were appalled with the thought of becoming a subnational unit under a united Afthonian nation. The process of centralization began decades before what historians consider as the official start of the war and was borne out of period of economic, political and social unrest that plagued the peninsula throughout the late 19th century. The rise of the National Front in 1875, a right-wing parliamentary group is often considered as the starting point of the ideological split and formation of the Centrists and Populists respectively. The appointment of Alexei Terzelis as Chancellor in 1904 is considered by many as the start of the succession crisis. A year after his election Savvina Stathoti, leader of the Populists, called for a Populist convention which was attended delegations from the states states of Giona, Kastoria, Evinos, Pelion, Ochi and Helicon. The convention resulted in the unanimous decision to secede from the confederation which was announced in a session of the Confederal parliament two days later on 22 February 1907 which was marked by a mass walkout by populist members of parliament. Immediately after the walkout <<INSERT NAME>>, the prime minister of Giona, declared the establishment of the Commonwealth of Afthonia comprised of members of the populist states. This event is considered as the start of the secession crisis.
The Afthonian Confederation regarded the succession of its member states as illegal and refused to recognized the Commonwealth's sovereignty. Both the Confederal and Commonwealth governments would become locked in high-level negotiations to reduce tensions with the Commonwealth hoping to gain recognition through peaceful means whereas the Confederation hoped for reunification. Tensions along the newly established borders remained high as the Commonwealth began to create border walls and border crossings. For the most part the Commonwealth maintained that the current borders of its member states would be considered as the formal boundary between the Commonwealth and Confederation. Confederate troops on the other hand were ordered not to block or prevent Commonwealth forces from erecting such structures to prevent escalation. However as negotiations dragged on with no tangible peaceful solution in sight, these orders were changed on 3 June 1907 where Confederate troops, using non-lethal means, arrested a number of Commonwealth soldiers and workers who were in the process of constructing a border crossing between the states of Stratos & Giona which prompted the Commonwealth government to demand their immediate release and called off all negotiations to resolve the secession crisis. Two days later on 5 June 1907 a Confederate artillery corps shelled an active Commonwealth border crossing which killed a dozen personnel. The situation quickly deteriorated with open warfare erupting between the two factions not long after with Confederate forces launching sporadic attacks against the Commonwealth. The conflict would last for five years with fighting taking place on both Confederate and Commonwealth territories. Rather than a single peace treaty to end the war member states of the Commonwealth gradually independently surrendered as the Commonwealth slowly fragmented. The first member state to surrender was Helicon which took place on 6 February 1912. By September 1912 only Giona, Ochi and Helicon remained as members of the Commonwealth with Giona surrendering on 10 December 1912. With the loss of its leading member state two days later Ochi and Pelion followed suit and capitulated to Confederate forces.
Causes of succession
Centralization of powers
The Afthonian Confederation is a loose association between all Afthonian states that was led by a council which was comprised of the heads of government of its member states. This council was led by a Chancellor which was a rotating position amongst the council members. Up until 1845 the council served as the the confederation's executive arm and sole decision making body. In 1855 the Confederal parliament, a unicameral legislative body was formed as part of an effort to promote integration amongst its member states. By 1860 a period of prolonged economic depression eventually led to major social unrest in the Afthonian peninsula with national governments unable to effectively address the issues. This prompted the confederation to take a more active role in the day-to-day governance of its member states which resulted in a shift in its role from a forum for inter-state cooperation into a government body in the form of a supranational union. Amidst the political instability and growing relevance of the confederation the National Front, a right-wing parliamentary group in the Confederal Parliament, became the largest party in the confederation's legislative body. It was led by Alexei Terzelis who was also subsequently elected as Chancellor of the confederation who promised economic, political and social stability for the member states of the confederation. Key economic reforms enacted by Terzelis and passed in parliament included the harmonization of various economic policies and regulations amongst its member states to better facilitate trade. A growing number of member states led by Giona perceived this centralization of powers to the confederation as a threat towards their own sovereignty. This would eventually lead to a divide within the confederation which saw its membership split into two factions. The first were the Centrists who advocated for the centralization of powers for the confederation, the establishment of a united military and valued stability and order. The centrists were led by the National Front parliamentary group and were largely supported by Stratos. They are opposed by the Populists who favored the preservation of its member states national sovereignty over the authority of the confederation. The Populists were supported and led by Giona.