Modern history of Terranihil
The Modern history of Terranihil begins with the establishment of the Republic of Terranihil following the Terranilian Civil War.
Contents
Early republic
The Republican victors of the Civil War held a constitutional convention in February of 1868, in which parliament, with the guidance of the governors and other officials, discussed the restructuring of the government and the writing of a new foundational document. In 9 February, the new Terranilian Constitution was ratified, marking the establishment of the Republic of Terranihil. The reforms included the abolition of the monarchy, an increase in the size of parliament, formalization of the position of prime minister as head of government, and establishment of the office of the president as a mostly ceremonial head of state.
Vutanin Siftira was declared the interim president until the organization of a nationwide presidential elections two years later, after which presidential terms would be for four years. Siftira was elected to maintain his position in 1870 and again in 1874. The Reform Party was establshed in 1884, which aimed to increase presidential power and increase centralization of the governorates. The Republican Party was officially established in 1884 as well, though it had its roots in the earlier Republican movement. Republicans dominated Terranilian politics, holding a majority in parliament, until 1908. They advocated for the primary role of parliament in governing.
The Republican Party had the support of many of the ethnic and religious minorities in Terranihil, as did the Republican movement in the Civil War. The Republicans supported maintaining parliamentary power, increasing governoratorial autonomy, and improved rights for minority groups. The Reform Party was derisively referred to as Ultvarans, comparing their advocacy for increased presidential power to the monarchical tyranny of past kings. The Reform Party was also largely composed of Astrian Vaktrians.
The Pavkarites, an Astrian cult and militant group led by Ragas Spuris, operated in Scipia from 1877 until 1886. They killed about 30 people, mainly Vaktrian Christians. The group was dissolved following the arrest of Spuris and other members in 1886.
In 1898, parliament voted to add 120 more seats that were not related to a constituency. Voters would vote for a party rather than candidates and seats would be allocated proportionally to each party. This policy was pushed mainly by the Reform Party and several smaller parties hoping to gain increased representation.
Rise of the Liberal Democrats
The Republican Party began to fall out of favor in the early 1900s as the nation entered a period of economic depression and due to Republican leaders' inability to suppress the Cepezans Movement, a Malgan seperatist insurgency. In 1900, the Liberal Democratic Party (PĐL) split from the Republican Party. The Liberal Democratic Party was associated with many of the economic elites of the country, and its platform was one of increased economic liberalization. The top PĐL patrons were pistachio nut exporters, which was one of the main industries in Terranihil at the time.
In 1898, Hetarvus Frapem, a Reformist, was elected as president, the first non-Republican to hold the office. In 1900, he was assassinated by a Malgan. The assassination was blamed on the Cepezans Movement, but they rejected the claim. Frapem's vice president, Nikolas Barbé, succeeded him until the end of the term. The assassination caused great public outcry against government officials for not taking sufficient action the insurgency.
In 1908, the Republican Party lost its majority hold over parliament for the first time. It still had the plurality, but other parties had increased in size, particularly the PĐL. In 1912, the PĐL won a plurality, overtaking the Republicans as the largest party. The PĐL facilitated the formation of the Quebecshirite-Terranilian Petroleum Company (CPQT). Searches for oil in eastern Terranihil had begun in the early 1900s. In 1913, Quebecshirite business man Georges-Pierre Lacombe signed a concession with Terranilian prime minister Terčun Runkem with approval from parliament to search for oil in eastern Terranihil. Oil was discovered in 1916, and QTCO was established 1917. Quebecshire owned 80% of the shares in the company, while Terranihil owned the rest. It first began producing oil in 1916 and quickly became one of the world's most profitable oil companies.
In 1914, Liberal Democrat Razǎnem Mažel won the presidency, and then in 1916, the PĐL gained a majority in parliament. The PĐL continued to open up Terranihil to foreign investment. It also passed multiple laws strengthening the role of the president. The PĐL recieved criticism from the opposition for agreeing to such a low stake of Terranilian ownership in QTCO. The Terranilian economy initially boomed, with oil exports far surpassing nuts as the most profitable industry. The PĐL was initially resistant to renegotiating the concession. However, discontent among the opposition and the Terranilian public increased. In January of 1924, QTCO and Terranihil renegotiated an increase in Terranilian ownership to 25%, an increase in pay for Terranilian workers, and a promise for improved working conditions. The renegotiations appeased some but many still advocated for 50-50 ownership or even nationalization of the industry.
Left-wing movements
The Terranilian Communist Party (PKT) was also quickly growing. Founded in 1907, it became the third largest party in parliament behind the Republican party in 1912 and then the second largest in 1924. The PKT advocated for the nationalization of QTCO and for land reform. The PKT wanted to seize political control from the corporate elite. The PKT and Republican party formed the People's Coalition with its main points of agreement being the nationalization of QTCO, increased regulations on corporate power, and maintaining political power with parliament. In 1924, The People's Coalition was only fifteen seats away from gaining a plurality. In 1926, Amen Tǎzma was reelected as president by the slimmest margin in Terranilian history.
Terranilian labor unions were growing in number. Wrkers in the oil and agriculture industries striked and protested for better pay and working conditions. Several Terranilian Marxist intellectuals came to prominence in the early 1900s, including Amelius Fakraš. They critiqued Republicans for a method of meek appeasement and often collaboration with the PĐL in enacting policies only benefiting the upper class. Anarchist thought also gained increased attention. The most prominent anarchist activist group was the Revolutionary Brigade. Multiple instances of violent conflict occurred between left-wing groups and other organizations. In 1921, the short-lived Terranilian People's Republic was founded in the Upa Forest in northwest Terranihil by a group of communist guerillas.
1928 coup d'état
The PĐL became worried of a potential take over of parliament in the following elections. Much of the wealthy class of the nation urged president Tǎzma and prime minister Umar Šam to take action to ensure parliament would maintain a majority in the 1928 parliamentary election. The PĐL began planning methods of suppressing Republican and Communist voters. Quebecshirite officials also feared that QTCO would be nationalized. Quebecshirite intelligence officials and QTCO board members stressed the necessity of an PĐL victory by any means necessary to PĐL officials.
During the election in June, PĐL supporters and bribed police harassed and intimidated people at ballots into voting for the PĐL. Quebecshirite intelligence hired several Terranilian gangsters to instigate mass protests against the PĐL and to harass non-PĐL voters. However, the election results on August 1 showed that the People's Coalition was still able to win a majority in parliament by five seats. The PĐL contested the results, accusing the Communist and Republican parties of rigging the election.
The People's Coalition tried to proceed with the usual practice of electing a new prime minister on August 3. However, Šam and other PĐL MPs refused to comply and wanted to delay the election until an investigation was conducted into the alleged election fraud. MPs of the People's Coalition were not able to attend the scheduled prime minister's election at the İlsamıa Palace for fears of violence and harassment from protesters, police, and gangs. On August 4, Tǎzma instructed the Department of Domestic Security to arrest three Communist MPs and one Republican MP for involvement in election fraud.
Quebecshirite intelligence and the PĐL collaborated with the Vaktrian Union to incite violence against the People's Coalition. The İlsamıa Palace Fire, an arson attack of the parliament building on August 5, is also thought to have been a false flag attack done by the Vaktrian Union but blamed on communists. Two more communist MPs were arrested on August 6. The PĐL also reportedly funded Christian fundamentalists, including the Church of Saint Abel, to attack Communist and Republican protestors. They killed Kitsu Bugodši, a Malgan Communist MP. Several other MPs fled or went into hiding.
On August 6, Tǎzma announced that the MPs involed in election fraud had been arrested, despite them not being tried yet. The next day, parliament held an election for prime minister with 31 MPs from the People's Coalition absent. They reelected Šam.
PĐL government
With the PĐL holding a majority in parliament and having two of its politicians as prime minister and president, there was very little legal opposition to the party. The Department of Domestic Security was investigating the Communist Party and Republican Party and had made more arrests. Thus the People's Coalition was unable to form a strong opposition. However, conflicts quickly arose within the PĐL and without from militant groups.
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The prime minister was still generally viewed by the Terranilian public and internationally as the nation's top official, but president Tǎzma had high support as leader by many within the PĐL. The PĐL's earlier reforms that strengthened the role of the president allowed the president to issue decrees that went into effect immediately, unless overturned by parliament with a majority vote. The previous president, Razǎnem Mažel, used this power to negotiate and come to terms with QTCO in a relatively speedy manner, as well as to promote certain industries through subsidies. Mažel's use of decrees was generally guided by the prime minister and parliament.
To the public, Tǎzma and Šam appeared to have a cooperative relationship following the 1928 election with each respecting the bounds of their roles, but a power struggle between the two quickly ensued. Both tried to consolidate their authority and undermine the other in multiple ways. In November of 1928, MPs with encouragement from Tǎzma brought parliament evidence of Šam's collusion with the Church of Saint Abel. In response, Šam brought evidence of Tǎzma's involvement with organized crime. Šam tried to initiate a motion to impeach Tǎzma but did not gain enough support. Tǎzma met with many MPs in 1929 to convince them to support him as party leader. He wanted parliament to have a vote of no confidence for Šam but wanted to ensure he had the numbers on his side. He also wanted to ensure that the People's Coalition would not be able to elect their preferred PM.
On 1 June 1929, parliament held a vote of no confidence. Šam was voted out with 329 in favor. Most Republicans and Communists voted in favor of removal, but some Republicans did not wish to see a parliament dominated by Tǎzma. On 3 June, parliament elected Liberal Democrat Yumeden Deperzla, who was loyal to Tǎzma.
In the following years, parliament further increased the power of the president, allowing Tǎzma to veto parliamentary decisions and increasing the presidential term limit from two to four. Communist and republican political opposition continued its attempts to regain power, initiating two votes of no confidence from 1929 to 1937, but they were not able to remove Deperzla. Tǎzma continued to use tactics to suppress the opposition and maintain his position and a PĐL majority in parliament. In 1936, despite the PĐL's efforts, it lost its majority in parliament. Parliament was however still not able to elect a non-PĐL prime minister, as many Republicans refused to support Valǐl Parnaŧ, the Communist candidate.
Several militant groups were active during Tǎzma's presidency. The Church of Saint Abel continued to operate in eastern Terranihil. The Cepezans Movement in Malgax had been mostly suppressed, though its thought was developing into what would be known as Hezenism, an Islamic socialist ideology named after Bedin Hezen. Hezenists generally supported the Communist Party. Hezenists came into conflict with the growing nationalist movement among Vaktrians. The Astrian Vaktrian nationalist ideology Sentanism was articulated and developed by several thinkers. In 1934, the short-lived Minaltar Commune was established by left-wing soldiers.
Ashura Revolution
In early 1936, several arrests within the military were made against officers suspected of planning a coup. Rumors of a communist officers' plot spread in 1936. Many within the armed forces were discontent with the liberal democrat establishment, as military pay was low. On 23 March 1937, the day of Ashura, two dissenting officers, communist Enkart Vaslast and republican Karam Šaıa, announced a revolution with the stated intent of restoring democracy.
It began in Minaltar and spread throughout the nation. It quickly garnered support from left-wingers, republicans, and some nationalists. Tǎzma mobilized his forces against the revolutionaries, but he had lost much of his military support already. PĐL supporters clashed with supporters of the revolution. Tǎzma asked Quebecshire for support but did not receive a reply. On 26 March, the military arrested prime minister Deperzla. Tǎzma fled to Quebecshire. Several PĐL politicians were arrested, while exiled communists and republicans returned.
Šaıa, Vaslast, and other officers organized themselves into the Revolutionary Command Committee. It had ten members: four communists, three republicans, and three independents. Šaıa wanted to reinstate civilian rule and eventually desolve the Committee, while Vaslast saw the Committee as a precursor to a communist revolutionary vanguard. On 2 April, Šaıa declared himself interim president despite disapproval from the communist members of the Committee.
However, on 26 April Šaıa was pressured into resigning by the communists. Some protests occurred urging the return of Šaıa. On 29 April, Vaslast announced that he would act as president until the 1928 election. He urged parliament to proceed with a vote for prime minister. On 1 May 1937, parliament elected communist Amelius Fakraš as prime minister. Vaslast placed Šaıa under house arrest on 15 May and proceeded to purge republican, liberal democratic, and nationalist elements from the military. Vaslast reorganized the Committee to contain only top communist officials, including Fakraš, essentially merging the Communist Party leadership with the committee. Vaslast won the presidency in the 1928 election.
Communist government
On 28 August 1937, parliament voted to nationalize QTCO. The Terranilian government took control of all oil operations in the country. The company was rebranded as the Terranilian Oil Company (CZT). Vaslast deported most Quebecshirites who had settled on the eastern coast. The parliament also enacted land reform laws, to redistribute and regulate land, as about 1% of the population owned 70% of the nation's fertile land. Vaslast also began a literacy campaign which by the end of his presidency led to 97% literacy. The Communist Party promoted a state atheist agenda, purging religious fundamentalists elements from politics and the military.
Vaslast was heavily influenced by Amelius Fakraš, a Vaktrian Marxist writer who saw a combination of secularism, religious tolerance, and socialist pluralism as the only way Terranihil could be successful in reaching communism. Vaslast allowed other political parties as long as they were not reactionary, meaning left-wing parties were still able to organize and be in parliament, but nationalist and liberal parties were banned. There was controversy about if the Republican Party should be considered reactionary. The RCC ultimately decided that the Republican Party would continue to be legal.
Though officially atheist, the Communist Party tolerated religious socialist movements, including Hezenism. Vaslast allowed Hezenists limited autonomy in Malgax. Islamic socialism spread to other Muslim groups in Terranihil. Christian socialist groups developed during this period as well.
Vaslast pursued a policy of internationalism, communicating with other communist nations and organizations including Ajakanistan, the Reykani Socialist Republic, and Zloveshchiy.
Vaslast decided to intervene in the Creeperian Civil War in November of 1940 in support of the Miguelists. The Battle of Serrada occured on 26 June 1946 between Terranilian and Gandorian forces. Terranilian forces were pulled out of Creeperopolis by 1949. Following the war, many Miguelist exiles fled to Terranihil.
Nationalist groups grew in number and activity, who came into conflict with Terranilian security forces and left-wing armed groups. A number of right-wing ideologies developed or came to prominence. Some groups modeled their beliefs on Creeperian Fascism, including the Terranilian Fascist Party (PFT). On 20 September 1946, fascist army officers associated with the PFT attempted a coup of the communist government but failed.
Vaslast's hold over the country began to weaken in the late 1940s and early 1950s. He had been showing signs of sickness. Some of his policies had also gained criticism. The Terranilian involvement in the Creeperian Civil War for almost a decade made some in the party and military discontent. Terranihil had also become increasingly isolated from the world and the global economy, except for its relations with other communist countries. Vaslast's policy of tolerance for minority religious and ethnic movements was also controversial among Astrian Vaktrians.
Progressive Coup
Žapre Virǎt, a member of the communist party that became disillusioned with much of the Communist Party's agenda, developed national progressivism, an ultranationalist ideology that Virǎt described as "centrist", an "ideological third way", and an "alternative to the communist and fascist dogmas". Unlike many of his ex-communist piers, Virǎt did not join the fascists or other right-wing groups, as he disagreed with their corporatism and/or religious fundamentalism. He supported a centralized economy, including nationalization of key industries and opposed the rule of upper class socialites, but in contrast to the communists, he adopted Sentanist ultranationalism, believing Terranihil was first and foremost a nation for Astrian Vaktrians. His writings also often incorporated elements of Astrian esotericism.
Virǎt remained a member of the Communist Party but began meeting with other dissenters. He developed a following within the Terranilian Armed Forces, especially among disillusioned veterans of the Creeperian Civil War. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, rumors spread of the Marzat network, a clandestine national progressive organization within the military. The Communist Party tried to purge Marzat members, and arrested Virǎt in 1949. However, the network managed to infiltrate the highest ranks, including the Revolutionary Command Committee. Though the Committee was dominated by Vaslast, its members still had significant influence. Marzat member Arkašter Emvǎran and companion of Virǎt joined the committee on 27 February 1952 and organized with other dissenting officers and politicians in secrecy.
On 12 May 1952, Marzat officers arrested Vaslast and other members of the Revolutionary Command Committee. On 13 May, Emvǎran declared that the Communist Party was to be reorganized into the National Progressive Party (PPF) under his leadership. This outraged the Central Committee of the Communist Party, who continued to call themselves the Communist Party. This split led to a brief confrontation between the Central Committee of the Communist Party and the newly renamed Progressive Command Committee (PCC). Protests and riots erupted. Communist soldiers attempted to raid the PCC headquarters but were stopped by PPF forces and arrested. In a process similar to the shift in power following the Ashura Revolution, Emvǎran reorganized the PCC to contain members of the PPF, purged communists and fascists from the military, conducted mass arrests against opposition politicians, and then declared himself president on 14 May 1952. Virǎt was also freed and became the chairman of the PPF.
Emvǎran government
The split-off Communist Party and other parties that had been tolerated by Vaslast showed some initial resistance to the quick change in power and were unsure of what a national progressive agenda would bring. Though Emvǎran and the RCC had the military on their side, they could not immediately suppress the other major parties without great violence. They decided to uphold Vaslast's policy of socialist pluralism to some degree, allowing the Communist Party and Republican Party to continue limited and monitered operation. However, the anarchist Syndicalist Workers Party, the Hezenist Islamic Socialist League, and the Aramean Socialist Liberation Party were outlawed due to their directly conflicting beliefs with National Progressivism's Sentanism. The Terranilian Fascist Party was kept illegal due to its Christian fundamentalism and Creeperian fascist ties, while the Vaktrian Union was allowed to return to operation despite its support of capitalism because of its assistance during the Progressive Coup.
These policies led to the beginning of the ongoing political and ethnic conflict called the Troubles. Existing armed groups and newly formed ones increased in activity. Militant groups fought with Terranilian security forces as well a with each other. Armed groups in support of the PPF also emerged to combat opposition groups, some of which committed acts of terrorism against civilian populations. The Terranilian goverment struggled to quell the violence, and its efforts often made it worse. An average of 1,200 people died every year in the 1950s and 1960s from to the Troubles.
In 1958, due too discovered affiliations and support between the Communist Party and left-wing guerrillas, the Progressive Command Committee banned all opposition parties, thus making Terranihil a one-party state. Several Communist politicians were arrested as well. This policy further instigated the Troubles.
Virǎt's influence in the party and the PCC had begun to wane in the early 1960s, especially since Virǎt had become more infatuated with the occult. Though always present in hi writings, Virǎt began to speak and write more about esotericism in relation to Astrianism and Vaktrian mythology. His writings shifted into discussions about metaphysics and the origin of Astrians and Vaktrians. Emvǎran and other national progressives began to distance themselves from Virǎt, not wanting to have a public image associated with occultism. The party in general was shifting toward a more "scientific" focus, with major influence from Maximus Đeštıev, a prominent Terranilian psychiatrist.
In 1963, Virǎt resigned as chairman of the PPF due to further disagreements with Emvǎran and other party leaders. Đeštıev was appointed as his successor. He was influencial and controversial for his racist pseudoscience and advocacy for eugenics. He spearheaded the XXX expiriments at the XXX Psychiatric Hospital and the XXX eugenics program. He remained chairman of the PPF until 1971, until president Dečnan Mapem removed him from office and discontinued most of his projects.
Emvǎran was elected to the office of president four times, the maximum number of terms, with his final term being from 1966 to 1970. The PPF considered passing laws that would increase the term limit to five or six or competely abolish term limits. However, Emvǎran began to suffer from heart problems in the late 1960s, and he did not want to die in the middle of a term. Emvǎran decided not to change the term limit laws and announced he planned on resigning from the presidency once his term ended. Dečnan Mapem, his vice president, was the expected successor since he served as Emvǎran's chief advisor since 1962.
Mapem was elected president in 1970, while Emvǎran remained the chairman of the PPF. In 1972, Emvǎran was elected prime minister. Emvǎran was still generally regarded as the national leader, though Mapem was given significant power and independence and took initiative to institute reforms. Emvǎran was reelected as prime minister in 1976. He died on 9 October 1977 of a heart attack.
Mapem government
In 1987, Mapem died while in office and without a clear successor. Military officer XXX and member of the Revolutionary Command Committee stepped in with military support and declared himself president.
In 1989, XXX, the Director of Domestic Security, overthrew XXX.
XXX served until 2006. He was succeeded by Draıčren Armǎk.
