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DispatchFactbookHistory

by The Alpine Kingdom of The Soviet state of Svalbard. . 108 reads.

The Alpine revolution, and the birth of the modern Svalbardian nation

The Svalbardian civil war/The Alpine revolution
Part of the Troubles, Svalbardian Chaos, and Early-Modern history

The flag of the white anti-government forces (left) and red governmental forces (right)
Belligerents

Svalbardian Commune:
Red Army
Red Sikhs (until 1862)
Svalvo-Nordic Socialist Republic

Provisional Republic of Svalbard:
White Army
White Sikhs (until 1862)
Army of the Sikhs (1862 onwards)
Djublaheim Guard
Svalbardian Republican Navy
Pan-Svarizian volunteer force (est. 1862)

Leadership

Svalbardian Commune:
Pyeter Radalørik
Georgy Zhukov
Hasa Masharabad
Lika Padorov
Gregoriev Harothar
Ryan Dar-Shuka
Sven Haroldsen
Mats Haroldsen
et al.

Provisional Republic of Svalbard:

Lavr Lukashenko
Stéfan Hakoen
Stefaní Speareana
Illya Milyukov
Robert O'Donnel
Olivia Marccassan
William Wallace
Cets Mashanabjar
Rowan Matssen
Karolien Yekatrinadjér
Aleksandr Savinkov
Et al.



The Svalbardian civil war (fought between March 13th 1861 and November 2nd 1865) was an armed conflict on the island of Svalbard involving two parties: the Totalist governmental forces of the Svalbardian Commune ruled by Pyeter Radalørik, often coined as the Red Army; and a broad coalition of anti-governmental forces including alienated socialists, democrats, ethnic minority forces, monarchists, and anti-communists under the banner of the White Army. The war was fought all across Svalbard, but the main theatres were the Kalsavyan pocket, Djublaheim front, the Northern frontier, and the Koscovoskyy front.
After the Totalists came to power in 1860, Pyeter Radalørik tried to appease the other socialist faction by holding elections for a kind of parliament called the 'Cadalistov': however the despite extensive campaigning the Totalist party lost the electoral race to a coalition of moderate socialists under the banner of 'Partiya ve Sociaya Revkriya' (Party for Social Revolution). This led to the Cadalistov being dissolved under the pretense of 'fostering counter-revolutionary thought', and instead the Supreme Senate (an unelected branch of the government which Radalørik was in charge of) was declared the only legal governing body of the Svalbardian Commune. At the same time, the secret police of the previous autocratic regime, the Okhrana, was reorganised into 'Calar ve da Vúr dar Svalbardian Otkarov' (Commision for the Defense of Svalbardian People, CVSO), and this department began brutally putting down any elements deemed to be a threat to the revolution - often targeted were the ethnic minorities living in Svalbard such as the Sikhs, Kalsavyans, and Svalvo-Nords.
Because of this heavy-handed mismanagement of internal issues, the right-wing forces that had been plotting to overthrow Radalørik's government suddenly had broad assistance from left-wing forces and the oppressed minorities in Svalbard; thus seizing the chance they began an agitation on the island of Ilis which started as a mutiny in the navy, but after the government's garrison failed to put down the revolt, it quickly spiralled out of control with multiple parts of the military in the hinterlands of the country declaring their support for the mutiny, later being combined into the White Army and fighting under the banner of the Provisional Republic of Svalbard; meanwhile the Commune's forces moved to secure the major cities of Svalbard, with the exception of Alsford which had already fallen to a White insurgency. The Red Army, as they were called during the war, attempted to dislodge the White's from their defensive positions around the country, however through tactical, logistical, and morale superiority they managed to hold on, defending against the Southern Thrust, Northern Expedition, and March of the 5th Army; eventually wearing their opponents down and launching counter offensives, seizing most major cities by 1864 and securing the capital of Trondelang in November of 1865, leading to the collapse of the Svalbardian Commune and establishment of the Alpine Kingdom of Svalbard. Estimates for casualties in the war range from 900,000 to 2 million.

Background

The Revolution of 1860

A broad group of socialists and left SRs led a revolution against the Junta government of the old Svarizian general Alexiak Shpiyachov - Shipyachov's poor ability to govern his country led to many supporting the revolution initially, as anything was a better alternative to what they had previously.
Failures of the Commune

The revolution subsequently established a new government called the Svalbardian commune, however Pyeter Radalørik, leader of the Totalist party, quickly moved to secure total control of the state and government, alienating his potential allies in the other socialist movements in the country, as well as not bothering to deal with the rampant instability in the country, and soon Radalørik government was facing the same criticism as Shipyachov's a year earlier: however now opposition was present in almost every political group except his own Totalist Party.
Formation of the red and white armies

Seeing his power base quickly evaporate, Radalørik was aware that without quick action he'd be completely powerless to stop the coming counter coup; thus he took decisive measures to form what he called a 'Red Army'. A national census was taken (as well as possible, as many areas of the country were completely untamed and couldn't be accessed by government officials): after which every adult person deemed fit for combat was called into service; many rejected, and while many were captured by governmental officials and forced into service, those who escaped commonly joined White forces.
The White army started as an underground movement of high-ranking military officers plotting against the government, however for the majority of 1860 they were rather spineless as it wasn't much more than this: they had no manpower, no equipment, no popular support, just plans. Things changed later in the year as Radalørik started to make more enemies - left SRs joining their cause meant popular support was guaranteed, and the ethnic minorities provided a vital manpower and geographical base for the coup. The Unions that joined the cause also helped to provide arms to the Whites, as well as significantly weaken the Red movement in the regard. The movement also found wide spread support in the Navy, who, ever since the Totalists came to power, had been under extreme government scrutiny due to their previous opposition of the 1860 revolution.

Warfare

Outbreak of war

After a law was passed which officially merged the head of the Cadalistov (which still technically existed) and Supreme Senate into the role of Grand Commissioner on the 13th of March 1861, riots broke out from those in the navy stationed on the islands of Ilis and Favran (modern day Hakoensville). The local garrison was ordered to disperse on them, however unwilling to fire on their own countrymen, the soldiers joined the mutiny and opposed to senior officers that had given the orders.
After several days of the government failing to put down the revolts on the islands, the White Movement officially rose up, declaring that 'the government had failed the people' and a new order would have to be established for the Svalbardian people to be free of tyranny. Three days after the original mutinies, Stefaní Speareana - the daughter of Ilsiton Speareana, who had previously united the Svalbardian nation - gave a now famous speech outlining the 5 key points of the white revolution: the reestablishment of democratic institutions; power to be dispersed not only into local parliaments but also in the central government, creating a nation with no singular head of state, but a collective one; safety and security for all Svalbardian people from all manners of destitution; tolerance and acceptance of all ethnic and religious minorities in Svalbard, ensuring no group of people is valued above others in the eyes of the state; and a free and open society for all people, with a free press and open and transparent government. These points later became simplified into a five point manifesto: Democratyska, Tutaljem, Wølfír, Jagødúrmir, and Livradaya: Democratisation, Representation, Welfare, Tolerance, and Liberty.
After this manifesto was given, White Army cells began open revolts in multiple parts of the country; notably in the Kalsavys mountain, Alsford, Djublaheim, and western Sikh Svalbard. The Reds in turn moved to secure the urban areas of the country, which they were successful in doing with the notable exceptions of Alsford (which had a well established White Army cell that stomped out Red agitation) and Djublaheim (who's Svalvo-Nordic population wasn't all too keen on the Red's ethnic policies). They were also successful in establishing control over the eastern part of northern Svalbard, which formed the Red Sikhs, an answer to the White Army's White Sikh force.
Northern Svalbard (1861-63)

With the Whites in secure positions in the north, the Red's plans were to try and knock them out one-by-one, dislodging each White position and gradually weakening them, exponentially increasing the difference between Red and White forces on each front. The White's, meanwhile, planned to dig into their defensive positions in the tundras and mountains of the north, slowly wearing the Reds down until a time to counter strike would present itself. Both sides had experience from the wars in the Troubles, and both were of even strength numerically, so the warfare was much more symmetrical than the fighting that Svalbard would partake in during the War of the Third Coalition; however where the difference lay was the leadership on both sides. The most adept Red general, Georgy Zhukov, had been sent south to deal with the Djublaheim guard, leading only the rookie Hasa Masharabad of the Red Sikhs and the old general Ryan Dar-Shuka to fight the Whites in the north, both of whom weren't that effective. The Red Sikhs did rise up in support of the Red movement initially, however they weren't allowed self-management as the Svarizian leadership didn't want to trust Sikhs to control armies - which ultimately backfired as the Red Sikhs then mass-defected in February of 1862. Meanwhile, the Whites in Søtberry and Bøuliburg were led by the talented Sikh general Cets Mashanabjar; whilst in the Kalsavys the experienced Robert O'Donnel and Olivia Marccassan were backed up the the young and ecstatic William Wallace - bringing up another point in the Red's leadership weakness, women were barred from holding high offices in the military (as since Ilsiton Spearana had led the initial unification of Svalbard, female generals were seen as counter-revolutionary). These three were later joined by the Svarizians Stéfan Hakoen and the leader of the coup, Lavr Lukashenko. Speareana for her part battled alongside Illya Milyukov in Alsford in a desperate defense of the city to prevent it falling to Red forces. Lika Padorov laid siege to the city beginning in May 1861, however five months after it commenced support from the navy meant it could be dislodged. Padorov's army had been stretched thin maintaining the siege, and thus Speareana and Milyukov were able to make significant ground in the Summer and Autumn of 1862; pushing all the way to Koscovskyy in the south and Callbistav in the north, unifying the three northern fronts before having to dig in for the Winter. Later in the Spring of 1863, Zhukov was called to the northern front to try and halt the advance of the whites, to which end he had some significant success, using concentrated artillery barrages to break deep holes in the Whites weakpoints, pushing them out of Minokovnyev and to the gates of Bøuliburg, cutting the Whites off from their allies in Søtberry. However, the Whites were able to strategically pull out of this territory whilst suffering minimal losses, whilst simultaneously dealing significant damage to the Red force, meaning that after the Winter of 1863, the Whites had a significantly stronger force to strike south with.
Djublaheim (1861-65)

Djublaheim was split between the White Djublaheim guard and the Red Svalvo-Nordic Socialist Republic - the people being granted partial autonomy by Radalørik to appease them and hopefully get them to help during the war. The problem with this solution, however, was that the Svalvo-Nordic red leaders, the siblings Sven Haroldsen and Mats Haroldsen, would often clash with their field marshal Georgy Zhukov over how to do almost anything. In the end, a compromise was reached wherein Zhukov would have control over the main central army, whilst the Haroldsens would have the smaller southern and northern branches. Initially, the Southern Whites led by Rowan Matssen and Karolien Yekatrinadjér made some small gains, however at the cost of significant casualties on their side, whilst the Reds lost very little - in reality they were being baited in to a trap set by the Reds, luring them into creating a salient around Mymensingh, which would then be encircled and crushed, allowing the then much larger Red force to take Djublaheim, thus smashing the guard and allowing the southern red army to move north.
This plan almost worked; Rowan moved his force slowly through the marshes of Melivoneva, whilst Karolien took her force to encircle the city of Kralinograv and lay siege to it, lasting for just over a year. As the Winter came and the mud began to freeze over, Zhukov choose this time to attack to surprise his enemies - he quickly moved his force to encircle Matssen's army around Mymensingh, putting him out of commission for the rest of the war. Yekatrinadjér, seeing this, had to rapidly retreat and, in a surprisingly fast movement considering the lack of infrastructure, was able to take her force of around 75,000 soldiers to create a defensive ring around Djublaheim, dubbed the 'Iron Ring': this would hold out for the rest of the war, bogging down the Red Army significantly.
The coronation at Nizhny-Rodan

In the Winter of 1863, a strange turn of events led to a rather unexpected development in the White's army: the legitimate heir to the Svalbardian throne, Haransham Iltenbern, died in an artillery barrage during an attack on the town of Nizhny-Rodan in Gøstivneyitoscoy. With the fall of the town seeming imminent, morale in the White forces - particularly among monarchists - fell significantly; however the general currently residing in the area, Stéfan Hakoen, was able to gather his forces and put together a surprisingly powerful defense, halting the Red advance and holding the line firm. After this stunning victory, the local monarchist soldiers did something very bizarre: Stéfan was declared to be the new king of Svalbard, due to the cunning and ingenuity he had shown not only in the defense of Nizhny-Rodan, but also for his leadership in the rest of the war. This posed to be a puzzling problem for the White leaders, as most of them were republicans and didn't particularly care for a Svalbardian monarchy - Stéfan himself wasn't entirely sure whether he wanted the title or not. However, when monarchist soldiers threatened to desert if Stéfan's crowning was not recognised, combined with the threat of another push from the Red army, forced the White general's hands and agreed to allow for Stéfan to rule a constitutional Svalbardian monarchy purely as a figurehead.
Northern Svalbard and Trondelang (1863-65)

The Red's tried once more to push back against the Whites in the Summer of 1863, however with their ranks deplete from attacks in the previous year, and sustaining heavy casualties from the attacks, meanwhile the Whites numbers only swelled with units from the Pan-Svarizian volunteer force established two years prior arriving on the frontlines in larger numbers, the tide of the war was clearly shifting and the Red's time was running out. The Red leadership met at a panicked conference in Pestivgestov to try and salvage their situation, where the plan of Georgy Zhukov was put into action under the backing of Pyeter Radalørik; the majority of red forces would be concentrated into massive, costly attacks that would try and force an opening in the White line. The plan was put into action in January 1864 - again attacking in the Winter to try and throw the Whites off, however they had become wiser after Mymensingh and had remained ready for an attack at any point, aware of the tenuous position they themselves were in. Zhukov first attacked in the south, pushing the Whites back to Koscovskyy, but unable to open a significant hole in their frontline. He tried a second time in the centre, then again in the north, then a final push in the south again. Each subsequent push the Whites became more proficient at holding the line, and after the fourth push they actually countered and push Zhukov back to the status quo - his march of the Fifth Army had failed, and now Red defeat was almost certain.
In April the White's winning hand was laid out in front of them, and all they had to do was pick it up - that they did in April of that year, when Lukashenko ordered a front-wide push towards Trondelang. The Whites easily crushed the exhausted Red units along the frontline, after which they faced little resistance through the rest of the country, capturing as far south as Poreliscav and Bovrikin by November of the same year. It was in this month that the final significant combat of the war took place: the capital city of Trondelang was put under a brutal yearlong siege, with the remnants of the red army fighting fiercly through the streets in house-to-house combat, however by November of 1865 the vast majority of the city had fallen with only the Winter palace and the surrounding Trondelang city centre remaining. Unwilling to cause further destruction through artillery barrage to her own city of birth - as well as the greatest city in her nation - Stefaní Speareana ordered a direct assault on the Winter palace, leading to the apprehension of the remaining leaders of the Svalbardian Commune who hadn't already fled the city - Radalørik being one of them, who a month prior had gone into exile where he would spend the rest of his days. With the Winter Palace lost, the highest ranking remaining Red official, Georgy Zhukov, signed a famous armistice in a destroyed bus in downtown Trondelang, officially ending the final and most bloody civil conflict the Svalbardian archipelago would ever seen.

Aftermarth

Fate of the Reds

The Red leaders who had not fled the country were later put on trial for high treason against the state between 1870-75; many were found guilty, however some, such as the main leader of the Red Army Georgy Zhukov, were acquitted, partly due to the circumstances they had joined the Reds in (many were forced to or had no option other than destitution), and other due to the military prowess they possessed likely being of great use to Svalbard in the future. The newly formed SISN did consider tracking down remaining Red leaders abroad, however at the time this organisation came into existence (the 1910s), many Reds would have died, and by this point Svalbard had more pressing matters to deal with than squaring out old grudges.
The establishment of the new state

Stéfan was crowned in December of 1865, whilst at the same timing renaming Favran to Hakoensville and Padoljem to Stéfansville. The naton was also officially given the name of the Alpine Kingdom of Svalbard - Alpine coming from the place of Stéfan's unofficial coronation at the foot of the Kalsavys mountains. The first democratic elections since 1625 were held in January of the next year, which saw the CP (Crisvatist Partiya - Conservative Party) win a plurality in the new Senate - which would become the governing body for Svalbard ever since. The Troubles had caused a huge amount of destruction to the country and allowed chaos and lawlessness to reign free outside of the major cities, meaning the new government's job of rebuilding the nation was going to be a long and difficult one.
Societal and psychological impact

Svalbard had practically known nothing but constant warfare and suffering since 1741, so the civil war wasn't anything new in that regard. However, what really mattered was the values that became synonymous with Svalbardian society after it: Speareana's five points became a common rallying amongst Svalbardians - the belief in democracy was particularly significant, and it would affect both the state and population's views of other nations for the next two centuries. The success of the Whites in bringing peace to this war-torn, battered and bruised country also provided a shred of optimism in a society then dominated by pessimistic and nihilistic thought - it showed that with enough hard work, determination, blood, toils, tears, and sweat; any bad situation, no matter how awful or grim, could be overcome - a belief that was sorely needed in a time of recovery from one of the worst national catastrophes and societal collapses thus seen in the world.

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