Bitter Spring

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Bitter Spring
Part of the Alexandrium Wars
1730.II.3 Surenshahr protests.png
Image of protestors in Surenshahr, 3.II.1730 AN
Date II.1730 AN – XIV.1730 AN
Location Raspur Khanate  · Suren Confederacy
Result Suppression of rebellions  · ongoing migrant crisis
Belligerents
Workers & Students Raspur Pact Raspur Pact Azad Eura Azad Eura
Confederacy of the Dispossessed Confederacy of the Dispossessed

The Bitter Spring was a revolt of workers and students in the Raspur Khanate of Constancia and the Suren Confederacy pushing for democratisation and improved living standards.

Background

A number of factors brought the workers and students within the provinces of the Raspur Khanate and the Suren Confederacy to the edge of revolt.

The closing of the frontiers following the conquest of central Eura (Operation Paramount and Operation Landslide) effectively ended the continuous supply of captives which maintained the kul system of contractually obligated servitude. The decline in unfree labour, as the surviving kuls aged out of the labour-market, had resulted in nearly full employment levels in the majority cities of Constancia during the rebound after the end of the recession of 1726 AN, meaning that the workforce in Aqaba, Nivardom, Petropolis, and Raspur now had the leverage to start exercising its influence.

On top of this was the frenzy of investor excitement occasioned by the discovery of Alexandrium, which saw intense interest shown in those cities which had endured the worst effects of the Babkhan Holocaust. Nivardom, Raspur, and Zinjibar were placed in the epicentre of this sudden spike in inward investment – with dramatic spike in the wages of employees in key sectors, real estate prices, and commodity goods. The inflationary pressures ensuing from these changes were a further driving factor for discontent.

Finally, the abrupt electoral defeat of the Federal Humanist Party in Nouvelle Alexandrie in the 1729 general election allowed the student body of Constancia and Suren to draw an unfavourable comparison, between the constitutional monarchy which allowed for such managed changes in government and the corrupt Humanist dominated oligarchies which prevailed in their own countries. Still more worryingly for the State Protection Authority, the number of students detected and brought in for attitude adjustment as a consequence of espousing the ideology of the Nouveau Wave had begun to increase precipitously.

Course of the conflict

The revolt began in the second month of 1730 AN with strikes, protests and occupations across major cities. Constancia's unilateral decree encouraging mass emigration added fuel to the fire, prompting a refugee crisis as thousands of Surenids attempted to flee the crackdown on dissent in their own country via Constancia. The Suren government's draconian legislation and the recall of military forces failed to subdue the growing unrest.

Neighboring Oportia found itself dealing with the spillover effects as refugees poured across its borders. It launched Operation Secure Haven to manage the influx while appealing for support from regional bodies. However, clashes occurred as security forces blocked armed migrant caravans.

To address the impasse, Oportia formed the Border Security and Migration Task Force and worked with the local administration and NGOs to resettle eligible refugees. But it also began deportations to Constancia for those denied entry for security reasons after infiltration reports.

The escalating crisis strained relations between the states amid the allied military intervention in Parestan. Suren offered its 7th Cavalry Division to assist Oportia's border operation even as it joined with Oportia in protesting Constancia's destabilising actions.

As protests raged across cities, reprisals occurred against nationalist groups like those involved in the murder of Benacian subject Ulrich von Hutten. But the violent crackdowns and mass arrests failed to extinguish the wave of protests demanding reform across Constancia and the Suren Confederacy.

Timeline

  • 1730.II:
    • 1: Wildcat strikes halt production at the Balísta Ergostásio Synarmológisis in Nivardom.
    • 2:
    • 3: Protests in Surenshahr, against the issuance of life service bonds to debtors. Protesters were dispersed by the arrival of armoured cars, agents of SAVAS, and the 2nd Directorate's provost regiment.
    • 4: Demonstrations outside the offices of the Zinjibar Alexandrium Company saw placards displayed carrying demands that companies involved in the exploitation of Alexandrium should have a quota system for guaranteeing the representation of Eurani Surenid subjects at every level of the enterprises, including management positions.
    • 12: In response to the spread of protests from Raspur into the Suren Confederacy, the Majles-e Suren enacted threw pieces of draconian legislation, these being the Riot Act, the Police Act, and the Corveé and Impressment Act. Far from demonstrating strength however, these rushed acts suggested that the ruling N&H national sector party was unnerved by the sudden and public demonstrations of dissent. The timing of the protests had been unfortunate for the Confederacy, as its most reliable military formation – the 7th Cavalry Division – had been deployed to Parestan in support of Operation Verdant Reach at the end of the previous year.
    • 14: Orders issued for the 7th Cavalry Division to be recalled from southern deployment. Directed towards Surenshahr.
    • 20: Raspur Railway Corporation was obliged to report that a train derailment had been narrowly averted on the Trans-Euran Railway between Raspur and Surenshahr. Only the vigilance of the driver had averted a calamity. Tracks were reported to have been severely warped, although no explanation or indication as to the cause of this was given.
    • 21: Protesters carrying red banners and chanting slogans of the Ḥezb-e Tūde-ye Eura clashed with detachments of Home Guard deployed on public order duties on the streets of Raspur.
    • 22:
      • An Autokratorial Decree is unusually published in Constancian print media, notifying all and sundry that migrations to Oportia of Constancian nationals, particularly in areas governed by the Southeastern Eura Provisional Administration would not be opposed by organs of the Imperial State, nor by the State Protection Authority. This triggers a rush of migrants. A Consulate-General of the Imperial State is likewise announced to be established in Port Félix.
        • Horrified by the Constancian announcement – the Surenid government issued a firman temporarily suspending freedom of movement between the Confederacy and other members of the Raspur Pact.
        • Oportia formally protests to the Constancian government, accusing it of exacerbating the regional refugee crisis without prior consultation with its Raspur Pact allies. In a public statement, the Federal Representative, Celine Beaumont, expresses dismay over the unilateral Constancian Autokratorial Decree, which led to an influx of migrants across Oportian borders, straining resources amid ongoing military operations in Operation Verdant Reach.
    • 23: The day sees thousands of Surenids attempting to surge through the border crossing between Surenshahr and Raspur in order to circumvent the newly imposed restrictions on movement between the Suren Confederacy and Oportia.
    • 24:
      • The Grand Vizier of Raspur, Ardashir Bābakān-e Osman, and the Minister for Raspur, Vahid al-Osman, issued a joint declaration to the effect that the Autokratorial decree issued on the 22nd was contrary to the interests of the Khanate of Raspur. Accordingly it would not be enforced within the satrapies of Mitra, Raspur, and Varaz. Travellers suspected of fleeing their lawful abodes and mandated occupations would be detained by agents of the Khan at a series of improvised checkpoints along the Pan-Euran Highway.
      • The Oportian government, facing an escalating refugee crisis, launches Operation Secure Haven, repurposing its contingent from the Joint Border Forces to bolster the mission. The operation's aim is to effectively manage the sudden surge of migrants from Constancia, the Suren Confederacy, and Zeed, while ensuring the stability and security of Oportia's borders. In response to the immediate needs of the refugees who have already crossed into Oportia, temporary accommodations are swiftly erected along the border areas. These facilities aim to provide a semblance of stability and safety for the displaced, with the Red Sun Society and the Red Lion and Sun Society of Eura stepping in to offer vital services, including medical care, food supplies, and security. Recognizing the need to maintain order and facilitate the care of the existing refugees, the Oportian government also decides to prevent further crossings into its territory.
  • 1730.III:
    • 1: An appeal was lodged by the government of the Suren Confederacy with the Committee of Euran Salvation and the Euran Economic Union for Iñigo's destabilising proclamation of 22.II.1730 to be rescinded.
    • 2: The Imperial Constancian Government, at its regular press conference, dryly notes that the Imperial State is sovereign, and that travel is a regulated freedom of state powers, and congratulates the State of Oportia for the opportunities it has that apparently draws great interest upon Euran residents. Minister for Raspur, Vahid al-Osman is appointed Imperial Constancian Ambassador to the Benacian Union.
    • 3: Oportian Security Forces violently clash with a large and armed caravan of Constancian refugees at the Al-Said border crossing, as desperate migrants seeking refuge confront the newly strengthened border security measures. The incident underscores the challenges faced by Oportia as it navigates the dual imperatives of humanitarian assistance and national security in the midst of the developing regional crisis and Operation Verdant Reach.
    • 4: In a televised address, Federal Representative Celine Beaumont announces the formation of the Border Security and Migration Task Force (BSMTF), a multi-agency effort involving the Oportian Security Forces, the Federal Guard, and humanitarian organizations. The Task Force's mandate is to ensure orderly processing of migrants and safeguard Oportia's borders.
    • 13: The Southeastern Eura Provisional Administration, recognizing the urgent need to address the refugee crisis within its jurisdiction, begins collaborating with Oportian federal authorities and international NGOs. Together, they launch community integration programs designed to facilitate the processing, investigation, and possible resettlement of migrants into local communities, focusing on employment opportunities, language courses, and cultural courses.
  • 1730.IV:
    • 7: Ulrich von Hutten, a Benacian national resident in Mehrshahr, was murdered alongside his bodyguards by Babkhan nationalists. Their mutilated remains were subsequently hung from lampposts in the city. After news of the atrocity became general knowledge, the Benacian mission in Eura immediately demanded that the Surenid government respond with collective reprisals against the guilty parties, their families and communities.
    • 10: A security alert is issued by the Oportian Security Forces after intelligence reports (confirmed by intelligence obtained from Nouvelle Alexandrie) indicate potential infiltrations by agents of the Confederacy of the Dispossessed and Azad Eura among the migrant populations. Enhanced vetting procedures are immediately implemented at all points of entry, coupled with increased surveillance and intelligence-sharing with Raspur Pact allies.
    • 12: To alleviate pressure on the border and address the stalemate in Operation Verdant Reach, Oportia appeals directly to the Euran Economic Union and the Committee of Euran Salvation for support in a strenuously worded letter from Federal Representative Celine Beaumont, condemning Constancia's decree and demanding that it be rescinded immediately. Deportations of migrants found ineligible for resettlement due to previous criminal history or for national security reasons to Constancia begin, with migrants being flown by Eurawings commercial flights to Nivardom.
    • 13: Rashid Sanook, Astabadh of the Suren, communicated to Celine Beaumont an offer to place the 7th Cavalry Division, newly returned from Operation Verdant Reach, under the command of the Joint Border Forces for the duration of the present crisis so as to better facilitate the pursuit and detention of migrant caravans.
    • 14: After days of political pressure from the Benacian Union, SAVAS agents oversaw the mass arrest of former members of the Babkhan Restoration Movement in the Mehrshahr area who had previously accepted a government amnesty following the Kapavian insurgency. The homes of those who had prudently gone to ground following the murder of von Hutten were ostentatiously demolished by the local authorities for the benefit of Benacian correspondents.
    • 15: Under cover of night, cells of the Ḥezb-e Tūde-ye Eura's urban guerrilla force moved into position around the Balísta Ergostásio Synarmológisis factory complex in Nivardom. For weeks, party agitators have been covertly distributing pamphlets and giving incendiary speeches at worker rallies, radicalising a segment of the striking laborers.
      • As the night shift begins, a group of plainclothes militants mingle with workers entering the plant. Once inside, they produce concealed weapons and take hostages among the staff and factory security. Simultaneously, other Hezb-e Tude cells erect makeshift barricades on access roads using hijacked trucks and burn piles to block any response forces.
      • The militants broadcast a statement on social media declaring they have "liberated" the factory in the name of the Babkhan proletariat. They demand the release of jailed activists, an end to the autocratic Constancian regime, and call on all workers to join the revolution.
      • Signs of coordination emerge as protests flare up simultaneously across working class neighborhoods in Nivardom. Organized mobs divert police resources by attacking government buildings and infrastructure with Molotov cocktails and vandalism.
      • At the occupied factory, hardcore supporters among the workers join the hostage-takers and raise the flag of the Hezb-e Tudeh over the premises. Stashes of arms and supplies are distributed in preparation for an expected siege.
      • With speed and bold action, the party has seized a powerful bargaining chip and symbolic target. They wait to see if their provocative gambit Will ignite a broader uprising by Nivardom's disgruntled masses against the corrupt militaristic oligarchy.
    • 16:
      • Elements of the 5th Syntagma Sóma Pyrovolikoú (Corps of Artillery), Pyrovolikoú Merarhia (Artillery Division) begin field exercises. Power and water to the Balísta Ergostásio Synarmológisis factory complex is cut, effective 1:00 a.m. Around 3:00 a.m., large explosions erupt at the facility. In the morning, state media catalogue the horror of the industrial disaster that has taken place, blaming the militants for sabotaging the complex. Government aid workers rush in to find survivors have committed suicide, some, via multiple gunshot wounds to the head. The borders with the Raspurid provinces are temporarily shut.
        • Considering the local security situation, the migrants recently-arrived in Nivardom are documented and vetted by the State Protection Authority of Constancia. Some are flown to the Commonwealth of Zeed after signing employment and consultancy contracts. Some have also taken the opportunity to embark on paid tourism in Zeed. Regrettably, in the confusion, a few...disappeared, never to be seen again.
      • Natopia launches Operation Butterworth, joint Oportian-Natopian patrols commence along the border areas as part of Operation Secure Haven's mandate to secure the border and prevent unauthorized crossings, while also ensuring the safety and well-being of the refugees within the temporary accommodation facilities.
  • 1730.V:
    • 3: A large-scale protest erupts in Pax, Oportia, organized by Constancian and Surenid refugees who are dissatisfied with the living conditions in the temporary accommodations set up by the Oportian government. The demonstration turns violent when a group of protesters clash with local residents, leading to several injuries and arrests. The incident heightens tensions between the refugees and the host community.
    • 12: Oportian intelligence services uncover a plot by agents of the Confederacy of the Dispossessed and Azad Eura operatives to smuggle weapons and explosives across the Constancia-Oportia border, disguised as humanitarian aid. A joint operation by the Oportian Security Forces and the Border Security and Migration Task Force successfully intercepts the shipment and apprehends the suspects, revealing a network of sleeper cells within the refugee population.
    • 18: Oportian border patrol intercepts a large caravan of refugees attempting to cross into the country from the Suren Confederacy. Among the group are several individuals with known links to the Ḥezb-e Tūde-ye Eura. Interrogation of these individuals reveals a plan to establish a network of safe houses and recruitment centers within Oportia to support the ongoing insurgency in Constancia and the Suren Confederacy.
  • 1730.VIII: SAVAS internal reports highlight concern that the scale of the ongoing Natopian intervention on the side of Oportia might lead to a resurgence in Babkhan nationalism.
  • 1730.IX:
    • 13: The lull of the last few months ended with the abrupt resumption of protests in Surenshahr, ostensibly a reaction to a recent spike in inflation affecting the price of staple foods upon which the populace relied. Buses and bins were burned, and parked cars blocked streets and main roads leading into the city. Protesters attacked shops, government offices, gendarmerie compounds, police vehicles, petrol stations and financial institutions.
    • 14: 12th Vanguard Division activated in the Suren Confederacy - given leave to attack protesters. With the loyalist 7th Cavalry Division deployed on the border with Oportia, Humanist paramilitaries and the Inspectorate regiments were once again the most reliable forces available to the regime in the capital.
    • 15: Public sector workers in Surenshahr issued with wooden staves and crowbars, enrolled as auxiliaries and ordered to beat protesters and students until they are cleared off the streets.

Suppression of the Bitter Spring

After over a year of widespread unrest and uprisings across the Suren Confederacy and Raspur Khanate termed the Suren government took decisive action in the latter half of 1730 to crush dissent and restore order. This campaign drew heavily on the harsh security laws enacted by the Majles-e Suren earlier that year, especially the Riot Act, Police Act, and Corvée and Impressment Act.

The key turning point came in mid-1730 when the loyalist 7th Cavalry Division was redeployed from border duties with Oportia to Surenshahr. This professional force, along with Constancian military advisors, helped coordinate the government's suppression efforts. Local militias, irregular Humanist paramilitaries, and conscripted civilian auxiliaries were pressed into service to bolster manpower.

In the capital of Surenshahr, protests and riots were brutally put down through heavy-handed policing tactics authorised by the Riot Act. Public sector employees were drafted to assist security forces in beating and clearing demonstrators off the streets. The government made extensive use of its powers under the Corvée Act to conscript labour for security operations.

Outside the major cities, the 7th Cavalry spearheaded assaults on rebel strongholds and known bases of groups like the Ḥezb-e Tūde-ye Eura. Supported by air power from Constancian allies coordinated through the Trans-Euran Command of the Raspur Pact, they were able to largely decimate insurgent forces through superior firepower and overwhelming numbers. Harsh collective punishment policies were enacted against communities suspected of harbouring or supporting the rebels.

By the end of 1730 AN, most overt insurgent activity had been crushed through this relentless application of military force and exploitation of the new security laws. However, this came at the cost of immense bloodshed and destruction, eroding civil liberties and public trust in the government. The quelling of the Bitter Spring was thus achieved through draconian, authoritarian methods.

The regime's survival came through its willingness to utterly abandon any restraint and international norms, solidifying the Suren Confederacy's status as a Humanist police state fully dependent on the military backing of the Raspur Pact against its own population. Insurgents may have been temporarily suppressed, but the underlying drivers of unrest - economic turmoil, resentment against foreign domination, and the denial of rights and representation - remained unaddressed, setting the stage for future upheavals.

See also

References

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