Jepsei Overthrow
The Overthrow was a military coup in the nation of Jepsei on Lemuria which occurred about fifteen years before the Exploration Service made first contact with the planet. The coup was carried out with the backing and approval of the Kingdom of Mespreth, one of Lemuria's twin dueling superpowers, and resulted in the installation of a brutal military dictatorship which delivered the nation into Mespreth's orbit.
Things came to a head about fifteen years pre-Contact, when a candidate by the name of Tefik won election as High Minister. Tefik, who had campaigned on popular issues such as land reform and trade protectionism, quickly gained the moniker "Champion of the People" for his brave stances against powerful companies and landowners, many of whom had ties with Mespreth. The breaking point came when he proposed an ambitious redistribution policy designed to address many long-standing issues from Jepsei's abolition of slavery several decades earlier. Many of the liberated people were farmers, but had little land to work as most of it was held by the economic elite. This same elite also declared its vast holdings to be of little economic value, as a trick to avoid paying taxes. Tefik's government, with a new law, began to expropriate land for redistribution to the impoverished farmers who comprised his political base, paying to the former owners compensation equal to their declared value.
Violence and repression targeted against Tefik's former voters was immediate and harsh as the junta sought to stamp out guerilla movements. Multiple towns were razed and thousands of people became political prisoners or were disappeared altogether by Enin's security forces. Jepsei's Nikrit minority, who had previously been left largely alone to live in the shadows, suffered from occasional pogroms. The final outrage was Supreme Commander Enin's decree re-instituting slavery, a condition demanded by Mespreth as compensation for supporting the coup.
Though slavery is again legal, slaves themselves are still a fairly rare sight in Jepsei, mostly being seen in service to the elite. Instead, the country is often used as a "hunting grounds" for slavers from Mespreth, as a source of new stock without the risk of blowback which would come from raiding within Mespreth's borders. Jepsei citizens kidnapped in this manner are usually sold south to the markets in Mespreth, where they become fuel for its industrial slave society.
To the elite, the Overthrow was a glorious time where the natural order of things was restored and their rightful power made secure once again, while for the common people it is a source of lingering sadness, when what little gains they finally managed to make were cruelly wrenched away.
Background
Jepsei, a Cepith-majority nation to the north of Mespreth, had allied with it on and off during the multitude of wars which led up to the Lemurians' invention of nuclear weapons. In the ensuing cold war and arms race, it became more neutral and began to drift from Mespreth's sphere of influence, though many economic ties between the two remained.Things came to a head about fifteen years pre-Contact, when a candidate by the name of Tefik won election as High Minister. Tefik, who had campaigned on popular issues such as land reform and trade protectionism, quickly gained the moniker "Champion of the People" for his brave stances against powerful companies and landowners, many of whom had ties with Mespreth. The breaking point came when he proposed an ambitious redistribution policy designed to address many long-standing issues from Jepsei's abolition of slavery several decades earlier. Many of the liberated people were farmers, but had little land to work as most of it was held by the economic elite. This same elite also declared its vast holdings to be of little economic value, as a trick to avoid paying taxes. Tefik's government, with a new law, began to expropriate land for redistribution to the impoverished farmers who comprised his political base, paying to the former owners compensation equal to their declared value.
Coup and Civil War
The elite, predictably outraged at getting the short end of the stick for once, went crying to Mespreth and got King Delvar to support a coup. With the backing of the King's Eyes intelligence service, hard-line factions of the Jepsei military, led by Supreme Commander Enin, stormed the capital and arrested many of Tefik's high-level supporters. Tefik himself is alleged to have "committed suicide", though no body or evidence of this has ever been produced. The coup's plotters formed a military junta and instituted an authoritarian government, shredding decades of democratic reforms.Violence and repression targeted against Tefik's former voters was immediate and harsh as the junta sought to stamp out guerilla movements. Multiple towns were razed and thousands of people became political prisoners or were disappeared altogether by Enin's security forces. Jepsei's Nikrit minority, who had previously been left largely alone to live in the shadows, suffered from occasional pogroms. The final outrage was Supreme Commander Enin's decree re-instituting slavery, a condition demanded by Mespreth as compensation for supporting the coup.
Aftermath
Jepsei since the Overthrow has been an authoritarian state, with most of the population living in poverty while the Mespreth-connected elite enjoys wealth and luxury. Commander Enin also delivered the country into a military alliance with Mespreth, joining the Lemurian Cold War on its side. Mespreth troops are a common sight, supervising training and maintaining equipment.Though slavery is again legal, slaves themselves are still a fairly rare sight in Jepsei, mostly being seen in service to the elite. Instead, the country is often used as a "hunting grounds" for slavers from Mespreth, as a source of new stock without the risk of blowback which would come from raiding within Mespreth's borders. Jepsei citizens kidnapped in this manner are usually sold south to the markets in Mespreth, where they become fuel for its industrial slave society.
To the elite, the Overthrow was a glorious time where the natural order of things was restored and their rightful power made secure once again, while for the common people it is a source of lingering sadness, when what little gains they finally managed to make were cruelly wrenched away.
Included under Conflict
Conflict Result
Military dictatorship takes power, Jepsei becomes a satellite of Mespreth in the Lemurian Cold War
Location
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