République Populaire

The Popular Republic (meron: République Populaire) was a revolutionary government established in the National Republic of Merony from 1131 to 1134 of the Fourth Age, during the National Revolution. Headed by Gustave Poulin, the Popular Republic represented the needs of the urban lower classes of Merony, especially within the capital of Merennes, and were swept into power after the 1130 General Election, in a context of widespread disillusionment with the previous revolutionary governments.
The République Populaire represented a watershed moment for the nascent socialist movement of the time. It introduced a progressive tax rate, steep rent control measures in the cities, legal equality for women, and was the first government in the world to legalize labour unions. Throughout the streets and the institutions of the radical movement, the government's unofficial slogan was "La Révolution Nationale est terminée. La Révolution Sociale est arrivée!" ("The National Revolution is over. The Social Revolution is here!"), signifying the shift in focus from political and legal justice to economic justice.
In addition to their egalitarian policies, the République Populaire also intensified the persecution against sympathisers of the aristocracy. Reactionary sentiment was by itself considered grounds for harsh prison sentences, and public hangings of noblemen and conservatives became more frequent after 1132.
On the matter of war, the République Populaire saw mixed success in its campaigns against the First Sacred Alliance, keeping the royal powers of Laurena and Ardun from approaching the capital, at the cost of large swathes of territory to the south being lost to Valenish troops.
In April 12, 1134, under increasing pressure from advancing reactionary forces, the République Populaire was overthrown in a coup d'etat by General Maximilien Garreau. The Republic's supporters held out through several days of heavy urban fighting in the capital, but they were eventually defeated. The revolutionaries who could not escape were rounded up and, along with the leaders of the republican government, summarily executed.
The République Populaire would be the last democratically elected government in Merony until the uprisings of 1180, after the death of Garreau and the collapse of the Meron Empire.

"La Révolution Nationale est terminée. La Révolution Sociale est arrivée!" (The National Revolution is over. The Social Revolution is here!)

1131-4a - 1134-4a

Type

Political, Faction / Party