Zootronian Revolution

The Zootronian Revolution (April 21st, 1989-February 7th, 1991) is generally agreed to have started in earnest after the First April Massacre (April 21st, 1989) and concluded with the surrender of the last communist troops on February 7th, 1991, although related events were already under way prior to 1989 and lasted well into the mid 1990s, with the ultimate result of the formation of the modern-day Zootron.

Against a backdrop of an increasingly repressive government in the USER dogged by strategic overextension in the First Cold War, nationalist tensions, and a stagnant economy that fuelled corruption and a flourishing black market, hordes of protesters defied the government and protested in Revolution Square in April of 1989. After three weeks of tense mass demonstrations the protests surged in size to mark imprisoned then-opposition leader Simon Cooper's birthday, and troops were sent in to clear the protesters and killed some 500 in the First April Massacre. This began a year of unrest that culminated with mass demonstrations on the anniversary of the first massacre, which resulted in the second, and subsequently the beginnings of a civil war as some troops defected to the protesters and formed the nucleus of the nascent revolutionary forces. Revolutionary forces freed Cooper on April 29th, the day before his scheduled execution. Support for the rebels surged, and the government declared nationwide martial law. Several Constituent Republics of the USER declared independence in rapid succession as nationalist sentiments overwhelmed the fragile states, and a harsh Airedo-Valhunnian led embargo and naval blockade was tightening the noose around the increasingly desperate and irrational leadership. The government, with its territory rapidly shrinking, threatened nuclear reprisal against the Airedalandians and Valhunnians, and tensions soared. In the midst of the crisis, elderly Ebelinian Premier Sergei Rykov died, and various fanatical generals claimed to be successors, and to prove it, the commander of Ebeline's land-based nuclear missile forces prepared to strike. On May 20th, 1990, Prime Minister Sanderson of Airedalandia, having already assumed near dictatorial emergency powers and acting on intel of the Ebelinian missile buildup authorised a massive conventional air campaign.

In the full-fledged war, the rebels (now with Airedalandian and Valhunnian support) made even more substantial gains, culminating with the capture of Ebeline City in a matter of days at the end of May. The government responded with nuking their own former capital, and Airedalandia and Valhunnia immediately set contingency plans for an invasion into action. With over 3 million foreign troops deployed, and an estimated 15 million rebels, the government remnants could at best delay the inevitable, and after the harsh winter of 1990-91, the final Communist forces capitulated on February 7th, 1991.

From the Communists' surrender, the nascent Zootron began the monumental task of rebuilding the country, and establishing a new democratic system of government. On June 1st of 1992, the Constitution of Zootron came into effect, and the Revolution was over, and the stage was set for the Peace of the 1990s.

Causes
The USER faced multiple compounding issues during the 1980s, chiefly among them a stagnant economy and bureaucracy, coupled with the resurgence of Airedalandia as a strategic rival. Equally important was the signing of the Treaty of Economic and Military Cooperation signed with Valhunnia in 1975, which solidified the pre-eminent anti-communist nations into a single bloc, setting the balance of power in the First Cold War decisively to Ebeline's disadvantage.

Outdated Leadership
Premier Sergei Rykov was already closing on 70 when he assumed the leadership of the USER in 1976, and at the time of the revolution 12 years later he was suffering severe health problems which made the highest organ of the state inherently slow. Out of fear he'd be ousted once he became too frail to stave off political rivals (as was the case when Rykov ousted his predecessor), he did not appoint a Deputy Premier.

Similar problems were to plague the Politburo during Rykov's tenure, which saw the Politburo's membership balloon from 15 in 1976 to 63 in 1989 as it was flooded by Rykov's appointees. This was thanks to reforms to the Communist Party structure which made appointments to the Politburo the domain of the Premier, and Rykov used this to appoint literally hundreds of mostly elderly political allies interested solely in retaining power. The Politburo also turned over most significant power to the Premier's office, becoming, as Cooper later called it ",not a socialist body but a social club."

The Politburo's more independent members that were forced into obscurity by Rykov's numerous appointees included the only 3 men and 1 woman to be part of the Politburo and later become part of the FSNE's provisional government, as well as the only members with true experience in economic planning, agriculture and foreign affairs.

Economic Situation
The USER's economy ground to a halt during the 1980s. At the start of the decade, the prolific era of the 1970s in Ebeline faded away as Rykov replaced many experienced top party officials with evermore inefficient bureaucrats.

Evermore was demanded of the economy in order to support the growing Ebelinian military, and military expenditure as a percentage of the GDP surged from 4.8% in 1980 to 11.2% in 1988.

As a result of economic woes, the black market flourished, and it became commonplace to pay small small bribes to officials for them to turn a blind eye. Street gains flourished, and seized luxury goods from the gains were passed as "evidence" to high-ranking Communist Party officials on a regular basis. In a bid to reduce inefficiency in the legitimate economy, Rykov decreed the minimum price of Vodka to be quadrupled from 3 to 12 Revos. This in turn led to the proliferation of "bathtub brews" which came to symbolize the economic problems of the 1980s to many Ebelinians.

Military-Strategic Problems
Airedalandia had spent the later 1970s recovering from the woes of the 1960s under the United Labour Party's era of nationalisation and de-industrialization. As it emerged from its troubled era, Prime Minister Helena Robertson formalized the alliance with Valhunnia under the Treaty of Economic and Military Cooperation (TEMC).

This led to Airedalandia expanding its troop numbers deployed to South Girania, and Valhunnia also establishing a sizeable presence there. The USER met this with the deployment of further ground troops to North Girania as well as a greatly expanded presence of tactical nuclear forces in the region. Equally pressing and demanding was the protection of Ebelinian nuclear submarines in the Diente Ocean from the Valhunnian Navy, where they'd previously been relatively safe from the prying eyes of ships and aircraft. This led to the building of numerous frigates, destroyers and helicopter carriers previously deemed unnecessary to the traditionally submarine-driven Ebelinian navy, which consumed huge amounts of manpower and other resources to build and maintain the new ships.

Finally, the insurgency in Raines against the faltering Ebelinian-backed regime had led to a costly war that further drained the Ebelinian military of conscripts in what was dubbed "Ebeline's Eckhadam."

Nationalist Tensions, and other Unrest
In the multi-ethnic USER nationalist tensions were a natural consequence of the aforementioned other pressures. Rykov's era saw a trend of Ebelinians assume many more leadership positions than Renguo and Giranians, and several minorities, in particular the ethnic Airedalians, were expelled en masse or arbitrarily imprisoned for supposed foreign allegiances. This spread even more discontent, and minorities began to quietly organise opposition groups. One such organisation, the Citizens for a Free Union, headed by the then little-known Simon Cooper, would go on to be come the political nucleus of the Free Ebelinian Army in the Revolutionary War, and afterwards the seed of the nation of Zootron.

Cooper had already been imprisoned twice before when he was sentenced to death in a widely-publicized show trial for distributing flyers and other materials critical of the regime, referred to as "agitating imperialist propaganda." His execution was scheduled for April 30th, 1989, but as the revolution began, he would escape death in the ensuing chaos.

Second April Massacre
In April, 1989, hundreds of thousands of students gathered in Revolution Square, Ebeline City, to stage demonstrations against the government. Although previous demonstrations had been more or less tolerated, this protest was much larger, and as such warranted more of a response. On April 21st, the birthday of imprisoned opposition leader Simon Cooper and anniversary of the First April Massacre that helped spark Ebeline's last revolution, the number of protesters soared even more, and Rykov's government ordered the clearing of Revolution Square.

At 3:47 PM on April 21st, 1989, the first riot police charged beyond the line made by military police as troops behind them threw tear gas canisters into the crowds. Horses were also sent in, and many protesters began to desperately flee, trampling at least 50 people to death. Some protesters came prepared with gas masks, and others used whatever they could find. Most of these well prepared protesters stayed behind to treat the injured, and continue the demonstration. They moved back a few hundred meters, then got behind makeshift barricades. The riot police moved up accordingly, and then stopped, waiting for further instruction. Firetrucks were brought in to spray the protesters, and once they arrived riot police again attempted to clear the protesters. In response, some of the protesters began throwing rocks and gasoline cocktails, and riot police in turn beat many protesters. Even then, some protesters were undeterred, and as the beating died down, they dug in again.

The riot police backed away, and the protesters saw state television crews being brought in. The short-lived lull was replaced by the roar of tank engines, and the protesters panicked. Most retreated behind their barricades, and police and troops began yelling for them to come out. One single unidentified man did come out, but stopped a few steps in front of the lead tank in a 30-strong column of Type 006 Main Battle Tanks and began yelling at the crew. They all came to a halt, and the man climbed on top to speak with the crew. The gunner of the tank, spoke very briefly, than ordered the man get off the tank. He resisted, and as infantry caught up to the tanks, they quickly ushered him away. A few protesters ran forward to try to stop the man from being taken away by the infantry, and in response, at 7:22 PM, the lead infantrymen opened fire on full auto. About 100 protesters were mowed down in a few seconds, and hundreds more protesters huddled behind barricades panicked. State television feed was cut just as the shooting began, and the government imposed a curfew from 8:00 PM to 6 AM in all of the capital city shortly afterwards. A few protesters threw gasoline cocktails at the soldiers, and warning shots were fired by the infantry in response. The situation became somewhat less tense by about 9:00 PM, and most of the protesters came out from behind their barricades and formed a giant circular human chain. Many citizens of Ebeline City defied the curfew and attempted to join, or re-join the protests, getting as far as the military perimeter established two kilometers from Revolution Square.

At 10:00 PM, the order was given by the Commandant of the Ebeline City Military District to clear the square by all means necessary by 11 o'clock. At 10:10, troops with megaphones yelled at the protesters, demanding they leave immediately or face "the harshest response that may be dealt for such traitorous actions." The protesters stood their ground, and at 10:25, authorisation was given to fire, and at 10:22, platoon  leaders received the orders. At 10:23, all hell broke loose, and 400 protesters were killed as well over a thousand armed troops thrust forward.

Surrender of the Communists
On February 7th, 1991, the last troops fighting to preserve the USER surrendered to the Free Ebelinian Army, Airedalandia, Gentelibre, South Girania, and Valhunnia. The day after, a ceasefire came into effect with the Giranian Nationalist Front and Nordistan Liberation Army, and the war was over.