Weissersteiner Civil War (Pacifica)
Weissersteiner Civil War | ||||||||
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Soldiers of the Imperial Weissersteiner Army in Kaiserslicht, 1942 | ||||||||
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Belligerents | ||||||||
Weissersteiner Empire
Frankist Gianlucaland |
Weissersteiner Council Republic Supported by: |
Greater Weissersteiner Realm
Fauderland | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | ||||||||
Kaiser Franz Wilhelm
Ernst von Granhofen |
Leon Biel
Florian Braune |
Jakob Hitzig
Max Schaper | ||||||
Strength | ||||||||
X | Y | Z | ||||||
Casualties and losses | ||||||||
X killed Y wounded Z captured |
X killed Y wounded Z captured |
X killed Y wounded Z captured |
The Weissersteiner Civil War (Alman: Weißersteiner Bruderkrieg) was a civil war fought in Weisserstein fought from 1941 to 1944 between Monarchists loyal to the House of Lichtenburg-Hohenzollern, Communists of the Weissersteiner People's Republic, and Hitzigists under the Greater Weissersteiner Realm. Due to the international political climate at the time, the war had many facets and attracted international responses from many different players, making the Weissersteiner Civil War one of the most important conflicts that would eventually led to the Great War.
The war began with the assassination of Kaiser Friedrich Wilhelm II, his wife, and several other prominent members of the aristocracy and government during an annual banquet in the Duchy of Grandsau by members of the Revolutionary Vanguard, a paramilitary force of the communist Red Star League.
Combatants
Monarchists
The Monarchists, recognized by most in the international community as the legitimate government of Weisserstein, fought to maintain the Weissersteiner throne from the insurrection of the Hitzigists and the Communists. The Monarchist faction included the supporters of the House of Lichtenburg-Hohenzollern, moderate nationalists, various factions of democrats (including Christian-Muslim democrats and social democrats), disillusioned Hitzigists (Stenner Faction), Muslim and Christian clergymen, and most conservatives.
The Monarchists included the majority of the important religious figures, important elements of the army, most large landowners, and many businessmen. The Monarchist base largely consisted of the middle classes and conservative peasant smallholders. The religious aspect of the faction became particularly pronounced as a consequence of the burning of churches and mosques alongside the killing of clergymen in areas controlled by both the Hitzigists and Communists, with the Revolutionary Vanguard of the RSL committing the most noteworthy atrocities.
Unlike the other factions, the Monarchist enjoyed significant international support, namely from Stoinia and Frankist Gianlucaland.
Communists
The Communist's supporters within Weisserstein ranged from radical social democrats, to anarchists and syndicalists, and to communists. Their base was primarily secular and urban but also included landless peasants and was particularly strong in regions where both the Monarchists and the Hitzigists were shunned. Spearheading the faction was the Red Star League of Communists, which splintered from the Social Democratic Alliance. Other major factions within the Communist forces are the Proletarian Unity Party and several major anarchist groups. Originally, the Independent Social Democratic Party was also part of the faction, but left after the assassination of Friedrich Wilhelm II.
The Communists received minor support from the First Clashonian Republic.
Hitzigists
The Hitzigists' strength came mostly from the Hitzig's Social-Nationalist Party, founded by ideologue Jakob Hitzig, and inspired by the rise of fascism throughout Pacifica. The party catered towards the far right ultranationalists hardliners in Weisserstein. However, due to disagreements with regards to how they were to approach Gianlucaland, the party split into two factions, an anti-Gianlucaland faction, spearheaded by Hitzig himself and Martin Heusmann, and a pro-Gianlucaland faction spearheaded by individuals such as Joachim Stenner and Ralf Freudenberg. Eventually, most of the members of the pro-Gianlucaland faction of the HSNP switched their allegiance to the Monarchist faction.
Only one nation openly supported the Hitzigist faction during the Civil War: Fauderland. From Fauderland, the Strasserist enjoyed military support. Though due to the naval blockade imposed by the Reichsmarine in the Gulf of Brave Lions, aid from Fauderland became increasingly strained. The Clashonian Republican Guard was also allegedly supportive of the Hitzigist cause.