Daffodil Revolution

The Daffodil Revolution is an uprising within the Republic of Kaisa and Antiopa, following decades of political polarization, increasing economic hardship, and the unpopularity of the Last War. Within both nations, a resurgent communist and libertarian movement laid the groundwork and infrastructure that have allowed the uprising to grow roots and expand across the region. In Kaisa, daffodils are symbols of resilience and resistance. The regrowth of the radical movement after the failures of the 1333 Revolution gave the Daffodil Revolution its name

Background

Factors

Prior to the Red Week, Kaisa was in a period of industrial expansion that was ongoing since the late 1200s. Over the course of just a few days, the economic system, heavily reliant on the stability of Khahlanong Hlusa Mfa, came crashing down, and Kaisa entered an economic depression, along with most of the Humanist League nations. With the working class of Kaisa already chafing under a political system that did not even give lip-service to them, the 1333 Revolution broke out.

The White Terror followed the crushing of the revolution, but rather than smothering the last vestiges of the libertarian and communist movements, it prevented Kaisan society from recovering from the conditions that lead to the revolution. An underground (and often aboveground) war was waged between radicals, reactionaries, and the Kaisan state. The Symvouli had made several concession to the moderate radicals, including the creation of the Synekio Laida, but these were stripped away and proved to be little more than theatre. By the time the Last War broke out, the cracks in Kaisa's political facade were barely papered over, and the devastation that the war wrought tore them open. The radicals, who had remained busy recovering from the failures of 1333 and preparing for their next chance, seized the moment.

Lead-Up

Since the Wellspring of Nations, Kaisa has had a strong workers movement, which proved to be fertile ground for radical political ideas. Despite this, Kaisa had entered the 1300s with a political system that, while referred to as a republic, placed all real power in the hands of the aristocracy. A strong and radical republican movement had formed, mingling with growing communist and libertarian movements. Organizations like the SEK, a libertarian union federation, achieved important victories in workers rights in the early 1300s, and by the time of Tshakuksuha's death and the Red Week, political consciousness was already established among the working class of Kaisa.

The Kaisadroupolis Commune, declared in 1333, became an example of what could be achieved by a unified working class, but it was also an object lesson in the strength of the Kaisan bourgeouisie and aristocracy and their willingness and ability to break apart and crush revolt. Liberal republican reforms, in particular the creation of an elected Synekio, split apart the revolutionaries. Kaisadroupolis, the heart of the 1333 Revolution, was besieged and bombarded. Thousands were killed in the invasion, and thousands more were killed in the White Terror that followed.

But many revolutionaries survived, fleeing to the Bierglaan, the Prostian United Front, or going into exile elsewhere around Duurn. Many more continued their activities, now underground, in the Republic of Kaisa, preparing for the day when they could rise back up.

In the following decade, some radicals fought back against the campaign waged against them by the bosses and the state through the creation of armed militias, such as the Confederal Militias and the Frora Brotzina. Others, like the Invisible Brigades, fought back more directly, engaging in a campaign of bombings and political assassinations through the late 1330s and 1340s. By the time of the soldier revolt and the outbreak of the Daffodil Revolution, the years of underground warfare and preparation had the communist and libertarian movements far more organized and ready to fight than they were in 1333.

The Second Revolution

The uprising began with a mutiny across a broad swathe of the Kaisan Army. When the Last War began, it brought a wave of nationalism, but as the war dragged on, the increasing death toll, economic effects, and rationing began to sway public opinion against the war. By 1349, it was clear that Kaisa was losing ground and was set to lose the war. In response, the Kaisan strategic command gave orders to make a desperate offensive against the Imperial Jiderani Union, a move that would surely result in a catastrophic loss of life. Instead, the Kaisan soldiers mutinied and refused the orders en masse.

The mutiny was met with solidarity from the Kaisan radical labor movement, with the 1349 Kaisan General Strike following the mutiny and spreading across most sectors of the Kaisan economy. The SEK-ESK, a radical labor federation, has emerged as the face of the general strike and the uprising against the Kaisan state and the ruling Symvouli Tiporé. Several radical parties in the Synekio Laida, including the Kaisan Communist Revolutionary Party (SKI), declared their support for the strikes and the army revolt. The Symvouli declared the dissolution of the Synekio, but many of the deputies refused to disband and instead called for the abdication of the Symvouli.

However, it would be inaccurate to say that any organizations or individuals are fully in control of what is happening in Kaisa right now. Much of the army is still in revolt, and bands of soldiers aligned with the socialists have begun forcefully seizing and expropriating land, independent of any party or organization. In the cities, workers have begun seizing their workplaces and communizing the homes and property of the urban bourgeouisie. The SEK-ESK, SKI, and other radicals are rushing to catch up. Some in these organizations are urging caution and even moderation, believing their role is to take charge of the revolution, while others fear that any slowing of the revolt will allow the Symvouli to rally their forces and break the revolutionary movement, as was the case in the Revolution of 1333.

For now, though, the Symvouli seems reluctant or unable to directly attack the uprising. Scattered violence from the Etnofroura and Kaisan National Police has occured but has remained disconnected from any wider strategy. Reactionary elements of Kaisan society, such as the Black Lions and United Peasants have rallied in response to the strikes, creating a powder keg whenever the groups clash.

Collectivization

As it was with the 1333 Revolution and the Kaisadroupolis Commune, the working class of Kaisa have autonomously begun the process of communization, seizing sites of production and residences to maintain the things that are necessary for survival. Some in the SEK-ESK are concerned that full-throated support for this process might force them into open conflict with the state before they are ready for it, but most see this as a necessary and inevitable step towards social revolution. The more moderate of the revolutionary factions are less positive on the matter, decrying the "banditry and chaos" as antisocial and destructive.