Revolution in the Old Empire

Social and economic problems, as well as regular military defeats in the Great War, led to protests in the middle of 1917, which broke out every month in large cities and industrial centers in the Old Empire.

By autumn, the situation becomes even more difficult due to the famine that covers many prosperous regions of the country. Several opposition parties, with the support of the unions of workers from five industries, are proposing a plan for structural reforms in the country, as well as a way out of the economic crisis. The government and the Emperor reject the plan and begin to persecute the leaders of the opposition parties and trade unions.

A campaign is beginning in the country to combat "internal enemies" who allegedly destabilize the situation in the economy and organize sabotage against production for the needs of citizens and the army. The government is trying to put the blame on the most prominent and well-known opposition leaders.

By the end of September, paranoia in society reaches the scale of the whole country, and in some cities there are armed clashes between protesters and law enforcement forces, as well as cases of lynching of people who are suspected of sabotage.

At the beginning of October, the Emperor announces the “Decree on Restraint for the Future” - a policy document that introduces direct price regulation, distribution of food to the poor, direct state control of the largest industries, as well as a ban on the purchase and public use of luxury goods. The Decree authorizes the use of severe penalties up to the death penalty for “irrefutable evidence of harm, theft, or damage to property useful to the Empire and its citizens.”

One of the episodes of ignoring the decree by the upper strata of society leads to Massacre in quiet alleys. The ensuing political crisis and uprising in the New Capital forces the Emperor to leave the central part of the Empire and take refuge among the loyalists in the central parts of the country.

The leaders of the opposition are beginning to unite citizens, the police and the doubting parts of the army around them. They actively advocate a way out of the war and urgent systemic reforms in the country.

During the first congress of opposition leaders in early November, a terrorist attack occurs that jeopardizes the ability of different political forces to agree. An unknown group of anarchists claims responsibility for the attack. Thanks to the sponsorship of the church and the Academy of Sciences, another crisis is avoided and the central committee of the "Forces of the Revolution" is formed.

The first decrees and directives of the central committee bring chaos into the life of the country. Soldiers at the front refuse to fight en masse, expecting an early peace and not risking their lives in the last days of the war. A significant part of the cities of the western and central empire, including the Old Capital, come under the rule of the "Forces of the Revolution" practically without a single gunshot. The new government is trying to seize all the levers of control as quickly as possible, but it is met with resistance from soldiers and citizens loyal to the old government, as well as various armed formations, who are also trying to fill the vacuum of power after the revolution.

The Emperor demands the immediate dissolution of the Central Committee and any armed forces that are not loyal to him. The Central Committee, in response, sends a demand to appear to investigate the activities and decisions of the Emperor since the beginning of the war.

Foreign media warn of an impending civil war.