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−	The ''' Second Soviet Civil War''' (March [[2011]]–March [[2014]]) erupted following the assassination of Premier [[Oleg Tikonov]] and engulfed the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) and its Warsaw Pact satellites. Liberal and conservative Soviet factions fought one another for control of the USSR's moribund empire, and also battled anti-Soviet nationalist rebels in Eastern Europe. The conflict was finally ended by NATO intervention, resulting in the final dissolution of the USSR and the global supremacy of the newly formed [[Western Alliance]].	+	The ''' Second Soviet Civil War''' (November [[2011]] - March [[2014]]) heralded the collapse of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), following the assassination of Premier [[Oleg Tikonov]], and was stopped by NATO forces.<ref name="HLoTv2p15">''Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 2'', p. 15, "The Western Alliance To The Fall Of The Star League"</ref>
−	==Background==	+	== History ==
−	By [[2005]] the [[Cold Wars|Second Cold War]] had brought the Soviet Union and NATO to the brink of World War III. The ascension of the moderate [[Oleg Tikonov]] as Soviet Premier heralded a respite for both sides, as Tikonov undertook policies which eased international tensions and his own country's economic woes. These efforts culminated in the [[Tikonov Accords]] of January [[2011]], which pledged liberal reforms and free elections throughout the Warsaw Pact.<ref name=JHSTp138-139>''Jihad Hot Spots: Terra'', p. 138-139</ref>	+	On January 14, 2011, just hours after Soviet Premier [[Oleg Tikonov]] had signed the [[Tikonov Accords]] (a document pledging liberal reforms and free elections within the Warsaw Pact), Tikonov was assassinated by Islamic militant [[Mustafa Khemar Rhasori]]. In the wake of Tikonov's death, power struggles within the Soviet Union started a chain of events that led to the Second Soviet Civil War.
−	Just four hours after the Accords were signed, Tikonov was assassinated by a suicide bomber - an act carried out not by hardline Communists who were his chief opponents, but a Islamic militant named [[Mustafa Khemar Rhasori]]. A power struggle erupted as members of the Politburo and KGB sought to either realize Tikonov's vision or return the USSR to purer Communist roots. Non-Russian nationalists soon added to the volatile situation; on March 3, ethnic Ukrainians seized control of Kiev and announced the secession of their homeland. Two weeks later, East Germany and Czechoslovakia declared their intent to withdraw from the Warsaw Pact.<ref name=TPp7>''The Periphery'', p. 7</ref>	+	Member nations of the Warsaw Pact saw their opportunity to rebel against the Soviet Union while USSR leaders were distracted by the power vacuum. Kiev was the starting point when it was seized by a coalition of ethnic and nationalist groups that then formed the Ukraine Peoples Republic. Two weeks later, Czechoslovakia and East Germany left the Warsaw Pact. Director of the KGB, Admiral [[Sergei Tarantoff]], instituted martial law and assumed command of the Soviet military.
−	==The Second Soviet Civil War==	+	The Second Soviet Civil War began with one side loyal to Tikonov's liberal policies and the other to conservative Communism.
−	As these nationalist revolts threatened the very integrity of the USSR, the KGB Director, Admiral [[Sergei Tarantoff]], assumed control of the Soviet military and declared the Soviet Union to be under martial law. His brutal methods only fanned the flames and in short order the enormous Soviet military split into liberal and conservative factions, openly battling one another for control of the USSR.<ref name=TPp7/> <ref name=JHSTp138-139/>
−	Poland at this point seized its chance to finally end sixty years of Soviet oppression, with Polish freedom fighters adopting as their symbol the upraised clenched fist. Under this sign they fought a losing battle against the Soviet army until the popular uprising was brutally crushed. Nonetheless, their heroism earned the Poles the sympathy of the Western nations.<ref name=HSLCp18>''House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth)'', p. 18, "The Steiner Fist"</ref>	+	Shortly after the declaration of martial law, the Soviet Army collapsed, resulting in escalated bloodshed. In the resulting confusion, some Soviet military commanders launched nuclear warheads (ICBM's) at western targets, including both East and West Germany.  This caused NATO to intervene militarily to prevent massive casualties on both sides of the conflict. The [[Crippen Station]], part of the [[Western Orbital Defense Network]] (WODeN), played a pivotal role in destroying the ICBMs, as part of the western nations satellite defenses.
−	The fighting dragged on for three years as the liberal and conservative factions battled one another and secessionist regions, with the threat of a full-scale nuclear exchange between the Soviets and NATO an ever-present concern for the world. Western nations tried to render humanitarian aid without actively participating in the war itself, although one British ancestor of [[House Davion]], Brigadier [[Arthur Davion (21st c.)|Arthur Davion]], is noted as being a hero of the Battle of Moscow in [[2013]] (in what capacity he was present is unknown). However, by early 2014 NATO finally felt compelled to intervene.<ref name=JHSTp138-139/> <ref name=HSLCp18/> <ref name=SL7>''The Star League'', p. 7</ref> <ref>''House Davion (The Federated Suns)'', p. 14</ref>	+	As a sign of political revolution, the Poles adopted the upraised clenched fist as their symbol. Troops wore this on arm patches and painted it across armored vehicles of the Polish Revolutionary Army.
−	==NATO Intervention and the War's End==	+	NATO first liberated Czechoslovakia and Poland, then invaded the Soviet Union through the newly independent Latvian port of Riga. Riga was ultimately destroyed by a Conservative Soviet Army division using chemical weapons. Fanaticism like this led the liberal Soviet faction to become allies with NATO forces.
−	NATO forces began by liberating Czechoslovakia and Poland. In a gesture of solidarity for the latter's people, NATO soldiers (particularly armored vehicle crews) took up the defiant fist symbol themselves. Of interest to later historians, ancestors of future rivals [[House Steiner]] and [[House Marik]] were both recorded as participating in these operations. Five Steiners were among the West German forces sent into Poland - and adopted the clenched fist symbol that would become the [[Lyran Commonwealth|Lyran Commonwealth's]] motif - while Major Jan Marik returned to his ancestral Czech homeland as one of the peacekeepers and later settled in Prague.<ref name=JHSTp138-139/> <ref name=HSLCp18/> <ref>''Handbook: House Marik'', p. 11</ref>
−	The Western powers then sought to further assist the liberals by mounting amphibious landings at various points along the Soviet coast, most notably the Latvian city of Riga, in January 2014. Coupled with recent defeats at Minsk and Leningrad which they attributed to "capitalist freebooter" aid to their enemies, this led to Soviet conservative officers launching a limited nuclear strike against both West and East Germany and NATO bases. The [[Western Orbital Defense Network]] (WODeN), housed on [[Crippen Station]], played a pivotal role in destroying the ICBMs and thereby saved humanity by averting the full-scale nuclear exchange this would have precipitated.<ref name=JHSTp138-139/> <ref name=TPp7/>	+	Western forces continued their intervention until the war ended with the surrender of the last Old Guard-controlled ICBM site to Loyalist forces in March [[2014]].
−	The Soviet Navy then opposed the NATO landings in the Baltic and the Kola Peninsula in what proved to be the last large ocean battle in human history. During the fighting, conservative naval commanders razed Riga with chemical weapons, but this atrocity drove the final nail into the hardliners' cause. By March 2014 the last of the holdouts had surrendered to Western forces.<ref name=JHSTp138-139/>	+	Among NATO's West German contingent were five members of the Steiner family, who took the Poles' symbol to heart, using it for business symbols,
		+	painted emblems on the sides of recreational racing vehicles, or as designer jewelry. This eventually lead to the [[Lyran Commonwealth]]'s fist of today.
	== Aftermath ==		== Aftermath ==
−	The Second Soviet Civil War resulted in over fifteen million civilian deaths and vast destruction across the USSR. It also gave rise to momentous political changes for humanity that were felt both then and later.<ref name=JHSTp138-139/>	+	The Second Soviet Civil War resulted in the deaths of more than 15,000,000 civilians and military personnel in the Soviet Union alone.
−	Meeting in Kiev, leaders of various Soviet political and ethnic groups dissolved the USSR. In its place arose seven independent nations organized in a loose confederation: the [[Democratic Republic of European Russia]], [[People's Union of Kazakh]], [[Islamic Republic of Turkmen]], [[Soviet Socialist Republic]], [[Democracy of Yakut]], [[Magadan Socialist Republic]] and [[Confederation of Free Orient Peoples]].<ref name=SL9>''The Star League'', p. 9</ref>	+	Meeting in Kiev, leaders of various Soviet political and ethnic groups dissolved the USSR. Seven independent Russian States were created in a loose confederation.
−	In newly-reunited Berlin, leaders of the various Western powers, led by the British Prime Minister [[Boris Johnson]], merged NATO and the European Common Market into the [[Western Alliance]]. The United States of America and the former Soviet states both soon joined the Alliance, and throughout the twenty-first century this organization promoted world peace, prosperity and scientific progress. By [[2086]] its membership had grown to the point that the union could rename itself the [[Terran Alliance]]. It was under the Terran Alliance that humanity first developed the [[Kearny-Fuchida Drive]] and the subsequent colonization of the [[Inner Sphere]].<ref>''Jihad Hot Spots: Terra'', p. 139-143</ref>	+	Meeting in newly reunited Berlin, leaders of the various Western powers, led by the British Prime Minister, merged NATO and the European Common Market into the [[Western Alliance]].
−	The effects of the Second Soviet Civil War were still being felt over two centuries later in the neighboring Scandinavian nations. At first, hordes of refugees wrought serious economic and social havoc in their host states. Later, in rebuilding the former Soviet states, the Terran Alliance practically ruined Norway, Sweden and Finland through heavy taxation. As a result, emigrants from these lands fled to the outer reaches of the [[Inner Sphere]], forging the [[Principality of Rasalhague]].<ref>''Handbook: House Kurita'', p. 20, "We, Rasalhague"</ref>	+	== Notable Dates ==
		+	*[[2011]], Start of Second Soviet Civil War.
		+
		+	*[[2013]], Battle of Moscow. Brigadier [[Arthur Davion]] is titled as a baron.
		+
		+	*[[2014]], End of Second Soviet Civil War.
		+
		+	*[[2014]], Formation of the [[Western Alliance]].
		+
		+	*[[2014]], Formation of the Democratic Republic of European Russia.
		+
		+	*[[2014]], Formation of the People's Union of Kazakh.
		+
		+	*[[2014]], Formation of the Islamic Republic of Turkmen.
		+
		+	*[[2014]], Formation of the Soviet Socialist Republic.
		+
		+	*[[2014]], Formation of the Democracy of Yakut.
		+
		+	*[[2014]], Formation of the Magadan Socialist Republic.
		+
		+	*[[2014]], Formation of the Confederation of Free Orient Peoples.
	== References ==		== References ==
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	== Bibliography ==		== Bibliography ==
	* ''[[DropShips and JumpShips]]''		* ''[[DropShips and JumpShips]]''
−	* ''[[Handbook: House Kurita]]''
−	* ''[[Handbook: House Marik]]''
	* ''[[Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 2]]''		* ''[[Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 2]]''
−	* ''[[House Davion (The Federated Suns)]]''
−	* ''[[House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth)]]''
−	* ''[[Jihad Hot Spots: Terra]]''
	* ''[[The Periphery (sourcebook)|The Periphery]]''		* ''[[The Periphery (sourcebook)|The Periphery]]''
	* ''[[The Star League]]''		* ''[[The Star League]]''
		+
		+	==Dates==
		+	*Start Date - [[Start date::November, 2011]]
		+	*End Date - [[End date::March, 2014]]
	[[Category:Wars]]		[[Category:Wars]]

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The ''' Second Soviet Civil War''' (November [[2011]] - March [[2014]]) heralded the collapse of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), following the assassination of Premier [[Oleg Tikonov]], and was stopped by NATO forces.<ref name="HLoTv2p15">''Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 2'', p. 15, "The Western Alliance To The Fall Of The Star League"</ref> == History == On January 14, 2011, just hours after Soviet Premier [[Oleg Tikonov]] had signed the [[Tikonov Accords]] (a document pledging liberal reforms and free elections within the Warsaw Pact), Tikonov was assassinated by Islamic militant [[Mustafa Khemar Rhasori]]. In the wake of Tikonov's death, power struggles within the Soviet Union started a chain of events that led to the Second Soviet Civil War. Member nations of the Warsaw Pact saw their opportunity to rebel against the Soviet Union while USSR leaders were distracted by the power vacuum. Kiev was the starting point when it was seized by a coalition of ethnic and nationalist groups that then formed the Ukraine Peoples Republic. Two weeks later, Czechoslovakia and East Germany left the Warsaw Pact. Director of the KGB, Admiral [[Sergei Tarantoff]], instituted martial law and assumed command of the Soviet military. The Second Soviet Civil War began with one side loyal to Tikonov's liberal policies and the other to conservative Communism. Shortly after the declaration of martial law, the Soviet Army collapsed, resulting in escalated bloodshed. In the resulting confusion, some Soviet military commanders launched nuclear warheads (ICBM's) at western targets, including both East and West Germany. This caused NATO to intervene militarily to prevent massive casualties on both sides of the conflict. The [[Crippen Station]], part of the [[Western Orbital Defense Network]] (WODeN), played a pivotal role in destroying the ICBMs, as part of the western nations satellite defenses. As a sign of political revolution, the Poles adopted the upraised clenched fist as their symbol. Troops wore this on arm patches and painted it across armored vehicles of the Polish Revolutionary Army. NATO first liberated Czechoslovakia and Poland, then invaded the Soviet Union through the newly independent Latvian port of Riga. Riga was ultimately destroyed by a Conservative Soviet Army division using chemical weapons. Fanaticism like this led the liberal Soviet faction to become allies with NATO forces. Western forces continued their intervention until the war ended with the surrender of the last Old Guard-controlled ICBM site to Loyalist forces in March [[2014]]. Among NATO's West German contingent were five members of the Steiner family, who took the Poles' symbol to heart, using it for business symbols, painted emblems on the sides of recreational racing vehicles, or as designer jewelry. This eventually lead to the [[Lyran Commonwealth]]'s fist of today. == Aftermath == The Second Soviet Civil War resulted in the deaths of more than 15,000,000 civilians and military personnel in the Soviet Union alone. Meeting in Kiev, leaders of various Soviet political and ethnic groups dissolved the USSR. Seven independent Russian States were created in a loose confederation. Meeting in newly reunited Berlin, leaders of the various Western powers, led by the British Prime Minister, merged NATO and the European Common Market into the [[Western Alliance]]. == Notable Dates == *[[2011]], Start of Second Soviet Civil War. *[[2013]], Battle of Moscow. Brigadier [[Arthur Davion]] is titled as a baron. *[[2014]], End of Second Soviet Civil War. *[[2014]], Formation of the [[Western Alliance]]. *[[2014]], Formation of the Democratic Republic of European Russia. *[[2014]], Formation of the People's Union of Kazakh. *[[2014]], Formation of the Islamic Republic of Turkmen. *[[2014]], Formation of the Soviet Socialist Republic. *[[2014]], Formation of the Democracy of Yakut. *[[2014]], Formation of the Magadan Socialist Republic. *[[2014]], Formation of the Confederation of Free Orient Peoples. == References == <references /> == Bibliography == * ''[[DropShips and JumpShips]]'' * ''[[Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 2]]'' * ''[[The Periphery (sourcebook)|The Periphery]]'' * ''[[The Star League]]'' ==Dates== *Start Date - [[Start date::November, 2011]] *End Date - [[End date::March, 2014]] [[Category:Wars]]

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