Army of Progress
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| Army of Progress | |
|---|---|
 Flag of the AoP | |
| Leaders |
|
| Dates of operation | 1992-Present |
| Group(s) |
|
| Headquarters | Tsaizal, Lower Suvania Unknown Location, Tiervan |
| Ideology | Neo-Progressism Progressism Secularism Technocracy Dictatorship of the Intelligentsia Militant Atheism Anti-Speciesm Anti-Capitalism Anti-Monarchism Environmentalism Anti-Reformism Techno-Utopianism |
| Political position | Left-wing |
| Status | Active |
| Allies | State co-belligerents
Non-state co-belligerents
State allies Non-state allies
|
| Opponents | State opponents
Non-State opponents
|
| Battles and wars | Third Suvani War
Zachodnipaństwo War of Independence (2021) |
The Army of Progress, abbreviated to the AoP is a international terrorist organisation of militant atheists who, by means of violent action, advocate for the radical acceleration of societal progress via the eradication of institutions deemed regressive. They were formed from the the Progressist Movement after they were forced underground by the Suvan Republic in 1956. Little is generally known of the AoP's formation and origins due to the secrecy of the organization, however a variety of theories have been discussed. The group have claimed responsibility for a multitude of terrorist actions throughout the 21st Century, mainly targeting religious institutions. Their motto is "Disce Bellum, Mortem Dei Doce.", translating to "Learn War, Teach God's Death," showing the militant secularism seen primarily in Meagharia, combined with the empowerment of the intelligentsia propagated by the Progressist Movement in the 1940s and 50s.
While believed to have existed before, amongst a network secret societies within Universities, the AoP were not deemed a major or even really minor threat to those outside Lower Suvania until the late 2010s. This was due to a rapid growth suspected to have come from the success of Meagharia, to which the AoP owe many of their more violent ideas to. This can also be attested to what the AoP has occasionally referred to as the 'Silent Revolution', an event which saw the group reach their more radical position by a non-violent coup of their leadership led by now-head of Tsaizal, Abel Menstrat, son of a Suvan Teacher and Provost. Menstrat has not taken many public appearances, but has generally been seen as a charismatic leader for the organization, embodying some of it's more unsavoury elements in a way that makes them appear more palatable to more moderate members of the group.
History of the AoP
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The formation of the AoP was preceded by the creation of the Progressist Resistance in 1956. The group was formed by former Progressist Political Association (PUTK) leader Bharat Iyera, as well as Activist and Teacher Aletta Mestrat. The two made clear that in the current scenario it was 'not feasible' for the revolution of the intelligentsia that was advocated by some of their more radical peers, rather finding it a more effective solution to continue their movement in secret, founding the first chapter in the University of Khamyeta, where they began supporting voices amongst the left who called for separation of Church and State, the taxation of Church property and the 'Right to Unbiased Education' proposed in the 1954 PUTK manifesto. Due to their avid support for empowering intellectuals and the intelligentsia, the Resistance gained support across universities throughout Suvania and beyond, forming chapters of the secret society, administered by the Headquarters in the city of Tsaizal, having moved from Khamyeta during the Second Suvani War. With Tsaizal set up as their main operating base, the Resistance soon gained much influence within the University, with Mestrat becoming Provost of Tsaizal University and Progressist funding contributing a majority of funds to the educational institution.
Throughout the 1960s and 70s, the group used their resources both for the funding of political opposition in Lower Suvania and the investment into technologies deemed useful to the group. This included nuclear fusion, which the group took great interest in, assisting in the Oppermacht-Overlegenhet operation which created the Hydrogen Bomb, as well as helping finance the work of Dr Laura Ansof in her discovery and research into the element which was later named for her, Ansofium. One of their largest projects, which is still being updated and developed is the decision support system known as the AEON (Automated Economic Organization Network) System. AEON was developed using a viable system model designed to monitor and flag production indicators within an economy, with an alert system built in. As the system developed it would also be given an Economic Simulation system, in order to allow the stored results to be used to forecast on economic decisions and advise the end user in regards to which economic choices would provide the best outcome. Moderate testing was done in secret on AEON in Durakia, Vakarastan and Ekvatora, throughout the 70s, however the rise of the Radicals saw the cancellation of such experiments in the late 80s, though the project would be picked up for testing by Kæra'zna in 2018.
With their growing influence amongst universities, the Progressist Resistance began to indoctrinate students into their ideology. These Young Radicals of the 80s and 90s soon rose to positions of power amongst the resistance, bringing in new and more radical ideas such as a Dictatorship of Higher Intelligentsia, which sought to limit democracy to only certain aspects of state, with the main elective position being in the civil service and the election of government-overseen management through the system of Censitary Suffrage. This saw a rise in factionalism, with the Moderates (Known as the Passive Rationalists) and the Radicals (Known as the Militant Resistance) growing further and further apart. This culminated in the Silent Revolution of 1992, in which a vote was called amongst the Conclave of Seven to rewrite the manifesto was split on Passive-Militant lines. The Militants, under the leadership of Abel, the second son of Aletta Menstat, won the vote and reorganized the electoral process for the Conclave to favour the Radicals, officially coining the term "Army of Progress."
Under Abel's leadership, the AoP became considerably more radical and willing to arm their members, assisting in terror attacks in and around Lower Suvania. These actions started off small and interspersed, but gained more and more steam with the success of Meagharia, which both galvanized and instilled confidence in the Secularist Movement which the AoP now stood at the fringes of, developing their modern ideology of Neo-Progressism based on a consolidation of the ideas of the Militant Resistance as well as taking from other secular states such as Meagharia, Upper Suvania and Durakia.
The relationship between the Suvani Socialist Republic and AoP has been one that has been long-developed, though only became more notable after the Silent Revolution, with Upper Suvania and the Army of Progress having a cooperative military intelligence sharing network, as well as the recent joining together in arms as the AoP made their claim to the Province of Tsaizal with the blessing of the Suvani Socialist Republic, a controversial choice within the Ajikhota School Association, with some making quiet critique of the decision due to it's incompatibility with the idea of Pansuvanism, though these criticisms were silenced by threats from Chairman Jasrai, stating the fine line between the Left Pansuvanism practiced in Upper Suvania and what he referred to as the 'Imperialist Right Pansuvanism of fools such as Khulan.'
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Katyunon and Ekvatora have not declared direct involvement within the Third Suvani War, however both have allegedly taken steps in the propagating of volunteer forces.