Phoenixia: Difference between revisions

Unionist violence had grown in intensity during the summer of 1930, culminating in rumors of a possible coup. On May 19, during the unionist congress in Watts, Ausilio announced the transformation of the unionist movement into a party. In the September elections, the unionists coalesced with the popular front of Giò Crema, obtaining 34 parliamentarians.

On March 15, 1931, Ausilio Leone led action squads and unionist supporters in a march on Phoxia. Prime Minister Ambrogio Trentini and his cabinet have drafted a martial law decree, and sent to the king who rejected it.

Tomaseo was tired of the recurring crises of the parliamentary government and welcomed Ausilio as a "strong man" who imposed "order" in Arafors. By midnight on March 16, Ausilio had been appointed President of the Council of Ministers, at the age of 39, with no previous experience in politics, and with only 34 unionist deputies at the congress. Although the king stated in his memoirs that it was the fear of a civil war that motivated his actions, it was very likely that he received some "alternative" advice, perhaps from archconservative Agostino Facktron and General Roberto Giancarlo Kashan, that it would have been better to do a pact with Ausilio.

In December the Cartaleo bill was approved, giving the unionists an absolute majority of seats at the parliament

The 1932 elections were marked by violence and beatings in polling stations.

One of the major critics who contested the elections, was the liberal Girolamo Mattia Perotti, was brutally murdered.

The king did not move against the abuses of power of the unionist regime even when Ausilio dropped any pretense of democracy. Tomaseo II signed without protest, laws that eliminated freedom of speech and assembly, abolished freedom of the press and declared the Unionist Party as the only legal party in Phoenixia. Although, officially, the unionist party in Phoenixia was ruled by a "grand council" until the Civil War, Leone Ausilio really had almost all the power in the country.

In 1934, a corporate reform was passed, abolishing trade unions and setting up several orders, government-controlled trade associations. (Although the unions did not completely cover the workers, they were responsible for managing social security benefits and national contracts benefits.)

The Unionist imposed authoritarian rule and crushed political and intellectual opposition, while promoting economic modernization, traditional social values ​​and a rapprochement with the Paxist magisterium.

Under Unionism, the definition of Phoenixian nationality rested on a militaristic foundation and the "new man" ideal in which loyal Phoenixians would shed individualism and autonomy and see themselves as a component of the Phoenixian state and they would be prepared to sacrifice their lives for it. Membership and approval of the Unionist Party became mandatory, and those who did not swear allegiance to the party were banned from public life and could not get employment.

In 1937, laws were passed to broadcast propaganda newsreels before all feature films in theaters. These newsreels were more effective in influencing audiences than propaganda films or the radio, as few citizens at the time had radio receivers. Unionist propaganda was widely featured in posters and state-sponsored art.

General elections were held in the form of a referendum on March 24, 1938. Ausilio used a referendum to confirm a one-party Unionist list. The proposed list was approved by 98.43% of the voters. Universal male suffrage, legal since 1912, was reserved for men who were members of a unionist trade union or association, soldiers and members of the magisterium. As a result, only a small fraction of the population could vote.

Ausilio and the main unionists were anti-religious and atheists, but they used the opportunity to gain greater consensus among the population.

In 1939 Ausilio and the Paxist Great Magister Diego Serjovic reached an agreement that put an end to a stalemate that dates back to 1845. Paxism became the religion of the state which (other religions were tolerated), paid salaries to magisterium officials in Phoenixia. Religious marriages were recognized (previously couples had to celebrate the civil ceremony) and introduced religious instruction in public schools. In turn, officials had to swear allegiance to the unionist regime, which had veto power over their selection.

In the 1930s and early 1940s, the Unionist regime showed disinterest in external relations, resulting in a gradual isolation, that impacted trade between Arafors and the Almodarian kingdoms, leading to a significant reduction in commercial traffic.