People's Republic of Ebeline

The People's Republic of Ebeline was a state that existed from 1951 to the revolution of 1992, when Zootron was created. In the late 1940's, the government of the Republic of Ebeline was in deep financial troubles. After the peace treaty of 1946 that ended the 1943-46 Airedalandian-Ebelinian War, the national deficit of Ebeline skyrocketed to $35 Billion, owed primarily to Valhunnian investors. Unable to pay its debt, the government began drastically raising taxes in a effort to pay off the creditors, who demanded the debt be payed in full by 1949.

When the budget of 1948 came out and it revealed the deficit still sat a whopping $29.7 Billion, the government got ever more desperate. The government ceased to provide social services, and without adequate healthcare, disease, along with discontent, began to spread.

The people grew increasingly restless through the late 40's, to the point that radical new ideas were becoming accepted by mainstream society. One of these ideas was to create a socialist state, and by January of 1949 the Popular Liberation Front of Ebeline (PLFE) had over a million members, who soon began engaging the government's forces in unconventional warfare. After two years of fighting, President Alexander Domolock's forces surrendered on September 28th, 1951. That same day, General Ivor Bradley, who had defected to the rebel cause early in the war, proclaimed himself leader, with little opposition.

The PLFE, now the only political party in Ebeline, began ordering the nationalization of all corporations, through the infamous 10 year plan, which was originally hailed as "the great decade of progress." In the end, over 2 million people were killed as a result of the food shortages brought about by the nationalization.

In 1961, with the 10 year plan complete, and with thousands of opposition leaders and activists imprisoned, the government began implementing more controls on the populous. Roadblocks were set up seemingly at random, and the government virtually halted all travel outside the country.

In 1962, the Ebelinians did have one great triumph; putting a man in space. On August 11th, 1962, Demetov Bradley, the son of President Ivor Bradley, was successfully sent to space and returned aboard  Liberator I.

Following the death of Ivor Bradley, Demetov Bradley took control of the government and proclaimed himself Supreme Leader on April 5th, 1971. He quickly began expanding the military, and by 1973 the military had almost 2 million soldiers and there were also close to 5 million members of the People's National Guard, which largely drew its members from high schools, where it became mandatory for all men to serve 2 years in the armed forces.

On September 28th, 1975, Revolution Day (the anniversary of the surrender of the Republic), Demetov Bradley revealed the world that he had a strategic bomber force capable of hitting anywhere on Earth with nuclear weapons. This lead to panic, and was a main factor in the signing of the Treaty of Economic &amp; Military Cooperation between Airedalandia and Valhunnia.

So began 14 years of tense stand-off between Ebeline and the Airedalandian-Valhunnian Alliance. The stand-off only ended when the 1989 revolution began, and the Ebelinian government had to try to cope with threats from within.

On March 2nd, 1981, Demetov Bradley died of a sudden heart attack, and Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force Albert Gullick, Bradley's named successor, took over. Coming from the Air Force, he soon began committing more resources to the Air Force and its projects, and soon the nation's aviation design bureaus began outputting new, radical designs, most of which were just coming into service at the beginning of the revolution.

In 1989, the public's patience finally ended, and mass protests began in the capital. When the military was sent to ultimately kill the protesters, they had set into motion another new revolution that restored democracy, to the land which had become much to familiar with hardship.

By 1992, the rebels had won, and with the Supreme Leader Assassinated and following a brief but incredibly tense military intervention by Airedalandia and Valhunnia against a small group of fanatical socialists, the new state of Zootron had been founded.

Ebeline had breathed its last, fatal breath.