December Revolution

The December Revolution (Zhenian: 12월 혁명), also known as the First Zhenian Revolution (Zhenian: 제1진국대혁명), was a revolution that resulted in the end of the Empire of Zhenia as well as imperial rule in the nation and established the Zhenian First Republic. The revolution encompasses an array of revolts, uprisings and protests against imperial rule, as well as political movements in the upper echelons of the imperial government. Due to the nature of the revolution, some refer to it as a "revolution from above", as the revolution itself was provoked by the uprisings and protests of commoners but ultimately executed by the political elites in the imperial government and parliament.

The core causes of the revolution stemmed from distrust in the existence of the monarchy, particularly following the stalemate of the First Zhenian-Yinguonese War in the early 1480s and economic stagnation, coupled with increased social unrest due to the elitist nature of imperial Zhenian society. The Liberal Democratic Union, which had previously led the Civil Liberties Movement in the 1470s that resulted in the establishment of the Imperial Parliament, called for additional reforms to alleviate the social inequalities and unrest within the empire. At an attempt to win back the populace into supporting imperial rule, the empire revised the nation's taxation system to increase the burden on the rich, which resulted in the empire temporarily gaining ground among the commoners but dissent in the aristocrats and imperial elites. Further maladministration during the rule of Emperor Gojong resulted in many imperial elites and aristocrats turning to the Liberal Democratic Union, although their objective at the time had been far from removing the empire as a whole.

Under such circumstances, the Rice Crisis of 1497, the imperial response and the ensuing chaos resulted in dissent towards imperial rule among the commoners. With strong belief that the empire was responsible for the crisis, a call for the removal of the monarchy as a whole gained further momentum. The imperial government responded to nationwide protests and rallies with military force throughout 1498 following the declaration of the same year, until the Imperial Parliament, following the Tragedy of Gwangseong, denied further military involvement in quelling the protests on July 25, 1499. The Imperial Parliament was disbanded by the Emperor's orders the same day, driving imperial elites, bureaucrats and eventually military leaders against the Empire. With the threat of a civil war imminent, Emperor Gojong assumed all responsibility for the nation's unrest and announced his abdication on September 11, 1499, while also assuring the formation of a republic within the year.

Imperial Zhenia
Following the unification of Zhenia under the Empire of Zhenia as a result of the Wars of Zhenian Transition, the Empire sought to maintain stability over the now-annexed mainland.

Civil Liberties Movement
Increased interactions with Azoran powers both to the west and the east via Veharia since Zhenian unification resulted in increased attention towards a more western political system - that is, one centered around parliaments and more direct representation of the populace. The necessity of a governing body upheld by the people, as well as a group of representatives chosen by the people themselves, was deeply felt by elites and bureaucrats who had been educated in Azora.

Amid increased calls to establish a westernized political system centered around popular representation and political power under the oversight of the populace themselves, Emperor Taejong called for the establishment of an imperial parliament consisting of 600 representatives, chosen both by appointment among government officials and direct elections.

The first elections for the to-be Imperial Parliament were held on May 1, 1479, resulting in the first-ever meeting of the Imperial Parliament to take place on July 1 the same year.

Imperial abdication
On September 11, 1499, amid protests, Emperor Gojong announced his abdication from the throne as well as the acceptance of the formation of a republic that would ultimately replace the empire, under the precondition that the imperial family not be harmed.