Six Months
He signed the order for the mobilization of troops and gave it to his aide, who subsequently scurried out of the room to pass it along. He let out a large sigh. Just six months ago, when heâd assumed office, heâd vowed in his inauguration speech to bring renewal and rejuvenation. Heâd vowed that things would be different and that the future was bright. In the space of six short months, his bright-eyed optimism had faded when confronted with the harsh realities his country faced.
The drop in his approval rating was the largest in the shortest amount of time for any president in the countryâs history. He was not happy, and neither were his fellow citizens. The first month had passed in a relative celebratory mood, the country still riding the high of electing a leader they believed in. He enjoyed near constant and universal praise on tv, social media, and in person. He proposed a handful of new laws that dismantled many of the oppressive policies of his predecessor, which were quickly ratified by parliament. This resulted in a renewed wave of praise and adoration from the people of his country, many of whom attempted to stop him on the street in order to capture a selfie.
Still basking in his near-universal popularity and success of his initial presidential actions, he proposed a new sweeping tax law at the beginning of the second month. Unlike his previous actions, this law was met with immediate criticism. That his opposition would disprove of such a law was clear, as they were opposed to any attempt that would see their wealth decline, even if only marginally. His opposition consisted of many high-ranking bankers, lawyers, and judges, whose main concern was preventing the new president from following through on his promise to change the status quo. What surprised him was the protest from his supporters, many of whom had loudly decreed their support for the proposed tax reform during his campaign. Apparently they expected to be able to keep their wealth in exchange for their support. He hadnât backed down and the law made it through parliament, although by a significantly narrower margin than the reforms of the first month.
The third and fourth months saw a continual decline in his popularity, especially among many of those who had previously been some of his most vocal supporters. They didnât like that his reforms did not spare them. They didnât like that changing the status quo wasnât all sunshine and rainbows. And they especially didnât like that distributing all power to all the people meant, they thought, less power for themselves. Unlike his predecessor, he didnât send his dissenters, whether old or new, to jail. He didnât threaten them. He didnât force them into exile. In fact, one of his reforms was allowing a broader freedom of speech. They were free to yell angrily at him all they wanted.
In the fifth month the conflict in his countryâs remote mountainous Iseldom region flared up. Or rather, it reignited. His predecessor had forcibly stamped out the embers of the conflict by brutal militaristic suppression and killing of the regionâs rebels. The âIseldom Freedom Fightersâ as they called themselves, were opposed to any and all forms of authority and saw him, the countryâs new president, as simply a continuation of the repression they had suffered for generations. During his campaign, he had visited the region and appealed to the rebels by letting them know he would end the harsh military actions, and that their region would be granted official sovereign nation status. The rebels had taken the promises with a healthy dose of skepticism. They were used to empty words from those in power.
In response to the rebelsâ attacks, he had attempted to expedite the law recognizing Iseldomâs sovereignty through parliament, but was met with fierce resistance. Many in parliament viewed the people of Iseldom as unorganized and less sophisticated, and certainly incapable of running their own nation without the âhelpâ of his country. Once it has taken hold, the roots of racism are incredibly hard to pull out. The members of parliament, like almost all people in his country, had been taught in school that Iseldom citizens were inherently dumb, and more akin to animals than to people. He knew this to be absolutely false as his father was an Iseldomer, a fact he had concealed in order to win the presidency. Parlament ultimately rejected the recognition of sovereignty, leading the rebels to continually escalate the conflict.
At the beginning of the sixth month, the Iseldom rebels began taking hostages and demanding that he step down in order to secure their release. He had briefly considered doing so, but he too was susceptible to the corrupting influences of power. Thus, in order to hopefully free the hostages and keep his office, he had authorized military action. Little did he know this was the first step in a long line of tragic and malevolent decisions that would turn him into one of the most hated and feared dictators in the world.