History
Before independenceThe Ardian Empire started to settle through the coasts of the Sovereignty Bay, establishing several coastal settlement. They were able to consolidate their control of the trade of the area in the next centuries, coexisting with the native peoples in the west and the city-states which had been formed through the gulf. In order to consolidate their settlements, the Ardian Empire launched several military campaigns, expanding their territory and increasing their control of the area.
In the 14th century, it was established the Jungsam Daejangunate, a vassal state of the Ardian Empire, which served as a buffer state along today central Djabidjan, as well as basic competences such as efficiently collect taxes and engaging in slave trade. The Jungsam Daejangunte, which existed until 1799, was dominated by ethnic Seojoson, particularly those of the northern and eastern clans, with a military head of state known as Daejang as ruler. The Daejang was usually a Seojoson from a noble family, although his appointment had to be approved by the Ardian Empire authorities.
In the 19th century, the control of the Northern Ardian colonies was united through an Overseas Northern Administration, with a Lieutenant-Governor as highest authority. In the late 1930s, trade with the Ardian Empire would be considerably discontinued, and finally the Ardian Empire would lose control of the northern colony as consequence of the Great War. Under a new administration, the territory was granted some autonomy under the Treaty of Podlo, until independence was achieved in 1956.
Independence and upheavalThe Free State of Djabidjan was established in 1953, which would gain full independence on 10 September 1956. Oh Kun-woo became the first President of the Free State of Djabidjan. However, he was forced to resign six months later, as the political opposition and radical militants instigated an uprising that ousted him. He would be replaced by Kang Dong-Il, who promised the establishment of a new parliament under a new electoral law (the 1957 parliament had been elected indirectly, with a limited number of electors from local councils and ethnic organizations), and the draft of a constitution. However, Kang's government faced increasing problems, such a fall in exports, as well as political violence, protests and strikes, and armed insurgency by communist armed groups in the south and Catholic militants in the west. Kang would be deposed on 21 January 1958, in a bloodless military coup d'etat.
Three days after Kang Dong-Il was deposed, a new "Independent National Council" was announced, formed by military officers, and the country renamed as Djabidjanian Republic. General Chang Myung-jun became President of the Republic in 1959, and the Indepedent National Council was abolished on January 1960. Chang Myung-jun banned most opposition parties, and his government was increasingly authoritarian. In late 1961, he launched a wave of arrests, and a large number of opposition leaders and army officers -including some of those had joined the 1958 coup and former members in the Independent National Council- were sentenced to death and executed.
In 1962, elections to a Constituent Assembly, formed mostly by Chang's loyalists were held, aimed to draft a new constitution. It was soon evidently that the Constituent Assembly was merely a rubber-stamp legislature of government proposals, and a controversial constitution was approved, establishing a heriditary monarchist government with Chang Myung-jung as presumed head of state. The constitution was approved in a national referendum, with clear evidences of widespread fraud. However, only six days before his scheduled coronation, a coup d'etat took place, and Chung would be murdered in his own residence.
The Social Republic of DjabidjanA new government was established, formed by both military officers and civilian ministers, which suspended the 1962 constitution, and promised democratic elections. However, the elections were subsequently postponed, as the government struggled to put an end to armed insurgency and ethnic violence. On 2 May 1963, a group of young army officers successfully took power through a coup d'etat. The new military leadership was increasingly nationalist, and many former officials from Chung's administration were arrested or executed. A "Supreme Council for National Restoration" was established, formed almost exclusively by military officers.
After another failed coup d'etat, followed by a large reshuffle of the Supreme Council for National Restoration, the military leadership took a more radical orientation, leading with the proclamation of the Social Republic of Djabidjan on 16 October 1963. Many companies were nationalized and the government launched a radical land reform. The new government established friendly relations with communist and left-leaning governments, and a one-party ruled under the Djabidjani Revolutionary Party was enshrined in the constitution.
In 1964, Prime Minister Lee Hyung-seok announced "Djabidjan's Transition to Socialism", as official state ideology, aimed to industrialize the country and build a socialist state. A policy of industrial nationalization and agrarian collectivization was launched, foreign investment decreased to almost zero percent, while the power of the military and state considerably increased. A further autarky policy introduced by Prime Minister Nguyen Van Huynh in 1969, did not improve the situation, and Djabidjan's economy almost completely collapsed, while the government attempted to strengthen their control through a police state.
Political transitionThe deterioration of the economy in the 1970s, and increasing ethnic violence, particularly after the Morizòn Massace in 1976, forced the government to start negotiations with the opposition and introducing some economic and political reforms, which culminated with elections to a State Assembly on February 1979, the first democratic election in almost two decades. Hahn Geun, the candidate of the Democratic Party, was elected President on April 1979. One month later, the Djabidjani Revolutionary Party was dissolved and the constitution was widely amended, the country being renamed as Republic of Djadibdjan.
Under Hahn Geun's presidency, important political and economic reforms were implemented. Although the government policy of radical economic liberalization helped to increase considerably foreign investment in the country, the process was rather chaotic, producing mass unemployment, and several corruption scandals under his government damaged considerably his popularity. In 1981, the Social Democratic Party became the largest political party in the State Assembly, and entered in a coalition with the People's Democratic Party. However, the new government would only last six months, as the coalition fell after a failed coup d'etat by right-wing military officers, who were concerned about the fact that the People's Democratic Party had been established by former members of the Revolutionary Party and described its ideology as "Liberal Socialism" in their own manifesto. While the coup had failed and the conspirators had been arrested, there were several massacres against both pro-government and anti-government supporters the days after the coup.
Although the economic situation slighly improved, ethnic violence as well as protests against the government increased, and Hahn Geun was forced to resign following a constitutional crisis. In the 1983 election, the People's Democratic Party was the most voted political party and led a new coalition government. Three months later, Lee Oh-seong was elected President, which election the opposition denounced had failed to be a free and fair election. A new legislative election was held in 1984, in which the People's Democratic Party would obtain a clear majority. The same year, a new constitution was drafted, establishing an unitary constitutional republic as form of government.
The People's Democratic Party would start negotiations with several opposition parties in 1986, which would lead to their inclusion in the government and the eventual creation of the Djabidjani People's Coalition (KDP). The Djabidjani People's Coalition won the 1988 election by a landslide, with only the People's Democratic Party obtaining more than half of the seats of the parliament.
The Republic of Djabidjan since 1988President Lee Oh-seong would be replaced as General Secretary of the People's Democratic Party by Kwon Jin-gyu, who had been Premier of the State Council of Ministers since 1985. President Lee would announce his resignation the next year, due to the worsening of his health, and Kwon Jin-gyu was elected new President. Lee Oh-seong would die of congestive heart failure in 1991.
The People's Democratic Party had dropped any reference to socialism in their party manifesto in 1987, and during Lee's and Kwon Jin-gyu's administration, both the government and party policy moved considerably to the center, helping to consolidate a capitalist free-market economy in Djabidjan. While Djabidjan has experienced a stable economic growth under the Djabidjani People's Coalition's governments, increasing economic and regional inequality are still serious problems which have an impact on the economic development of the country. However, the power of the Djabidja People's Coalition remains uncontested, as since 1992 has won every legislative election by landslide, the opposition only winning a handful of seats in every election since then.
Kwon Jin-gyu died in 2011, being replaced as President of the Republic and leader of the People's Democratic Party by his own son, Kwon Sang-jun, who mostly continued the policies of his father.