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The May Putsch (: Mai-Putsch), also known as the Moderate Coup (: Moderater Coup), was a coup d'état carried out in Alva by Marshal Maximillian Höss from 15 to 20 May 1958. The coup overthrew the 13-year old military government headed by Oskar Arendt and the militarist sector of the Reichswehr. A new government was installed, initially headed by fellow conspirator Cristoforos Nicolatsis until his death in 1969 in the Charlottenburg air crash.

The events occurred due to the rapidly decreasing popularity of Arendt's regime after Alva's surrender in 1954. While Alva had walked away from the war, battered but in one piece, popular discontent with the government had risen dramatically. Alva was forced to pay reparations to Kodeshia and Beifang as well as hand over control of Alexander Island and the port of Neu-Amden to Beifang.

Initially, Höss was offered the role of president, but he declined in favour of Cristoforos Nicolatsis. Höss, however, remained the most influential politician in Alva and became the "power behind the throne" until his death in 1963 from lung cancer.

Background
Alva sued Kodeshia and Beifang for peace in 1954 after five years of fighting. In the resulting Treaty of Boshan, Alva was forced to pay hefty reparations to Kodeshia and Beifang, as well as cede the Pelzer Pass to Kodeshia, and Alexander Island and the port of Neu-Amden to Beifang. The treaty and Alva's overall involvement in the Great Kesh War were seen as a humiliation by practically all of the Alvak people and government. While a scapegoat was found in the form of Generalfeldmarschall Nicola von Bodenheimer, the popularity of the regime continued to collapse.

1957 Kalylene Uprising
The Kalylene Uprising was a popular uprising in the city of Kalylene, Alva, from May 18 to May 27, 1957, in which it is estimated that around 600 people were killed. During this period, Kalylene citizens took up arms (by robbing local armouries and police stations) after local Kalylene Technical University students who were demonstrating against the martial law government were fired upon, killed, and beaten by police and government troops. The events of the Uprising and the fashion in which Arendt's government handled the situation leaked into popular social circles after the uprising's defeat, further worsening the popularity of Arendt's regime and setting the stage for the May Putsch the next year.

1957 Myrthenbaum case
On the 1st of November, 1957, in the "Myrthenbaum case", Leutnant Matteo Myrthenbaum, a member of the Moderates and a friend of Höss, murdered Leonhard Weintraub, a close collaborator with Arendt and prominent military man, in his office in retaliation for the Kalylene Uprising. Myrthenbaum's public trial (which began in late January 1958) became a media sensation, as Myrthenbaum and the Moderate leadership, in collusion with the judges, turned it into a soapbox from which their ideology could be broadcast. Myrthenbaum's supporters in the mass media praised his "morality and patriotism", and Myrthenbaum himself came to be seen as "a simple soldier who sought only to reform the army and the nation."

Dekemvriana
The Dekemvriana (Anglic: December Events) was Oskar Arendt's attempt at a campaign of political repression that took place in Thalassian-majority population centres in Alva in December of 1957. The Dekemvriana was characterized by its many crackdowns and purges of government officials of varying ranks who had Thalassian heritage. The Dekemvriana involved large-scale repression of Thalassian citizens; purges of members of the Imperial Assistance Government, government officials, and the Alvak Army; widespread police surveillance, suspicion of saboteurs, imprisonment, and arbitrary executions.

In early December of 1957, a group of predominantly Thalassian party members from Alvastadt were accused of a conspiracy to assassinate Alvak leaders. This was later accompanied by publications of anti-Thalassian character in the media, which condemned people with Thalassian surnames. Following this, many government officials, both Thalassians and non-Thalassians, were dismissed from their jobs, arrested and tortured to produce admissions. The deportation of the entire Thalassian population of Alva to labour camps was intended to follow. However, as it became increasingly visible that Arendt's mental state had been compromised, mutinies began springing up in the armed forces. Only after constant opposition from Arendt's closest allies did he order the crackdowns "complete".

The end of the Dekemvriana brought widespread mutinies and defections within Arendt's own clique, who saw him as someone who was trying desperately to cling onto whatever power he had left. Following the ceasing of Dekemvriana-related activities, many in Arendt's clique silently defected towards Höss and his band of moderates, further tarnishing Arendt's standing.

Deciding to act
The Moderates had long supported a violent uprising against the government ever since Alva's surrender in 1954. The decision to finally act in May 1958 was caused by two factors. The first was the decision announced in November 1957 to transfer the 1st Infantry Division, to which a majority of the Moderate's officers belonged, to the border with Kodeshia in the summer of 1958. This meant that if the officers did not strike before then, any possible action would be delayed by years. The second was Myrthenbaum's trial. The impact of his actions had impressed the officers, and they believed that by acting while his trial was still going on, they could take advantage of the favourable public opinion it was engendering.

Planning
The uprising was planned in a series of meetings held between 18–22 February by Maximilian Höss, Cristoforos Nicolatsis, Niklas Dimellis-Funke, Tobi Viermetz, Saqr al-Abdo and Claus Aberbach. The plan decided upon was relatively simple. The officers would assassinate or capture the most prominent members of Arendt's clique, secure control of the Government District of the capital and the Imperial Palace, then submit their demands. They had no longer-term goals, believing that those should be left to the Kaiser. However, it is believed that they were prepared to replace Adalbert with his younger daughter Princess Katherine, who was a known supporter of the Moderates, if necessary.

Nine targets were chosen for assassination for "threatening national security":

Of the nine targeted, four escaped the Alvastadt fighting unharmed (Lukas Woerfel, Malte Neuhäuser, Yannik Kasper, Arnold Alterman), while Carsten von Lang was not in Alvastadt at all. However, the four were eventually captured and executed by 1959, with von Lang remaining in exile in Hydar until his abduction by Abwehr operatives in 1964 and subsequent execution in 1965.

Putsch
On 15 May 1958, Maximillian Höss, in an interview with a newspaper, Der Morgenkurier ("The Morning Courier"), said that he was "ready to fight the evil" of ultramilitarism and promised a return to normal political life. That edition was confiscated by the authorities.

The night of 16-17 May, a state of alert was declared in the Alvastadt military garrison, and some units marched to Eisenhausen, where they pledged their support to Höss. On 16 May, they marched on Alvastadt and captured bridges over the Alva River, severing the city into two. Meanwhile, Oskar Arendt's government declared a state of emergency.

At about 17:00, Höss met Bastian Schildhauer, a close collaborator with Arendt, on the Herzberger Bridge. Höss demanded the resignation of Arendt and his cabinet, but Schildhauer demanded Höss's capitulation. With no result in negotiations, fighting erupted about 19:00 hours. The next day, negotiations attempted to be started to no avail.

On 17 May, workers of the Langmannsberger industrial complex south of Alvastadt declared their support for Höss's forces and called for a general strike, supported by the Railwaymen's Union. The strike by railwaymen paralyzed communications and prevented pro-government military reinforcements from reaching Alvastadt. An unrelated student protest in Neu-Amden Polytechnic also held back extra forces in Viktoria.

A fierce sandstorm blew over the region from the 18th to the 20th, fully covering Alvastadt by the 19th.

Eventually, to prevent the Alvastadt fighting from turning into a full civil war, rebel forces stormed Arendt's residence on the 18th, capturing Arendt. Arendt was forced to resign his post, transferring power to Höss. Additionally, on the 19th, troops loyal to Höss stormed the residencies of Konstantin Sulzer (Minister of the Interior), Oli Meissner (Minister of Defence), and Philipp Stemmler (Minister of Media). Sulzer was mildly injured from a bullet to the leg, while Meissner and Stemmler were shot and killed. The militarist stronghold in the building of the Ministry of the Interior surrendered on the 20th.

During the events, 215 soldiers and 164 civilians were killed, and some 900 people were wounded.

A new government was formed under Cristoforos Nicolatsis, with Höss as minister of military affairs. On 31 May, the Reichstag nominated Höss to be president, but he declined. Eventually, Nicolatsis became the new president, but Höss wielded much more de facto power than his military ministry nominally gave him.

Aftermath and consequences
Arendt was held captive in his own residence for the remainder of the length of the coup. On the 27th, a mock trial was held, declaring him guilty of high treason. Arendt was executed the next day by firing squad. Konstantin Sulzer, the only other clique member to be captured alive during the putsch, was put on trial on the 27th. He was declared guilty of high treason and executed alongside Arendt the next day.

Of the four who escaped the fighting in Alvastadt, all were captured. Lukas Woerfel, the Vice President, was found fleeing towards the Alvak-Khorasani border on the 23rd. Malte Neuhäuser and Yannik Kasper, the Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor respectively, were found fleeing towards Beifang on the 25th. Arnold Alterman, the Finance Minister, attempted to commit suicide on the 27th. He failed and was captured in Neu-Amden on the same day. Neuhäuser, Kasper, and Alterman were all put on trial on the 30th. All were found guilty of high treason and were executed the next day by firing squad.

Carsten von Lang was not in Alvastadt at the time of the putsch but was on a diplomatic trip to Hydar. Upon hearing the news of the successful putsch on the 21st, he went into hiding for the next 6 years living as a chicken farmer in the Hydari highlands under the alias of Michael Taschner. He was abducted by Abwehr agents in an elaborate operation and returned to Alva in the autumn of 1964. He was put on trial and found guilty of high treason. He was executed by hanging on New Year's Day, 1965.

Until his death in 1963, Höss played a preponderant role in Alva's government, but his formal offices in 1958–1960 and 1962 were for the most part limited to those of minister of defence and inspector-general of the armed forces.

There were significant differences between Arendt's regime and the new Moderate regime under Nicolatsis, the most significant factor being that they played different roles as someone in the ruling position. Nicolatsis' regime had a positive impact on economic development and offered political stability for a nation that was just rebuilding; Arendt's regime on the other hand kept the pre-war policy of opening up the political and economic system.