Armée de Liberation du Tadoussac
The Armée de liberation du Tadoussac (ALT, Tadoussac Liberation Army) began in 1837, as a protest to the Fusion Accords. Though they enjoyed some initial appeal, they were soon virtually destroyed. The remnants of this group were the founding members of the Armée Communiste du Jonquiere-Tadoussac.
When the Fusion Accords brought the city-states of Jonquière and Tadoussac together under a central monarch, many of those in Tadoussac lamented the loss of their political system. They founded the ALT as an underground organization to sow discord among the population of their home province. The mission statement of the ALT was “Un retour à l'Âge d'Or” (A return to the Golden Age). They hoped to bring down the government in Jonquière through popular rebellion. With this accomplished, Tadoussac would be free to separate from the new country, and to continue its unique development.
Early successes boded well for the ALT. By the end of 1837, they boasted a membership of more than 10 000 people across Tadoussac, as well as 2000 in other provinces. ALT chapterhouses could be found in all major towns. Enough arms had been accumulated to equip 5000 fighters, and more were being added every day. Their propaganda was having an effect on King Roland XVI, who was beginning to use more oppressive measures on towns in the countryside in order to control groups such as the ALT. Predictions were made foreseeing enough support would be gained for widespread rebellion within two years, and that the end of the next royal elections were an opportune time to strike.
Unfortunately for the group, they encountered two major stumbling blocks in 1839-40. The first took place in July 1839, when the royal elections were held. The voting resulted in a landslide victory for King François III, formerly François Roland and former High Consul of the Tadoussacain city-state. With his victory, the majority of the people of Tadoussac put their support behind the new system, as they saw it could benefit both groups equally. Popular support for the ALT, which had risen to 20 per cent, fell dramatically. By the end of July 1839, the ALT could only count of the support of 0.5 per cent of the population. The support for widespread rebellion did not materialize.
This led to the second obstacle: the attack on the Royal Council. The ALT decided that drastic action was needed in the face of this new obstacle. In January 1840, a small group of ALT operatives were to attack a session of the Royal Council with explosives, thereby assassinating every one of them. It was hoped that this act would collapse the government, leaving the ALT leadership free to step in and declare the independence of Tadoussac. Before the attack could take place, however, it was foiled by internal treachery. The plan was betrayed by Vincent Lemieux, a former ALT adherent who had a change of heart with François III's election. He had been recruited by the Jontadain Intelligence Service, and asked to stay with the ALT against such a plot as this.
The betrayal had severe consequences for the ALT. Every current member of the organization who could be found was arrested. Their leaders were executed for treason, while the rank and file were sent to labour camps in Northern Alma. Only a few small cells, totalling less than 20 members, were able to escape detection.
This was not the end of the organization, however. The remaining members decided to change their tactics, and went further underground. They opened up their clandestine organization to every province, bringing in anarchists, separatists, and communists. The latter came in the greatest number, however, and soon began to dictate the ALT's agenda. In 1859, the ALT was officially renamed, becoming the Armée communiste du Jonquiere Tadoussac (ACJT). This group would go on to instigate the Jontadain Civil War, and is the precursor organization to the current Jontadain political party L'Action communiste du Jonquiere-Tadoussac
