Mikhail Matkovsky
Mikhail Matkovsky (born 27th October 1903) is the leader of Magadan and the pragmatist wing of the Russian Fascist Party that broke off in a conflict with founder Konstantin Rodzaevsky. He is one of the potential unifiers of the Far East and Russia as a whole.
Biography
Early-life
Matkovsky was born to a family in Saint Petersburg, whose father was a member of the Imperial Russian Army and the White Movement. In 1917 he entered the St. Petersburg Cadet Corps, from 1918 to 1920, he studied in Omsk at the Siberian Cadet School and in 1921 he graduated from the cadet corps in Vladivostok and entered the army as a volunteer. On June 8, 1920, Mikhail's father was shot by the Bolsheviks. He emigrated to Harbin with his mother and two brothers. He was also a student of the economics department at the Harbin School of Law, where he was apart of a fascist student circle, led by A. N. Pokrovskii[1]. He was also educated at the Harbin Polytechnic Institute, from which he graduated in 1928.
Political-career
During the 1930s, he joined the Russian Fascist Party during his time spent in Manchuria in Harbin, as well as having met the founder of said movement, Konstantin Rodzaevsky. First several years were doing fine, considering how the party was standing united despite certain differences in their goal to destroy Bolshevism in Russia, and to establish a new Russian fascist state. However, all of this would change when Germans attacked, when he saw Rodzaevsky praising the German invasion of USSR, fully aware that Germans are not their allies by any means, and are not eradicating Bolshevism in order to save Russia, but are doing it because they hate Russians. Combined with the prolonged usage of swastika, increasing activity of thuggery among Rodzaevsky's men, as well as complete heretical and entirely not necessary form of antisemitism, Matkovsky had no choice but to slowly and eventually entirely distance himself from Rodzaevsky, which reached breaking point during 1950s, when Russia found itself in chaos. At that point, alongside with his men, Matkovsky has seized the port of Magadan, effectively splitting the party into two wings, starting a fierce rivalry over the future of Russian Fascist Party.
Present-day
Mikhail Matkovsky is, as of 1962, in a strange position. Since his own state is located far up in the north, away from necessary supplies and equipment to beat Rodzaevsky, he has no choice but to consult with Nikolay Petlin, who then suggests him to appeal to American aid, by pretending that they are Fascist regime that is going to slowly liberalize into democracy, thus guaranteeing the needed supplies from the Americans.
In-Game
Mikhail Matkovsky starts in a much less unfavorable position, though he is still difficult leader to play as throughout entire playthrough. For instance, during warlord stage, player would need to carefully choose what form of help shall he receive, will he rely on Central Intelligence Agency agent training, on foreign mercenaries, or will he use his own men. All of this can lead up to an eventual coup of Mitchell WerBell III, which is partially averted as the player has choice of stopping the said coup. Once the coup is averted, swooping Amur and Chita becomes no big deal. However, player should still look out for Alexander Men and finish conquering either Irkutsk or Buryatia as fast as possible, as it becomes difficult to deal with two of them at once due to lack of divisions.
Once the player is done reunifying the Far East, Mikhail Matkovsky for the sake of American recognition, partially casts off the party's fascist legacy, and instead reforms it to a nationalistic authoritarian republic. If it is reformed further, can become an actual democracy under Petlin. However, if it is not reformed, Nikolay gets accused of treason against the state and Vozhd Matkovsky.
The economic and military focuses of Magadan do not have much buffs compared to other warlords, but are enough to balance out the geopolitical choices Magadan can take, for instance being that economic focuses are largely based upon solidarists practices, which includes state owned industries and such. In diplomatic side of things, Matkovsky chooses to work with America and other countries that have anti-German alignment, in hopes of returning back Reichskommissariat Moskowien.
He cannot reunify with anyone due to his late game Despotism, but as mentioned earlier, the buffs he gains during regional and super regional stages are enough to give player means to conquer and reunify Russia without much problems.
In-Game Description (1960s)
In so many ways, Mikhail Alexeevich Matkovsky displays a form of Russian fascism that contrasts itself against Rodzaevsky's formulation. Where Rodzaevsky is dogmatic, he is pragmatic. Where Rodzaevsky is a skilled, fiery orator, he is the negotiator, using his tact and political acumen to sway political enemies to his side. Where Rodzaevsky praised the anti-Semitic initiatives from the Blackshirts, Matkovsky despised their thuggery. For a brief moment, their goals aligned. The results of their cooperation saw the membership RFP rise and peak, as more and more Russian émigrés saw the appeal of fascism.
Then the Great Patriotic War erupted. With the Germans waging a conflict of extermination upon Russia, the differences between these two simmered. Despite Hitler's destructive, genocidal intent, Rodzaevsky sought his support, dreaming of a Russia free from Bolshevism at last. Matkovsky had no such illusions. Germany's war against the Soviet Union, and therefore against Russia, lay bare their racial hatred for Russians. No matter what appeal the RFP could garner, the Nazis did not factor any independent Russia into their plans. However, true to Matkovsky's tact, he and his clique remained silent and bided their time, growing their power in the intervening years.
When the time came, they seized the city of Magadan from Rodzaevsky, driving the loyalists out and officially splitting the party. Now in charge of his own domain, Matkovsky seeks to save Russia from her ruin. The means to this end lay across the ocean, past the Japanese: America. However, even for an experienced negotiator such as Matkovsky, convincing any foreign power is a difficult task; yet, he will not let mere doubt stop him.
In-Game Description (1970s)
The hum of the gramophone, the clatter of silverware against plates, the gleam of rooms bedecked in gold and silver - all the riches of the world, within Mikhail Alexeevich Matkovsky's grasp. Yet, he felt it all ebb away, the pangs of pain below his ribs like seizures that recalled Harbin. Before the face of death, every man lives in poverty; the Vozhd of Russia was not an exception. The scent of wine and lure morphine seemed to deaden his episodes. However, when morning comes, the Vozhd stands before his doom: a slow, painful death, dealt with by dice belonging to jesters of fate and chance.
The chemotherapy, medicines, pills, tablets, all he tried, to no avail. His American friends, who had rescued him from the jaws of defeat time and again, could only upraise their shoulders in a shrug. Matkovsky was old. Only now, at the apex of his power, he entered the nadir of his existence. No amount of political connections, schemes, and purges could cure him. Woe was he! If only he could tear out his liver and be done with it - but no. Matkovsky's lot was to live, and live he shall.
When one's death is beyond doubt, all that remains is not what glitters, hums, or clatters, but the quiet preponderance of one's legacy. So Matkovsky looks to the west, across the barbed wires that demarked Russian and German territory. Here will be where he shall sear his name unto the annals of history. Through war or peace, the Vozhd no longer cared. The method is secondary; the ends justify the means - for, after all, the end is near and nigh.
Quote upon unification
"Power comes all by itself to the strong man. We will accept our freedom and our laws from the Russian patriot who leads Russia to salvation."
—Ivan Ilyin
Trivia
Matkovsky's role as the leader of Magadan was originally filled by Lev Okhotin. The reason for this change is possibly because in real life, Matkovsky was secretly a Soviet spy who worked against the Russian Fascist Party from within, whereas there is no evidence to indicate Okhotin was in a similar role.