After Char announced the formal establishment of New Zeon and directly aimed his spearhead at the Zabi family of Zeon, the entire world, which had briefly calmed down as both the Federation and Zeon adjusted their positions, once again fell into an unfathomable state of chaos. Especially within Zeon itself, panic spread thoroughly from top to bottom.
Although the Zabi family held absolute authority in Zeon and were its sole leaders, not everyone within Zeon willingly submitted to them. Back when they seized control of Zeon's power, they carried out a massive purge that claimed over two hundred thousand victims, leaving the Zabi family with no small amount of hidden hatred directed at them.
Then came the issue of class division among the populace. Zeon's people were divided into citizens, who were naturally entitled to the state's care and were effectively the noble class, and nationals, who had to pay heavy taxes, join the military, endure rationing and restrictions on daily necessities, and so on—the lowborn class. This drove the conflict between the two sides into open opposition once more.
Financial problems then led Zeon to impose all kinds of exorbitant and arbitrary taxes on its already struggling nationals, such as air taxes and gravity taxes. Those who could not pay were thrown into decompression chambers without air or gravity and left to die in agony.
There was also forced enlistment, the kidnapping of colony commune members and their families, and coercing people who did not even belong to Zeon into joining the military. Many of those members were skilled space mechanics and ship operators. Federation personnel stranded in Zeon were threatened with death until they joined the army. In Zeon's eyes, under the Zabi family's direct orders, these people were nothing more than expendable resources.
The Zabi family's countless