The Spirit of Man II - Brave New World

Nation Name: Ecumenical Commonwealth of Human Nations

Capital: Ecumenopolis (old Frankfurt am Main)

Flag:

Government: The country is governed from cities, with are the nucleus of the regions and provinces and even shires. The government is run by city assemblies. Rural regions are centred on a city, and every two years they choose a deputy to represent them in the city assembly. At a shire level, every thousand people elect a deputy in the assembly. Each city/shire elects via its assembly a number of deputies proportional to its population for provincial assembly. The capital of a province is run by the province assembly. Province assemblies elect a number of deputies proportionate to population to region assemblies. Region capitals can’t be the seat of a shire or province assembly. Regions elect a representative to the Grand Council. The Grand Council meets at Ecumenopolis, and is the Executive Branch of the government. Each province also elects a representative to the Grand Assembly, the legislative chamber.
The constitution specifies this hierarchy and its only true disposition is that every Assembly can be ruled independently from any other assembly on its level unless it violates a ruling of a higher Assembly, and that all decisions approved by any Assembly by any kind of majority shall be imposed over all of its members. Everyone can vote in Assemblies and be elected as representative to any assembly.

History: After the death of the Martian invaders, and as the people of Bavaria and West Germany struggled to rebuild their homes, a new ideology that had been born there during the invasion spread among the industrious German people and the industrious immigrants who, running from the Weed, had arrived to Germany: Ecumenism.
An old idea turned a powerful belief in the mouth of local leaders, that mankind was all one, and that it had to remain united to defeat the Martian menace and so many others that were yet to come. That men had to unite to recover from the deep blows that such menaces would inflict upon individual nations, that a global Commonwealth of Human Nations would be able to better manage the resources of the world and command its people against alien aggression.
Under the banner of ecumenism, the nation structured around some model assemblies, and built up on them. A whole nation grew out of local proto-democracies, with a highly decentralised government and idealistic views of the relations among nations. Of course this nation is seen as a threat to the current order and local stability, but the winds of change have arrived. After the Martian Devastation, no country is enough powerful to defeat its neighbours by itself, and no one can yet stop the Ecumenic vessel from sailing at full speed over the seas of history.

Social and Economic Policies: There are no official parties, but most representatives adhere to an extreme of at least one of the following dichotomies: agriculture-industry, social welfare-private welfare, central government-assemblies, state run economy-free enterprise, protectionism-liberalism. At the moment, the country tends to leftist policies, with moderate social welfare and the state overseeing the functioning of the economy, but the bulk of the decision-making is done by assemblies at regional or provincial level. In extreme cases, shires have pressed their representatives to force the provincial assemblies to take decisions on crop or industrial surpluses that were stocking and losing value. Provinces are free to direct trade on their own, motivating an efficient distribution of surpluses in neighbouring or close regions, but causing a logistic mayhem and changing tariffs for every shire. Some shires have grown wealthy thanks to conducting foreign trade in lieu of neighbouring provinces with higher tariffs.

Internal Politics: It is not sure as to how much dissent there is, since the amount of votes for and against are kept secret and decisions are unanimously accepted, but entire districts often commit small acts of civil disobedience that are swiftly repressed by a quiet but very effective provincial militia. A secret police is run on regional level that tries to monitor political trends and opinions at all times and places. The national army is the joint of all provincial militias, and at a national level of government there are several superior officials that are renewed every year or upon death, chosen among militia officers. This structure means that there is no effective police force in times of war, but there are national military standards to join the militias, so that all units can effectively fight like an ordinary, cohesive military force.

Traits: Innovative, decentralised, chaotic, semi-authoritarian.

Claims: Bavaria, West Germany and Rheinland

work in progress


History:
The Union was torn asunder in the War Between the States, as the superior fighting spirit of the southerners proved too much for the Union to hold. The success of Robert E. Lee's Maryland Campaign led to an invasion of Pennsylvania, resulting in the breaking of Union morale. With victory secured, the Confederate States of America's independence was recognized, and the South florished.

However, the foundations upon which the Confederacy had been built on were rotting. The advent of industrialization meant that the old plantation economy system was no longer sustainable. Attempts at adapting the system with factories failed. In a move unpopular with the old aristocracy, the Confederate States emancipated its slaves. However, heavy economic, political, and social restrictions were placed on the black population. Though the aristocracy no longer maintained the vast plantations, they had managed to leverage their economic power from the old system unto this new one.

Conditions in the factories were brutal. Conditions in the cities weren't much better. Especially squalid were the black districts, where poverty was rampant, and the law was practically absent. The police didn't bother to enter the black districts of the town, unless they were pursuing a suspect. Occasionally they entered to shake down local businesses. Though banned, the works of Marx and Engels found their way into these environments, where they quickly took root. Inspired, the local pseudo-governments in these districts took on a distinctly red flair. Once they became more widespread, attempts to crack down on these "Local Councils" began in earnest.

These attempts were cut short by the Martian Invasion. Several major cities, including Richmond, fell early. The Confederate Army was deployed to fight off the invaders, and took horrendous casualties in the process, necessitating wider and wider drafts. As each new wave of conscripts removed available manpower from the factories, production (which had never been particularly high) began to falter. As blacks were forbidden from joining the army, they were thrown to work into the factories. Initially only allowed to work in non-critical industries (moving whites from those industries to the war industries), as manpower continued to fall they were given more and more leeway in which industries they could be employed in.

Despite this leeway, racial tensions and the necessities of war meant the conditions in the factories were worse than it had ever been before. The desperate nature of the defense meant that the smokestacks had to churn out products at an incredible pace. 12, 14, even 16 hour work days and brutal conditions were not uncommon even among the white workforce. Here, the seeds of a new form of socialism, Syndicalism, were sown. As Confederate society worked itself into collapse and the martian invasion continued unabated, it seemed that total defeat was inevitable. In a last gasp, blacks were finally allowed to join the army, and were conscripted en masse. The presence of so many additional fresh troops proved an effective stopgap. However, although the martians were slowed, they were not stopped, much less turned back. It seemed that all the move had done was provide the Confederacy some time.

But time was what was needed, as shortly after that the martians rapidly began to die off. Though they had resisted bullets, artillery shells, and several hundred thousand tons of human muscle, the invaders succumbed to that which would not fell a child. As the people cheered, the survivors looked to rebuild. Nearly all of the Confederacy's few industrial centers had been totally destroyed, and Richmond itself had fewer than a dozen structures still standing.

However bad the destruction was in the Confederacy, the Union was struck much harder. The Confederacy's weakness, its comparatively low industrial strength, had been its salvation. The Union had borne the brunt of the martian attacks upon North America, and it showed. The Union had been almost totally destroyed, and many of its inhabitants had fled. People of all stripes filed into the Confederacy during Reconstruction, from scientists, to former industrial tycoons, to politicians.

Disorder in the cities was common. In many places, the Confederate government was the authority only in name. The Local Councils, many of which had been instrumental in the war effort, held sway over most of the country. The surviving members of the Confederate Army returned to try and rebuild their own lives, only to find that they couldn't. Jobs were extremely scarce, as many industries had shut down or simply been destroyed. The surviving factories had their pick of employees. War-time conditions persisted, and troublesome workers were fired or even shot on the spot.

It was too much for the men to bear. Disgruntled workers, the unemployed, former soldiers, all seized the banner of angry revolt. Bereft of support from all quarters, the Confederate government collapsed. To restore national order, representatives from the largest and most influential Local Councils, many now rebranded Syndicates, met in St. Matthews, South Carolina. They agreed to form a new Confederacy, based loosely on the parliamentary democracies in Europe with a strong socialist flavor. A new flag was designed, and the Confederate Syndicates of America was born.


Social and Economic Policies:

The Confederate Syndicates rigidly enforces several social edicts. People of all races and religions are to be treated equally under the law. Suffrage requires only citizenship and age of majority (currently set at 18). Citizenship is conferred upon completion of one of four requirements:

• Both parents are citizens of the Confederate Syndicates.
• One parent is a citizen of the Confederate Syndicates AND EITHER the child is born in the Confederate Syndicates OR the child in question has a residence of at least ten years in the country.
• The person applying for citizenship has a residence of at least fifteen years in the country.
• The person was a citizen of the Confederate States of America OR a non-citizen resident.

Citizenship is open to both men and women.

Discrimination based on race, gender, religion, or place of birth is illegal. The Confederate Syndicates maintains freedom of speech, the press, and many other liberties promised in the Bill of Rights of the Union's constitution (which were also present in the Confederacy's).

Resistance to these ideals is common, and has fueled the rise of the Freedom Party, which is believed to be the political front of several counterrevolutionary groups. The Freedom Party has been banned from participating in elections as a result.

Internal Politics:

Capital: Douglassburg (formerly St. Matthews, South Carolina)
President (Head of State): Eugene V. Debs
Head Councilor (Head of Government): Booker T. Washington

Government: Unitary Republic
The most local form of government is the Small Syndicate. A Small Syndicate can be a county, a city, or even a district a city. People residing in a Small Syndicate have the power to elect and run for leadership of the Small Syndicate. Many Small Syndicates make up a regular Syndicate, which corresponds to roughly the State level of the pre-war Confederacy. People can vote for the leadership of a Syndicate from candidates chosen by the leadership of each Small Syndicate.

The Supreme Syndicate is composed of representatives from each Syndicate. Half the seats in the Supreme Syndicate are directly elected by the population. The other half is appointed by parties depending on the percentage of the vote that particular party captured in the election. The President of the Confederate Syndicates is also chosen during this election. Though directly elected, the President is mostly a figurehead. The real power in government is that of the Head Councilor, who acts as the head of government and leader of the Supreme Syndicate. The Head Councilor is typically the leader of whichever party is in power.

The Syndicalist Union Party has maintained a monopoly on power since the establishment of the Confederate Syndicates.

Structure of the executive portion of government:
Head of Government: President, directly elected by the population.
Head of State: Head Councilor, typically the leader of the party in power.
Directories:


Major Parties and Factions:
* Among major parties.
** As the Freedom Party is banned from participating in elections, actual support figures are unknown.

Traits:
Positive
Negative

Claims: Virginia, Dixie, Florida

Edit: New Map a few posts down

Why do I conly have two places?

You have Palestine, Lebanon and Syria

I'll take your word for it then.

Nation Name: The United Empire of the Northwest
Capital: New London (IRL Vancouver)
Flag: See attached, and above
Government: Imperial republic (I will elaborate in the future, but basically the Roman Republic with a ruler titled “Emperor” who is elected every 5 years)
History: In the 1850s, the Northern European Trade Federation practically self-destructed, and was thrown into turmoil. One fact lost to history was the tale of some of the brightest minds of the once great federation. Seeing the impending self-destruction, they managed to escape, and sailed far off to the west, trying for new land. Many years passed, and their descendants finally made it to what is now the city of New London, where they started a new nation, completely isolated from the rest of the world, until expanding to the west and south. A rising nation, the United Empire of the Northwest is posed to begin a new chapter of history.
Social and Economic Policies: Mixed Market leaning to Free Market for Economic Policy; central leaning liberal for Social Policy
Internal Politics:Ruling Party- Moderate Party: Fiscally central leaning right, socially central leaning left; wants whatever is best for the nation, for the most part, not just the advancement of their political party; members in each general economic class.
The Old Party: Extremely conservative fiscally, moderately conservative socially; political party trying to return to the old values of the NETF, and return to what things once were; made up of the aristocracy and middle-class businessmen.
Progressivists: Fiscally pragmatic, Socially liberal; political party which wants whatever works for the nation to keep the economy smooth, and wants freedoms for the people; mainly lower and middle-class workers, one or two aristocrats.
The Communist Party of New London: Communists; communists; lower-class workers, the occasional middle-class worker
Conflicting parties: Old Party-Progressivists (Social aspects), Old Party-Communists (Just about everything). Other parties mainly get along, other than slight discrepancies.
Traits: Extremely Tolerant (Excluding the Old Party, the laws of the nation combined with the intelligence of the populace results in very little trouble regarding race, religion, or heritage), Hardened Soldiers (Being born and raised in the cold northwest, the people of the United Empire have no problem in difficult terrain, especially when it comes to combat)
Claims: Alaska, Yukon, Oregon
Color: Dark Orange

Reserving Mexico, Veracruz, and Zacatecas. Will get more info in later.

Kingdom of Two Sicilies



Capital: Naples

Government: Constitutional Monarchy

History: After the end of the invasion of the Martians, Italian Nationalists revolted and took power in South Italy. King George I, heir to the throne of the two Sicilies, was invited to come to rule the nation. King George accepted and he also accepted the constitution created by the Rebels. After a few years, the Sicilians decided to create a colonial empire. So they invaded Greece and made it a colony of Sicily.

Social and Economic Policies: Social Policy is liberal and economic is Free Market.

Internal Politics:

The King is the head of state and has the right to dissolve the Parliament (the Senate), declare war and peace and lead the armed forces. The Senate is elected every 4 years by all male citizens of the Kingdom who are 30 years old or older. The Senator who can secure the support of the majority of the Senate, is appointed by the King to become Consul, head of Government. That's why most times the Consul is the leader of the Party that has the majority in the Senate. The Consul heads the Consular Council and appoints Hyporgous, ministers.

The Parties are:

Liberal Party: The ruling party. It supports peaceful relations with other states and liberal social policies.

Imperial Party: It wants to unify Italy and create a Kingdom of Italy. It supports militarism.

Communist Party: Wants to create a Communist Paradise for the Workers.

Traits:
1. Iron Discipline. No man, woman or children ever surrenders to an enemy.
2. The Sicilians are famous for their cavalry.

Claims:

What is this, christos?

I will not accept that you, playing with Greece and the ancient Magna Graecia that is Southern Italy+Sicily call yourself "Kingdom of the Two Sicilies" instead of "Greater Greece" or "Kingdom of the Two Greeces".

Government: Dictatorial "Republic"
Color: Light Blue
Capital: Bosnia (Sarajevo)
Leader: President Nedim
Religion: No state religion
Currency: Ducats
Main Export: Salt, Fur, Wine, Wheat, Wool, Coal....
National Goals: Create a colonial Empire

Geography

Location: Bosnia, Slavonia, Serbia

Borders: Two Sicilies, Wallachia

Climate: Continental

Terrain: mostly rugged mountains; plains in north and forests in the center

Natural Resources: coal, copper, wool, lead, iron ore, salt, gold, wood..

Natural Hazards: None

Geography Note: Marshy and lots of Rivers


People

Population: Roughly 5 million

Population Growth: Currently 11.5%

Major City: Travnik

Nationality:

noun: Bosnian(s)
adjective: Bosnian

Ethnic groups: Bosnians 60.6%, Servs 20.4%, Croats (all catholics) 18.3% and Other 0.7%

Religions: Sunni Muslim 61%, Orthodox 20%, other Catholic 18% Other 1%

Official Language: Bosnian


Government

Country Name:

conventional long form: The Republic of Bosnia
conventional short form: Bosnia
local long form: Republika Bosne
local short form: Bosna

Government type: Dictatorial Republic

Capital: Sarajevo

Administrative divisions: Sandzaks: Bosnia, Serbia and Slavonia

National holiday: National Day, 12 July (1821)

Legal System: Civil Law

Factions:Serb and Croat Nationalists.

Economy

Economy - overview: Standard Laissez-faire
Exports: Wool, Coal, Fur, Copper, Gold, Salt, Wine and Rakia

Imports: Ivory, Bananas, Basic Manufactured Goods, fish, kerosene, Opium, Coffee, Tea...

Currency: Ducat

Trade: Free trade

Military

Military branches: Republican Guards, Army of the Republic of Bosnia [ARB], Naval Forces of the Republic [NFR]

Military service age and obligation: Mandatory conscription at age 18

Special Trait: Great infantry used to all terrains

Diplomacy

Disputes - international: None so far

Alliances: None

NAPs: None

Brandenburg, West Prussia, East Prussia

More later

Nation Name: Federal United Republic of Egypt

Capital: Cairo

Flag: I credit Hopelitejoe for cleaning the flag after my rough first draft.



Government: Representative Democracy: set through the newly set up Parliament. The first and current president is Hatim Tawfeek.

History: Egypt had founded itself as a part of the mighty British Empire. Even as the empire collapse Egypt was not free: the Birmingham Trade League controlled Egypt in the face of the Martian invasion. Let as the Martians fall so does rise the end of the BTL: a rebellious organisation known as the Crescent Heart leaded a revolt against the weakened BTL, taking advantage of the state of uncertainty after the fall of the Martians. What became known as the Yellow Revolution the BTL offices were stormed, the leaderships chased out. The leader of the Crescent Heart, Hatim Tawfeek, forced the remaining BTL representatives to sign the declaration of Egyptian independence. The populace had forced the BTL to retreat from power; Egypt was no longer a colonial province but its own nation again. Now a system has been set; a election held and results came. What vision will Egypt follow? Plans have been envisioned of expanding the revolution in battle against imperialism: could this consideration that may lead to the formation of a federation prove grand or will it be a case of thee who fights monsters?

Social and Economic Policies: There is an on-going debate on whether to set the society on pure religious grounds or to adopt secularism. Hence the society has ended up in a mix of Islamic valued structures and secular mechanisms. One thing is definite though: a classical sense of religious tolerance has evolved in the republic, although is mainly set for fellow Abrahamic faiths but mainly as a result of interaction than any set considerations.

Society can be described as “liberal conservative:” it appears that liberalism and conservatives has mixed up.

Although there is a sense of “welcoming the brothers of the world” there is a strong anti-British sentiment that has meant the local British population has to organise itself in attempt to represent itself.

Economically the market is mixed in terms of control and regulation: reflection both a desire to uphold moral considerations to economics with a note on how the economic forces had enslaved Egypt and in consideration of being free from BTL influence in business leading to a desire for a “local-to-Heaven market system.”


Internal Politics: The following are the main parties of the Republic. Note that these do not necessary represent support literally but on electoral considerations.


There are also non-party moments that have to be considered for their influence.


Traits: Choose from the 3:
1) Devotion to the Revolution: will protect the Revolution and spread it if needed.
2) Pius Democracy: wishes to uphold Islamic moral teachings in the formation of the democracy.
3) Pan-Anti-Imperial Idea of Federalism: considers to evolve into a full on federation to counter imperialism.

Claims: Upper Egypt (capital), Lower Egypt and Sinai.

Colour: Yellow

Claiming Cuba, Haiti, and the West Indies. Will fluff out tomorrow.

Just for sake of continuity from the last game and a game mechanic to be soon implemented I'm already announcing the First NPC - If anyone wants to take it over, please just say

The Birmingham Trade League
Claiming Northern England, Southern England and Wales


Edit: And CivO's claims not are Papua Fiji and Hawai'i,

I demand invitation to the conference of Birmingham

It hasn't even been announced yet Nedim...

You can't demand to be in something you don't know about.

I have my sources, when it is up I wish to attend, that is all.

Following the Berlin Conference of the 19th century the Dark Continent of Africa was divided up between the major European colonial powers. Over time these tended towards an Africa dominated by The Birmingham Trade League, Germany and the Antipapacy with enclaves from other nations such as the CSA in Liberia, the Ottomans in Libya and the Romans in Tunisia. However with the coming of the Martians the colonial empires began to collapse, not only the devastation of the population in these areas but also the fact that without the support of their mother nations the colonies could not survive led to the effective decolonisation of Africa. However despite no real holdings many nations still maintained a claim on some areas of Africa, the Antipapacy for example continued to stake its Claim on French North Africa and similarly Germany held onto the rights to Angola. however this has lead to some conflict over the past few years as to who has rightful claim over certain areas of land. These include areas such as the Congo which entered disputed status after the split of Belgium between France and Prussian Netherlands.

Meanwhile in North Africa the Egyptians threw off their masters in the Birmingham Trade League and declared independence, Birmingham still considers the Egyptian Government to be de jure rebels and thus maintains that that area should be recognised as a colony of Birmingham. In order to facilitate a response to Egyptian independence and in order to regulate the colonisation of Africa the Birmingham Trade League pushed for new settlements to be made in The Birmingham Conference of 1905. They invited other major players on the African Stage - The Antipapacy, Germany, The Ottoman Empire, The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and The CSA.

The Rules of the Conference are as follows:

Invitees of the conference are the Six African Colonial Powers.
These powers may invite other members to the conference.
The Antipapcy, BTL and Germany have the right to Veto an invitation.
A Veto cannot be affected by the opinions of the other two nations.
All invitees will be able to participate in discussion of the Partitioning of Africa.
The resulting partition will be considered de jure regions of control in Africa.
Nations will have a right to maintain these regions of control as they see fit.
If another nation violates a region of control then the controlling nation has the right to intervene with force.
All decisions of the Conference will be declared openly at its conclusion.

Current Invitees:
Birmingham Trade League (Host)
The Antipapcy
Germany
The Ottoman Empire
The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies
The Confederate Syndicates of America
Ecumenical Commonwealth of Human Nations (Invited by Antipope)
The Icelandic Empire (Invited by the Antipope)
Oman (Invited by the CSA)