American Union
Government - Officially, the Union is a democratic successor to the United States, but in recent years the harsh realities of indusrial work & the ever present threat of attack by the Americans has lead to the installation of a paramilitary group, known as the Red Guard, to the helm of the nation. Promising security and prosperity, the Red Guard established a state of emergency after winning the 2018 elections and suspended elections. They remain mostly unchallenged by Union Americans, who fear the Americans to their east more than they love freedom.
Ruling Faction - Red Guards, the communists.
Other major parties include:
- Revolutionary Republicans (Liberal)
- Augustians (Anarcho-Liberal)
- Democrats (Conservatives)
- Popular Front (Reactionary)
- Argent Dawn (Fascist)
Claims - See map. Capital is Chicago.
Economy - Economically, the focus is primary on industrial production - weapons and consumer goods, with healthy agricultural investments in the west. In recent years, the government has abolished "formal" currency, instead handing out credits redeemable for food, goods, and services - but nothing else that the government doesn't dictate you can spend credits on. As such, taxes don't really exist in the normal sense, but instead taxes are collected in the hours of labor the average workman goes through every day in exchange for food, goods, and services (the true currency of the Union).
History - During the economic collapse of 2013, many took solace in the resurgent socialist and communist parties, many villages and towns in the region adopting very left wing policies. In December of 2013, a paramilitary group known as the Midwest People's Red Guard took arms, encouraging revolts, boycotts, and myriad violent acts that eventually left the US weak and unable to maintain its grip; come 2015, during its political collapse, the region broke away, declaring independence in August. The short independence war is often called the August Revolution, and the anarcho-liberal party present in the Union named itself after it. The Augustians were the first ruling party of the Union, ruling until 2018. In 2017, several border clashes with US militia groups sparked fears that the Union was about to be invaded and reannexed into the Union, sparking a so-called "American Scare" that inspired the Red Guards to run for election in 2018 - which they won, playing off people's fears of military attack and the brutal conditions of industrial work. In 2018, President Michael Staletski took office, and elections were almost instantly suspended - something almost completely uncontested by the populace, more concerned with the American threat.
The next two years were marked by reform and change, and great increases in equality and productivity. Many of its reforms can be read in other parts of this application, but it mostly secured one thing: a certain amount of trust in the Red Guard.
American Union Society:
The most important thing in the average AU citizen's life is his local commune. Communes largely dictate the goings on of local politics, and are a greatly respected political instrument throughout the AU; before elections were suspended, these communes would get together and elect legislative representatives. Now, mostly, these representatives act as advisors to the president, but they still form a large role in many of his actions. Communes also act as coordinators for local defense units, with militia companies taking orders directly from their local communes.
In terms of democracy, the communes are as far as it goes currently in the Union. This small level of democratic rule, despite the national government being completely dominated by the Red Guards, is one of the few reasons the Union has stayed together against its many adversaries.