Kamilian
Deity
- Joined
- Oct 5, 2002
- Messages
- 3,473
1950 - ABYSSINIAN EMPIRE
After the first [more] democratic elections two years ago, the Democratic Bloc - led by the powerful trio of the Progressives, Conservatives, and Right-Liberals, along with several small junior partners - won about 55% of the seats in the Senate and 40% of the States Assembly. The Opposition, consisting of the rightist National Front coalition and the Islamists, as well as the Socialists, didn't win enough seats in either house to block bills from being passed. When the Progressives accepted the Islamic Centrist party into the Democratic Bloc, the Christian Democrats voted to join the National Front bloc instead, only a handful remaining Democratic and joining the Conservatives.
It had indeed been a touchy time. A law was passed confirming freedom of religious worship and the Ministry of Religious Affairs was split into one where a triumvirate shared the department on the Inner Council - one for the Christian population, one for Muslims, and one for all other faiths. This seemed to assuage most of the Somali Imams calling for riots against the government in the wake of the elections, but some remained steadfast in opposition. The Islamist party in fact had 4 seats in the States Assembly, though only 3% in the Senate.
Nevertheless, since the elections, the country was finally officially recognized as a constitutional - not absolute - monarchy.
Now, on the agenda, was not the program of modernizing the industrial base of Abyssinia. Without more advanced, efficient tools, machinery, and basic industry, Abyssinia's economy would never REALLY get off the ground, and that was hard enough as it is with few precious resources to export and actually make a profit on.
Sure enough, the Abyssinian government continued funding education programs, especially in the university level, to ensure that the new endeavors to educate and better prepare the masses do not falter.
More internationally, the issue of the Soviet invasion of Ukraine came to the forefront. After contributing an Armored division to repel aggressor forces from New Zion, the parliament now debated on a proposal by a Nationalist Senator to showcase Abyssinian military skill in Europe as well. The Socialists did not miss a beat in opposing the proposal. Both sides had to convince the massive Democratic Bloc that their position was the correct one, as it was that diverse alliance that would decide. Ultimately, even the Prime Minister Josuf Akka himself argued against sending the Armored Division to any mission in Europe. The reasons? It was ridiculous and impractical. While western Africa still had the same climate and general geographic regions as Abyssinia, Europe was a land that no Abyssinian soldier had ever set foot on and thus might succumb to the strange circumstance. Besides, it was colder and the unprepared soldiers might freeze. Thus, the National Front had to pout as it watched Democratic Bloc essentially collapse another one of its controversial attempts to decide policy.
The left was not without its own defeats - Left-Liberals and Social Democrats repeatedly attempted women's suffrage, and were repeatedly shot down by the rest of the parliament, the Progressive and Conservative parties adhering to an earlier agreement with the rightists to NOT bring up or support that cause until at least 1956.
--Mogadishu University (Mogadishu, Mogadishu, Abyssinian Empire)--
Asan Salimi, 19 years old, from a small town near Beledweyne was anxious to begin his first day at Mogadishu University. His would be only the second class to begin at the institution. If not for government subsidization, he would not be able to afford attending here - the Imperial government paid for residential dorming and a major part of tuition on need-based requirements. Only the noble families or very wealthy businessmen had to pay most or all of tuition and boarding fees. He remembered how hard his mother cried that day at the railway station of his town. She expressed pride that he'd get something she - nor his father, for that matter - never could: higher education that would pave the way for a better job.
His father, a staunch conservative Muslim strictly following a religious code, reprimanded her for crying uselessly.
"Let him go already!" Asan remembered his father saying. "He'll soon come back, and if Allah permits will become our town's new mullah."
Asan wasn't sure if that was his path, of course. And his father's words discouraged him - did he expect nothing but failure? Asan and his friends had followed Islam and did not flout morality... but they didn't generally feel a need to impose Islam as the only law. Just a few miles away was a town where Christians were the majority... further along were remnants of the Somali Jewish community, who had not [yet] emigrated to New Zion.
Well, Asan wasn't sure if he WOULD succeed at university? Who knew in these crazy times? What he DID know was that he wanted his major - the main field of study - to be Political Science. Most of the classes he had signed up for were intended towards that field education.
He had jsut gotten his books together and left his dorm room and met up with three friends from his old town. The university main building was just a bloc away. They chatted, shared excitement and worries, exchanged their various expectations, and watched as the stream of new students branched off into the Medical, Law, and Business wings of the complex. Asan held back for a moment, as his friends ascended the steps to the entrance. He suddenly got a weird feeling that something might happen... Probably just worry, he dismissed it.
Suddenly, a car backfired.
"Freaking Liberian autos..." Asan muttered. Then, another backfiring crack... and a loud thump... A quiet splash... A scream... Police sirens... Asan Salimi, perhaps a future Senator, was dead.
After the first [more] democratic elections two years ago, the Democratic Bloc - led by the powerful trio of the Progressives, Conservatives, and Right-Liberals, along with several small junior partners - won about 55% of the seats in the Senate and 40% of the States Assembly. The Opposition, consisting of the rightist National Front coalition and the Islamists, as well as the Socialists, didn't win enough seats in either house to block bills from being passed. When the Progressives accepted the Islamic Centrist party into the Democratic Bloc, the Christian Democrats voted to join the National Front bloc instead, only a handful remaining Democratic and joining the Conservatives.
It had indeed been a touchy time. A law was passed confirming freedom of religious worship and the Ministry of Religious Affairs was split into one where a triumvirate shared the department on the Inner Council - one for the Christian population, one for Muslims, and one for all other faiths. This seemed to assuage most of the Somali Imams calling for riots against the government in the wake of the elections, but some remained steadfast in opposition. The Islamist party in fact had 4 seats in the States Assembly, though only 3% in the Senate.
Nevertheless, since the elections, the country was finally officially recognized as a constitutional - not absolute - monarchy.
Now, on the agenda, was not the program of modernizing the industrial base of Abyssinia. Without more advanced, efficient tools, machinery, and basic industry, Abyssinia's economy would never REALLY get off the ground, and that was hard enough as it is with few precious resources to export and actually make a profit on.
Sure enough, the Abyssinian government continued funding education programs, especially in the university level, to ensure that the new endeavors to educate and better prepare the masses do not falter.
More internationally, the issue of the Soviet invasion of Ukraine came to the forefront. After contributing an Armored division to repel aggressor forces from New Zion, the parliament now debated on a proposal by a Nationalist Senator to showcase Abyssinian military skill in Europe as well. The Socialists did not miss a beat in opposing the proposal. Both sides had to convince the massive Democratic Bloc that their position was the correct one, as it was that diverse alliance that would decide. Ultimately, even the Prime Minister Josuf Akka himself argued against sending the Armored Division to any mission in Europe. The reasons? It was ridiculous and impractical. While western Africa still had the same climate and general geographic regions as Abyssinia, Europe was a land that no Abyssinian soldier had ever set foot on and thus might succumb to the strange circumstance. Besides, it was colder and the unprepared soldiers might freeze. Thus, the National Front had to pout as it watched Democratic Bloc essentially collapse another one of its controversial attempts to decide policy.
The left was not without its own defeats - Left-Liberals and Social Democrats repeatedly attempted women's suffrage, and were repeatedly shot down by the rest of the parliament, the Progressive and Conservative parties adhering to an earlier agreement with the rightists to NOT bring up or support that cause until at least 1956.
--Mogadishu University (Mogadishu, Mogadishu, Abyssinian Empire)--
Asan Salimi, 19 years old, from a small town near Beledweyne was anxious to begin his first day at Mogadishu University. His would be only the second class to begin at the institution. If not for government subsidization, he would not be able to afford attending here - the Imperial government paid for residential dorming and a major part of tuition on need-based requirements. Only the noble families or very wealthy businessmen had to pay most or all of tuition and boarding fees. He remembered how hard his mother cried that day at the railway station of his town. She expressed pride that he'd get something she - nor his father, for that matter - never could: higher education that would pave the way for a better job.
His father, a staunch conservative Muslim strictly following a religious code, reprimanded her for crying uselessly.
"Let him go already!" Asan remembered his father saying. "He'll soon come back, and if Allah permits will become our town's new mullah."
Asan wasn't sure if that was his path, of course. And his father's words discouraged him - did he expect nothing but failure? Asan and his friends had followed Islam and did not flout morality... but they didn't generally feel a need to impose Islam as the only law. Just a few miles away was a town where Christians were the majority... further along were remnants of the Somali Jewish community, who had not [yet] emigrated to New Zion.
Well, Asan wasn't sure if he WOULD succeed at university? Who knew in these crazy times? What he DID know was that he wanted his major - the main field of study - to be Political Science. Most of the classes he had signed up for were intended towards that field education.
He had jsut gotten his books together and left his dorm room and met up with three friends from his old town. The university main building was just a bloc away. They chatted, shared excitement and worries, exchanged their various expectations, and watched as the stream of new students branched off into the Medical, Law, and Business wings of the complex. Asan held back for a moment, as his friends ascended the steps to the entrance. He suddenly got a weird feeling that something might happen... Probably just worry, he dismissed it.
Suddenly, a car backfired.
"Freaking Liberian autos..." Asan muttered. Then, another backfiring crack... and a loud thump... A quiet splash... A scream... Police sirens... Asan Salimi, perhaps a future Senator, was dead.
