The Republic
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"Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost." - John Quincy Adams
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Welcome to the Republic of Lowenmark, a small, charming country located in the Alps. Although originally a Grand Duchy, Lowenmark overthrew its monarchy in the late 19th Century, and has been a Republic ever since. The Government is run by the Chancellor, who is both the head of state and the head of government, and the Parliament, the unicameral legislature of Lowenmark. The Chancellor is the party leader of the current majority party, and is not directly elected by the people. The Chancellor appoints the Speaker and the Cabinet. There are seven recognized political parties in Lowenmark (listed from left-wing to right-wing); the Labour Party (Far-Left), The Greens (Libertarian-Left), the Social Democratic Party (Left), the National Citizens Union (Center/Center-Left), the Christian Social Party (Center-Right), the National Liberal Party (Libertarian-Right), and the Traditionalist Alliance (Far-Right). The Parliament is currently controlled by a coalition between the Christian Social Party and the National Citizens Union.
IC Thread
General Info
Official Name: The Republic of Lowenmark
Government Type: Republic
Area: 1,482.59 sq km
Population: 480,857
Capitol: Konstanz
Main Cities/Towns:
Aach
Engen
Radolfzell
Singen
Stockach
Tengen
Buchhorn
Markdorf
Meersburg
Tettnang
Überlingen
History of Lowenmark
Lowenmark was founded in 1146 by Burgrave Robert I, of the House of Zahringen, a distant nephew of Berthold II, Duke of Carinthia. With the aid of the Prince-Bishop of Konstanz, he won the allegiance of the lesser lords and created the Burgraviate of Lowenmark. The Burgraves of Lowenmark tended to side with the House of Staufen in the conflicts between the Guelphs and the Ghillibines in the Twelfth and Thirteen Centuries. Lowenmark was invaded by Welf forces in 1181, but they were defeated by Burgrave Johan I “The Victor”, and were rewarded with further land grants in Swabia and the title of Duke for their loyalty to the Emperor. During the Protestant Revolts in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries, the Duchy remained Catholic and was a staunch ally of the House of Habsburg. Duke Albert IV fought with great distinction alongside Emperor Charles V at the Battle of Muhlberg, which lead to Lowenmark being raised to a Grand Duchy and being granted Imperial Immediacy. The Grand Duchy was a member of the Catholic League and fought on the Imperial Side of the Thirty Years War. Because of the many causalities Lowenmark suffered during the war, Lowenmark withdrew from European affairs following the Peace of Westphalia, although retaining strong diplomatic ties to Austria. The male line of the House of Zahringen-Konstanz would fail in 1684 with the death of Grand Duke Albert V, whereupon the throne was inherited by Johann II, a scion of the House of Wettin and the spouse of Maria Carolina, the daughter and sole child of Albert V, thus forming the House of Saxe-Zahringen-Konstanz.
Duke Robert I
Lowenmark's neutrality came to an abrupt end in 1792, when Duke Albert VII joined the War of the First Coalition. Lowenmarkish troops were fought alongside Austrian forces throughout the Napoleonic Wars, and due to the rugged terrain of the country, well suited to defensive warfare, Lowenmark managed to retain her independence after Austria's defeat in 1805. Troops from Lowenmark were also present at Napoleon's final defeat at Waterloo, serving under the Duke of Wellington. Lowenmark then entered an era of prosperity and peace.
Grand Duke Albert VII
This lasted until 1849, when the liberal politician Georg von Eisenfels led a revolution against Grand Duke Johann V. The Revolutionary forces captured the capital of Konstanz and the ducal family was forced to flee. However, the rebellion was soon crushed following military intervention from Austria. Lowenmark did not participate in the Austro-Prussian War, nor in the Franco-Prussian War, and adamantly refused to join the German Empire. Grand Duke Johann V died in 1874 was succeeded by his incompetent son, Grand Duke Albert VIII. Although his uncle, Count Karl von Tengen did most of the ruling, the Grand Duke's lavish lifestyle caused a rise in taxes, causing the people of Lowenmark, previously supportive of the Monarchy, to lose faith in the Grand Duke.
Anton Engenberg
The point of crisis came in 1887 when Grand Duke Johann vetoed a reform bill that Count von Tengen had attempted to pass through the Parliament that would have provided for a decrease in government spending, lower taxes on the peasants and lower classes, and reduced corruption in the government. The parliament of Lowenmark then passed the “Edict of Deposition”, which declared Grand Duke Johann deposed and proclaimed the “Republic of Lowenmark”. The Grand Duke was imprisoned and all property belonging to the House of Saxe-Zahringen-Konstanz was seized. Although most of the population was not entirely supportive of the abolition of the monarchy, the excesses and corruption of Johann VIII's reign had made most of them apathetic to the edict. The leading leftist deputy Anton Engenberg emerged as the leader of the new government. It was around this time when the Grand Duke died of unknown causes in prison, and many conservatives believed that he had been murdered. Since Johann had no children, monarchists regarded Count Karl von Tengen as the new Grand Duke, as Duke Karl III. Karl's son, the handsome and charismatic Josef IV, known as “The Young Lion” led a short-lived revolt from 1893-94, which had widespread support in the north, but failed because of internal divisions and a lack of equipment and supplies. Josef fled to Liechtenstein, and Engenberg, now Prime Minister, used the rising as an excuse to establish a police state. Engenberg seized church property, secularized schools, censored the press and banned all political parties but his own “Revolutionary National Front”. The Revolutionary National Front ruled until 1928, when conservative officers in the army launched a successful coup on September 22, with army forces led by Colonel Konstantin Lauritz seizing the Parliament, and the Prime Minister's Residence. Engenberg was executed along with fourteen of his deputies for “treason, corruption, tyranny, and perjury”. Lauritz declared himself as "Chancellor and Regent" soon afterwards. The new conservative regime exercised somewhat less control over everyday life, although political activity was still restricted and liberal activists repressed. Lauritz wished to restore the monarchy, but could not gain enough support from the Parliament. Lowenmark managed to remain neutral during the Second World War, as it had during the First. Lowenmark's mountainous terrain made an invasion difficult, and the Nazis never made any attempt at annexation.
Konstantin Lauritz
Most political restrictions were relaxed in 1946, when a new Constitution was enacted. The country sided with NATO during the Cold War, and joined the United Nations. Lauritz died an early death in 1948, shortly after taking office as the country's first freely elected Minister. Lacking the charisma and willpower of Colonel Lauritz, his party, the Party of National Renewal soon splinter into a half-dozen feuding and increasingly irrelevant parties. The newly founded Christian Social Party soon gained political ascendancy, with the backing and support of NATO. Until recent times, the Christian Social Party was the dominant force in Lowenmarkish politics Lowenmark was a founding member of the European Community. Beginning in the late 1960s, Lowenmark gradually became a more liberal society. The government became secularized in 1964, and the schools became secularized in 1971. Divorce was legalized in 1966, and civil partnerships were recognized in 1994. Abortion was legalized under some circumstances in 1992. Most of these actions were done by the Christian Social Party, and their coalition partners the National Citizens Union. In 2016 however, the previously strong hold of the Christian Social Party would collapse. The first blow came as Chancellor Markus Gottschalk was named in the Panama Papers, and a subsequent investigation found him guilty of tax evasion, money laundering, and bribery, ending in his disgraced resignation and eventual conviction and prison term. His successor and interim Chancellor then recieved considerable pressure to resist EU refugee resettlement proposals, and faced a narrowly defeated attempt at removal from his own party. The resurgent Traditionalist Union and the Populist Greens and National Liberals have surged in recent polls, as have, to a lesser extent, the Social Democrats and the National Citizens Union.
Current Political Situation
The Christian Social Party is reeling from a series of humiliating scandals that cumlimated in the resignation of their party leader and chancellor in 2016, and the National Citizens Union has indicated that it will not continue its coalition with the CSP after the 2018 elections. The Greens and National Liberals, both populist parties, have seen massive surges in support, as has the Traditionalist Alliance, with its populatity in its stronghold districts in the north growing daily.
Demographics of Lowenmark
Religion:
Catholic – 84%
Calvinist – 7%
Atheist/Agnostic – 5%
Muslim – 2%
Lutheran – 1%
Jewish – 1%
Race:
German – 97%
Italian – 1%
Arabic – 1.5%
Turkish – 0.5%
The Military of Lowenmark
The Lowenmarkish Military has four branches, The Landwehr (Home Guard), The Standschützen (Militia), The Heer (Army), and The Luftfahrtruppen (Aviation Corps). The Heer has 1,200 Active members, and is the best-equipped and best trained of the ground braches. They have 12 Tanks and 24 Armored Vehicles. The Landwehr has around 1,000 Members, and is essentially a National Guard. The Standschützen is comprised of local rifle "guilds" and has around 6,000 members. It is a state-sponsored rifleman program that can be called upon in case of an invasion. The Aviation Corps possesses 24 F-16s.
Officers in Uniform
Political Information:
Political Parties:
Labour Party: The Labour Party is a generally marginalized party, it's presence maintained in congress mainly through the influence of a few far-left labour unions in the major cities. They have been slowly bleeding votes to the younger and more energetic Greens. Key Demographics: Labour Unions, Leftists over the age of 40. Political Positions: Marxist Socialism, Republicanism, Unionism, Trotskyism (Historical).
The Greens: Founded in 2011 by discontented members of the Social Democrats, the Greens are a very popular party among young leftists. It has been noted for it's sometimes riotous street marches and prolific online presence. Key Demographics: Students, Youth, Cities. Political Positions: Left-Libertarianism, Green Movement, Feminism, Egalitarianism, Euroscepticism, Republicanism.
Social Democratic Party: Lowenmark's oldest continuously existing political party, the SDP was founded in 1926, by dissident moderates within the Revolutionary National Front. The party was banned under both the Engenberg and Lauritz regimes, but became officially legal in 1946. It is the historical rival of the Christian Social Party, and is the mainstream leftist party in Lowenmark. Key Demographics: Upper and middle class Leftists, particularly in cities. Political Positions: Social Democracy, Republicanism, Pro-Europeanism, Socialism (Historical).
National Citizens Union: Casting itself as the party of moderates, the NCU follows a generally Keynesian Economic Policy, with moderate socially conservative views. They have been commonly classified as Centrists by the other parties of Lowenmark, and they are staunchly opposed to populism and partisanship, calling for responsible and sensible governance. Key Demographics: Swing Voters, Middle Class. Political Positions: Keynesianism, Social Conservativism, Centrism, Anti-Partisanship, Republicanism, Pro-Europeanism.
Christian Social Party: For decades the Christian Social Party has been the largest party in Lowenmark, but it is now on the retreat facing multiple scandals and a collapse of public faith in the party. They have attempted to keep their hold on power by casting themselves as moderates in the face of a surge in populism and "extremism". Key Demographics: 65 and older, conservatives, upper class. Political Positions: Conservativism, Christian Democracy, Pro-Europeanism.
National Liberal Party: The youngest party in the Parliament, the National Liberal Party was founded in 2014 by disgruntled young conservatives who were dissilusioned with the EU, and with what they perceived as an excess of government regulation and corruption. They have continuously pushed for political reforms and the cutting of business regulations, and have also been the largest critics of what they claim is an "Islamization" of Europe. Key Demographics: Young Conservatives, Students, Entrepreneurs. Political Positions: Direct Democracy, Classical Liberalism, Euroscepticism, Nationalism (Alleged).
Traditionalist Alliance: Formed in 1997 as a merger of a number of the fragmented Traditionalist and Monarchist parties, the Traditionalist Alliance has emerged as a major political force in the heavily conservative north of Lowenmark, where it holds super-majorities in several local assemblies. It has, however, has a difficult time finding political allies because of it's unswerving monarchism. Key Demographics: Religious, Farmers, Monarchists. Political Positions: Traditionalism, Federalism, Pan-Europeanism, Monarchism.
Districts of Lowenmark:
Political Alignment of the Districts:
Conservative
Leans Conservative
Swing
Leans Liberal
Liberal
Parliament:
WIP
Character Roster:
HSH Grand Duke Josef von Saxe-Zahringen-Tengen - Apostolic Hungary
Johann Wägner - Alouite
Kurt Richter - Republic of the Cristo
Friederich Jäger - Sweillia
Friedrich Ludendorff - Commonwealth of Hank the Cat
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Party Application: (You must use on the seven parties that I have listed)
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Representative Application:
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FIlteries Political Test
Note: This RP is heavily based on "The Game of Politics" and borrows some details from it.
