A Modern World (AMW) Applications Center

[Amerique]

The barbarians were generally of the Arian Christian religion before even crossing into the Roman Empire, while some went Nicene (Catholic/Orthodox). Carthage and North Africa, especially the Punic population, were the center of early Christianity which can be seen in examples such as St. Augustine and Lactantius.

As far as Egypt goes, I'd recommend the canal region being taken later on in history (such as the 18th or 19th century as historical with the Suez Canal territory) as Egypt being Muslim allows for the existence of Saladin during the Crusades and other important figures.

[Beddgelert]

And I'm not going to hurl Bibles over the Alps to Beddgelert. We know how that ended last time.

@Beddgelert: Some Pearl Harbor-ish kind of thing? That's be a great casus belli for the then-neutral Confederation to declare war. With Africa and the islands remaining free, the Chrinnies might have retreated across the Strait of Gibraltar in a Dunkirk-esque evacuation. I'm not sure whether there was an army that liberated peninsular Italy, or whether the rebelling armed population/militia in the mainland simply wore the occupiers off. Probably the latter, unless faraway allies chose Italy over Iberia for another front, if another front opens at all. But I'm sure the demographers would point out the Occupation as the one that caused severe population decline in the mainland (as opposed to emigration IRL Italy).

EDIT: BONUS! A preview of the Confederation!

Very pretty, that.

The Great War is in large part a desperate Geletian conspiracy to stave off the decline of the >2,000 year old Triarchy, which is struggling to adapt in the industrial, market-driven age. After thrashing Tsalland and Byzantium in the 1915/16 Saimonan War, conquering the former (Slovenia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro) entirely and seizing the Peloponnese and western Constantinople from the latter, the Geletians sparked a bit of an arms race, as our machine-guns, tanks, blind artillery, telecommunications, rail transport, mechanisation of artillery batteries, repeating rifles, long-range torpedoes, and air-ships wrought havoc with the essentially C19th militaries opposing us.

The Tsag Arch Duke fled abroad (if you like, to one of the Italian states) and set-up a government-in-exile, indirectly commanding a partisan army fighting the occupation through the 1920s and '30s, receiving support from some foreign powers... I can maybe imagine some Italians fighting as volunteers or mercenaries even if the Confederation stays neutral? Eventually there's a Papal Bull calling on Catholics to cease trade in strategic materials with Geletia, and the creation of the Aventine Alliance, allying the government-in-exile with Byzantium, Swabia, and formerly the Roman Empire, against the Triarchy. Not sure if the Confederation would want to remain neutral or get in on the alliance, but to me the latter seems more likely, with the aim being the maintenance of regional stability by dissuading further Geletian aggression. Possibly Chrinthanium also gets on board, but they may have less direct interest so I'm not sure now.

In response, Geletia secretly convenes the Pact of Oak, allying with Cassanos, Bohemia, Valendia, and the Shield. The first two are perhaps natural allies to a degree, but the Shield is a traditional enemy and a Catholic state -some Shieldians may well even be fighting the Triarchy with the international brigades in Tsalland-, turned against the Pope and others after the last Shieldo-Geletian war, which concluded with other European powers brokering a peace the Shieldians thought unfair in an effort to placate the Geletian beast. Valendia and Geletia, meanwhile, convinced everyone that they were at odds over Geletian support of (a barely existent) Breton nationalist movement.

So, in 1939, Valendia invades Chrinthanium and launches spoiling attacks into Swabia and Italy (probably with a heavy focus on hitting the formidable Italian fleet unawares), Geletia launches an air attack on Taranto and similar strikes against Byzantium and also takes part in the multi-fronted attack on Swabia and prepares amphibious and over-land attacks on Italy and a crossing of the Bosporus, Bohemia also invades Swabia, the Shield invades Gandvik and launches spoiling attacks in the Caucasus against Byzantium, and Cassanos sends forces on to the Shield to aid in the attack on Gandvik and (British) Amberland (IRL East Prussia) which happens to be in the way, all simultaneously and much to the surprise of the rest of the world.

It's a matter of quick victories early on, attempting to knock several enemies out of the war in 1939 so that the Oakists, who know they're out-gunned, have a chance in the long-term.

Unfortunately for them, the fall of Amberland and Valendian cross-channel bombing and commerce-raiding doesn't convince the British to give-up and accept a major shift in the balance of power on the continent, and ends up dragging America and California into the war on the Aventine side; the Shieldian army proves a hopeless liability and serves to do little more than choke the dubious Gandvian roads with mule-trains and corpses; the Chrinthani keep fighting from their large colonies and their fleet joins the British and Americans to defeat the combined Valendo-Geletian fleets, cutting off the Geletian colony of Congo (inherited from Tsalland) and the various Valendian colonies around the globe; Byzantium easily halts the Shieldian offensive in the Caucasus and re-directs the bulk of its forces against the Geletians in Anatolia, helped by massive material aid from the Americas, shipped in by the Royal Merchant Marine; and so on and so forth.

I think we should have the Italian partisans liberate parts of Italy -especially, as you say, mountainous areas with low populations-, which create footholds for the Allies to land troops in virtually uncontested, at which point the Geletians would probably withdraw rapidly to defensive positions in the Alps et cetera. I think Valendia should invade North Africa at some point, but not have much success against re-organised Italian and -as per your suggestion- evacuated Chrinthani troops, again possibly re-supplied by the British, Americans, and Californians. Gives you and Chrin some conventional victories to celebrate instead of relying on resistance fighters and allies to get all the glory. Also, Somua S35s and AMC tanks fighting Carro Armatos in the desert. Fun!

[Chrinthanium]

And I'm not going to hurl Bibles over the Alps to Beddgelert. We know how that ended last time.

@Beddgelert: Some Pearl Harbor-ish kind of thing? That's be a great casus belli for the then-neutral Confederation to declare war. With Africa and the islands remaining free, the Chrinnies might have retreated across the Strait of Gibraltar in a Dunkirk-esque evacuation. I'm not sure whether there was an army that liberated peninsular Italy, or whether the rebelling armed population/militia in the mainland simply wore the occupiers off. Probably the latter, unless faraway allies chose Italy over Iberia for another front, if another front opens at all. But I'm sure the demographers would point out the Occupation as the one that caused severe population decline in the mainland (as opposed to emigration IRL Italy).

EDIT: BONUS! A preview of the Confederation!

Very pretty, that.

The Great War is in large part a desperate Geletian conspiracy to stave off the decline of the >2,000 year old Triarchy, which is struggling to adapt in the industrial, market-driven age. After thrashing Tsalland and Byzantium in the 1915/16 Saimonan War, conquering the former (Slovenia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro) entirely and seizing the Peloponnese and western Constantinople from the latter, the Geletians sparked a bit of an arms race, as our machine-guns, tanks, blind artillery, telecommunications, rail transport, mechanisation of artillery batteries, repeating rifles, long-range torpedoes, and air-ships wrought havoc with the essentially C19th militaries opposing us.

The Tsag Arch Duke fled abroad (if you like, to one of the Italian states) and set-up a government-in-exile, indirectly commanding a partisan army fighting the occupation through the 1920s and '30s, receiving support from some foreign powers... I can maybe imagine some Italians fighting as volunteers or mercenaries even if the Confederation stays neutral? Eventually there's a Papal Bull calling on Catholics to cease trade in strategic materials with Geletia, and the creation of the Aventine Alliance, allying the government-in-exile with Byzantium, Swabia, and formerly the Roman Empire, against the Triarchy. Not sure if the Confederation would want to remain neutral or get in on the alliance, but to me the latter seems more likely, with the aim being the maintenance of regional stability by dissuading further Geletian aggression. Possibly Chrinthanium also gets on board, but they may have less direct interest so I'm not sure now.

In response, Geletia secretly convenes the Pact of Oak, allying with Cassanos, Bohemia, Valendia, and the Shield. The first two are perhaps natural allies to a degree, but the Shield is a traditional enemy and a Catholic state -some Shieldians may well even be fighting the Triarchy with the international brigades in Tsalland-, turned against the Pope and others after the last Shieldo-Geletian war, which concluded with other European powers brokering a peace the Shieldians thought unfair in an effort to placate the Geletian beast. Valendia and Geletia, meanwhile, convinced everyone that they were at odds over Geletian support of (a barely existent) Breton nationalist movement.

So, in 1939, Valendia invades Chrinthanium and launches spoiling attacks into Swabia and Italy (probably with a heavy focus on hitting the formidable Italian fleet unawares), Geletia launches an air attack on Taranto and similar strikes against Byzantium and also takes part in the multi-fronted attack on Swabia and prepares amphibious and over-land attacks on Italy and a crossing of the Bosporus, Bohemia also invades Swabia, the Shield invades Gandvik and launches spoiling attacks in the Caucasus against Byzantium, and Cassanos sends forces on to the Shield to aid in the attack on Gandvik and (British) Amberland (IRL East Prussia) which happens to be in the way, all simultaneously and much to the surprise of the rest of the world.

It's a matter of quick victories early on, attempting to knock several enemies out of the war in 1939 so that the Oakists, who know they're out-gunned, have a chance in the long-term.

Unfortunately for them, the fall of Amberland and Valendian cross-channel bombing and commerce-raiding doesn't convince the British to give-up and accept a major shift in the balance of power on the continent, and ends up dragging America and California into the war on the Aventine side; the Shieldian army proves a hopeless liability and serves to do little more than choke the dubious Gandvian roads with mule-trains and corpses; the Chrinthani keep fighting from their large colonies and their fleet joins the British and Americans to defeat the combined Valendo-Geletian fleets, cutting off the Geletian colony of Congo (inherited from Tsalland) and the various Valendian colonies around the globe; Byzantium easily halts the Shieldian offensive in the Caucasus and re-directs the bulk of its forces against the Geletians in Anatolia, helped by massive material aid from the Americas, shipped in by the Royal Merchant Marine; and so on and so forth.

I think we should have the Italian partisans liberate parts of Italy -especially, as you say, mountainous areas with low populations-, which create footholds for the Allies to land troops in virtually uncontested, at which point the Geletians would probably withdraw rapidly to defensive positions in the Alps et cetera. I think Valendia should invade North Africa at some point, but not have much success against re-organised Italian and -as per your suggestion- evacuated Chrinthani troops, again possibly re-supplied by the British, Americans, and Californians. Gives you and Chrin some conventional victories to celebrate instead of relying on resistance fighters and allies to get all the glory. Also, Somua S35s and AMC tanks fighting Carro Armatos in the desert. Fun!

Delicious. No, I mean the meal I just had. North Carolina pulled pork BBQ done up in a spicy vinegar sauce is da bomb.

I like the Great War narrative as put forth here. Evacuated Chrinthani troops in North Africa is a good thing, really, as it gives us at least some hope of the military gathering forces to launch a reconquista of the Iberian peninsula and kick their asses back across the Pyrenees. Perhaps the combined American, British, and Chrinthani forces do an amphibious landing in Portugal while a smaller decoy force is thrown against the Valendians in southern Spain as a diversionary tactic? Just a thought.

[Great Italy]

The barbarians were generally of the Arian Christian religion before even crossing into the Roman Empire, while some went Nicene (Catholic/Orthodox). Carthage and North Africa, especially the Punic population, were the center of early Christianity which can be seen in examples such as St. Augustine and Lactantius.

As far as Egypt goes, I'd recommend the canal region being taken later on in history (such as the 18th or 19th century as historical with the Suez Canal territory) as Egypt being Muslim allows for the existence of Saladin during the Crusades and other important figures.

Thanks for the info! Although it would've meant that Arianism would've been extirpated from North Africa then.

Depends on the person who'll claim Egypt; Sinai was a Venetian ex-Colony arising from the trade post of Port Said (Porto San Marco in this timeline), the actual formation is still not set in stone. But definitely, yes, the Canal would've been built only in the 1800s, despite longtime Venetian dreams.

Oh also, this is Hibernordia/Kyle, and I've brought the Great War discussion to the Discussion thread.

Also, we're supposed to post factbooks as a thread in this forum?

[Chrinthanium]

The barbarians were generally of the Arian Christian religion before even crossing into the Roman Empire, while some went Nicene (Catholic/Orthodox). Carthage and North Africa, especially the Punic population, were the center of early Christianity which can be seen in examples such as St. Augustine and Lactantius.

As far as Egypt goes, I'd recommend the canal region being taken later on in history (such as the 18th or 19th century as historical with the Suez Canal territory) as Egypt being Muslim allows for the existence of Saladin during the Crusades and other important figures.

Thanks for the info! Although it would've meant that Arianism would've been extirpated from North Africa then.

Depends on the person who'll claim Egypt; Sinai was a Venetian ex-Colony arising from the trade post of Port Said (Porto San Marco in this timeline), the actual formation is still not set in stone. But definitely, yes, the Canal would've been built only in the 1800s, despite longtime Venetian dreams.

Oh also, this is Hibernordia/Kyle, and I've brought the Great War discussion to the Discussion thread.

Also, we're supposed to post factbooks as a thread in this forum?

Well, you can post your factbook on the offsite or in FaNI. If you post one in FaNI, make sure to drop a link in the European forum so we know where to find you

[Nilosahara]

Hi all, I've revised my idea for an initial pan-African liberation front to a land based claim bordering Walmingonian Nilosahara and United Kongo. It's a small state by African standards, having being bullied in the past by both Nilosahara and the Congo (and not having helped the situation by picking the wrong side in both conflicts). Bantu will have escaped here during the initial Walmingtonian invasion of Nilosahara.

While I will be roleplaying Bantu, there are many other factions I'm keen to role-play as well such as the Silver Coast central government and the various Sael rebel groups. I'm also keen to do this country as a bit of a sandbox due to the lack of authority in the western provinces, so feel free to go ahead with covert actions / dodgy dealings in the west.

The Kingdom of the Silver Coast (KotSC)

Claimed Areas
The eastern portion of Zambia (Eastern, Muchinga, Luapula, Northern)
Malawi
Northern portion of Mozambique (Cabo Delgado, Niassa)

To give a total population of 2.8 million for the Mozambique portion, 16 million for the Malawi portion, and 2.8 million for the Zambian portion (assuming 20% of the Zambian total population). For a total population of 22 million.

Capital : Pemba

Brief Outline
The Silver Coast is an independent Kingdom led by the benevolent King Mbeke, with the majority of day to day decisions made by parliament, which is democratically elected. While elections are generally free and fair in the Silver Coast, a system of racial quotas has been in place since the early 90s to give the Zulu control of parliament. King Mbeke also wields considerable veto powers and control of the military, although he has rarely used these powers. Historically the Zulu were the largest race within the Silver Coast, however since the 1980s events in Nilosahara and the Congo have reduced the Zulu to a minority of the population and caused social tensions.

The nation currency is the Silver Coast Dollar ($SCD) and the nation's largest exports are agricultural products followed by basic manufactured goods.

History
1200s - The Silver Coast is controlled by various Tutsi and Bantu kingdoms from the north.
1500s - A tribe related to the Zulu in South Africa (referred to by anthropologists as the Northern Zulu), and a distant relative of the Nilosaharan Bantu to the north establishes an independent multi-ethnic kingdom largely covering the areas known as the Silver Coast today, with a sphere of influence extending to part of the Kongo and Nilosahara.
1700s - Contact established with Walmingtonians. King Amare II offers warm reception to Walmingtonians, and signs alliance with Amberland. Silver exported to Walmington, the state is given the informal name "The Silver Coast". The name endures.
1800s - Majority of nation has converted to Christianity with the use of English in the kingdom increasing substantially.
1930s - The Silver Coast is now one of the richest nations in Africa, with a GDP per capita of around 85% that of Walmington. The economy is heavily reliant on raw commodities and precious metals though, with a large wealth gap (although a much smaller 'standard of living' gap) between the rich and the poor. The kingdom is ruled by the popular Queen Deka who relies on expensive social programs to retain the support of the poor. Living standards are high, even for the poor who are catered for by the welfare state with free medical care, education, state housing, and a generous unemployment benefit.
1950s - No significant commodity finds have been reported for the last decade. Queen Deka establishes a sovereign wealth fund to invest proceeds from the mining sector into state-owned heavy industry projects. The state-owned enterprises prove to be unprofitable due to a high $SCD and the tendency for government officials to run the enterprises as job creation schemes. "Silver Disease" was a term later coined by economists who noted the correlation between a strong mining sector and a weak agricultural / manufacturing sector.
1970 - The Silver Coast experiences a balance of payment crisis as the silver runs out, and fighting in neighbouring Kongo and Nilosahara cause a refugee crisis. Queen Deka passes harsh austerity measures to reduce government costs and sells off part of the sovereign wealth fund to buy time for economic reforms. Efforts to improve the agricultural and manufacturing sector are partly successful, but fail to provide enough tax revenues to compensate for the collapse of the precious metals sector.
1971 - Food riots break out in Pemba and protesters demand full democracy. Queen Deka steps away from absolute monarchy and institutes the mixed monarchy system currently in place today. Many new parties are formed and elections are held, resulting in the centre-right National Democrats gaining power, lead by Prime Minister Fred Livingstone.
1972 - A mild economic recovery takes place throughout the Silver Coast due to higher banana prices. Livingstone and Queen Deka establish a cordial working relationship. In one of the Silver Coast's most significant foreign policy decisions, Livingstone and Queen Deka agree to covertly sponsor Robert Bantu's rebellion in Nilosahara and General Habila's faction in the Congo in the hope of bringing stability to Africa and to protect investments in the Congo.
1976 - Ethnic tensions increase as thousands of refugees pour into the western provinces of the Silver Coast from the Congo. By late 1976 the Zulu were no longer the dominant ethnic group in the west.
1980 - Queen Deka dies. Prince Mandela, her youngest son, becomes king.
1983 - General Habila's forces are defeated in the Congo. The SFC condemns the Silver Coast as a westernised and capitalist puppet state, and nationalises all Silver Coast assets in the Congo. A number of SFC raids on the Silver Coast are repelled by the KotSC military.
1985 - It becomes apparent that Robert Bantu is a murderous dictator. The Silver Coast quietly withdraws support for his regime and signs a mutual defence alliance with Walmington. After four decades of low to zero economic growth and with a much smaller population than the Congo and Nilosahara, the quality and quantity of the KotSC armed forces have been overtaken by her much larger neighbours. As part of the agreement, the Silver Coast contributes towards the running costs of the Walmingtonian naval base on the Spice Islands. Robert Bantu finds out about the agreement and is considerably irked.
1987 - Bantu surprises everyone by capturing the Spice Islands and overwhelming the Walmingtonian fleet. This puts the Silver Coast technically at war with Nilosahara. The Silver Coast doctrine of "fleet in being" is thrown out the window and the Defence Minister resigns. With the much larger and modern Nilosaharan army massing on the border, KotSC forces caught out of position in the west, and Walmington unable to reinforce the state, King Mandela visits Dodoma with gifts and secures a peace treaty but at a cost. Bantu is given a Zulu princess as a wife, thereby making him a member of the royal family and a potential future monarchy contender. The Silver Coast also recognises the Spice Islands as Nilosaharan territory, spelling an end to the Walmington-Silver Coast military co-operation.
1989 - Nilosaharan Civil war begins. Bantu launches genocide of the Sael. Huge influx of Sael refugees into the Silver Coast, completely changing ethnic makeup of the country. Nilosaharan forces numerous launch cross-border operation into Western and central provinces and attempt to radicalise Bantu population within The Silver Coast.
1990 - Nilosaharan Civil war expands into Diamond war with the Congo. Western and Central provinces devastated and looted by both Congo and Nilosahara. KoTSC military unable to stop incursions and focuses on protecting and evacuating civilians, although performs admirably in this role. A low level Sael-Bantu conflict reaches Pemba. Thousands of rich Zulu and whites flee the Silver Coast. By the end of the war centuries of racial harmony have been destroyed. King Mandela amends the electoral system to enshrine Zulu control of parliament.
1991 - Nilosahara forces retreat from the Congo into the western provinces, where Sael guerilla warfare and Zulu insurgent fighters push them back into Nilosahara. Nilosaharan forces continue to occupy part of central province. International coalition forces Bantu to stop Sael genocide. Congo forces annex North-West Silver Coast.
1994 - With peace in Nilosahara, King Mandela asks the Sael Alliance to return to Nilosahara or to disarm and live under TSC rule, however they refuse. At this stage the Sael Alliance were acting as a state within a state with their own passports, armed forces, and social infrastructure.
1995 - KotSC forces launch a military operation to dislodge the Sael but are too weak to successfully force them out. In response the Sael Alliance declares self rule in parts of the western province, known as Western Sael.
1996 - Western Sael bombed and invaded by Nilosahara with Bantu continuing his genocide in the Western Sael. KotSC defence forces stand by and refuse to intervene in the genocide. Nilosaharan forces withdraw after the Western Sael agree to disarm and integrated into the Silver Coast.
1998 - King Mandela was found to be accepting bribes from the Nilosaharans, and Queen Deka's dynasty crumbles. After a hasty search, King Mbeke replaces Mandela as a consensus candidate, as popular Zulu politician with royal blood. King Mbeke apologies to the Sael for their role in their genocide, and Mandela is charged with war crimes and embezzlement. He flees to Nilosahara. Nilosahara redraws the borders to include northern part of Malawi province as part of Nilosahara and ends negotiations for its eventual return.
2000s - Situation stabilises in eastern provinces as KoTSC armed forces undertaking strengthening movement and the Nilosaharan economy collapses, reducing Nilosaharan influence on the Silver Coast. Pemba government pushes racial reconcilation movements to curb foreign influence, and King Mbeke floats the idea of universal sufferage but this is opposed by his own Zulu power base. Western provinces continue under Mbeke's rule in name only, central provinces remain occupied by Bantu's forces.
2014 - Bantu dies and occupied territory restored to The Silver Coast by Nicholas Garricone's administration. Thousands of Bantu refugees flee into The Silver Coast, fearing retribution by the Sael and Walmingtonians. Racial tensions increase again.
2015 - Reports of Bantu's death were inaccurate, and he secretly arrives in The Silver Coast, plotting his return to power. Following air strikes by Congo forces, UKFA flee into western silver coast and begin cross-border operations.

[United Kongo]

As one of your two neighbours I'm going to say yes it looks great. I like the history as well and the interrelations between Congo-Niloshara-Silver Coast . Certainly Silver Coast intervention in Congo would be very likely throughout most pf the 20th century, perhaps the KotSC intervenes in the first Congo crisis following independence (which I'm going to rewrite to be the same as the RL event) to put Mobutu in charge (again he will be re written in) as well as the civil war where the KotSC could take a more active role similar to the Ugandans/Rwandans in the 90's in regards to thier chosen faction, going as far to occupy and loot the Diamond and Copper mines in the South. Continued low level conflict between the SFC and KotSL could have continued throughout the 80's (Congolese-Silver Coast Bush war?) until the Nilosaharan invasions.

In regards to the modern day, KotSC is welcome to host a variety of Congolese dissident groups, and perhaps Congo hosting Sael rebels as well to try and destabilize Silver Coast and Walmington Nilosahara

[The Crooked Beat]

And I'm not going to hurl Bibles over the Alps to Beddgelert. We know how that ended last time.

@Beddgelert: Some Pearl Harbor-ish kind of thing? That's be a great casus belli for the then-neutral Confederation to declare war. With Africa and the islands remaining free, the Chrinnies might have retreated across the Strait of Gibraltar in a Dunkirk-esque evacuation. I'm not sure whether there was an army that liberated peninsular Italy, or whether the rebelling armed population/militia in the mainland simply wore the occupiers off. Probably the latter, unless faraway allies chose Italy over Iberia for another front, if another front opens at all. But I'm sure the demographers would point out the Occupation as the one that caused severe population decline in the mainland (as opposed to emigration IRL Italy).

EDIT: BONUS! A preview of the Confederation!

Very pretty, that.

The Great War is in large part a desperate Geletian conspiracy to stave off the decline of the >2,000 year old Triarchy, which is struggling to adapt in the industrial, market-driven age. After thrashing Tsalland and Byzantium in the 1915/16 Saimonan War, conquering the former (Slovenia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro) entirely and seizing the Peloponnese and western Constantinople from the latter, the Geletians sparked a bit of an arms race, as our machine-guns, tanks, blind artillery, telecommunications, rail transport, mechanisation of artillery batteries, repeating rifles, long-range torpedoes, and air-ships wrought havoc with the essentially C19th militaries opposing us.

The Tsag Arch Duke fled abroad (if you like, to one of the Italian states) and set-up a government-in-exile, indirectly commanding a partisan army fighting the occupation through the 1920s and '30s, receiving support from some foreign powers... I can maybe imagine some Italians fighting as volunteers or mercenaries even if the Confederation stays neutral? Eventually there's a Papal Bull calling on Catholics to cease trade in strategic materials with Geletia, and the creation of the Aventine Alliance, allying the government-in-exile with Byzantium, Swabia, and formerly the Roman Empire, against the Triarchy. Not sure if the Confederation would want to remain neutral or get in on the alliance, but to me the latter seems more likely, with the aim being the maintenance of regional stability by dissuading further Geletian aggression. Possibly Chrinthanium also gets on board, but they may have less direct interest so I'm not sure now.

In response, Geletia secretly convenes the Pact of Oak, allying with Cassanos, Bohemia, Valendia, and the Shield. The first two are perhaps natural allies to a degree, but the Shield is a traditional enemy and a Catholic state -some Shieldians may well even be fighting the Triarchy with the international brigades in Tsalland-, turned against the Pope and others after the last Shieldo-Geletian war, which concluded with other European powers brokering a peace the Shieldians thought unfair in an effort to placate the Geletian beast. Valendia and Geletia, meanwhile, convinced everyone that they were at odds over Geletian support of (a barely existent) Breton nationalist movement.

So, in 1939, Valendia invades Chrinthanium and launches spoiling attacks into Swabia and Italy (probably with a heavy focus on hitting the formidable Italian fleet unawares), Geletia launches an air attack on Taranto and similar strikes against Byzantium and also takes part in the multi-fronted attack on Swabia and prepares amphibious and over-land attacks on Italy and a crossing of the Bosporus, Bohemia also invades Swabia, the Shield invades Gandvik and launches spoiling attacks in the Caucasus against Byzantium, and Cassanos sends forces on to the Shield to aid in the attack on Gandvik and (British) Amberland (IRL East Prussia) which happens to be in the way, all simultaneously and much to the surprise of the rest of the world.

It's a matter of quick victories early on, attempting to knock several enemies out of the war in 1939 so that the Oakists, who know they're out-gunned, have a chance in the long-term.

Unfortunately for them, the fall of Amberland and Valendian cross-channel bombing and commerce-raiding doesn't convince the British to give-up and accept a major shift in the balance of power on the continent, and ends up dragging America and California into the war on the Aventine side; the Shieldian army proves a hopeless liability and serves to do little more than choke the dubious Gandvian roads with mule-trains and corpses; the Chrinthani keep fighting from their large colonies and their fleet joins the British and Americans to defeat the combined Valendo-Geletian fleets, cutting off the Geletian colony of Congo (inherited from Tsalland) and the various Valendian colonies around the globe; Byzantium easily halts the Shieldian offensive in the Caucasus and re-directs the bulk of its forces against the Geletians in Anatolia, helped by massive material aid from the Americas, shipped in by the Royal Merchant Marine; and so on and so forth.

I think we should have the Italian partisans liberate parts of Italy -especially, as you say, mountainous areas with low populations-, which create footholds for the Allies to land troops in virtually uncontested, at which point the Geletians would probably withdraw rapidly to defensive positions in the Alps et cetera. I think Valendia should invade North Africa at some point, but not have much success against re-organised Italian and -as per your suggestion- evacuated Chrinthani troops, again possibly re-supplied by the British, Americans, and Californians. Gives you and Chrin some conventional victories to celebrate instead of relying on resistance fighters and allies to get all the glory. Also, Somua S35s and AMC tanks fighting Carro Armatos in the desert. Fun!

Ha, Spain and Italy, the two armies which would probably have been blitzkrieg'd by France in RL! I mean, S35s could probably deal with Fiat-Ansaldos just by running them over.

On a marginally more serious note, I wonder if the advantage held by Valendia as of 1939 would have been all that different from that which Napoleon held on the eve of his most famous conquests, namely a significant edge in resources that would have made Valendia, especially with industrial-powerhouse Belgium and a good portion of the Netherlands tacked-on, not much less of a continental superpower? Let's look at comparative populations for a second:

Valendia (France+Belgium+Switzerland): ~52 million
Metropolitan Chrinthania (Spain+Portugal): ~33 million
Metropolitan Italy: ~44 million
Geletia (Hungary+Romania+Yugoslavia*+Austria+Bulgaria: ~42 million (plus pieces of Yugoslavia which I'm too lazy to look at)
Byzantium (Turkey+Iraq+Syria+Lebanon): ~24 million
The Shield (Ukraine+Uzbekistan+Kazakhstan+Turkmenistan+Tajikistan+Georgia): ~57 million (potentially much higher, as I did not factor-in the pieces of Russia and Poland that also constitute/constituted the Shield)

So at least in the Southern European theater, the Oakists are definitely at no significant disadvantage to start with in simple population terms, and arguably possess, thanks to Valendia, significant superiority in terms of industry and military means. To my mind anyway, Valendia if left to deal with Chrinthania and Italy free from outside interference might well have enjoyed one gigantic, long-running Operation Compass, especially in Iberia where the terrain is more suitable for armored warfare, and while neither of those Aventine powers was totally un-industrialized, there would have been serious limitations, simply for want of the necessary industrial resources, coal and steel especially, on their ability to match Valendia in a war of production.

I'd imagine that a vital strategic priority for Valendia would have been to unite its Mediterranean and Atlantic Fleets, so in line with that, perhaps Valendia attempted to push straight across the Pillars of Hercules, and thereby involved itself in fighting on terrain that decidedly did not favor its own armored forces, while playing directly to the strengths of local Italian colonial troops? Perhaps the period 1940-1942 in North Africa is characterized by heavy Valendian exertion for relatively limited gain, before, once finally able to defeat Valendia's surface navy in the Atlantic, the arrival of significant Aventine reinforcements allows the Valendian bridgehead to be destroyed, and permits a counter-invasion of Iberia, leading to a second Peninsular War of about 1943-45? Meanwhile maybe Italy proper does a Yugoslavia, and as both Valendia and Geletia draw off more and more troops to fight on other fronts, leaving only a skeleton occupation force and unreliable collaborationist units, Italian partisans, generously supported from North Africa, gain control of larger and larger pieces of territory, eventually more or less liberating themselves with the exception of certain surrounded Oakist enclaves? Italian partisans by 1945 looking an awful lot like a regular army, and facilitating the seizure of power postwar by whatever faction or ideological movement is dominant in their ranks? Basically what's already been said, I suppose.

A brief aside on Eastern Europe, my feeling so far is that a considerably smaller (much of its present-day territory having been Shieldian at that time, thus further boosting Shieldian population numbers) and less-industrialized Gandvik faces conditions not altogether different from those confronting Chrinthania and Italy, though fundamentally different in that the Gandvian Royal Army is far and away better than the Shieldian Army, while Bohemia and Cassanos, in spite of their high industrialization and excellent militaries, lack the population base to sustain a long-running war of attrition, being particularly short on infantry. I also imagine the Oakist alliance being pulled in a lot of different directions by competing interests, Valendia perhaps being prevailed-upon by its allies to back them up with troops and materiel and thereby finding its once-preponderant strength diluted, Cassanos and Bohemia possibly alarmed at the prospect of an excessively powerful Shield and failing to back Ianapalis fully, maybe even reverting to a defensive policy after 1943 or so and signing a separate peace some time in late 1944 or early 1945. Meanwhile, Amerique and Walmington are able to bring their hugely powerful industrial economies to bear, and once masters of the Atlantic are able to pour resources into the European war at a rate which no other power can match. Still, however, diverging interests, particularly as Gandvik attempts to eat-up the entire Shield, coupled with the mounting human toll in Iberia, a conflict which maybe doesn't enjoy universal popularity in either Amerique or Walmington, eventually prompt the Aventines to stop short of total victory, and establish a peace that sets-up Europe as we know it today.

[Chrinthanium]

Very pretty, that.

The Great War is in large part a desperate Geletian conspiracy to stave off the decline of the >2,000 year old Triarchy, which is struggling to adapt in the industrial, market-driven age. After thrashing Tsalland and Byzantium in the 1915/16 Saimonan War, conquering the former (Slovenia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro) entirely and seizing the Peloponnese and western Constantinople from the latter, the Geletians sparked a bit of an arms race, as our machine-guns, tanks, blind artillery, telecommunications, rail transport, mechanisation of artillery batteries, repeating rifles, long-range torpedoes, and air-ships wrought havoc with the essentially C19th militaries opposing us.

The Tsag Arch Duke fled abroad (if you like, to one of the Italian states) and set-up a government-in-exile, indirectly commanding a partisan army fighting the occupation through the 1920s and '30s, receiving support from some foreign powers... I can maybe imagine some Italians fighting as volunteers or mercenaries even if the Confederation stays neutral? Eventually there's a Papal Bull calling on Catholics to cease trade in strategic materials with Geletia, and the creation of the Aventine Alliance, allying the government-in-exile with Byzantium, Swabia, and formerly the Roman Empire, against the Triarchy. Not sure if the Confederation would want to remain neutral or get in on the alliance, but to me the latter seems more likely, with the aim being the maintenance of regional stability by dissuading further Geletian aggression. Possibly Chrinthanium also gets on board, but they may have less direct interest so I'm not sure now.

In response, Geletia secretly convenes the Pact of Oak, allying with Cassanos, Bohemia, Valendia, and the Shield. The first two are perhaps natural allies to a degree, but the Shield is a traditional enemy and a Catholic state -some Shieldians may well even be fighting the Triarchy with the international brigades in Tsalland-, turned against the Pope and others after the last Shieldo-Geletian war, which concluded with other European powers brokering a peace the Shieldians thought unfair in an effort to placate the Geletian beast. Valendia and Geletia, meanwhile, convinced everyone that they were at odds over Geletian support of (a barely existent) Breton nationalist movement.

So, in 1939, Valendia invades Chrinthanium and launches spoiling attacks into Swabia and Italy (probably with a heavy focus on hitting the formidable Italian fleet unawares), Geletia launches an air attack on Taranto and similar strikes against Byzantium and also takes part in the multi-fronted attack on Swabia and prepares amphibious and over-land attacks on Italy and a crossing of the Bosporus, Bohemia also invades Swabia, the Shield invades Gandvik and launches spoiling attacks in the Caucasus against Byzantium, and Cassanos sends forces on to the Shield to aid in the attack on Gandvik and (British) Amberland (IRL East Prussia) which happens to be in the way, all simultaneously and much to the surprise of the rest of the world.

It's a matter of quick victories early on, attempting to knock several enemies out of the war in 1939 so that the Oakists, who know they're out-gunned, have a chance in the long-term.

Unfortunately for them, the fall of Amberland and Valendian cross-channel bombing and commerce-raiding doesn't convince the British to give-up and accept a major shift in the balance of power on the continent, and ends up dragging America and California into the war on the Aventine side; the Shieldian army proves a hopeless liability and serves to do little more than choke the dubious Gandvian roads with mule-trains and corpses; the Chrinthani keep fighting from their large colonies and their fleet joins the British and Americans to defeat the combined Valendo-Geletian fleets, cutting off the Geletian colony of Congo (inherited from Tsalland) and the various Valendian colonies around the globe; Byzantium easily halts the Shieldian offensive in the Caucasus and re-directs the bulk of its forces against the Geletians in Anatolia, helped by massive material aid from the Americas, shipped in by the Royal Merchant Marine; and so on and so forth.

I think we should have the Italian partisans liberate parts of Italy -especially, as you say, mountainous areas with low populations-, which create footholds for the Allies to land troops in virtually uncontested, at which point the Geletians would probably withdraw rapidly to defensive positions in the Alps et cetera. I think Valendia should invade North Africa at some point, but not have much success against re-organised Italian and -as per your suggestion- evacuated Chrinthani troops, again possibly re-supplied by the British, Americans, and Californians. Gives you and Chrin some conventional victories to celebrate instead of relying on resistance fighters and allies to get all the glory. Also, Somua S35s and AMC tanks fighting Carro Armatos in the desert. Fun!

Ha, Spain and Italy, the two armies which would probably have been blitzkrieg'd by France in RL! I mean, S35s could probably deal with Fiat-Ansaldos just by running them over.

On a marginally more serious note, I wonder if the advantage held by Valendia as of 1939 would have been all that different from that which Napoleon held on the eve of his most famous conquests, namely a significant edge in resources that would have made Valendia, especially with industrial-powerhouse Belgium and a good portion of the Netherlands tacked-on, not much less of a continental superpower? Let's look at comparative populations for a second:

Valendia (France+Belgium+Switzerland): ~52 million
Metropolitan Chrinthania (Spain+Portugal): ~33 million
Metropolitan Italy: ~44 million
Geletia (Hungary+Romania+Yugoslavia*+Austria+Bulgaria: ~42 million (plus pieces of Yugoslavia which I'm too lazy to look at)
Byzantium (Turkey+Iraq+Syria+Lebanon): ~24 million
The Shield (Ukraine+Uzbekistan+Kazakhstan+Turkmenistan+Tajikistan+Georgia): ~57 million (potentially much higher, as I did not factor-in the pieces of Russia and Poland that also constitute/constituted the Shield)

So at least in the Southern European theater, the Oakists are definitely at no significant disadvantage to start with in simple population terms, and arguably possess, thanks to Valendia, significant superiority in terms of industry and military means. To my mind anyway, Valendia if left to deal with Chrinthania and Italy free from outside interference might well have enjoyed one gigantic, long-running Operation Compass, especially in Iberia where the terrain is more suitable for armored warfare, and while neither of those Aventine powers was totally un-industrialized, there would have been serious limitations, simply for want of the necessary industrial resources, coal and steel especially, on their ability to match Valendia in a war of production.

I'd imagine that a vital strategic priority for Valendia would have been to unite its Mediterranean and Atlantic Fleets, so in line with that, perhaps Valendia attempted to push straight across the Pillars of Hercules, and thereby involved itself in fighting on terrain that decidedly did not favor its own armored forces, while playing directly to the strengths of local Italian colonial troops? Perhaps the period 1940-1942 in North Africa is characterized by heavy Valendian exertion for relatively limited gain, before, once finally able to defeat Valendia's surface navy in the Atlantic, the arrival of significant Aventine reinforcements allows the Valendian bridgehead to be destroyed, and permits a counter-invasion of Iberia, leading to a second Peninsular War of about 1943-45? Meanwhile maybe Italy proper does a Yugoslavia, and as both Valendia and Geletia draw off more and more troops to fight on other fronts, leaving only a skeleton occupation force and unreliable collaborationist units, Italian partisans, generously supported from North Africa, gain control of larger and larger pieces of territory, eventually more or less liberating themselves with the exception of certain surrounded Oakist enclaves? Italian partisans by 1945 looking an awful lot like a regular army, and facilitating the seizure of power postwar by whatever faction or ideological movement is dominant in their ranks? Basically what's already been said, I suppose.

A brief aside on Eastern Europe, my feeling so far is that a considerably smaller (much of its present-day territory having been Shieldian at that time, thus further boosting Shieldian population numbers) and less-industrialized Gandvik faces conditions not altogether different from those confronting Chrinthania and Italy, though fundamentally different in that the Gandvian Royal Army is far and away better than the Shieldian Army, while Bohemia and Cassanos, in spite of their high industrialization and excellent militaries, lack the population base to sustain a long-running war of attrition, being particularly short on infantry. I also imagine the Oakist alliance being pulled in a lot of different directions by competing interests, Valendia perhaps being prevailed-upon by its allies to back them up with troops and materiel and thereby finding its once-preponderant strength diluted, Cassanos and Bohemia possibly alarmed at the prospect of an excessively powerful Shield and failing to back Ianapalis fully, maybe even reverting to a defensive policy after 1943 or so and signing a separate peace some time in late 1944 or early 1945. Meanwhile, Amerique and Walmington are able to bring their hugely powerful industrial economies to bear, and once masters of the Atlantic are able to pour resources into the European war at a rate which no other power can match. Still, however, diverging interests, particularly as Gandvik attempts to eat-up the entire Shield, coupled with the mounting human toll in Iberia, a conflict which maybe doesn't enjoy universal popularity in either Amerique or Walmington, eventually prompt the Aventines to stop short of total victory, and establish a peace that sets-up Europe as we know it today.

Ah, the discussion thread was a fluke. This is a military discussion I didn't quite get. I feel like myself now.

[Nilosahara]

So....am I in now?

Walmington, I would especially appreciate your thoughts and / or approval as so much of my history is based on interaction with your nation.

[Chrinthanium]

So....am I in now?

Walmington, I would especially appreciate your thoughts and / or approval as so much of my history is based on interaction with your nation.

Well, one of your neighbors has said yes, Walmington hasn't replied and considering that you need his help for history, I'd like to wait for his reply. As far as I am concerned, I'm okay with what I see. However, as I am not directly involved in your history, nor am I your neighbor, I don't know how much my feelings count in the matter.

[Walmington on Sea]

Claim Snip.

Maybe not a block to a claim, but chopping up Zambia promises to provide a significant administrative headache. Damn you, Muchinga! Created after the 2010 census, out of other provinces. Still, there's a PDF of the last census that can be trawled through for only moderately out of date figures!

I had more to say, but to Hell with it, if nothing else the claim has the potential to create RP opportunities, so I'm going to add my approval.

[Chrinthanium]

Claimed Areas
The eastern portion of Zambia (Eastern, Muchinga, Luapula, Northern)
Malawi
Northern portion of Mozambique (Cabo Delgado, Niassa)

Unless somehow I got Walmington's map in Tanzania wrong, your claim leaves a bit of land between Walmington's claim and your claim. A part of southern Tanzania isn't claimed. An odd little opening, I might add, that probably wouldn't be interesting to a newcomer.

[Pemba]

Ah, I had missed those three provinces of Tanzania. I'll add them to my claim (Ruvuma, Mtwara, Lindi), which increase my population by around 3 million to around 25 million. Still a small nation by African standards which is the intention.

[Kalvinka]

Official Name: The Kalvinkan Socialist State
Claims: Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Iceland
Demonym:
Capital: Kavikthad
Motto: Работники Knoew лучшее!
-Translation: The Workers Know Best!
Official Language: Kalvinkan (I use google translate Russian for them)

History

The history of Kalvinka goes well into ancient times, but the national entity of Kalvinka only popped into existence in the year 1745. It was that year that the various warring kingdoms were unified under a single banner. The Kingdom of Kalvinka was a rather liberalistic monarchy that favored laissez faire economics, and supported a powerful aristocracy. Thanks to the policies of the Kingdom, Kalvinka was filled to the brim with poverty and a massive income gap.

All of that changed in 1923 when a Socialist Revolution took place all across the nation. Socialist forces almost immediately took down the monarchy, and executed most supporters of the old regime. The Kalvinkan Socialist State was soon established from the Socialist forces. The new regime heavily prioritized national defense and industry. Which led to the attitude we see in Kalvinka today. Eventually, the focus on industry shifted to a focus on law and order. Allowing the government of Kalvinka to establish the KBIA, and switch from a Socialist Democracy to a Socialist Oligarchy.

Thanks to the focus on controlling the populace, the nation quickly evolved into the form it is in today. Its recent history is rather uneventful due to it remaining unaffiliated with the world powers.

Government:

The Government of Kalvinka is a Socialist Oligarchy that keeps a very close eye on its people. The government is ran by "The Kalvinkan People's Party" and in charge of all is the Politburo. The Politburo has control over all major organizations and government functions, excluding appointing new members for itself. The Party shows its control of the nation via the Kalvinkan Bureau of Internal Affairs, which serves as the managing entity for the national police force and as a secret police organization. The KBIA operates in every city and

The Government prioritizes the Military and Law & Order over most other things. The only department that gets close in funding is Education. Despite this massive unbalance in government spending, most programs actually get adequate funding for projects and management.

Members of the Politburo tend to live the most luxurious lives in the Kalvinkan State, and tend to keep their savings in foreign accounts. The reasons why this is so were stated to be "Securing disaster funds for the Kalvinkan Peoples." Despite the Politburo having the largest amount of power in the nation, the nation does have a de facto "ruler". Said "ruler" is KBIA Overseer Feodor Stavich, he maintains tabs on each member of the Politburo and the Communist party. If he wanted to, he could throw a bloodless coup d'etat and declare himself dictator of Kalvinka. However, he hasn't as of now and continues with his current duties.

The Kalvinkan Military is (despite what many would think) a professional force, which has around 53,200 active units. The national armed forces are completely devoted to self-defense, and have not partaken in any foreign conflict. Thanks to the large amounts of funding it receives, the military is modernized and trained. The military is currently expanding the naval areas in order to defend trade in the zones around the nation.

Society:

Kalvinkan society is very stable due to the oppressive regime in place at the moment. With large amounts of patriotism shown in the populace due to government funded "Childhood Encouragement" programs being in every school. Overall, most of Kalvinkan society (62%) is very loyal to the nation and the government. Kalvinkan culture is very protected by the government, while other cultures are just tolerated (borderline separate but equal). Old relics from ancient Kalvinkans are found all throughout the Southern provinces, and are always placed under protection in order to preserve Kalvinkan heritage.

Kalvinka's cities are filled with monuments to the people, and old buildings built by older regimes in the nation. Large amounts of the old buildings tend to be old churches and other various places of worship. Some of these old areas are used as places of refuge for those being labeled "enemies of the state", and thanks to this, most old religious buildings are torn down if spotted. As a result of the constant tearing down of old buildings, many have expressed concern that Kalvinka is losing the idea of its cultural heritage. Thus leading to many protesting and petitioning for this behavior to stop. Of course, most people that have tried doing this have either disappeared or were sent to the prisons up North.

Religion in Kalvinka is in a very weakened state due to the State Atheist system being in place. 64.2% of the nation has been identified as "Irreligious", and 30% identified as "Agnostic". Religion is a highly frowned upon idea in the nation, as religious insitutions constantly find themselves in trouble with the Kalvinkan authorities. The religious population is made up mostly of Protestant and Orthodox christians, with a tiny population of Muslims. Thanks to the large amount of religious discrimination, most anti-government demonstrations are orchestrated by the small religious minority. Now of course, said demonstrations are dealt with swiftly and..... creatively.

Economy:

The economy is rather mediocre due to the government not completely utilizing the oil reserves in the Northern territories, along with the misuse of other raw materials and opportunities. Trade is extremely vital to the Kalvinkan economy as 45% of income comes from trade along the Baltic and North sea. Programs are being put in place to have more factories placed across the nation in order to increase the amount of industrial revenue. A large portion of the national budget is used for defense and law and order. Large amounts of money are also spent on government programs to increase the amount of patriotism in the populace (See the Society area).

Large amounts of raw materials, if not traded, are used in order to develop the nation's infrastructure and agricultural developments. Kalvinka has large highways going from city to city and large farms in the southern regions due to this attitude with raw materials. The Island of Patroskavd, however, is highly undeveloped due to its distance from the mainland. Thanks to this, opportunities in developing tourism and geothermal power production are being left un-noticed.

Population: (After a good amount of estimating things) 21.2 Million
GDP (Nominal):
Total: $726 Billion
Per Capita: $23,123
Currency: Kalvinkan Ruble

I hope everything checks out! I look forward to being a part of your group!

[Chrinthanium]

Official Name: The Kalvinkan Socialist State
Claims: Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Iceland
Demonym:
Capital: Kavikthad
Motto: Работники Knoew лучшее!
-Translation: The Workers Know Best!
Official Language: Kalvinkan (I use google translate Russian for them)

History

The history of Kalvinka goes well into ancient times, but the national entity of Kalvinka only popped into existence in the year 1745. It was that year that the various warring kingdoms were unified under a single banner. The Kingdom of Kalvinka was a rather liberalistic monarchy that favored laissez faire economics, and supported a powerful aristocracy. Thanks to the policies of the Kingdom, Kalvinka was filled to the brim with poverty and a massive income gap.

All of that changed in 1923 when a Socialist Revolution took place all across the nation. Socialist forces almost immediately took down the monarchy, and executed most supporters of the old regime. The Kalvinkan Socialist State was soon established from the Socialist forces. The new regime heavily prioritized national defense and industry. Which led to the attitude we see in Kalvinka today. Eventually, the focus on industry shifted to a focus on law and order. Allowing the government of Kalvinka to establish the KBIA, and switch from a Socialist Democracy to a Socialist Oligarchy.

Thanks to the focus on controlling the populace, the nation quickly evolved into the form it is in today. Its recent history is rather uneventful due to it remaining unaffiliated with the world powers.

Government:

The Government of Kalvinka is a Socialist Oligarchy that keeps a very close eye on its people. The government is ran by "The Kalvinkan People's Party" and in charge of all is the Politburo. The Politburo has control over all major organizations and government functions, excluding appointing new members for itself. The Party shows its control of the nation via the Kalvinkan Bureau of Internal Affairs, which serves as the managing entity for the national police force and as a secret police organization. The KBIA operates in every city and

The Government prioritizes the Military and Law & Order over most other things. The only department that gets close in funding is Education. Despite this massive unbalance in government spending, most programs actually get adequate funding for projects and management.

Members of the Politburo tend to live the most luxurious lives in the Kalvinkan State, and tend to keep their savings in foreign accounts. The reasons why this is so were stated to be "Securing disaster funds for the Kalvinkan Peoples." Despite the Politburo having the largest amount of power in the nation, the nation does have a de facto "ruler". Said "ruler" is KBIA Overseer Feodor Stavich, he maintains tabs on each member of the Politburo and the Communist party. If he wanted to, he could throw a bloodless coup d'etat and declare himself dictator of Kalvinka. However, he hasn't as of now and continues with his current duties.

The Kalvinkan Military is (despite what many would think) a professional force, which has around 53,200 active units. The national armed forces are completely devoted to self-defense, and have not partaken in any foreign conflict. Thanks to the large amounts of funding it receives, the military is modernized and trained. The military is currently expanding the naval areas in order to defend trade in the zones around the nation.

Society:

Kalvinkan society is very stable due to the oppressive regime in place at the moment. With large amounts of patriotism shown in the populace due to government funded "Childhood Encouragement" programs being in every school. Overall, most of Kalvinkan society (62%) is very loyal to the nation and the government. Kalvinkan culture is very protected by the government, while other cultures are just tolerated (borderline separate but equal). Old relics from ancient Kalvinkans are found all throughout the Southern provinces, and are always placed under protection in order to preserve Kalvinkan heritage.

Kalvinka's cities are filled with monuments to the people, and old buildings built by older regimes in the nation. Large amounts of the old buildings tend to be old churches and other various places of worship. Some of these old areas are used as places of refuge for those being labeled "enemies of the state", and thanks to this, most old religious buildings are torn down if spotted. As a result of the constant tearing down of old buildings, many have expressed concern that Kalvinka is losing the idea of its cultural heritage. Thus leading to many protesting and petitioning for this behavior to stop. Of course, most people that have tried doing this have either disappeared or were sent to the prisons up North.

Religion in Kalvinka is in a very weakened state due to the State Atheist system being in place. 64.2% of the nation has been identified as "Irreligious", and 30% identified as "Agnostic". Religion is a highly frowned upon idea in the nation, as religious insitutions constantly find themselves in trouble with the Kalvinkan authorities. The religious population is made up mostly of Protestant and Orthodox christians, with a tiny population of Muslims. Thanks to the large amount of religious discrimination, most anti-government demonstrations are orchestrated by the small religious minority. Now of course, said demonstrations are dealt with swiftly and..... creatively.

Economy:

The economy is rather mediocre due to the government not completely utilizing the oil reserves in the Northern territories, along with the misuse of other raw materials and opportunities. Trade is extremely vital to the Kalvinkan economy as 45% of income comes from trade along the Baltic and North sea. Programs are being put in place to have more factories placed across the nation in order to increase the amount of industrial revenue. A large portion of the national budget is used for defense and law and order. Large amounts of money are also spent on government programs to increase the amount of patriotism in the populace (See the Society area).

Large amounts of raw materials, if not traded, are used in order to develop the nation's infrastructure and agricultural developments. Kalvinka has large highways going from city to city and large farms in the southern regions due to this attitude with raw materials. The Island of Patroskavd, however, is highly undeveloped due to its distance from the mainland. Thanks to this, opportunities in developing tourism and geothermal power production are being left un-noticed.

Population: (After a good amount of estimating things) 21.2 Million
GDP (Nominal):
Total: $726 Billion
Per Capita: $23,123
Currency: Kalvinkan Ruble

I hope everything checks out! I look forward to being a part of your group!

Hi there! Let me be the first to say thank you for the application. I am Chrinthanium, who plays Chrinthania here in AMW. Just your friendly transcontinental empire-turned-constitutional-monarchy with a people who've turned hedonism into a fine art. I'm also Keeper of the Map, so the claim as it stands, looks good for the most part. A brief note, though. In Norway, County Finnmark belongs to the Principality of Gandvik, so that wouldn't be part of your claim as it has been claimed already.

Pertaining to your claim, using the CIA World Factbook and other sources, I get slightly less people than you're estimating. Also, your GDP per capita of $23,123 with your proposed population would give you a GDP total of 490,207,600,000. But, math errors aren't a deciding factor. In regards to population and economy, there are no problems there for me. It's rather small in both regards, so you may feel a bit outnumbered in AMW. However, in my own opinion, a small claim is a refreshing change of pace and one I can certainly go for.

A nation that is small as your may not have been given much option to remain unaffiliated in world matters, in particular during the Great War (1939-1945). I'll let the others talk more in-depth about how that may have happened, but sufficed to say that Gandvik and/or any part of Oakist (akin to the Axis) Nibelunc (your German neighbors to the South) might have seen fit to have you join them either by choice or force. Possible Aventine (akin to the Allies) factions may have also been interested in trying to prevent that, or, again, having you declare one way or another. Again, I'll let the others who are your direct neighbors comment on that side.

The claim is oppressive, rather poor, and small altogether. Those are not bad things, though. Overall, you have my support as the Mapper. Would be nice to get another European neighbor in here to also agree with me. Certainly any vagueness in your history can be filled in with AMW historical events to give you more of an integrated feel with the community. Don't fret if it takes other members a few to respond.

As I said, this application has my support. I look forward to you entering AMW's European fun zone.

[Beddgelert]

Aye, it's a bit simplistic, and there appear to be some mathematical errors (I think the population would be just under 20 million, no?), but I don't see any solid reason to oppose, and it'd be good to have some new blood.

Strikes me a little bit as Scandinavian-Socialists, and Socialists-are-Baddies, but that's fine, the CSR will just help them to wipe-out dissenters and then have the corrupt leadership assassinated, so it'll all work out.

Notably, two German states, just under 4.5 million people, will be left unclaimed, here. Whether they should remain Dragonland, join Nibelunc, or join the prospective new nation maybe should be addressed.

[Chrinthanium]

Aye, it's a bit simplistic, and there appear to be some mathematical errors (I think the population would be just under 20 million, no?), but I don't see any solid reason to oppose, and it'd be good to have some new blood.

Strikes me a little bit as Scandinavian-Socialists, and Socialists-are-Baddies, but that's fine, the CSR will just help them to wipe-out dissenters and then have the corrupt leadership assassinated, so it'll all work out.

Notably, two German states, just under 4.5 million people, will be left unclaimed, here. Whether they should remain Dragonland, join Nibelunc, or join the prospective new nation maybe should be addressed.

Well, without Cass' permission, we've sort of rearranged part of his claim (Austria), so perhaps, as a consolation, he should get first choice/have them thrust upon him by force

[Amerique]

My support is for if the new nation wants the two German states, he should probably have them so as to not add to already massive countries. It's nice to see a Slavic nation for once, as it's been hard to get one in AMW Europe lately, it seems. As far as fellow communist-identifying nations which are powers (and could presumably buddy up to), there would be the Commonwealth of Socialist Republics (Beddgelert), the Socialist Federation of the Congo and the Chaoist People's Republic of Drapol, with varying ideologies of communism and socialism guiding their political spheres. That's about it, really. Anyway, this has my support.

[Kalvinka]

I'd be more than willing to add Schleswig-Holstein to my claim, since it can help with explaining the 21 Million population. I'll also be fine with taking the other state if no one really wants it. Anyways, thank you for supporting my app!

[The Crooked Beat]

It's very nice to see someone from outside interested in taking that remaining piece of Scandinavia, and I think the claim that's been posted could certainly help to add a bit more spice to the geostrategic situation in Europe, commendably seasoned though it already is!

As has been observed, any claim in Scandinavia will probably have to deal with Gandvik in some respect, though from the snippets of history and governmental information supplied thus far, I think things can be made to fit together very snugly. Kalvinka's relationship with Gandvik, in diplomatic terms, will probably depend to a large extent on just how doctrinaire the government's ideological line happens to be. While to some extent anticommunist at home, abroad Gandvik's outlook is one of at times cynical pragmatism, and if Kalvinka can be persuaded to fear the western liberal democracies more than the sort of corporatist-oligarchical Gandvik, I think the two states could maintain a good working relationship.

Clearly the claim could stand a bit of extrapolation and additional working-out, but as a foot in the door, it works for me. Should really have more to say than that, but a few projects now in the works and need to get cracking on those!

[Chrinthanium]

Welcome to AMW, Kalvinka!

[Walmington on Sea]

Hurrah, new member!

On noticing Kalvinka's signature, though, I think I'd better reinforce the Army of Amberland ((narrows eyes))

[Chrinthanium]

Kalvinka and Silver Coast have been added to the claim's map and "real view" map on the 2nd post in this thread. I've also added the claims to the list of claim there. Kalvinka, future discussions about your claim go in the discussion thread.

[Carabana]

Application For A Modern World

Nation: The Constitutional Monarchy Of Carabana

Brief History: Carabana was officially founded in the late 1880s, after a long war for independence from powerful nations who wished to colonize Carabana and take advantage of it's natural resources. Carabana's first monarch took charge and rapidly changed Carabana from a poor, isolated back-water nation into a major power in the region of southern Africa. When other nations began to industrialize, Carabana did too, but taking care to not harm it's environment in the process. Due to other monarch's attempts to ruin this and turn Carabana into a fully industrialized nation with no environmental beauty, the monarch was given no choice but to establish a council that would keep monarch's from abusing their power. The council was established as the Royal Council Of Carabana, and made sure that the people had their say in what happened to Carabana. Now entering the age of modern technology, Carabana has seamlessly combined the old with the new, and is a superpower on the rise.

Location On The Map: As mentioned in the history of Carabana, it is located in the south of Africa, approximately where the country Madagascar is located. The nations capital, Nueva Saldeana, is located in the Northeast region. Other cities: Esmeralda (Central-West), Rivera (South-West), Port Mariana (South-East), and Calypso Falls (Central-East).

Economy: Carabana's economy consists of mostly the Private Industry, Government, and the State-Owned Industry not far behind. The average salary is 36,896 Carabanian Dollars per person, with the richest earning 53,777 Carabanian Dollars, and the poorest earning 24,046 Carabanian Dollars per year. Carabana's gross domestic product is worth 7.79 trillion Carabanian Dollars.

Society: Carabana's society is very peaceful and safe. Crime is virtually unknown due to our well-funded police force, and so far Carabana has not been involved in too many wars. Our society cares very much for the enviroment, with most people recycling and relying on eco-friendly sources of electricity. All of our citizens earn money to be able to make a living AND have many extra things, and our healthcare is free to our residents. Though some people in our country don't rely on the government for aid, and live isolated from society in small communities, in Carabana's islands in the ocean.

Language: Due to our colonial past, our four most spoken languages are Carabanian (Different Dialect Of Spanish), Spanish, British English, and Portuguese.

I hope you can accept this application for Carabana to be in this roleplay.