STRANGE NEW WORLD (2024 ALT-HISTORY RP) - OOC

[Sao Nova Europa]

Strange New World

IC

MAP

Note: Always make sure to both check the reservation roster and the last page(s) of the RP since the map may not always be 100% up to date AND ONLY ACCEPTED NATIONS WILL BE ADDED TO THE MAP.

Strange New World is a geopolitical RP set in January 2024, but with a twist: history has diverged from ours. This opens up endless possibilities as the world can change considerably.

Point of Divergence

The Point of Divergence (PoD) is the birth of human history. It is up to the players to decide if they want to create a completely different world or one closely resembling our own. While there is broad freedom given, some events still take place:

Roman Empire
Spread of Christianity in Europe
Spread of Islam
Mongol conquests
European colonization of the Americas
Reformation
Decolonization
2008 global financial crisis

Players will be given a lot of freedom in shaping the events and history of this world, but there should be common sense and realism. Bavaria uniting Germany? Sure. Ulm uniting Germany? No. Chinese colonizing the Pacific coast of the Americas? Yes. Chinese conquest of Europe? No.

I will also not allow colonial empires to still exist (though I will allow limited overseas territories). Anticolonialism was still a thing in this TL.

Reports

Every IRL month equals four IC months. At the end of each IRL month, I will be releasing a report that will:

- show the consequences of your actions: if you implemented an economic policy, the report will mention if it succeeded or failed.
- offer events: the world will be a live one. Those can range from local conflicts to terrorist attacks to protests to natural disasters.

Rules

1. Be realistic: Use common sense when it comes to undertaking actions.

France invading Algeria to topple a dictatorship and install a democracy will be allowed. France invading Algeria to annex it into France proper or turn it into an official colony will not be allowed.
A middle-sized country with very high debt spending tens of billions of dollars without raising taxes or accounting for the huge deficit will lead to an economic crisis.

2. This is not a map-painting game.

If you start invading countries left and right (especially if you do not have a good reason), you will suffer from sanctions or outright intervention. If I feel your actions are far too unrealistic, I might even block them.
Even if you invade to "bring democracy to X country", you still need proper justification and might still face public opposition. You need a good reason to intervene and your citizens - especially if you are a democracy - will not be cheering on if you do not justify it properly to the public.

3. Wars

Ideally, the result of wars should be decided by agreement between the players. This is a collaborative RP, not an antagonistic one. In cases where this is not possible, though, I will be deciding the results based on numbers, logistics, tactics, and post quality.

SIGN UP

Fill out the application to join. You can post in the IC only if you have been accepted. Reservations last a week. You can renew them only once. If you do not renew your reservation or fail again to app, then your nation will be free once again to be taken by another player.

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[box][size=150]APPLICATION[/size]
[b]NS Name:[/b]
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[b]Flag:[/b]
[b]Capital:[/b]
[b]Territory:[/b]
[b]Population:[/b]
[b]Official Language(s):[/b]

[b]Type of Government:[/b]
[b]Head of State:[/b]
[b]Head of Government:[/b] If HoS and HoG are same person, then simply repeat their name.
[b]Legislature (the name of your national legislature):[/b]
[b]Legislative Houses (if your legislature is bicameral):[/b]
[b]Party in Power:[/b]
[b]National Issues:[/b] Mention [i]three (3)[/i] issues - domestic and foreign - that plague your nation and which you need to tackle in order to prosper.
[b]Public Goals:[/b]
[b]Private Goals:[/b]

[b]GDP (nominal):[/b]
[b]Currency:[/b]
[b]Economic System:[/b]
[b]Defense Budget (USD):[/b]
[b]Alliance(s):[/b]

[b]Military:[/b]

[b]History:[/b]
[b]RP Example(s):[/b] If you are new and do not have an example, you can write a short (two paragraphs long) RP in your app for me to evaluate.

Do not remove - 2024RP[/box]

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[box][size=150]RESERVATION[/size]
[b]NS Name:[/b]
[b]RP Name:[/b]
[b]Territory:[/b]

Do not remove - 2024RP[/box]

[Sao Nova Europa]

ACCEPTED NATIONS

Empire of Yunnanistan - Sao Nova Europa
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics - Orostan
Roman Empire - Dragos Bee
United Republics of Columbia - Benuty
Union State of Norland - Malorossi
Republic of China - Chewion
French Republic - Shohun
Republic of Poland - NPC
Republic of Biafra - NPC
Ancient and Enlightened State of the Territories of Hongma - Diarcesia
United Indian Republics - Crpostran
Egypt - NPC

RESERVED NATIONS

Confederate States of America - Newne Carriebean7
Republic of Haiti - Deblar
Japanese Empire - Rygondria
German Empire - Tracian Empire
Pacific States of America - Arvenia
Great Lakes Confederation - Nyetoa
Federation of Vinland - Asturies-Llion

[Sao Nova Europa]

APPLICATION
NS Name: Sao Nova Europa
RP Name: Empire of Yunnanistan (Βασίλειο του Γιουνανιστάν)
Flag:



Capital: Alexandria (Bangkok)
Territory: Claims
Population: 253,921,848

The vast majority of inhabitants are Yunnanis (Greek). Ethnically, the Yunnanis are the ancestors of Mon, Khmer, Pyu, Tai and other groups that over the centuries were Hellenized - the exception being hill tribes that have retained their cultural characteristics. The vast majority of the population (89%) are Catholic Christians.

Official Language(s): Attic Greek

For centuries the empire was multilingual. The Imperial Court and the educated would speak Attic Greek while the various peoples of the empire would speak dialects of Greek with heavy influence from their native tongues. Since the 19th century, though, the creation of a centralized educational system and the suppression of regional dialects meant that most people were educated in Attic Greek. Nowadays, Attic Greek is the dominant language of the empire, with only hill peoples maintaining their linguistic autonomy.

Type of Government: Constitutional Monarchy
Head of State: Emperor Markos V Phokas



Head of Government: Prime Minister Kyriakos Kannelakis



Legislature (the name of your national legislature): National Assembly

The National Assembly consists of 400 Representatives, who are elected every four years, unless snap elections are called earlier. The Prime Minister can request the Emperor to dissolve the Assembly, which would then trigger snap elections. Out of the 400 seats, 300 are filled through single-member constituencies using a First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) system. The remaining 100 seats are distributed to parties based on their proportion of the nationwide vote, provided they surpass a 5% electoral threshold. On the ballot, voters choose both a candidate for their district (under the FPTP system) and a party for the proportional representation seats.

Legislative Houses (if your legislature is bicameral): Unicameral
Party in Power:

Progressive Liberal Party (PLP)
278/400 seats
The PLP is a broadly centrist liberal party. It is center-right economically, supporting reducing government spending, cutting taxes, privatizations, and a pro-business environment. Socially, it is center-left and supports the legalization of marijuana for recreational usage, same-sex marriage, and reforming the strict abortion laws.

Christian Social Union (CSU)
122/400 seats
The CSU is a center-right to right-wing party. It is center-left and populist economically, supporting family-oriented welfare schemes, increased support for low-income people, investing in healthcare and education, investments into infrastructure, and a regulated market place. Socially, they are conservative. They oppose same-sex marriage and marijuana legalization, and they are strongly pro-life. They believe in the importance of Christian ethics.

National Issues:

Deficits
The CSU administrations of the past years have been investing heavily in social services and infrastructure spending through foreign loans and running fiscal deficits. The new PLP administration under PM Kannelakis is hoping to reverse this trend and balance the budget.

Middle Income Trap
The middle-income trap refers to a situation whereby a middle-income country is failing to transition to a high-income economy due to rising costs and declining competitiveness. This is exactly the situation Yunnanistan finds itself trapped in, and the government will have to find a way to remedy this.

Culture Wars
Prime Minister Kannelakis hopes to reform the deeply conservative Catholic country by liberalizing the abortion law, legalizing marijuana for recreational usage, and pushing for marriage equality. He will face strong resistance in his attempts, and may be forced to backtrack in his promises.

Public Goals: Economic growth
Private Goals: Regional supremacy

GDP (nominal): $2,527bln
Currency: Drachma
Economic System: Regulated Capitalism
Defense Budget (USD): 3%
Alliance(s): -

Military:

562,000 soldiers-at-arms

Land:
438,000 men
2,142 Tanks
13,000 Armored Vehicles
1,198 Self-Propelled Artillery
1,439 Towed Artillery
1,136 Rocket Projectors

Sea:
73,000 men
12 Destroyers
6 Frigates
8 Corvettes
18 Submarines
48 Patrol Vessels
20 Mine Warfare

Air:
51,000 men
357 Fighters/Interceptors
183 Dedicated Attack
182 Transports
74 Special Missions
463 Helicopters
110 Attack Helicopters

WMDs: Yunnanistan is a recognized nuclear state with 45 nuclear warheads

History:

INDO-GREEK EMPIRE

The Seleucid Empire, despite losing its Indian territories, managed to retain Bactria which would later prove to be the springboard from which the Greeks would conquer northwest India. As Seleucus I moved the center of the political power of the Seleucid Empire from Iran to Syria, where he built his new capital, his control of the eastern territories became tenuous at best. Andragoras, Satrap of Parthia, revolted against the Seleucid Empire, but his province was overrun by the Parni, a nomadic people led by Arsaces. This isolated Bactria and allowed general Diodotus to declare his independence from his Seleucid overlord and form the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom in c. 246 BC. It was the Greco-Bactrian Kings who would establish Greek control in northwest India.

The establishment of the Greco-Indian Empire began when King (Basileus - Βασιλεύς) Demetrios I of Bactria invaded India with the help of his brother, Apollodoros, and a general named Menander, who would later on become the greatest of the Indo-Greek Kings. Demetrios crossed the Hindukush Mountains in 183 BC, conquered Gandhara and Taxila, crossed the Indus river, and took over Patala, which he renamed Demetrias. Apollodoros continued his conquests: Gujarat’s ports, including Bharukacha, were captured by him and he later moved to Gwalior and captured the important city of Ujjain. Simultaneously, Menander (who was still a general of Demetrios) led his army to the Gangetic basin and conquered Pataliputra. His control over this important city was brief and it is known that the Indians recovered the city, maybe a few months later.

A usurpation of the Bactrian crown would lead to the split of this vast Greek realm into two Kingdoms: the Greco-Bactrian and the Indo-Greek. Eukratides usurped the Bactrian crown and Demetrios was forced to return to the north, leaving behind in the Indus valley Apollodoros and Menander. Demetrios was killed and he was succeeded in his Indian holdings by his two sons, Agathocles and Pantaleon. They may have ruled together at first, but Pantaleon soon died and Agathocles ruled the realm on his own. Agathocles made Taxila his new capital. He was succeeded by Apollodotus I, a former general of Demetrios, who died in 165 BC. His successor was Menander, who may have married Agathocles’ daughter to legitimize his reign.

Menander had proved his military genius when he had briefly conquered Pataliputra. As King, he expanded his realm to the south. He took back control of Pataliputra from the weakened Shunga Empire, crushing in a decisive battle the Shunga forces and taking captive the Shunga Emperor Pushyamitra Shunga. Menander had him publicly executed, throwing the Shunga into chaos and allowing his army to expand the Greek realm as far east as Bengal. Menander then launched a number of military campaigns against the Avanti, Dasarna and other northern and central Indian polities left vulnerable in the wake of the collapse of the Maurya Empire. By the time of his death in 130 BC, all of the northern Indian plains and a large part of central India were under Greek rule.

After his death in 130 BC, he was succeeded by his wife Agathokleia, who ruled as regent for his son Strato I. Under her firm hand, Greek rule was stabilized. Menander’s successors would rule peacefully until 48 BC, with the Greco-India realm experiencing economic prosperity and a flourishing of arts and culture.

Beginning with Menander and accelerating with his successors, there was a trend of Greek polis (city-states) being constructed across North India, populated mainly with Greek and Hellenized populations; in order to maintain control of their vast realm, the Greeks had to accept upper-class Indians educated in Greek as fellow Greeks. Those city-states, governed by an assembly of the richest and most influential citizens, ruled over the city itself and its adjacent lands (including Indian cities and villages in those lands). The Greek cities were built according to the system of Hippodamus. Walls fortified the cities and temples were built according to the Ionic and Corinthian orders. The Empire thus resembled a federation of city-states, with the Greek city-states providing annual monetary tribute and levies to the King and in return the King granting them considerable autonomy. The Indo-Greek Empire had highly developed coinage. While the Maurya Emperors produced punch-marked coins, the coins of even the Indo-Greeks were of excellent quality and with their image on them.

The Indo-Greek Kingdoms retained the basic characteristics of Greek culture, somewhat surprising considering that they were cut off from other Hellenistic states and were in faraway India. Nevertheless, they were influenced by Indian culture and especially by Buddhism, which the Kings patronized. Menander, whether Buddhist or not, supported and protected Buddhism while many Greeks were converted to that religion. Before the Greek presence, Buddha was not depicted in a human form, but symbolically. The Indo-Greeks changed this and their statues depicted Buddha as a human. They used as inspiration the statues of Greek gods like Apollo and Hercules but at the same time, they were influenced by Indian art. Those Gandhara Buddhas were highly influential. Through Sinkiang, this Greco-Buddhist art spread to China and from there to Korea and Japan.

Greek became the language of culture, education, and administration. The children of aristocrats, administrators, and scholars (both Greek and Indian) were educated with the Iliad and nine tragedies: Persians, Prometheus Bound, and Seven Against Thebes by Aischylos, Ajax, Electra, and Oedipus the King by Sophokles, and Hecuba, Orestes, and Phoenician Women by Euripides. Rhetoric was also important, with pupils having to compose speeches on imaginary subjects drawn from Greek history and mythology. The Greeks would also come to employ the Caste system of Indian society, further refining it to suit their needs.

SCYTHIAN INVASION AND RETREAT TO THE EAST

Around 80 BC, an Indo-Scythian general named Maues, initially in the service of the Indo-Greeks, emerged as an independent ruler in northwestern India. He had married an Indo-Greek princess named Machene to legitimize his rule and had united the Scythian horsemen under his banner. King Hippostratus (65–55 BC) tried with a series of military campaigns to subdue the now independent Scythians but lost to the Indo-Scythian King Azes I in a decisive battle in 55 BC, being killed in the field of battle.

Large swathes of northern India fell under the control of the Scythians. Indo-Greek King Dionysos III and his court fled to the east, in Bengal. They were followed by Greek aristocrats and much of the military, as well as a fair number of Greek settlers and Hellenized Indians. In 48 BC, a decisive battle fought in the Bengal Delta resulted in another catastrophic defeat for the Indo-Greeks. Dionysos fled to Neopolis (Chittagong) and made a last stand to the north of the city. His army miraculously stopped the Scythian advance, and Azes I was killed in the battle. As the Scythians retreated to deal with the aftermath of Azes' death, Dionysos consolidated his hold over the Chittagong region.

Over the next few decades, the Greek realm would be confined to that small region of western Indochina. Neopolis, the capital of the realm, would flourish. It was located on the southern branch of the Silk Road and it served as a port for trade with Indian kingdoms and the Persian and Roman empires. The region became heavily Hellenized as a result of the settlement of Greek settlers fleeing the Scythians from the rest of Greek India and the gradual Hellenization of the natives who wanted to get integrated into the ruling caste.

By around 100 AD, the Greeks began expanding into the Irrawaddy Valley and the Irrawaddy Delta. The Irrawaddy River and its tributaries provided vital water resources for agriculture, particularly rice cultivation. This allowed the population to grow and cities to pop up. Those cities had less autonomy from the central government (compared to the Greek cities of the Indo-Greek empire) and political leaders were appointed from the center. They became centers of culture and learning, spreading the Greek language in the region. Most of the population actually belonged to the Mon-Khmer and Pyu ethnic groups, but they began adopting a variation of Greek mingled with extensive loan words from their native tongues.

ASTHENES AND KALLOS DYNASTIES

In around 251 AD, general Patroklos Asthenes launched a successful military coup and became Basileus. The Asthenes Dynasty would last until 661 AD. Arts and culture flourished in this period. Literature was written in Attic Greek, harkening back to the classical times. Theaters and baths were constructed in major cities. Works were written on algebra and geometry. This was also a period of great progress in astronomy, with scholars developing sophisticated methods for calculating the movements of celestial bodies.

The Greek realm expanded southwards into Siam, conquering Mon principalities and the powerful Lavo Kingdom. This process of expansion - called in Yunnani historiography as the "March to the East" - lasted centuries. It began around 300 AD and was completed by around 600 AD. The Greek Emperors would integrate native Mon aristocrats into the ruling caste in order to manage this expanded realm and keep the peace. The upper-class Mons would adopt Greek language and customs in order to integrate themselves better into the ruling caste. The Hellenization of the peasants was a far longer process that would take many more centuries, and would not be fully completed until the 19th century.

In 661 AD, a palace coup overthrew the Asthenes Dynasty. Diodoros Kallos became the new Emperor. Diodoros, before pulling off his palace coup, had served for decades as a Minister in the Imperial Court. He put his great administrative experience into use upon becoming Emperor. He reorganized the internal structure of the empire. He divided the realm into Dominions ruled by a Kritis (responsible for overseeing the implementation of laws), a Strategos (responsible for control of the military forces), and a Thysaurophylakas (responsible for tax collection). Those officials would be appointed by the central government for a term of up to five years at most, so as to prevent the rise of regional power centers. Those officials would also be recruited not due to connections or family history, but through public examinations. Of course, only the richest could afford the necessary education to pass the examinations, but this process made the administration of the realm more meritocratic.

The centralization of authority meant that the Greek realm could mobilize greater material and manpower resources - and it used them to expand across the peninsula. Greek armies crossed in the 700s into Cambodia and conquered one after the other the Khmer principalities of Chenla. By 807, they had managed to get as far east as the Mekong Delta. The conquest of Cambodia was followed by the establishment of Greek cities as centers of control and commerce, with Greek-speaking settlers acting as supporters of the regime. Of course, almost none of those Greek-speaking settlers were actually ethnically Greek - most of them belonged to the Mon and Pyu ethnic groups.

MAKEDONIAN AND SVOROS DYNASTIES

In 987, Minister of War Nikolaos Makedonas launched a successful coup that toppled the last Emperor of the Kallos Dynasty. Nikolaos took advantage of the decline of the Srivijaya Empire to conquer the Malay peninsula. His successors governed a mostly peaceful empire, repelling Tai and Viet invasions. The Tai immigration southwards was especially challenging, but the Makedonian Emperors decided - after some decades of battling with them - to integrate them. They allowed Tai peoples to settle within the empire in exchange for military service. It didn't take long for the Tai elites to adopt the Greek language and Greek customs to fit in the ruling caste of the empire, and some Hellenized Tais got important posts in the Imperial Court.

The Makedonian Emperors were pious Buddhists, and they constructed massive temple complexes across the empire. Over ten thousand small and large temples would be constructed under the Makedonian dynasty. They also undertook the construction of an extensive road network that connected the major urban centers of the empire, though sea travel would still be the preferable mode of transportation. International trade enriched the empire, and taxation on peasants was lowered as a result, causing a population boom and internal stability.

The expansion of Buddhist monasteries - whose lands were tax-free - reduced the revenues of the government. Corruption and decadence began to take hold in the 12th century. The greatest challenge the Makedonians faced was the Mongol Empire. The Mongols conquered Yunnan and wanted to expand southwards, into the Irrawaddy Valley. In 1253 they invaded and burned down numerous cities, massacring tens of thousands. The Greek Emperors were forced to become tributaries of the Mongols.

In 1321, Strategos Andreas Svoros of the Mekong Delta revolted. He defeated thrice the imperial armies sent against him, and in 1325 he conquered Neopolis and was crowned Basileus. The Svoros Dynasty thus replaced the Makedonians. He moved the capital of the empire further east, constructing the city of Alexandria (Bangkok). Thus the center of the empire shifted from the Chittagong region to the Siam region. Andreas restored centralized control, putting down provincial revolts and removing corrupt officials. He redistributed the land, taking it away from both rich aristocrats and Buddhist monasteries and granting it to the peasants toiling the land. He reformed the tax system, simplifying it and making it more efficient.

The successors of Andreas maintained the peace domestically while fending off foreign invaders, mostly Champa and Vietnamese. This was a period that saw a flourishing of Greek literature, mostly poetry but also theater dramas. Amphitheaters were constructed in multiple cities and became popular places for social mingling. By the 16th, though, the situation had changed. A succession of weak emperors meant that power was increasingly dominated by eunuchs (who had over the centuries gained ever-increasing importance in the Imperial Court). One such eunuch would make history.

PHOKAS DYNASTY

Christophoros Phokas was Chancellor of the empire and an eunuch. He couldn't claim the throne for himself, but his brother Alekos wasn't an eunuch. So in 1581, Christophoros pulled off a palace coup. The last Svoros emperor was murdered in his bed, and Alekos Phokas was crowned Basileus. Real power continued to be held by Christophoros until Alekos had his brother poisoned in 1594, allowing him to truly take the reins of the government. One of his first acts was to purge the government of eunuchs, instead relying on officials recruited through the public examinations system.

The 17th century would become known as a Golden Age for the Greek empire of the east. The empire became a major economic power, serving as a regional trade hub with extensive diplomatic and commercial ties with foreign powers such as China, Japan, Persia, Portugal, the Netherlands, France, and England. This would have monumental effects on the history of the Yunnani (as the Greeks of the east came to be known). In 1661, Emperor Markos II Phokas converted to Catholicism at the behest of a Portuguese adviser. After facing some resistance (including an attempted palace coup in 1662 and a civil war between 1664 - 1667), he managed to get most court officials to convert to this new religion.

Markos II confiscated land from Buddhist monasteries and revoked their tax-free status, and he granted those privileges to newly founded Catholic monasteries. With the help of French and Portuguese missionaries, a process of Christianization began. The empire would remain majority Buddhist for decades though, only becoming Catholic by the late 1780s. Meanwhile, the Greek emperors began employing European advisers to construct modern bastion fortifications and import artillery, which helped repel the expanding Vietnamese and Lao. For the next decades, the empire would experience peace and prosperity, but it would fall behind the industrializing West technologically.

The reign of Themisocles VII was especially important. He ruled from 1771 to 1799. During this period, he would oversee the implementation of significant reforms to modernize the empire. He would reduce unnecessary government expenses and crack down on government corruption. He would also finance several infrastructure projects in an attempt to revitalize the economy. And he would create the first professional diplomatic corps in the empire's history. Konstantinos V (1799 - 1821) created the Academy of Alexandria to promote Greek culture and the Antiquities Institute, under the management of European academics, to promote archeological work. He would also begin the process of modernizing the Imperial Army by sending select officers to study in the West.

MODERN EMPIRE

During the reign of Konstantinos VI (1821 - 1857), liberal ideals spread in the empire. A group of reformist military officers who had studied in the West formed the ‘Society of Progress’, a secret organization for military officers who believed the Empire was stagnating under the current regime. Many of them had been inspired by the ‘Democratic Movement’, an intellectual movement that studied and idolized Ancient Athens and its democracy.

In 1853, these officers launched a military coup and forced the Basileus to grant permission for a Constitutional Assembly. This Assembly would draft the Constitution of 1854, which established a constitutional monarchy. All tax-paying males aged 21 or older would have the right to vote. The first elections were held in 1855, to give time for the formation of political parties and the civic education of the population. The 1855 elections resulted in a fragmented parliament but after seven months, a coalition government was formed.

In theory liberalism and democracy won. In practice though the lack of democratic political traditions meant that political parties were centered around either a charismatic personality or in support of regional interests rather than an ideology. Parties would gain and expand their support by offering to their supporters various benefits including tax exemptions for certain regions and appointment to local and national offices. Elections became a competition for the ‘spoils’ of the state rather than a debate between policies and ideas.

Some progress towards modernization was made during this period. Foreign-language schools were established in 1862, modern arsenals were established in 1865, and a modern naval dockyard in 1866. Yet the constant squabbling and political instability led to growing dissatisfaction with the status quo that threatened democracy, and indeed there was a military coup attempt in 1867 that was barely foiled. Thankfully for the democratic institutions, charismatic liberal politician Ioannes Koletis emerged during this period. Unlike most other Imperial politicians, he actually had an intellectual basis for his beliefs, but he was also practical enough to offer political patronage and bribery to amass the necessary political capital to push through necessary reforms.

As Prime Minister (1869 - 1887), Koletis pushed through a radical reformist agenda. Using loans and revenue raised from a modernized and expanded system of taxation, he invested heavily in the construction of railways that sped up commerce and travel within the Empire. A machine factory was established in 1870, and students were sent for advanced education to the West starting in 1872. A system of budgets similar to that of Western governments was implemented. On the local level, the Kallisthenis system was implemented, which included the establishment of a modern police system and the expansion of local organizational functions. Autonomous research institutes were set up in the urban areas, to promote modern Western-style education. A new code and judicial system came into law. The Bank of Asia, founded in 1877, used taxes to fund the construction of modern factories. Other economic reforms passed by the government included a unified modern currency, commercial and tax laws, stock exchanges, and a communications network. The establishment of a modern institutional framework conductive to an advanced capitalist economy took time, but was completed by the 1890s. By this time, the government had largely relinquished direct control of the modernization process, primarily for budgetary reasons.

The army was reformed, with Western-style education for officers, many of whom were sent abroad for education. Wages for soldiers were increased to combat corruption. Most importantly, Koletis invested heavily in the navy as he believed a strong navy was what allowed European powers to expand their influence across the globe. The modernization reforms of Koletis paid off, and the Empire entered a period of renewed prosperity even after his death in 1887 due to a heart attack. Under Theodore Papadopoulos (1903 - 1911), the idea of the National Renewal Movement (Κίνημα Εθνικής Αναγέννησης) gained prominence. A nationalist movement called for a strong centralized state to push through Westernizing reforms, a strong military and a culture of discipline and war, veneration of the Basileus and an attack on "corrupt particracy", and Greek nationalism. Although many of the early proponents of the movement were Koletists, they had abandoned liberal progressivism for an authoritarian and nationalistic form of progressivism - progress in the service of strengthening the "national body".

Theodore Papadopoulos was a moderate proponent of those ideas. Although he believed in the need for strong government and a greater role of the Basileus in political affairs, he rejected outright authoritarianism or absolute monarchism. Despite his orations on morality and attack on "particracy", he would utilize political patronage to maintain control of a fractured parliament. In other ways, though, he embraced the new radical ideas of the movement. He expanded the centralized public educational system - which had been founded in the 1860s - and pushed for Greek nationalist curricula. This was accompanied by the funding of ‘Cultural Festivities’, which promoted Greek cultural activities, and the ‘Summer Camps’ in which children in urban centers (and even some rural centers) would spend their summer in government-managed camps where they would be indoctrinated in the values of Greek nationalism.

This promotion of Greek ultranationalism solidified among the younger generation a sense of a common national identity and while it did not fully erase regional differences, it ensured greater cultural unity. It also created a generation of ultranationalist radicals not content with the moderate politics of Papadopoulos and his uninspired successors. In the 1920s, numerous far-right organizations would form, clamoring for an end of "corrupt particracy" and a return to a glorious ancient past. This was reinforced by the stagnation of the 1920s. While the modernization reforms of the Koletis era had resulted in explosive economic growth in the 1880s, 1890s, 1900s, and much of the 1910s (which saw the creation of an educated middle class and rising wages), the 1920s saw economic growth slow. As such, unlike their parents, many younger people felt increasingly dissatisfied with the status quo and their future prospects.

The situation became worse with an economic crash in 1931, which resulted in two years of steep recession. Workers' strikes were organized and the "corrupt political elites" were blamed. The young and newly enthroned Basileus Antigonos XVII, seeking to distance himself from the failing establishment, attacked the parliament in public - adding fuel to the fire and giving credence to nationalist radicals. Some argued for the need for a strong government to wage war and expand the border of the Empire in order to alleviate the crises of economic recession and overpopulation - through the acquiring of living space and new sources of materials.

An ultranationalist coup attempt in 1933 was foiled, but it terrified conservative and even some liberal politicians into seeking some way to control popular outrage. With the blessings of the Basileus, most conservative and many liberal politicians formed a new political party - the League of National Rejuvenation (LNR). In 1935, the LNR was declared the sole legal political party. An executive act by Prime Minister Antonis Kasselakis suspended the Constitution and granted emergency powers to the Basileus.

Much of the population accepted this development, hoping that a strong authoritarian government would give solutions to their problems. There were of course some dissenters; progressives who decried the "death of democracy" and some radical ultranationalists who decried the LNR as a "creature of the political establishment" that had coopted the ideas of the National Renewal Movement to save a "corrupt" establishment. But as the majority of the population supported the LNR, there wasn't much those dissenters could do.

Under the premiership of Kasselakis, unrest was quelled, stability returned and the economy recovered from the crisis and began to grow once more. The official name of the empire changed. Until then, the empire had officially been called 'Empire of Asia' (Βασίλειο της Ασίας). Seeking a name that proclaimed the ethnic character of the state, Kasselakis declared in 1939 that the name of the empire was changed to 'Empire of Yunnanistan' (Βασίλειο του Γιουνανιστάν), the name by which Greeks were known in the East. Kasselakis' regime would last until 1974 - Kasselakis himself would rule until 1953, and would be succeeded in his office as Prime Minister and dictator by Konstantinos Karamanlis.

In the 1950s and 1960s, Yunnanistan would see both explosive population growth and strong economic growth. Massive investments into infrastructure, state-led development of hard industry and manufacturing, substantial exports, and the growth of the tourism sector would lead to high rates of economic growth. The annual GDP growth from 1955 to 1968 was 10% - sometimes even exceeding that number. Markopolis (Singapore) emerged as a major and busy port in Southeast Asia. But this was also a period of repression and limited civil rights for Yunnani citizens.

While Karamanlis was ruling in an authoritarian manner in the 1950s and 1960s, in the first half of the 1970s he gradually liberalized politically the Empire. He relaxed press censorship, allowed the formation of independent political parties, and, in a bold step, in 1974 he allowed for free and fair elections. He sidelined the fossilized League of National Rejuvenation for a new political party he formed; the Christian Social Union. In the 1974 elections, Karamanlis won a supermajority in Parliament. A coup attempt by hardliners in 1976 was foiled and the government pushed for broader liberalization.

The first political test for the new republic came in 1982, when for the first time a non-conservative party won the elections. Under the charismatic leadership of Andreas Nikolaides, the Social Democratic Alliance won the elections and defeated CSU. Karamanlis conceded and allowed for a smooth transition of power to Nikolaides, a sign that times had changed and the old regime was gone for good. Under Andreas Nikolaides (1982 - 2004), the SDA managed to establish a rudimentary welfare state by creating the Yunnani National Healthcare System and using foreign loans to fund extensive social programs. Under his rule, Yunnanistan also managed to develop a small arsenal of nuclear weapons.

In 2004, Nikolaides died and his successor Kostopoulos wasn't popular. There was also fatigue from over twenty years of SDA rule. Meanwhile, the CSU had changed itself. After its defeat in 1982, it had at first drifted to the right economically, but by the 1990s it had begun trending to the left, even outflanking the SDA with its proposals for extensive welfare benefits. The party rejected "individualist capitalism" and the "unfettered free market" in favor of "communitarianism based on Christian values and Catholic social teaching". With that platform, Kostas Karamanlis, nephew of the elder Karamanlis, won the election in 2004 and again in 2008.

Karamanlis implemented a series of social welfare measures aimed at alleviating poverty while funding extensive infrastructure projects in rural areas. His policies were extremely popular, and many urban and rural poor who once had supported the SDA had drifted to the CSU. The SDA also suffered from the discovery of multiple corruption scandals (during its rule from 1982 to 2004) and the conviction of multiple important SDA politicians. The catastrophic performance of the party in 2008 caused it to implode. Its place was taken by the Progressive Liberal Party. The PLP was a centrist party mostly supported by the overtaxed middle class in urban areas. Unlike the SDA, whose place in the polls it overtook, the PLP was economically center-right but socially it was center-left.

In 2012, the PLP won the elections, defeating the CSU on a platform of restoring public finances, especially in the aftermath of the 2009 fiscal crisis. Between 2012 - 2016, the PLP under Prime Minister Dimitrios Gounaris implemented harsh austerity measures that balanced the budget and pulled Yunnanistan out of the crisis, but it cost the party the 2016 election. Stefanos Doukas of the CSU won the 2016 election and the 2020 election. As Prime Minister, he would reverse some of the budget cuts of Gounaris and increase benefits for low-income families.

To observers, it seemed that Doukas would easily win the 2024 elections as well, but a financial scandal discovered in August of 2023 rocked the government, caused multiple ministers to resign, and plummeted the popularity of the government. In the snap elections of October 2023, the PLP under Kyriakos Kannelakis won a majority in the parliament and formed the next government. Kannelakis now hopes to push through a combination of center-right economic reforms to enhance the competitiveness of Yunnanistan while also pushing center-left progressive reforms on LGBT and marijuana issues.

RP Example(s): I'm the OP

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[Newne Carriebean7]

RESERVATION
NS Name: Newne Carriebean7
RP Name: The Confederate States of America
Territory: The States of Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona and New Mexico

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[Sao Nova Europa]

RESERVATION
NS Name: Newne Carriebean7
RP Name: The Confederate States of America
Territory: The States of Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona and New Mexico

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Reservation accepted

[Great Confederacy of Commonwealth States]

RESERVATION
NS Name: GCCS
RP Name: The Kingdom of al-'Arḍ al-Kabīrah
Territory: Italy, Sardinia, Sicily, Corsica, Malta, Barbados, Maldives

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[Sao Nova Europa]

RESERVATION
NS Name: GCCS
RP Name: The Kingdom of al-'Arḍ al-Kabīrah
Territory: Italy, Sardinia, Sicily, Corsica, Malta, Barbados, Maldives

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Reservation noted

[Orostan]

You can never go wrong with a classic.

RESERVATION
NS Name: Orostan
RP Name: Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
Territory: RL post-WWII USSR

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[Benuty]

RESERVATION
NS Name: Benuty
RP Name: Federation of New England
Territory: Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island.

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[Sao Nova Europa]

You can never go wrong with a classic.

RESERVATION
NS Name: Orostan
RP Name: Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
Territory: RL post-WWII USSR

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Reservation noted

Only exception is Kaliningrad since I want to give leeway to possible German players and we don't know the history of WW2 (if it even happened) in this TL.

[Sao Nova Europa]

RESERVATION
NS Name: Benuty
RP Name: Federation of New England
Territory: Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island.

Do not remove - 2024RP

Reservation noted

[Orostan]

You can never go wrong with a classic.

RESERVATION
NS Name: Orostan
RP Name: Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
Territory: RL post-WWII USSR

Do not remove - 2024RP

Reservation noted

Only exception is Kaliningrad since I want to give leeway to possible German players and we don't know the history of WW2 (if it even happened) in this TL.

I’ll give up Kaliningrad if any German player wants it.


I think there should have been some equivalent global conflict. The CSA existing also leaves open the possibility for a North American front in that war. The divided USA and Arab Italy reminds me of a book called “The Mirage” about an alternative history where a unified Arabia is a global super power - wouldn’t that be an interesting rival to have fought against or alongside during our WWII equivalent?

[Sao Nova Europa]

I will be creating a Discord server in a couple of days (for now want to keep activity on the OOC) so people can craft common histories either there or here through telegrams. Hopefully a common timeline can be established.

[Deblar]

RESERVATION
NS Name: Deblar
RP Name: Republic of Haiti
Territory: all of Hispaniola

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[Sao Nova Europa]

RESERVATION
NS Name: Deblar
RP Name: Republic of Haiti
Territory: all of Hispaniola

Do not remove - 2024RP

Reservation noted

[Benuty]

I am basically going for a U.S. that essentially started imploding due to secessionism. Now I could either do it via a post civil war route or a 1991 collapse route. It would give time for the USSR to have had a rival who ultimately collapsed in on themselves.

[Deblar]

I am basically going for a U.S. that essentially started imploding due to secessionism. Now I could either do it via a post civil war route or a 1991 collapse route. It would give time for the USSR to have had a rival who ultimately collapsed in on themselves.

I like how this is quickly turning into a reverse-IRL scenario

[Benuty]

I am basically going for a U.S. that essentially started imploding due to secessionism. Now I could either do it via a post civil war route or a 1991 collapse route. It would give time for the USSR to have had a rival who ultimately collapsed in on themselves.

I like how this is quickly turning into a reverse-IRL scenario

I personally love inverted scenarios at times. I play a cursed run in Millenium Dawn where I go down the U.S. Crisis path and the U.S. breaks apart. Meanwhile I reunification the Soviet Union only to have it implode even worse than real life.

[Dragos Bee]

RESERVATION
NS Name: Dragos Bee
RP Name: Politiea ton Rhomanion (Second Republic of the Romans)
Territory: Balkans, Turkey, the Aegean Islands, Cyprus, the entire Levant, and Egypt.

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[Panamerica]

RESERVATION
NS Name: Panamerica
RP Name: United States of America
Territory: All of the lower 48 United States, minus New England. This means no overseas territories or dependencies.

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[Benuty]

RESERVATION
NS Name: Panamerica
RP Name: United States of America
Territory: All of the lower 48 United States, minus New England. This means no overseas territories or dependencies.

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Well you might want to reduce your claim considering the Confederacy is claimed.

[Benuty]

RESERVATION
NS Name: Newne Carriebean7
RP Name: The Confederate States of America
Territory: The States of Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona and New Mexico

Do not remove - 2024RP

Will be interesting to see what route you go.

[Orostan]

APPLICATION
NS Name: Orostan
RP Name: Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
Flag: RL post-WWII Soviet flag
Capital: Moscow
Territory: https://i.imgur.com/Ko8bOI6.png
Population: 320 Million
Official Language(s): Ukrainian, Belarusian, Uzbek, Kazakh, Georgian, Azerbaijani, Lithuanian, Moldavian, Latvian, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Armenian, Turkmen, Estonian

Type of Government: Unitary one party socialist republic.
Head of State: Alexander Lukashenko
Head of Government: Sergey Glazyev
Legislature (the name of your national legislature): Supreme Soviet
Legislative Houses (if your legislature is bicameral): NA
Party in Power: Communist Party of the Soviet Union
National Issues:

-Excessive military spending
-Behind in computer chip technology
-Limited soft power internationally and strength in international institutions.
-Declining fertility rate

Public Goals:

-Completion of Siberian-Central Asia Water Redirection Project and refilling of Aral Sea.
-Develop advanced technology industry that currently lags behind other countries.
-Increase support to allies in Africa and Asia.
-Gain more sway in international institutions.
-Land man on mars by 2030.

Private Goals:

-Develop space military capability.
-Steal foreign technology.
-Improve KGB foreign activity capability.

GDP (nominal):

7.6 Trillion USD

GDP Per Captia: 23,750

Currency: Soviet Ruble
Economic System: Command Economy
Defense Budget (USD): 720,000,000,000 (9% of GDP)
Alliance(s): Warsaw Pact

Military:

5,100,000 Personnel

History:

All history is identical prior to 1986. Changes in WWII or other significant events that would have affected the USSR can be worked out with other players.

1986 - A list of proposed reforms by General Secretary Gorbachev is leaked to the rest of the Politburo through an unknown source, suspected to be a secret department of the KGB dedicated to monitoring the rest of the Soviet government. Gorbachev is viewed as a radical by the rest of the Soviet leadership and removed from his position as General Secretary and pressured into an early retirement. In the USSR this is called the "Gorbachev affair". Outside the USSR it is viewed as essentially a KGB coup. Grigory Romanov (no relation to former royal family of the Russian Empire) returns from his own early retirement to succeed him.

General Secretary Romanov's own reform program follows closer to Konstantin Chernenko's ideas. Penalties for slow or low quality work are increased across the Soviet economy. Reforms have limited immediate success and there is little popular enthusiasm but Soviet industrial output grows 2% in 1987. The Chernobyl disaster also occurs among these political changes.

1990 - Romanov's reforms, dubbed the "Romanov Restoration" much to the Soviet government's displeasure, in the west cumulate in the 12th Five Year plan that permits private industry in consumer goods market but retains state control over the banking system. Tensions with the west remain high and the KGB headed by Vladimir Kryuchkov remains a powerful political force in the Soviet government.

If Deng Xiaopeng is in power in China during this period Romanov would attempt to mend relations with China and expand economic relations to avoid China being brought into the economic sphere of the western world.

1991 - If the Gulf War happens, the USSR would support Iraq with military and economic aid.

1997 - After ten years in power Romanov chooses to retire rather than remain in power until death. He is also being pressured at the time by the KGB and other 'hardline' factions of the Soviet government to pursue different reforms or stop reforms entirely. Vladimir Kryuchkov is elected General Secretary of the CPSU. The "Romanov Restoration" is partially successful and the Soviet Union exits its period of stagnation but still lags behind in computer technology and economic growth is slow. Dependence on foreign export of oil begins to wane following increases in consumer goods exports.

1998 - Power is nearly monopolized in the hands of the KGB by this point. Half the Politburo is composed of former members of the KGB and the intelligence agency's power is almost unchecked.

Former KGB man Vladimir Putin is put in charge of the MVD, the Soviet ministry of the interior.

1999 - Kryuchkov rehabilitates Joseph Stalin and condemns the legacy of Khrushchev and to a lesser extent Brezhnev in a special meeting of the Politburo. For most Soviet citizens "Re-Stalinization" was a surprise. Kryuchkov's faction had planned it out for over a year in advance and virtually overnight the political situation of the USSR radically changes.

A series of party and government purges where remaining allies of Gorbachev or other more liberal reformists are expelled from the party and lose their government posts. This coincides with an anti-corruption purge where leaders of several state industries are removed for corruption offenses. The purges do not affect the lives of the average citizen and most support the action against corruption. Suppression of anti-Communist dissidents intensifies and the 1999-2003 period is remembered as the height of the KGB's power in the USSR.

2003 - Kryuchkov unexpectedly dies. Without a clear successor the Soviet Union is effectively leaderless for two weeks as the KGB group that dominated the Soviet government for nearly twenty years splits apart. The head of the Belarusian Socialist Republic, Alexander Lukashenko, is eventually elected General Secretary of the CPSU. He is the youngest leader of the USSR since Stalin, coming into power at the age of 50. He is also the first to be born after the second world war. He is widely viewed as a weak leader at this time. The majority of his support comes from the civilian government of the USSR which is alarmed at the KGB grip on the government.

Lukashenko continues most of Kryuchkov's domestic policies but chooses to change the focus of the current five year plan to increasing efficiency and quality in already existing industries, especially agriculture.

2006 - General Secretary Lukashenko marginalizes or pressures into retirement a number of senior Politburo rivals. The KGB begins to support Lukashenko after he satisfies them with a hawkish foreign policy and successful economic plans permit expansions in military expenditure. Restrictions on religion are loosened during this time period as well, although members of the Communist Party are still required to be atheists or informally keep their religion to themselves and out of public affairs. The internet begins to become mainstream in the USSR and American and Japanese computers become especially popular.

2007 - Import of foreign computers and software is restricted more than it already is following the "Zeus" computer virus infecting Soviet government and state banking computers running on the Windows operating system, affecting millions of Soviet citizens. The creator of the computer virus is secretly recruited by the KGB after being caught. The KGB establishes a cyber-warfare department. Soviet internet control was limited before this point and the first general firewall is established to control access to foreign websites. Prior to this point bans for specific websites had existed but there was no entirely separate Soviet internet.

2010 - The Soviet Union lands on the moon for the first time as part of the Soyuz LK 3 Mission launched by the Buran space plane into Earth orbit and then to the moon by a transfer stage launched into orbit earlier. Aleksandr Kaleri is the first Soviet man to walk on the moon.

2011 - Second Soviet crewed lunar mission launches with support of the Mir-2 space station in low earth orbit. Soviet cosmonauts land near the Moon's south pole to search for signs of water contained in Lunar rocks and dust. The third Soviet lunar mission is put on hold due to a fault discovered in the Buran space plane that would have been responsible for launching the mission into orbit. Later budget cuts cancel the mission entirely due to the failure of the second mission to find conclusive signs of water and limited scientific and political benefit.

2016 - The Soviet Computer industry is given priority in the new five year plan. Despite this, growth is slow and difficulties with microprocessor production in the USSR continue. The Soviet military monopolizes almost all production that does occur as part of advanced weapons procurement and establishing a larger stockpile in case of war. KGB hackers are alleged to have stolen technical data and processor designs from foreign states during this time period.

2017 - One hundred years since the Russian Revolution is marked by larger than normal celebrations on May Day and Victory Day.

2022 - One hundred years since the formal establishment of the Soviet State is marked. The ongoing 18th Five year plan is focused on the high technology sector but due to military requirements growth in technology consistently under preforms. Plans to divert Siberian rivers into Central Asia dropped in the 1980s are revived.

2024 - The Soviet Union is a highly developed country and is functionally equivalent in its level of development to most European countries. It has a very well developed gas and oil extraction sector and heavy industry but its consumer goods while no longer being considered inadequate lag behind the west and have difficulty in international markets with foreign competitors. The Soviet Union gains 40% of its hard currency via energy exports, another 30% by heavy industrial goods, 15% by consumer goods, and the remaining 15% by defense related exports. The Soviet military industry is huge and occupies an enormous part of the economy. Because of this, weapons exports are economically important to the USSR and also form a significant way to earn foreign currency.


RP Example(s): viewtopic.php?f=5&t=517814&hilit=Democritus

I think this is one of the best wars I ever role played and definitely one of the best I have seen on this website.

Do not remove - 2024RP

[Orostan]

I am basically going for a U.S. that essentially started imploding due to secessionism. Now I could either do it via a post civil war route or a 1991 collapse route. It would give time for the USSR to have had a rival who ultimately collapsed in on themselves.

I do not want the Soviet Union to be the only big world power. I think having a European coalition based off of NATO exist, a strong unified Arab state, the surviving remnant of the Roman Empire that someone just reserved, or all of those things would be good to have as counter balances.

I enjoy playing the antagonist to a coalition of other players.

[Dragos Bee]

I am basically going for a U.S. that essentially started imploding due to secessionism. Now I could either do it via a post civil war route or a 1991 collapse route. It would give time for the USSR to have had a rival who ultimately collapsed in on themselves.

I do not want the Soviet Union to be the only big world power. I think having a European coalition based off of NATO exist, a strong unified Arab state, the surviving remnant of the Roman Empire that someone just reserved, or all of those things would be good to have as counter balances.

I enjoy playing the antagonist to a coalition of other players.

Thanks, btw. Also, I altered my territory claim due to what you said; not wanting the Soviets to be the only big world power.