01-05-2004, 15:47
5 years ago...
Draconia had always been renowned for its political freedom and its government, a parliamentary system which worked on proportional representation and coalition governments which got along famously in most cases. Every political party was, after all, working for the same common goal - a better Draconia for everyone. Extreme left and right-wing parties were represented in government, but largely dismissed as archaic by most and as a joke by political commentators in the region.All of this was about to change, however, and the country would never be the same again...
Five years ago, the government's largest party, the Social Democrats, made a dramatic U-Turn on its policy of political isolationism, claiming that embracing world affairs would enrich both the culture and economy of the country. The Draconia Democratic Party, with whom the SDP had been in coalition with, did not agree with this sentiment and the resulting argument lead to the Prime Minister having to dissolve Parliament. The resulting elections showed a surprising split between those parties willing to embrace foreign affairs, and those wishing to remain in "splendid isolation." The two largest parties rising out of this vote were the SDP and the pro-international Liberal Republican Party, both of whom refused to form a coalition based on years of discontent following the SDP's opposition to numerous military hawk actions made by the LRP years before.
Into this situation came apparent salvation for Draconia. The head of the United Socialist Party - Tobias Raine - a decorated war hero and charismatic politican, rose to the forefront of national politics after a series of fiery speeches denouncing the "inefficient" proporional representation system and "petty" squabbles of the larger parties. In addition to this, Raine would maul opponents in political debates both in and out of Parliament, causing his popularity and public image to rise. Emergency elections called by the Prime Minister saw the USP's vote rise from a paltry 5.4% to a 28% share, leaving them as the second-largest party in the squabbling Draconia Parliament.
Quickly winning over union leaders, workers, and the military with a series of isolated and specific pledges to each of them, Raine went on a whistle-stop tour of the nation, meeting with local leaders and ordinary people to assure them that the USP would lead them to their salvation. By this time, the SDP had wrestled a majority in Parliament and was hoping to stop the influence of the USP, which it rightfully felt threatened by. This, however, only played into Raine's skilled hands. He attacked this policy on live television numerous times, bringing the SDP into disrepute and scorn from the media, which had largely thrown its support behind the radical USP. On June 8th, three months after the initial DDP/SDP fall-out, a veritable media circus turned out to watch the Parliamentary debate between Raine and the leader of the SDP, Michael Morgan...
Morgan took to the podium, clearly nervous in the presence of such a skilled and powerful orator, and outlined his reasoning for abandoning isolationism and for trying to reduce the influence of the USP. Once he had finished, Raine would stand at the podium... only for a shot to ring out across the Parliamentary Hall, striking him in the chest. As doctors rushed onto the scene, which was being broadcast on live television across the nation, police and military police apprehended the assailant, an SDP member. The media backlash was huge, condemning the Social Democrats as villains and attempted murderers. Wave after wave of violence in retaliation and in support of the attack lead to the people calling for emergency measures. The government flatly refused, setting into motion a chain of events that would be their undoing.
Three army Generals staged an armed revolt upon hearing the government had refused emergency measures, taking to the streets of the nation's capital, Lea Draconia, and declaring martial law. Hours later, four federal vehuicles with an armed military escort pulled up to the Parliamentary building, surrounding it. At the head of the group that entered the building was Tobias Raine, alongside a military and police presence and several high-ranking USP members. Entering Morgan's office, Raine invoked an archaic consitutional clause not used for over 75 years to declare him unfit to deal with the current crisis, and ordered him to step down. Morgan refused. From here, reports state that Morgan "put up a struggle" against the group, although this was fiercely against his pacifistic nature, and he was shot dead.
The next morning, Tobias Raine was sworn in as Prime Minister of Draconia, promising widespread reform. With the military on his side, he quickly brought the crisis under control, and any minor riots were dealt with by a new state organisation - headed by the three Generals who had helped him gain power - The Order of the Black Hand. By June 30th, however, the SDP had rallied under new leadership and was preparing to fight to regain power. This new crisis was many times more violent than the last - especially due to the SDP's tactic of attacking USP buildings and towns where it had a strong voting majority - and Raine applied for sweeping emergency powers from the Draconian Parliament, a measure which won by a landslide. Indeed, only the 4 SDP ministers voted against the measure, with the 96 representatives of the other parties voting for.
From here, however, Raine began to distance himself more and more from his previous policies and political tactics. He quickly outlawed the SDP and made membership criminal, but in a dramatic move he soon applied this legislation to all other political parties. The Order of the Black Hand was given sweeping, unchecked powers, and the military's budget was increased. Many of the people were appeased by welfare reforms and the quick putting down of any resistance against the USP, which was now largely referred to as "The Party" only. However, it soon became clear that Tobias Raine had completely subverted democratic rule from within, and turned Draconia into a one-party state.
The southern regions of Draconia, famous for years of strong SDP support, rallied behind the now-illegal SDP movement and staged a rebellion, plunging the country into civil war. From July to November, bitter fighting broke out in streets and towns, in fields and meadows, and across the many forests that provided a geographic border between the warring factions. By late November, however, things were going badly for the rebels in southern Draconia, and their leaders finally surrendered. Each and every one was publicly shot, and the southern regions of the country were burned to the ground by the orders of a furious Raine. In just nine months, Tobias Raine had gone from the leader of a political fringe party to the undisputed, unquestionable ruler of Draconia.
Today...
Draconia is now known as Upper Draconia, in response to the civil war 5 years ago and the subsequent villification of the south. The population of 10,000,000 are ruled with an iron fist, and Socialist principles govern the economy, meaning that nobody outside the Party can get rich. Wages have risen over the last 5 years, but a 58% income tax rate means that this increase has not been felt by the populace - indeed, anyone who becomes privately rich is forced to pay either a crippling income tax or to become a paid-up Party member, donating a percentage of their earnings to the government. In their daily lives, the people of Upper Draconia remain unoppressed as long as they do not openly criticise the Party, and those who do are swiftly removed by the Order of the Black Hand. The Party rules unflinchingly, passing motions and issues through the exclusively-USP Parliament in a mockery of democracy.
In terms of social reform, the people now enjoy somewhat of a liberal system - euthanasia is legal for the mentally or physically ill, organ donation from dead patients is compulsory, and crime is utterly unknown thanks to the Order of the Black Hand and the threat of being sentenced either to death or to hard labour in the work camps in southern Draconia. These policies have their critics outside the country - the tag of "mentally or physically ill" required for euthanasia to be carried out now extends to the workshy and those who cannot work, for example.
The military and the Order of the Black Hand work side-by-side to keep order and to implement policies if need be, with Raine's brother Aleksandir running both as Minister for the Combined Police Force. The CPF enjoys a huge annual budget, with more money coming from expenditure saved through cheap slave labour if necessary - and, thanks to the Order of the Black Hand rounding up dissenters, there is never a shortage of this.
Tobias Raine and his inner circle of ministers and aides - known as the Interior Select Committee - rule the nation through a simple system, issuing decrees and implementing them through the Party system. Political discussion, if there is any, takes place purely within the Interior Select Committee's HQ in Lea Draconia and in puppet political commentary shows on television, which is now exclusively-owned by the government.
Join us as we journey through Upper Draconia...
((OOC: This will be a sort of diary/journal, in essence, following three characters through the nation I have created. More information on that at a later date. Feedback on my introduction/background story is appreciated!))
Draconia had always been renowned for its political freedom and its government, a parliamentary system which worked on proportional representation and coalition governments which got along famously in most cases. Every political party was, after all, working for the same common goal - a better Draconia for everyone. Extreme left and right-wing parties were represented in government, but largely dismissed as archaic by most and as a joke by political commentators in the region.All of this was about to change, however, and the country would never be the same again...
Five years ago, the government's largest party, the Social Democrats, made a dramatic U-Turn on its policy of political isolationism, claiming that embracing world affairs would enrich both the culture and economy of the country. The Draconia Democratic Party, with whom the SDP had been in coalition with, did not agree with this sentiment and the resulting argument lead to the Prime Minister having to dissolve Parliament. The resulting elections showed a surprising split between those parties willing to embrace foreign affairs, and those wishing to remain in "splendid isolation." The two largest parties rising out of this vote were the SDP and the pro-international Liberal Republican Party, both of whom refused to form a coalition based on years of discontent following the SDP's opposition to numerous military hawk actions made by the LRP years before.
Into this situation came apparent salvation for Draconia. The head of the United Socialist Party - Tobias Raine - a decorated war hero and charismatic politican, rose to the forefront of national politics after a series of fiery speeches denouncing the "inefficient" proporional representation system and "petty" squabbles of the larger parties. In addition to this, Raine would maul opponents in political debates both in and out of Parliament, causing his popularity and public image to rise. Emergency elections called by the Prime Minister saw the USP's vote rise from a paltry 5.4% to a 28% share, leaving them as the second-largest party in the squabbling Draconia Parliament.
Quickly winning over union leaders, workers, and the military with a series of isolated and specific pledges to each of them, Raine went on a whistle-stop tour of the nation, meeting with local leaders and ordinary people to assure them that the USP would lead them to their salvation. By this time, the SDP had wrestled a majority in Parliament and was hoping to stop the influence of the USP, which it rightfully felt threatened by. This, however, only played into Raine's skilled hands. He attacked this policy on live television numerous times, bringing the SDP into disrepute and scorn from the media, which had largely thrown its support behind the radical USP. On June 8th, three months after the initial DDP/SDP fall-out, a veritable media circus turned out to watch the Parliamentary debate between Raine and the leader of the SDP, Michael Morgan...
Morgan took to the podium, clearly nervous in the presence of such a skilled and powerful orator, and outlined his reasoning for abandoning isolationism and for trying to reduce the influence of the USP. Once he had finished, Raine would stand at the podium... only for a shot to ring out across the Parliamentary Hall, striking him in the chest. As doctors rushed onto the scene, which was being broadcast on live television across the nation, police and military police apprehended the assailant, an SDP member. The media backlash was huge, condemning the Social Democrats as villains and attempted murderers. Wave after wave of violence in retaliation and in support of the attack lead to the people calling for emergency measures. The government flatly refused, setting into motion a chain of events that would be their undoing.
Three army Generals staged an armed revolt upon hearing the government had refused emergency measures, taking to the streets of the nation's capital, Lea Draconia, and declaring martial law. Hours later, four federal vehuicles with an armed military escort pulled up to the Parliamentary building, surrounding it. At the head of the group that entered the building was Tobias Raine, alongside a military and police presence and several high-ranking USP members. Entering Morgan's office, Raine invoked an archaic consitutional clause not used for over 75 years to declare him unfit to deal with the current crisis, and ordered him to step down. Morgan refused. From here, reports state that Morgan "put up a struggle" against the group, although this was fiercely against his pacifistic nature, and he was shot dead.
The next morning, Tobias Raine was sworn in as Prime Minister of Draconia, promising widespread reform. With the military on his side, he quickly brought the crisis under control, and any minor riots were dealt with by a new state organisation - headed by the three Generals who had helped him gain power - The Order of the Black Hand. By June 30th, however, the SDP had rallied under new leadership and was preparing to fight to regain power. This new crisis was many times more violent than the last - especially due to the SDP's tactic of attacking USP buildings and towns where it had a strong voting majority - and Raine applied for sweeping emergency powers from the Draconian Parliament, a measure which won by a landslide. Indeed, only the 4 SDP ministers voted against the measure, with the 96 representatives of the other parties voting for.
From here, however, Raine began to distance himself more and more from his previous policies and political tactics. He quickly outlawed the SDP and made membership criminal, but in a dramatic move he soon applied this legislation to all other political parties. The Order of the Black Hand was given sweeping, unchecked powers, and the military's budget was increased. Many of the people were appeased by welfare reforms and the quick putting down of any resistance against the USP, which was now largely referred to as "The Party" only. However, it soon became clear that Tobias Raine had completely subverted democratic rule from within, and turned Draconia into a one-party state.
The southern regions of Draconia, famous for years of strong SDP support, rallied behind the now-illegal SDP movement and staged a rebellion, plunging the country into civil war. From July to November, bitter fighting broke out in streets and towns, in fields and meadows, and across the many forests that provided a geographic border between the warring factions. By late November, however, things were going badly for the rebels in southern Draconia, and their leaders finally surrendered. Each and every one was publicly shot, and the southern regions of the country were burned to the ground by the orders of a furious Raine. In just nine months, Tobias Raine had gone from the leader of a political fringe party to the undisputed, unquestionable ruler of Draconia.
Today...
Draconia is now known as Upper Draconia, in response to the civil war 5 years ago and the subsequent villification of the south. The population of 10,000,000 are ruled with an iron fist, and Socialist principles govern the economy, meaning that nobody outside the Party can get rich. Wages have risen over the last 5 years, but a 58% income tax rate means that this increase has not been felt by the populace - indeed, anyone who becomes privately rich is forced to pay either a crippling income tax or to become a paid-up Party member, donating a percentage of their earnings to the government. In their daily lives, the people of Upper Draconia remain unoppressed as long as they do not openly criticise the Party, and those who do are swiftly removed by the Order of the Black Hand. The Party rules unflinchingly, passing motions and issues through the exclusively-USP Parliament in a mockery of democracy.
In terms of social reform, the people now enjoy somewhat of a liberal system - euthanasia is legal for the mentally or physically ill, organ donation from dead patients is compulsory, and crime is utterly unknown thanks to the Order of the Black Hand and the threat of being sentenced either to death or to hard labour in the work camps in southern Draconia. These policies have their critics outside the country - the tag of "mentally or physically ill" required for euthanasia to be carried out now extends to the workshy and those who cannot work, for example.
The military and the Order of the Black Hand work side-by-side to keep order and to implement policies if need be, with Raine's brother Aleksandir running both as Minister for the Combined Police Force. The CPF enjoys a huge annual budget, with more money coming from expenditure saved through cheap slave labour if necessary - and, thanks to the Order of the Black Hand rounding up dissenters, there is never a shortage of this.
Tobias Raine and his inner circle of ministers and aides - known as the Interior Select Committee - rule the nation through a simple system, issuing decrees and implementing them through the Party system. Political discussion, if there is any, takes place purely within the Interior Select Committee's HQ in Lea Draconia and in puppet political commentary shows on television, which is now exclusively-owned by the government.
Join us as we journey through Upper Draconia...
((OOC: This will be a sort of diary/journal, in essence, following three characters through the nation I have created. More information on that at a later date. Feedback on my introduction/background story is appreciated!))