NationStates Jolt Archive

Excerpted from Worker's Weekly World Magazine, February 6:

"The city of Freeport overlflowed with visitors from around the newly sovereign Proletarian League this Sunday, all eager to witness the ceremony marking the official establishment of their nation and the inauguration of the members of the new legislature and the Prime Minister. The mood was overwhelmingly one of unrestrained joy, as most everyone opposing the new government and its Marxist ideological foundations had either left the territories claimed by the League or opted to remain silent in the face of the vastly more numerous revellers.

From Saturday night through to the commencement of the officially-scheduled events, the jubilant masses thronged streets, bars, and restaurants, flying the new national flag or the banners of the various union militias which fought to bring about the secession from the dictatorial United Syndicates of Amadeus, enjoying newfound freedom to shed inhibitions and demonstrate their views openly in public.

The government ceremony began with an impressive military parade down the main avenue of the city proper, meant, according to government officials, to both honor the veterans of the Revolution and their fallen comrades and to display the beginnings of the planned national military, thereby assuring the public of their leaders' ability to protect them from foreign aggression. As such, the parade, which consisted of roughly 5,000 personnel with their vehicles and equipment, was joined by veterans and newly recruited soldiers alike, with the veterans given pride of place in the leading columns. The formations were showered with red ribbons, confetti, and roses, acknowledged with praise shouted from rooftops, apartment windows, and the assembled onlookers flanking the parade route. The military musicians set the march to a fife-and-drum rendition of the new national anthem, "The Red Flag", with vocal accompaniment by the troops and gathered citizens.

The march ended abreast of the Freeport City Hall, serving as the temporary seat of the Proletarian League's federal government, and redressed their ranks before the wide steps of the hall and the podium surmounting them. After time was allowed for civilians to gather in whatever space remained available, the crowd was hushed and the former high commander of the rebel military forces, currently serving as supreme commander of the new national army, Comrade-General Vasilly Zhukov. The general recieved an almost reverent, though silent, salute from the troops and cheers from the onlookers, and proceeded to express gratitude to the revolutionary fighters and those who gave their lives serving under his command, who he announced would be honored with a memorial monument in the city's largest square, and to ensure all the League's citizens that he would remain vigilant of threats from fascist, corporatist, and militaristic enemies of the country. He also acknowledged concerns over the potential of miltaritism to spread and corrupt the national leadership and blind the citizenry (and to empty the state treasury), promising to do his duty effectively without expending large amounts of public funding and with volunteer soldiers alone, adding that the military would be slow to act unless the League's sovereign territory was threatened openly or a close ally was in danger of foreign conquest, though he pledged limited aid to struggling leftist rebels in other parts of the world should they conduct themselves with "honor in the spirit of socialism and civil liberty, in absolutely selfless service to a noble cause".

The general's speech concluded with a presentation of honor medals for valor, martial honor (which is to be given in recognition of chivalrous treatment of enemy prisoners, an extraordinary effort to protect and aid noncombatants, and other like acts), leadership, and sacrifice (given for suffering injury, with a higher form of the same honor if the injury were taken in an effort to protect a comrade or noncombatant). It was stressed that the recipients should not be seen as superior soldiers or superior in character because of their achievements, but that the nobility of the acts themselves must be honored by their intrinsic value and to promote honorable and lawful conduct in war.

Following the awards ceremony, the newly selected Prime Minister of the Proletarian League, to serve as head of state and government, the former fighter of the Marxist Unification Party Militia and idealistic Democratic Socialist Thomas Reed, was sworn into office by the regional magistrate for Freeport and addressed the nation with a consolation for those grieving any of the estimated 40,000 civilians and rebels who died during the war:

"Though we all are deeply saddened by the loss of our beloved comrades and grieve their passing, let us also rejoice, for the cause to which they devoted their lives has been furthered immeasurably by their noble deeds, and surely this is the fulfillment of their greatest hopes and dreams and, although they cannot be here to witness our success, they must have known in life that their work would leave a great legacy. The knowledge that one has left the world a better place than one found it, that future generations may be spared some suffering and have some hope of creating a just, compassionate, and egalitarian human society, that those who struggled on for their cause would be inspired and would be stronger and more dedicated for what their forebears had achieved, must be the greatest fulfilment and bliss that any could know when facing the end of life in this world. Indeed, those who die for justice live forever in the hearts of those who are blessed by what they wrought and emboldened to continue the fight for justice by their enduring example of honor and selfless service to the whole of humanity."

The Minister went on to lay out his plan for the development of the League's economy, industry, foreign relations, and political system, guaranteeing a government representative of the citizens choosing to participate in elections by a proportional electoral system which will be regulated by the independently elected judiciary. He also pledged to govern as he believed the people would wish rather than by his own beliefs and desires, and to make the economic and psychological well-being of the workers his first priority. To the nations of the world he expressed a wish to "share in the success and joy [of foreign peoples] and to help in times of crisis, to form open and trusting relationships based on cooperation rather than competition, as unity will leave all with more of what they desire in time be that prosperity, peace, or renown". However, he also warned that the Proletarian League would oppose any power that sought to exploit its people, bring suffering to others out of hatred or fear, or to subjugate any who desire freedom and independence. He promised not to use force towards this end if at all possible, however, though he stated that "the League and its people will respond to injustice in proportion to its magnitude and will employ what means are appropriate by the standards of the international community and our fellow socialists in particular".

(To be continued, with a fact sheet on the nation and more about culture and lifestyles of its people. I welcome any diplomatic roleplaying as well)

From the PL textbook for middle-school students of political science, Nations of the Modern World, entry on the Proletarian League:

History

The Proletarian League was founded in 2005 as a result of a popular rebellion in the United Syndicates of Amadeus (USA), a totalitarian state that simultaneously demanded adherence to a strict fundamentalist Protestant religious doctrine and valued corporate power and wealth above the well-being of its working class citizens. The extremely right-wing government, which was said to be elected freely but truthfully determined the outcome of elections via conrol of the media, restricting educational opportunities to the upper class (which was much more inclined to support it out of self-interest), and voter fraud mostly enabled by a computerized voting system which produced no reliable records, thereby retaining its power throughout many election cycles. The few powerful elites in the executive branch, which traded positions and shifted in and out of government to sustain the facade of democracy, over the course of several decades (roughly 1980-2001) wrested almost all the power of the government as a whole from the legislature and judiciary. Whoever served at any given time, all were close allies and most were also influential leaders in major corporations, while all were extremely wealthy and open to bribery, and thus the handful of corporations that dominated the national economy and economies around the world set the country's political agenda without restriction. Invariably, the sole purpose of the corporation being the accumulation of capital by profit and thereby increasing profit to acquire more capital, in an endless cycle of expansion, the agenda set was aimed almost solely at enabling the huge businesses to expand their markets and to reduce their costs, especially the cost of labor.

In order to silence dissent and maintain complacency among the majority of the middle and lower classes, the corrupt leadership of the USA created, by extensive propoganda campaigns enabled by corporate-controlled media, a perception that its chief concern was the spiritual well-being of the citizenry, the enforcement of morality, and the protection of the "traditional" native way of life (which was painted as a middle-class, suburban life for law-abiding, hard-working white citizens with families, loyal to state and the capitalist institutions, essentially being an ideal existence in terms of security, predictability, and comfort, but which in reality had never been experienced by the majority of the people and was not, in any case, what they generally desired).

The criteria for judging morality and piety adopted for this purpose was taken from an extreme but relatively popular form of Protestantism which based its doctrine mostly in the Old Testament, with a wrathful and judgemental image of God, an elitist concept of a divinely chosen group of people, and a focus on adhering to certain rules of the scripture (though not all). The pacifist, tolerant, and humble teachings of Jesus as recorded in the Gospels was almost completely disregarded, and was strangely interpreted where it was. The large membership of this faith, comprising multiple organizations but known generally as Evangelical Christianity, may have been a motivating factor for the government to promote its teachings, but the central aspect to the corporatists was its tendency not to ascribe significance to the poverty of Christ, his sermons against materialism, and his allusions to the corrupting influence of wealth and physical pleasure, much as the Calvinists had seen wealth as a sign of God's favor and predestination for salvation, and poverty as a sign of spiritual flaws and a destiny of damnation. The elites of the nation would therefore not seem hypocritical in professing deep piety while also pursuing riches wherever possible, as would be the case with most other faiths. It also allowed somewhat for discrimination against citizens with leftist political leanings, as such individuals are generally tolerant of deviant sexual and social behaviors which may not have been accepted in the past but which are also no danger to any who choose the traditional way of life, in the sense that they do not impose their choices on others though they may create greater awareness of choice. These behaviors are often condemned in the Biblical scripture and, in the Old Testament, punished by God with earthly suffering or destruction to the transgressors, indicating that judgement of moral worth ought to be done in the living world and may justly be harsh and violent.

It is important to note that not all Evangelical Christian denominations or individuals believed or practiced as described above, but the fact that some, if few, did exactly as stated enabled the power elites to escape accusations of twisting the meaning of their supposed faith or not behaving as they expected others to behave. There was in fact a significant Evangelical presence among the rebels once the resistance began, as a large faction if not a majority believed that the violent, warlike, materialistic, and judgemental actions of the oligarchy were violations of the spirit of Christian teaching and, though they may have shared some positions regarding the immorality of certain behaviors such as homosexuality or abortion, objected to the forced adherence to these beliefs that was eventually attempted.

(To be continued)

History (cont.)

As the ruling groups of the USA became ever more ambitious, self-confident, and oblivious to any opposing views from foreign leaders or their own citizens, and with their control of the electoral system making them beholden to no outside authority, they became increasingly brutal and oppressive with the people they governed and simultaneously more committed to using military force to gain geopolitical advantage overseas and to open new sources of cheap labor to their corporations. The legislature, essentially under the direct control of the presidency, passed a series of laws which compelled "morality", with harsh penalties for violators, by prohibiting such practices as homosexuality, abortion, and any drug use excepting alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, and prescriptions, along with openly politically-driven laws allowing government monitoring of private behavior, prohibiting public protest against its policies, and denying the freedom of citizens not enlisted in the military to possess firearms and, with a later amendment, bladed weapons. These laws were passed gradually at first and, though occasioning some protest (before the prohibition of protest itself), saw little effective resistance. Indeed, opposition to the ruling elites was almost impossible except as a token expression of disapproval. With their continued success, however, the oligarchs became reckless and were consumed by egotism, and made ever fewer attempts to hide their true motives and gain popular support, which they increasingly saw as unnecessary.

The international community, on the whole, was strongly opposed to the actions of the USA under this administration, and became alarmed when it began military invasions of third-world nations, generally either those rich in oil, with large populations of an age to do difficult labor, or with a geographical position which would enable future expansion. These attacks were justified by allegations that the weaker nations were supporting terrorism aimed at the USA, were attempting to accquire or had already accquired nuclear or biological weapons, and were threats to the entire globe. It soon became apparent to most that these accusations were untrue or grossly exaggerated, though those who wished to curry favor with a great power could cling to them in their own defense, and the people of the USA, wanting desperately to believe their nation was just and right, sometimes accepted them. In spite of international opposition, the United Syndicates were extremely powerful in both military and financial terms, and open resistance on the battlefield, in defense of nations which were often themselves under dictatorial rule, was too much risk by their assessments, and would only be seen as declarations of war against an imperial power with extensive stockpiles of advaned nuclear weapons. Even conventional war would be costly and might achieve very little even if the aggression could be checked for a time. Thus, the most powerful foreign nations instituted trade sanctions against the aggressive United Syndicates and isolated themselves culturally, diplomatically, and economically from their now-enemy, but would not go beyond these steps until the possibility of the USA dividing or ceasing to be entirely became clear.

In Amadeus itself, workers mistreated under the corporate system, denied union representation and forced to either endure unsafe conditions for many hours without reward or face starvation and homelessness for themselves or their families had been organizing by forming coalitions of many smaller groups (such as the workforce of a single factory or shop) which they termed unions in spite of their inability to openly work on behalf of the working class. By the dawn of the 21st Century, the oppression of the USA's citizens had become so extreme that expressing anti-establishment or anti-capitalist views was often punished by death, with allegations of treason or terrorism brought by the state that allowed sentence without trial and in complete secrecy. The ruling class worked tirelessly to root out any cohesive resistance, and torture of suspected members in underground groups became commonplace. In effect, though, these measures, while inspiring true fear, overall strengthened the resistance movements by making the true nature of the oppressors easy for all but the most deluded to see. For every would-be rebel dissuaded by fear, three cilizens joined who would not have but for the government abuse of friends or loved ones, or general outrage at the practice.

In order to achieve sufficient numbers of troops for its foreign wars, the USA implemented a compulsory military service program in 2002, and relied upon this method of "recruitment" to such a degree that by 2004 almost 90% of military personnel were conscripts. These personnel were generally treated poorly, if slightly better than the civilians, being forced to endure several-year non-stop tours of duty in dangerous situations, and those who survived and were released, a very small minority of those to enter the armed services, were denied benefits that had been promised and left with no reward for their loyalty, service, and suffering. Though this treatment enabled more funds to be spent on weaponry and other materiel, and more to be rewarded to defense contractors, after several years morale among the combat troops became critically low and defections, dissertions, and murder of officers became common, and the ability of the military to function effectively was greatly reduced and casualties consequently rose as resistance in the conquered states became emboldened, which continued in a viscious cycle. What military forces remained at home were terrified of being sent to fight, and became resentful and distrusting of the government which once had won their complete faith and loyalty with militaristic rhetoric and jingoistic display, and where they had seen an opportunity for martial glory they now saw only a miserable death or a ruined life that could be worse than death itself.

Though public political organization was legally restricted, privately a majority of the people now denounced their leaders and began to believe their suffering, economic, psychological, and spiritual, in being denied freedom along with the basic necessities of life and now kept in constant debt simply for purchasing housing, clothing, and food, was no longer tolerable and that risking death might be preferable to enduring in submission. The act that enabled the desires and needs of the masses to begin to be satisfied with an end to poverty, oppression, and inequality was the approach by the leader of the largest proletarian group, Thomas Reed (who also was most radical in espousing violent rebellion) of USA Army General Vasilly Zhukov, a veteran of three foreign wars and, secretly, an extreme anti-government activist. Having commanded Army forces in all save one of the recent wars of aggression with great skill and cunning, thus saving the lives of countless soldiers, Zhukov was almost revered among the disaffected veterans returned from the fighting, who, for the most part, were kept under arms by the government in order to enforce their new laws and to put down any resistance that became too strong for police to suppress alone. The key stumbling block in the plans Reed had set forth, approved by almost all his fellow leftist organizers, was a lack of military equipment and training, and he implored Zhukov for aid. Reed's argument that where the two factions might fail in revolting separately, united together they would be vastly more powerful, with both numbers and experience on their side and at least a sufficient supply of weapons and other necessary tools. Zhukov reluctantly assented, though he was given pause by the knowledge that he would be forced to fight and kill his former comrades-in-arms, who, even if deluded, had suffered greatly and done no wrong of their own volition. In the end, however, he came to believe that more suffering would come from inaction and joined forces with Reed and the workers.

The war fought to establish the Proletarian League was unconventional, bloody, and fought without mercy by both sides, though it lasted only a year the fighting was heavy throughout and occurred in every city in the nation. The forces of Zhukov and Reed were able to gain control of two provinces in the northwest of Amadeus, along the coast of the Pacific, and siezed sufficient stockpiles of military materiel to increase their numerical strength to thrice its beginning. As the citizens of the USA heard rumor of a rebel army winning victories against the government loyalists (which the corporate media denied yet could not stop, and even brought belief by their denials due to their notorious distortions and lies) their fear was, in many cases, overcome, hope for change bloomed, and hundreds of thousands either flocked to join the initial rebellion or began forming smaller forces throughout the US territory, which were often quickly and brutally ended but almost as frequently were able to storm an armory and hold small urban areas for long periods. With the bulk of the military overseas and a large portion of what troops remained being in rebellion, the loyalists were hard-pressed to defeat the myriad of small militias emerging to fight them at an ever-increasing rate.

With the possibility of victory seeming real for the rebels near the close of 2004, and the US loyalists completely occupied with containing the rebellion or, in the case of the conscripts deployed to foreign lands, refusing to fight and beginning to seek a new, peaceful life wherever they had been abandoned, or even joining with the enemy on rare occasion, the world powers that had opposed the aggression of the Syndicates were no longer fearful of reprisals and the rebels requests for aid were met, first with general supplies and eventually with weapons, vehicles, and small numbers of troops to lead and train the revolutionaries.

This development tipped the scale decisively in the rebels' favor, and within two months the capital city of Freeport was taken and the leaders of the former government either imprisoned or dead.

(To be continued ... again)

With fighting finally ended, not by official treaty but with an utter defeat of the government and loyal military, the rebellion had been far more successful than even its most optimistic members had dared to hope. Though the price of victory was high, surprisingly few casualties were sustained by the revolutionaries, at an estimated 40,000 including civilian sympathizers, due to the brilliant strategies of Vasilly Zhukov, access to military equipment, foreign aid, and the inspiration of Thomas Reed, who spoke so eloquently for the rebel cause that those who heard him went to battle more determined and more hopeful of victory, and did not break and run in the face of a more experienced, well-equipped, and organized enemy. The government of the United Syndicates had ill-equipped its military for urban combat involving principally infantry, relying on high-tech aircraft and long-range missiles that were effective in wilderness or desert but could not be employed where enemy and allies were within several yards of one another and the guerilla fighters of the rebellion could shelter in stout, gigantic edifices without great fear of attack from above. On the loyalist side, casualties were higher at an estimated 80,000, but most soldiers of the government, especially the Army infantry, either surrendered or defected by the war's end.

All was not yet well, however, from the rebellion's standpoint, as the national infrastructure was crippled by the fighting, necessitating a superb program for quick economic recovery, and the nation was without leadership and would descend into chaos if a strong central government could not be soon established. Organizing the various rebel factions into a temporary governing committee was possible due to the charisma and renown of Reed and Zhukov, but there remained extreme political differences and all the rebel leaders were passionate in their convictions and slow to compromise. While the committee attempted to draft a constitution, the former rebel soldiers were employed as police and aid workers, under the committees command, in order to mitigate the disorder and confusion among the general population and ensure that basic needs were cared for. Remarkably, the fighters transitioned very well into their new role, which they saw as equally essential with combat in terms of providing for their people and improving their society, the motivation for both acts being the same. In addition, the civilians remaining loyal to the old government, consisting mostly of the upper-class and small in number, comprising about 4% of the population, fled in hordes to neighboring nations that had supported the USA in exchange for economic aid and military protection. Many feared violent reprisal (although this was prohibited by rebel leaders immediately and well-enforced by the troops, though some cases were reported involving private quests for vengeance), while others simply refused to remain under a government which would obviously be rather liberal, though to what degree remained unclear. Those who opted to stay either loved the land or sought to form opposition political groups and regain power by legitimate means, assuming they would be allowed to participate in government at all.

(To be continued ... the gist of the Constitution is next)

Reed, Zhukov, and the leaders of the smaller rebel groups and unions, who took the dominant sentiment of their organizations and sought to draft a law that was acceptable to the masses, immediately resolved to restrict the power of the federal government very clearly and strictly, so that tyranny would not be able to slowly develop as it had in the now-defunct USA, and thus organized the government along parliamentary lines, with a proportional electoral system which was agreed would allow the most diverse representation, with a Prime Minister selected from the majority party of the legislature, called the Consilium Communis or Public/People's Council, who would act as head diplomat and would be tasked with bringing the diverse members of the Council to compromise, yet could not propose laws him or herself, would have no authority to command the military, and would serve at most one term of 1 year, as would the councillors. A list of guaranteed political rights and civil liberties was included, which ensured in clear and unmistakable language the right of citizens, regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, nationality, or any other distinction save age, to vote, own firearms, participate in public assemblies and express their political views freely, and most radically to always have access to housing, food, transportation, medical care, and employment, and education through graduate school for those who desired it, and the same for their children. This would be the responsibility of the government, but the government would rely on the citizens, whose responsibility was to work for the good of society and enable these provisions to be made with the fruits of their labor.

Private enterprise was prohibited and the concept of wealth or private property banished from all law, replaced by the concept of possession based on need, which enabled the prevention of theft but did not guarantee a citizen anything when another was in greater need. Discretionary spending would be made with the labor credit, of which all workers would recieve the same amount on a regular basis regardless of occupation, and students as well. Foreign currency would not be converted to credits, though the credits could be converted to any other currency for those with a desire to travel.
Employment would be found for all, regardless of efficiency of production, and those who did not work would recieve necessary provisions but no labor credits. Poverty had been so prevalent and devastating under the previous rule that most citizens seemed to approve a system in which starvation and homelessness would never be a concern, and had so fully lost all trust of business conducted for profit that, where once they would have been repulsed by the Marxist economic plan, they were now welcoming, though some refused to refer to the policy as Communism.

An independent press was desired, and the freedom of journalists to report whatever they wish guaranteed in the Constitution, yet without public enterprise the media would essentially be part of the government, so a provision was made for an independent election of a media officer, whose appointed task was to ensure no outside influence over news reporting, separate from the system for electing the Council and based on a vote for an individual rather than a party. Candidates for public office were guaranteed an equal amount of time on television and radio and space in print to communicate their message, but with the requirement that all statements be self-delivered or self-written.

Amending the document further, it was agreed, should be extrememly difficult, and should be permitted only if a case can be made by the legislator proposing the law that the Constitution has become outdated by some technological or other development, and the case is accepted by 75 of the 100 councillors. An unanimous vote is required to approve an amendment.

After one month of deliberation, the provisional government published the Constitution as described above and announced that they would be replaced upon a fair election, which would itself be held when the political situation had stabilized enough to allow effective monitoring by both the council and foreign observers for international organizations.

OOC: I love your nation already. :) You should make an article on NSwiki (http://ns.goobergunch.net/wiki/index.php/Main_Page) and put all this information there, too.

IC: The Holy Socialist Republic of Constantinopolis would like to open diplomatic relations with The United Socialist States of The Proletarian League.