NationStates Jolt Archive

April 12th, 1952, Questarian calendar

Billions celebrated in the streets after hearing the news: earlier that morning, the Questarian Communist Leadership had been captured in Northeast Questers. Anyone not on absolutely vital occupations was out in the streets celebrating and partying: the war was over, there would be a new promised age of peace. The five day war and the resulting six months of insurgency and effective civil war had paralysed the country and its economy. Questers once had been the most formidable industrial power in Haven, though lagging in financial and other areas. Now she was a shadow of her former self, and despite the initial celebrations, the King knew that his popularity would be short lived if he could not stay popular with the people and replenish the economy. So, he took one very brave and historical move.

He abolished democracy.

The next day, he announced to an eager people, that the House of Commons and House of Lords were defunct. Instead, the King would be an absolute monarch, with an advisory cabinet elected by certain people. However, this move was not greeted with fantastic enthusiam, even with his assurances that this move was to stabilise the country. Furthermore he had set free the blacks from the oppressive apartheid system, and though they could not vote, and still had no political rights, they had equal civil rights, for the first time in history, to the rest of the country, and had access to the free market and could choos where they lived and worked. This historical move was mostly economically; the King himself had no love for the black population and would be quite happy to see the apartheid system remain, but opening up the consumer goods market to 1.3 billion people rather than using the previous system the factory owners had imposed would benefit the economy greatly.

However, the King promised to the working people of Questers things they had only dreamt of. When the country could afford it, he said, there would be free and comprehensive state education from the ages of 4-16, and a comprehensive voucher system that would pay for half of healthcare costs. He promised a minimum wage and safety laws to protect the people of his country. Sick pay too was introduced. Enraging the middle and aristocratic classes with these movements, and the tax burdens they would bring, the King dismissed the woes of a mere ten percent of the population and received the enthusiastic cheers of support from the people. His promises of prosperity were believed.

Unfortunately, the economy was not in great shape. As well as owing 50 trillion dollars in debt; the result of trying to arm yourself to the equal of several of the worlds other great powers simultaenously; industry and agriculture were outdated. Monopolies had begun to form in the era of war gearing, where smaller companies could not keep up with the tax increases and were bought out. In the following months the economy would stabilise with government intervention - temporary closing of the mints and not producing any more money would stop inflation, but it would tkae much longer for the wounds of what was technicaly an unprofitable economy to heal. Nevertheless, were was a solution, and if it lay anywhere, it was in coal, steel, and shipbuilding. The King's moves were critical. He split up monopolies in these areas, brought in anti-trust laws to boost competition yet simultaenously subsidised failing businesses with what little money the Imperium had to spare. Scrapping all possible taxes on the coal, steel, and shipbuilding industries, Questarian heavy industry began to thrive. Despite supporting free trade and encouraging imports to Questers by scrapping tariffs, and buying of Questarian industrial companies was limited to 49%.

As well as bringing in a whole host of privacy laws for Questarian companies, huge secret subsidies went out to consumer goods producing companies, especially the Questarian car companies Rochester and Vander-Vorster. They too given tax breaks, they began to sell cars cheaply at home and abroad; not the best quality, but they did what Questarian industry did best: lots, and lots, of cheap and low quality goods. By the end of the financial year, over 3 billion Questarians would buy cars. The funneling of money into the economy pushed up employment and inflation began to stabilise, while consumption rocketed up. Slowly, over the next few years, the hastily brought in protectionism laws would be repealed, bringing in foreign competition, but for now a stable and growing economy was at the forefront of Questarian economic interests.

Furthermore, the new political system had been challenged less than expected. The cabinet was made up of the following seats and the following people could vote for each seat every four years. Note that universal means anyone who is not black or a female. Also, suffrage age is 25:

Prime Minister:
The entire country, apart from women and blacks, who were older than 25 could vote for the Prime Minister.

Secretary of State for Foreign and Imperial Affairs:
Chosen by the Prime Minister.

Secretary of State for the Home Department:
Chosen by the Prime Minister.

Secretary of State for Transport:
Universally elected; anyone working in a transport company gets two votes.

Secretary of State for Health:
Universally elected; doctors, nurses etc get two votes.

Secretary of State for Education:
Universally elected; teachers, university students get two votes.

Secretary of State for Tradition and Religion:
Universally elected; clergy get two votes.

Secretary of State for the Treasury and Economic Affairs:
Economists, economics students, anyone qualified to be an economist, anyone that owns a firm or is a shareholder in a firm.

Secretary of State for Defence:
Anyone in the Army, Navy, and Airforce.

Questarian military buildup was on hold and the military was ever shrinking. To commit the reforms he had promised, the King needed money, and as the figures were showing, that would be pouring in next year. In several years he would be giving subsidies to companies to modernise their industry. He hoped that he could rebuild the economy, that he could rebuild Questers. Yet, amongst this new economy and boom in consumption, came the behind the scenes repression. Rumours began to go round; Special Branch officers knocking down doors in the dead of night and dragging people off never to be seen again, black vans and helicopters being sighted on the streets. The occasional bomb, the occasional rocket attacks, and the ever present troops on the streets reminded people that the resistance movement was alive, if barely.

And anyone that stepped out of line would be dealt with.

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HUDSON PALACE

To King Alexander II,

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate yourself and your vaunted people for their heroic victory over the nefarious, and regrettably malignant, pestilence of modern society that is communism. The ability of your country to ensure grievance and respond in kind is most impressive, and the death of yet another naive and degenerate ideological fallacy is a pleasure for all to behold.

Moreover, it is warming to see the legitimate government of Questers triumph over those who would seek to subvert it, and I must also congratulate your expeditious and unsullied consolidation of political power. By grace of God and will of soul, it will surely promise safety and security for Questers, free from the bureaucracy and indecision of squabbling politicians.

In an effort to further vitalise your rather disheartened economy, I would propose the creation of a free trade agreement between Questers and Taerkasten, and indeed any other nations willing to forgo the evils of trade restriction and assist. I shall not insult you or your industrious people by offering charity or handouts, but rather, if you require a loan of some manner to aid in your infrastructure investments, we stand ready to lend a hand - and a penny. Merely, all one needs to do is ask.

Good luck on your road to recovery, and I wish you a prosperous future.

Yours sincerely,



His Royal Majesty King Benjamin I,
Royal Kingdom of Taerkasten

Ministry of State

We congratulate the Questarian nation on their successful victory over the oppressive Communist regime and the establishment of a new, prosperous era in the country. As fellow allies in ACID, our government and our nation are ready to do what it takes to revitalize your great state and bring it to a new level of development and influence. Already, our business community has voiced its interest in your country's markets and our financial firms are ready to provide the financial support your citizens need to revitalize your economy.

In addition, our government is ready to provide loans, credits, and other mechanisms to enable your country to escape its high levels of debt and to reestablish your currency and financial system on sound footing for sustained future growth. If you need anything from our government, do not hesitate to contact us.

Regards,
Proconsul Adam Karmorov

Official Prestonian Communique

The Federal Havenic Republic of Prestonia would like to congratulate the Federative Imperium of Questers on it's defeat of Communism in it's own borders. While this philosophy may have had limited success, so often it leads to the demise of perfectly good nations. With regard to your debt, we have a solution. Here in Prestonia, the economy is in great shape. As a result, we will offer your nation the sum of $500 Billion USD, debt-free, as a small gesture towards repaying your debts and revitalizing your economy. In addition, any and all debts owed to the Prestonian Republic by your nation are hereby canceled. Let this step be the first towards a lasting alliance and partnership between the Prestonians and Questarians.

Yours in Friendship,
President Justin M. Gannon

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Official Communique of the Federal Sultanate Duchydom of Franberry

The Federal Sultanate Duchydom of Franberry would like to congratulate the Questarian Federative Imperium for the excellent progress it has done in the face of internal turmoil and potential chaos. Questers, under the leadership of His Majesty Alexander II, King-Emperor Regnant of Questers and her Colonies, has successfully stopped groups of insurgent totalitarian Stalinists within its borders.

The Federal Sultanate Duchydom of Franberry would like to help Questers through their time of trouble. We are more than willing to invest in the mining industry within Questers, well adhered to the currently-instated laws for the benefit of the average Questarian. Franberry is most interested in the Steel industry within Questers, and would be honored to be able to help the Questarian people through investment in that part of the economy.

The Franberrian people have always stood in solidarity with their Questarian allies, and will do so through this time of crises.

Godspeed,
His Illustrious Grand Democratic Excellency, President of the Federal Sultanate Duchydom of Franberry,
Geoli Joolitan,

OFFICIAL IMPERIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

Victory over the Red scourge in any theater is a triumph to be applauded in any case. Furthermore, we believe that the economic difficulties in Questers will require increased capitalist activity to overcome, something that will benefit not only that nation but the world as a whole. The ports of the Empire are open to Questarian trade, and we look forward to revived business with them.

Signed,
Abram Vidann, Minister of Foreign Affairs

Official Kampferian Statement

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We are delighted to see that Questers has emerged from the scathing fires of rebellion, and even more delighted to see His Majesty Alexander II still in power. May I congratualte you on your new form of government, which I find to be very similar to the Kampferian system, which also calls for a supreme, unelected head, with a small representative body with little true power. I am glad to see that you have emerged through this turbulent time, and am personally gratefull that Kampferian troops were able help your nation in this most troubling time.

As Questers and Kampfers move foward, however, we believe that closer ties would bring much prosperity, security, and happiness to both of ou nations. As soon as this period of protectionism wears off, I assume that Questers will resume their free-trade policies as usually, which match the Kampferian policies. If not, however, Kampfers would be interested in signing a free-trade agreement with your nation. Additionally, Kampferian merchants have stated anticipation into the re-opening of Questarian markets for their goods. Finally, Kampfers would like to help the economic troubles of Questers by moving a few mining companies into Questers to mine iron. These companies will produce jobs, provide income, and help support the Questarian economy in general if allowed to enter.

Finally, as we look back into the past years of Kampfers days playing a role on the international scene, the nation of Questers is one of few that Kampfers has shared continual good relations with. The doing away with the Questarian sstem of apartheid only served to increase the already strong relations between our two nations. As such, we wish to offer that a Kampferian-Questarian Accords be forged, to solidify the relations between ourselves for now and evermore. If this comes too quickly, then just say so, but we feel that now is the time to move foward in our relations with your honorable nation.

Sincerely,
Fuhrer Richtoff

Transmission from the Kampferian Heads of Staff

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At this time, Kampferian Forces, including a significant naval portion, reamin in Questers. Whenever your majesty feels the time is right, these forces will begin to depart for Kampfers, however we request that the two carrier strike battle groups currently in Questarian waters be allowed to remain for a short time longer, unil the Questarian military is fully rebuilt, or at least to a scale worthy that the name Questers brings. Once again, if additional help is needed, or should you request that Kampferian forces remain and help with peacekeeping forces or rebuilding, we will be more than happy to do so.

Sincerely,
General Jorg Klischten
Admiral James Christian
Space Ranger Buzz Lightyear

OOC: forgot the name and rank of my air force dude XD

New Masada, Kahanistan

A one-room shack in the outskirts of the capital

A man in loose-fitting Kahanistanian garb, a light blue tunic and loose matching trousers, sat behind a microphone. Behind him was a Vatican flag stretched across the wall, partly obscured by a crappy old computer and desk. This man was quite tall, gaunt, and looked around 50 years old.

"Ave. Welcome to the Catholic Task Force, CTF, or Verus Dexter, the Real Right in Latin. My name is Lucius Aurelius Cartulius."

Cartulius began speaking of the events in Questers and the recent history between Questers and Kahanistan. "The Catholic Church, of course, hates Communism. That is why there is no Communism in Doomingsland; they consider themselves Catholic. So we will shed no tears for the Communist uprising in Questers."

"But we don't like Questers, either. Some self-hating Catholics claim that the Questarians invaded us to protect us from persecution at the hands of our government. I will correct a few misunderstandings. First of all, the riots targeting Catholics began AFTER the Commonwealth invasion, when the police were too busy directing traffic around ruined bridges that were destroyed by Kriegos missiles."

"Second of all, the Questarian invasion was not motivated by a desire to control the Strobovian Strait. At the time, we were neutral and would have allowed both sides to travel freely through our land, or neither side; either approach would have preserved our neutrality. That invasion was motivated by sheer racism."

Cartulius picked up a Questarian book, The Races across the Lands and their Place in History (http://ns.goobergunch.net/wiki/index.php/The_Races_Across_the_Lands_And_Their_Place_In_History), and began to quote passages from it.

"degrading...inhuman and indeed subhuman creatures... akin to rats". It also says the "natural place of the Kahanistani... much like his Londinian counterpart, is to be conquered, dominated, and controlled by those stronger than him. While I myself value Liberty, I do not think that these insipid creatures do, and to enslave them would be no great moral loss..."

"Error number one, Mr. Hashimoto. While 'Kahanistanian' is our preferred demonym, 'Kahanistani' is sometimes used, though it marks the speaker as foreign. But I digress. Error number one... is that we are even a race. As you can see, I am a white man, although my mother is a Jewess. Our President, the Honourable Khalid bin Abdullah al-Omari, is an Arab. We also have many blacks, whom we let vote, unlike the Questarians, and we have Asians, Hispanics, and many other races."

"Error number two... that we do not value liberty. On the contrary, we have fought ferociously against those who would enslave us. If we did not value liberty, we would have surrendered upon the first shot and willingly marched into the arms of those Doomani heretics. The Questarians, however, have abolished democracy! Who does not value liberty now?

"Error number three... We Catholics, of course, teach that all races are equal; in fact, the very word 'Catholic' means 'general,' as in 'universal.' We are all the same. But, of course, the Questarians are not Catholics. We do not expect them to follow our religion any more than we expect the Doomani to. We might, however, point them to scientific studies that call into question the entire concept of race."

"Error number four. Enslavement is always a moral loss, whether it be humans, apes, or any other sapient life form. Yes, the Bible tells slaves to obey their masters, but honestly, the early Christians had enough bad press without being accused of fomenting slave revolts. We were already accused of cannibalism over misinterpretations of Communion."

Cartulius poured a goblet to the brim with cheap Chianti and chugged down the red wine.

"Self-hating Catholics, of course, will argue that this is just a book written by a whackjob. After all, On the Amestrians and their Lies (http://ns.goobergunch.net/wiki/index.php/On_the_Amestrians_and_their_Lies) doesn't represent the views of our government, does it? No! But we did not invade Amestria in accordance with the rantings of that Satanic book. The Questarians, however, happily invaded us for slaves on the advice of their equivalent of Mein Kampf."

"So, why did we lose? Well, for starters, we were outnumbered about six to one. On top of that, we abandoned vast tracts of land for more defensible cities and were ill-prepared for chemical weapons that can penetrate full NBC gear and cause nearly 100% casualties. Many of our generals had simply accepted the fact that there was nothing we could do against the Doomani's ultra-stealthy fighters and bombers, and so did nothing in the face of superior firepower. Finally, the most heavily armed warrior cannot defeat an enemy who bypasses him or her, by going around, or above, or using strategic weapons."

Cartulius stood up, poured and chugged another brimming goblet of Chianti, and cleared his throat. "Feel free to support CTF. You don't have to be Catholic to join. 60% of our members are not Catholic. We're the Catholic Task Force, our founders are Catholic, I'm Catholic, but most of our members are not Catholic. We fight against the growing tide of anti-Catholicism in Kahanistan, we refuse to call the Doomani state religion 'Catholicism,' we prefer to call it 'the Doomani religion' or 'Doomanism.' All it takes to join is a sympathy with the universal ideals of faith, hope and charity. Amen."

The TV broadcast of CTF's first episode ended, and Der Ewige Katholik started at its usual 2030 - 2130 time slot.

The New Brittonian government wishes for a period of stability and prosperity to enter Questers. Although we are currently alarmed by the return of non-democratic government, and the denying of the suffrage to women and blacks, which is something we hope will be addressed in due time, we wish that there will be a period of amicable relations between Questers and The United Socialist States of New Brittonia. We wish to send Foreign Minister Nabila Katchab to Questers to meet with the governmental officials of Questers in order to discuss possible aid packages.

Signed,
Prime Minister of the United Socialist States of New Brittonia and Chief Communard of the Communist Party of the United Socialist States of New Brittonia
Mohammed Javaid

Foreign Minister of the United Socialist States of New Brittonis
Nabila Katchab

To: His Majesty Alexander II

The people of the Federation, myself included, wish to congratulate you on your defeat of the Communist regime within your borders. We would also like to wish the Questarian Empire the best of luck in its economic recovery.

To that end, we will give aid to your people in a step that I have never considered taking before: Questerian goods will be classified as duty-free and exempt from tariffs in the FFS for a period of 9 months.

Furthermore, it has been brought to our attention that your military has been forced to be cut back to allow economic recovery. We wish to offer military aid to help Questers until their military can be brought back to its full power. Should you accept our offer, we will send General Lucien M. Varricer with a group of 100,000 men, the dreadnaughts Emperor Napoleon I, Belisarius, Ottonius Magnus, Phillip II, and the Superdreadnaught Victory. However, we ask your permission first because of the sensitivity of the issue of sending troops into foreign nations.

Best of Luck and Congratulations,

Head of State
General Steven Phillip Grimmeberger

Chief of Internal Security and Second in Command
Commander Roderic Weller

"But we don't like Questers, either. Some self-hating Catholics claim that the Questarians invaded us to protect us from persecution at the hands of our government. I will correct a few misunderstandings. First of all, the riots targeting Catholics began AFTER the Commonwealth invasion, when the police were too busy directing traffic around ruined bridges that were destroyed by Kriegos missiles."

It is a biased opinion that all Catholics should hate Questers. General Grimmeberger and myself are both Catholics, and we support Questers whole-heartedly. Furthermore, this "Catholic Task Force" sounds an awful lot like a terrorist organization, with tactics not unlike the one we are working to combat within our own borders. We will not accept this twisting of a religion to suit the warped political veiwpoints of a few individuals. Should the CTF take ANY hostile action against Questers, we will be there to support the Questerian Empire, provided they approve, of course.

Consider Yourself Warned,
Commander Roderic Weller
Chief of Internal Security of the FFS and Second in Command to the Generalissmo

It is a biased opinion that all Catholics should hate Questers. General Grimmeberger and myself are both Catholics, and we support Questers whole-heartedly. Furthermore, this "Catholic Task Force" sounds an awful lot like a terrorist organization, with tactics not unlike the one we are working to combat within our own borders. We will not accept this twisting of a religion to suit the warped political viewpoints of a few individuals. Should the CTF take ANY hostile action against Questers, we will be there to support the Questerian Empire, provided they approve, of course.

Consider Yourself Warned,
Commander Roderic Weller
Chief of Internal Security of the FFS and Second in Command to the Generalissmo

Terrorist? I think not; we are not even an armed group. We are not twisting our religion to justify our attitude towards Questers; their pervasive racist attitudes such as not letting black people or women vote speak for themselves. For our part, two of our major presidential candidates are women, Communist candidate Lieutenant General Nadia Sklenova and Nationalist candidate Senator Alyssa Petrova.

We are not advocating violence against anyone, Questarian or otherwise. In fact, we think it would be a good thing if millions of black Questarians moved to Kahanistan and became Kahanistanian citizens. They would have some say in the government they would live under, far more than they have in Questers. That would do far more damage to their racial policies than a million Allied bombs.

Signed,
Lucius Aurelius Cartulius,
Chairman of the Catholic Task Force

State Department Communication
The Holy Reich congratulates Questers on its victory against the demon communists. This just further proves how vile and despicable communists are, and how the world and ACID must always be ready to deal with them. TPF, as always, stand beside Quester's as one of the most anti-communist supporters in the world.
We also congratulate Questers on its step towards freedom for all with the freeing of the blacks, we hope sincerely that political freedoms will also be restored soon with the re-establishment of democracy.
The Holy Reich has also put out a recommendation that TPF business' invest in Questers, and usually business' do so, especially when we tell them the advantages, and we have done so. Additionally, we can offer financial assistance if need be, but our experts believe that nearly two trillion dollars will be injected into your economy from our business alone.
We are always ready and willing to stand by our allies in Questers, and as such we ask you to not hesitate to call on us if any problems arise.

God save the King.

Official Diplomatic Telegram:
To: King Alexander the Second; Federative Imperium of Questers
From: Empress Erika Redmark; Democratic Empire of Great Vantania
As you undoubtedly know, we were a staunch fiscal supporter of the Questarian Commonwealth during the Questo-Gholgothic War. Our support has not and will not wane. We offer to send the Industrial Emperor, Tucker Boot of the Buy & Sell Corporation, to your nation to help the unemployed and bottom end workers recieve work. What's more, we will make a one trillion USD investment in the Federative Imperium, loan payback starting in five fiscal years. What's more, any and all debt that Questers has accumulated in the Democratic Empire is hereby redeemed. Continueing on, the Vantanians are renowned city planners, and we wish to help you rebuild your war stricken land optimally. Lastly, we suggest you join the League of Imperial Ocean-faring Nations (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=542410) to recieve an economic help package.
-Erika Redmark; Empress of the Democratic Empire, Queen of Great Vantania, Empress of the Greater Empire, Imperial Goddess Prima of Vantepolis, Liberator of the Workers, Lady of Redmark, Holder of Titles

Terrorist? I think not; we are not even an armed group. We are not twisting our religion to justify our attitude towards Questers; their pervasive racist attitudes such as not letting black people or women vote speak for themselves. For our part, two of our major presidential candidates are women, Communist candidate Lieutenant General Nadia Sklenova and Nationalist candidate Senator Alyssa Petrova.

We are not advocating violence against anyone, Questarian or otherwise. In fact, we think it would be a good thing if millions of black Questarians moved to Kahanistan and became Kahanistanian citizens. They would have some say in the government they would live under, far more than they have in Questers. That would do far more damage to their racial policies than a million Allied bombs.

Signed,
Lucius Aurelius Cartulius,
Chairman of the Catholic Task Force

We apologize for the misunderstanding. We were going under the assumption you were armed. Again, many apologies. We only meant to support our Questerian allies.

Yours sincerely,
Commander Roderic Weller, Acting Head of State

To: Questerian Empire

I am afraid I must inform you that General Grimmeberger is no longer in power, at least until further notice. He was critically wounded in an assassination attempt yesterday and remains in critical condition at the hospital (for security reasons, lest this message be intercepted by those wishing him harm, the location of this hospital will not be disclosed), and so the Federation of the Fanboyist States is under my leadership until he recovers. We are aware that the Red Brethren are responsible for this attack, and his assailant was killed by the General himself.

Sincerely,
Commander Roderic Weller, Acting Head of State