Civcraft2Import:Groups/nations/balkania

= Balkania =

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The National Republic of Balkania is a nation in the far north -,- founded in late November 2014. It is lead by State President Ipslore_ and an elected National Assembly. The government is defined by the Constitution to be a 'Semi-Democratic National Republic'.

= History =

Settlement
The Independent State of Balkania was founded with the city of New Serbia on the 30th of November 2014 by King Spongesuds I, within the land claims of the Empire of Senntisten, though over 1km from the nearest Senntisteni-developed area, that being the town of Londinium. King Spongesuds had also been previously reassured that what would become Balkania was outside of Senntisten's claims, and had assumed Londinium to be a Senntisteni border outpost.

War of Independence
When it became apparent to Senntisten that Balkania was infact not outside their claims but rather within what they believed to be the Senntisteni &quot;heartland&quot;, issues quickly emerged. Senntisteni proposals suggested Balkania either be annexed by Senntisten, become a protectorate, or simply move elsewhere.

The lack of Balkanian response to these proposals lead to Senntisteni military action on the 11th of January, when the Senntisten Army, led by Governor Agentnola of Londinium invaded and occupied New Serbia, committing numerous war crimes such as civilian massacres and destruction of private property in the process. The occupation continued, though fiercely contested by brave Balkanian partisans for several hours until King Spongesuds became available and brokered a deal whereby 27d would be paid to Senntisten for a guarantee of safety for a week. In addition, Orthodox Balkania would permit the construction of a Catholic Church in New Serbia, and Catholic Senntisten would permit the construction of an Orthodox Church in Londinium.

Unfortunately, immediately the very next day Senntisten violated their promise of a week of truce, when the occupation of New Serbia continued, the Senntisten Army even murdering and displacing a civilian to requisition his house as a command post. After this, they were forced to withdraw.

Stalemate
After the Battle of New Serbia, the two sides settled into an uneasy stalemate - Senntisten refused to recognize Balkania's sovereignty over their territory, and Balkania refused to recognize Senntisteni claims on New Serbia, which remained under de facto Balkanian control. During this time Balkania gained some international recognition, being recognised by the governments of Aeon and Terminus, and forming an alliance with the budding Commonwealth of the Kaiserinreich. The Royal Balkanian Army also quietly seized control of the abandoned town of Corvus to the south of New Serbia, which was christened &quot;South Balkania&quot; and claimed as the second territory of the nation alongside New Serbia. There was even a slight thaw in Balkania-Senntisten relations, with a rail line established between New Serbia and Londinium.

UMM Crisis
The uneasy stalemate was finally ended when Balkania attempted to apply to the United Minus Minus, or UMM as a further step to legitimacy as a sovereign nation. The UMM was headed by Orion, a nation from which Senntisten had fought for independence themselves, and while the very existence of Balkania was an affront to them, Balkania aligning itself with an old Senntisteni enemy was even worse. This led to renewed debate in Senntisten on how to finally resolve the Balkania situation. Hardliners continued with the rheoric of &quot;Annexation or relocation&quot; to remove what they saw as illegal squatters, while many more saw that Balkania had grown to the point of being a real nation more than a squatter camp, and urged a diplomatic, peaceful resolution. Eventually Emperor Seldomshock himself was forced to make a statement - He announced his desire to recognize Balkania as a sovereign nation and establish proper borders, however with the condition of the relinquishment of South Balkania to Senntisten control.

Peace
While no official deal was actually reached, this was the effective end of the Balkanian War of Independence. Senntisten-Balkania relations warmed, with Balkania deciding against membership in the UMM, and instead becoming the fifth member of the Senntisten-founded Great Northern Alliance on the 1st of March. Balkania's effective borders were an area around New Serbia as defined by the &quot;Urban Planning Proposal&quot; in addition to South Balkania, which became developed as an agricultural colony to free up land new New Serbia for urban development.

However it rapidly became clear that the land designated by the Urban Planning Proposal was inadequate for Balkanian development, and on the 12th of May Balkania and Senntisten agreed to the Treaty on Basic Relations, finally establishing a mutually recognized border around New Serbia, the modern boundaries of the city.

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Kaiserin War of Independence
In late April, Balkania's ally Kaiserin, at the time an autonomous province of SPQR, unilaterally declared their independence as a sovereign state seperate from SPQR. This immediately put Balkania in a difficult position - The Kaiserinreich was Balkania's oldest and closest ally, but SPQR was a member of the Great Northern Alliance, the charter of which called for the mutual recognition of land claims between GNA states - To support Kaiserin would be in open defiance of this clause, this very clause being among the reasons for Balkania's official recognition by Senntisten.

Balkania chose to strike a middle-ground, supporting an independent Kaiserin but restricting action to merely vocal and diplomatic support, and proposing a peaceful, nonviolent response to the crisis. Nonetheless, Balkanian peacekeepers stationed themselves in Kaiserin City though took no direct action.

The Banovo Rebellion
By far the most interesting thing ever to happen to Balkania came with a flood of immigrants into the newly-chartered housing area &quot;Banovo Brdo Housing District&quot; in early May 2015. One of the immigrants, YellowClimber, attempted to hold unauthorized &quot;elections&quot; within the district. This quickly spiraled into an all-out rebellion from the residents of the district, leading to a national lockdown and the deployment of the Royal Balkanian Army to restore order. The rebels were quickly quelled, and after some subsequent mop-up operations by the newly-formed Balkanian SAS, the crisis was over. A far more detailed account of the Rebellion can be found here.

Kaiserin-Balkania Split
While Balkania had chosen to stand by Kaiserin in their War of Independence, relations between the two nations had greatly deteriorated since. Kaiserin believed Balkania had not provided enough aid and abandoned their ally in their time of need against SPQR. Personal incidents between Queen Novaceasar of Kaiserin and numerous Balkanians only exacerbated a widening gap between the two nations. A final straw came with a dispute over the ownership of the Kaiserin-New Serbia Line, which led to Novaceasar terminating the Alliance.

In the aftermath of the demise of Balkania's oldest alliance, the nation was free to fully embrace the GNA and strengthen ties with old enemies of Kaiserin such as SPQR and Volterra, now no longer needing to strike a careful balance between the two for fear of alienating either side.

Empire-Building
In early June, driven by the suggestions of the newly-created Ministry of Economics, Balkania acquired two overseas colonies - The desert territory of Uluru, purchased from Senntisten, and the previously uninhabited jungle island of Devica. The reasoning for this was the need for the domestic production of goods needed for the Balkanian Potion Industry in other biomes previously unavaliable. In addition, Devica was selected to become Balkania's second permanently inhabited territory, with four colonists being sent to the island to establish a settlement there, though strictly bound by a charter to prevent future incidents such as the Banovo Rebellion.

Kaiserin Crisis
In July 2015, Kaiserin effectively collapsed, with the resignation of two chancellors in rapid succession, the at least nominal abdication of Queen Novaceasar, the sale of the islands of Minerva to SPQR, the regions of Icenia and Vienna declaring independence, with at least Icenia achieving their goal backed by Balkania and the GNA. This led to proposals for SPQR, Volterra or the collective GNA to purchase Kaiserinreich to get them out of the quadrant, though the estimated sum varied wildly from 34,000d at the highest to 7,000d at the lowest. Eventually, Kaiserin instead decided to sell their land to Aeon, a third party, for a very low sum, and relocate to the -,+ on the Chanadian border.

Greater Balkania
Desiring a larger contiguous area than the increasingly constrictive boundaries of New Serbia, in late July Balkania formalized it's largest and most expensive land purchase yet, acquiring the territory of &quot;Greater Balkania&quot; around New Serbia. The acquisition of &quot;Greater Balkania&quot; had long been a Balkanian pipe dream for future expansion, but it was at last realized and Balkania now had the territory to expand.

Stagnation
However, the purchase of the vast territory of Greater Balkania did not solve the nation's myriad other problems - Mainly the dwindling population which had not grown in months and the subsequent tiring of the old guard core citizens who had been there for 5+ months now. The City of New Serbia underwent some development during this time such as rail lines to Orion and New Senntisten, and Balkania's first formal law was passed, the New Serbia Dereliction Act, but real change was minimal. The city was also struck by a severe arson attack, which devastated the Banovo district in particular.

The Abandoning
''Wow, I lost it all. This sucks.'' - Evilltroll

On the 2nd of August 2015, the Foreign, Economic and Security Ministers, Ipslore_, DoLLaZ and Uyuxo respectively, all resigned and departed from Balkania, having grown burned out in the nation and it's continued low population despite their attempts to revitalize it. With their departure Balkania's population effectively dropped to Spongesuds alone, who was for the most part semi-active at best.

Foundation of the National Republic
On the 30th of November 2015, Balkania's one-year anniversary since the founding of New Serbia by King Spongesuds I, Ipslore_ returned to the inactive nation to restart it. Spongesuds agreed to abdicate in favour of Ipslore, who had been long since considered his heir, who immediately abolished the monarchy, and declared Balkania to be a National Republic with a Constitution as the cornerstone of the new state.

Among the other reforms enacted were;


 * New Serbia was designated a historic site and the capital was relocated to the under-construction city of Istria in the southwest of the Greater Balkania.
 * The Crown Companies were divided up, with the Balkania Trading Company and it's subsidiaries being transferred to Spongesuds as a private citizen, and Balkania Royal Rails and the Londinium Development Company kept as State Companies.
 * South Balkania, up until now classified as a Colony since the conquest of Corvus on the 8th of January 2015, was elevated to a full Territory due to geographical unity with the Balkanian heartland since the acquisition of Greater Balkania, and extensive cultural-economic ties.

Deroyalisation
With the end of the monarchy, while it remained held in good esteem, many royalist symbols and names needed changing to represent the new democratic system;

The crowns on the Coats of Arms for South Balkania and Devica were also removed, and Devica renamed to a Colony ruled by a Governor from a Viceroyalty ruled by a Viceroy. The Royal Seal also no longer held any official status.

= Geography =

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Regions
For administrative purposes, Balkania is broken into five regions - The City of New Serbia, the Territories of Greater Balkania &amp; South Balkania, and the Colonies of Uluru &amp; Devica.

Settlements
The Independent State of Balkania has four main settlements:


 * Istria

The newly-constructed capital city of Balkania as well as regional capital of the Territory of Greater Balkania.
 * New Serbia

The first city of Balkania and original capital, now a historic site since the transition to the National Republic.
 * South Balkania

The southern frigid settlement of South Balkania is Balkania's agrarian breadbasket, producing potatoes and spruce. It is ruled by the appointed Governor Ipslore.
 * Colony of Devica

The far eastern tropical islands of Devica are the furthest outlying of the Balkanian colonies. Devica is the only other permanently inhabited settlement other than New Serbia, and has an economy built around cocoa and sugarcane production. It is ruled by the appointed Viceroy Bubz.
 * Uluru

A coastal desert area to the far west, Uluru is the least developed of the Balkanian colonies and is as of now mostly just windswept dunes. It is ruled by the appointed Governor DoLLaZ.

= Politics =

Domestic
Balkania is a National Republic with it's government laid out in it's Constitution. State President Ipslore is the head of state.

Foreign
Balkania has cordial relations with all it's neighbours, and is a member-state of the Great Northern Alliance, and founder of the International Anti-Comintern Pact, or IACP, which currently consists of three other nations alongside Balkania in the fight against the red hydra. Balkania has embassies in New Senntisten, Roma and Icenia, as well as a small Fort that serves as a Legation in the nearby Senntisteni town of Londinium, and the New Serbia Embassy Street hosts Senntisteni, Roman, Icenian and Volterran Embassies.

Balkania previously had a long-standing alliance with the Commonwealth of the Kaiserinreich, before it was terminated by the Kaiserinreich due to a dispute over the ownership of the Kaiserin-New Serbia line.

Treaties and Documents
Balkania has formalized seven official documents over it's history -

The Independent State

 * Treaty on Basic Relations between the Independent State of Balkania and the Empire of Senntisten

Normalizing Balkania-Senntisteni relations after the end of the Balkanian War of Independence and reaffirming both Balkania and Senntisten as sovereign states with a mutual level of respect and recognition.
 * Balkanian Flag Act

Mandating that all private residences display the Balkanian Flag outside. The Law is currently in effect in the City of New Serbia and the Colony of Devica.
 * Uluru Purchase

Purchasing the desert territory of Uluru from Senntisten for use as a Balkanian colony.
 * Mission for Devican Settlers

Outlining the duty of Balkanian settlers on the island of Devica and to create a clear legal boundary against future seccession.
 * New Serbia Dereliction Act

Creating a legal framework for the re-purposing of the multitude of abandoned houses cluttering New Serbia.
 * Greater Balkania Purchase

Purchasing the vast territory around New Serbia known as &quot;Greater Balkania&quot; from Senntisten.

The National Republic

 * Constitution of the National Republic of Balkania

Laying out the key organs of government and fundamental principles of the National Republic.

= Economy =

Balkania is a primarily capitalist country, with a free market where citizens are free to set up their own private enterprises as they wish, though integrating some elements of Socialism and State Capitalism, with the majority of infrastructure owned and maintained by the state, as well as food freely provided to citizens and travelers alike. The national government has an economic agreement with Devica, a Balkanian colony, to export a set amount of sugarcane and cocoa, which will always be bought at a flat rate.

Private
Balkania has a limited private sector, mostly being made up of shops in the New Serbia Market. The largest private companies operating out of Balkania are:


 * Spongecorp, the remnants of the crown-owned Balkania Trading Company and it's subsidiaries are now privately owned by Spongesuds. The Company has branches in New Senntisten, Orion, Thule, Icenia and Discord, and continues to produce XP in the historic city of New Serbia.

Public
Balkania has two state companies, Balkania National Rails, responsible for the construction and maintenance of Balkania's railway systems, and the Londinium Development Company, which aids in the development of the Senntisteni city of Londinium, where Balkania has significant economic interests.

Previously under the monarchical Independent State of Balkania, there was a far more extensive system of State Companies, with the crown-owned Balkania Trading Company and it's subsidiaries, Balkania Brand Potions and Balkania XP Exports, serving as a worldwide brand, with branches in New Senntisten, Orion, Thule, Icenia and Discord. However with the transition to the National Republic these were transferred to the private ownership of the ex-monarch Spongesuds, who chose to consolidate them into one company, Spongecorp, which continues to operate privately.

= Culture =

Architecture
Balkania has wide and varied styles of architecture, the most distinct of these being the New Serbia style used in official buildings. Prominent examples of this style are the Novi Dvor, the Balkanian National Public Library, and the New Serbia National Theatre. This distinct theme is used in all official buildings, even abroad as Embassies and Governorates.

Other styles include the rural rustic theme used in most regular residences in New Serbia, the log cabin theme of South Balkania, and the fairly primitive tropical colonial architecture in Devica.

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Theatre
Balkania has a long and storied theatrical tradition, starting with the opening of the New Serbia National Theatre in April 2015. Since then, it has hosted many original plays by the Balkanian Theatrical Group, such as &quot;Shrek is Love, Shrek is Life&quot;., and the long-awaited Mein/11.

Public Holidays

 * Pioneer Day / Republic Day, 30th November.
 * Battle of New Serbia Remembrance Day, 11th January.
 * GNA Day, 1st March.
 * Banovo Rebellion Memorial Day, 11th May.
 * Recognition Day, 12th May