Mahdah Lorist Republic

The Mahdah Lorist Republic Mahdah Lorist Respublika
Flag
Motto: Müstəqillik, Millətçilik, Azadlıq (Independence, Nationalism, Freedom)
Anthem: Tələbə Himni (Student's Anthem)
Location of MLR, Mahda
Capital	Qulluqçu Evi
Largest city	Gözəl Küləkli Şəhər
Official languages	Madahan Language
Recognised regional languages	Lothian Language, Aureumterran Language
Ethnic groups (2032)	35% Mahdahn, 15% Proto-Aureumterran/Nordurlander, 11.2% High Lothian, 3.7% Central Lothian, 1.1% Lower Lothian 10% Āturpātakān, 5% Aureumterran, 5% (Lothian-Azuran? Some form of cross-grouping), 5% Nordurlander-Aureumterran, 10% Other
Religion	Aged 18-60 34% No Religion 20% Yanğın Yolu 11% Cortarism 3% Progressive Cortarism 6% Lothic Sacerdotium 16% Veldikirkjan (Vacantist) 10% Veldikirkjan (Conventional)
Demonym(s)	Mahdahn
Government	Lorist Democracy
• Təşkilatçı	Zaur Farajov
• Chief Legislator of the Lorist Grand Council	Mahir Azadlı
Legislature	Lorist Böyük Şurası
Formation
• Mahdahn Revolution	1962
• Establishment of the UMSR	1964
• Lorist Reforms	1992
Population
• 3032 estimate	26 million
• 2032 census	26,102,216
GDP (nominal)	2032 estimate
• Total	500 Billion
• Per capita	19,230
Gini (2032)	20.19 low
HDI (2032)	0.612 medium
Currency	Mahdan Iari (MII)
Time zone	Western Inner Sea Timezone
Date format	dd/mm/yyyy
Driving side	left
Calling code	+21
Internet TLD	.mlr

The Mahdah Lorist Republic (Mahdah Lorist Respublika), commonly shortened to MLR, is a country located on the coasts of both the Inner and Anagonian Seas, comprised of both severely dry and warm desert towards the interior and more temperate coastal regions where the majority of inhabitants live. The MLR neighbors Lothia (directly), Marquesan (maritime borders near the island of Pandora), Amaldorei (maritime borders near the island of Pandora), and Aureumterra (maritime border), and is the fourth least-populated state of those neighbors, only having a larger population than Amaldorei. It possesses the smallest amount of directly owned territory amongst its neighbors (with the exception of Amaldorei) as well.

Mahdah has been inhabited continuously for one of the longest periods in human history, with remnants of developed coastal civilizations being discovered which date back to the 3,000BCE-2,600BCE Period, and remnants of interaction between early peoples and Lothians dating back to the 5,000BCE period, when the settled civilizations which would form the Āturpātakān first came into existence. The Āturpātakān would begin to culturally fuse with Lothian and Nordurlander immigrants, eventually creating the modern Mahdan culture as it is currently recognized, although hold-out populations of all three groups continue to exist in the region, owing to historical separations in regards to property, economic prosperity, and cultural primacy which have not been fully resolved. Mahdah would, for much of history, be under the role of an entrenched scholar-bureaucracy organized upon the principles of the Yanğın Yolu (Fire Road) religion, these bureaucrats exhibiting a stronger political and economic role than the rulers of the many states which would come to occupy the region (excluding a period from 1260CE-1340CE, when the self-proclaimed İmperatorların Kralı (King of Emperors) Űlvi Almsteldt would establish a short lived state functioning off Veldikirkjan religious elements, which claimed to have a more direct connection to Cnut I then the currently ruling Hæstirétt), although their power would begin to fade in the modern era with the entrenchment of merchants and other economic figures in the halls of power.

Mahdah would become a revolutionary state shortly after the Great War, which it participated in on the part of Marquesan. The industrial measures taken to attempt to create a modernized state armaments industry which had not existed before that point, and mass military purges owing to poor command in those few battles upon Pandora it was allowed to participate in, created an entrenched anti-state worker and military element, who would united to abolish the monarchy of the time, then lead by Nərmin Sərvərlı. This would succed, but the new revolutionary, collectivizing state would find few friends and no allies, being placed under a blockade by Aureumterra and its allies. In an attempt to break this encirclement, a clique of young reformers in both the military and student bodies would agitate for the adoption of Lorist principles, with reforms taking place throughout the late 1970's and early 1980's, until the state's first post-revolution elections in 1992, which coincided with the state changing its name from the UMSR to the MLR.

Mahdah in the modern era is a Lorist Democracy, with elections being held between parties and factions emphasizing certain aspects of Lorist policy. It has been suffering an economic downturn since the withdrawl of economic aid from Azura and Janpia in the early 2020's, owing to changing geopolitical priorities.

Names

The name "Mahdah" is historically associated with the translation of the name of the Āturpātakān merchant city of Mingəçevir by Lothic immigrants, with this first translation being "Mātkāre", also used as the term of the civilization the city was considered to be a part of. This name, Mātkāre, would be interpreted in a number of ways by the diverse populations of the region, with it eventually being converted into the Arcadie/Seurian - language name of Mahdah by Marquesan immigrants.

A mild ongoing debate within society has been the acceptance of the continued utilization of the "Mahdah" translation, with certain segments wishing to instead use the Mātkāre translation / original name as a means of showing independence from foreign structures on a state level. This has been opposed by individuals who see it as needless posturing which would cause an unnecessary amount of effort to need to be invested in renaming / reorganizing state bodies and political parties to match the new name.

History

Prehistory

The first notable aspects of Mahdahn history begin with the finding of cave art and rock carvings dating back to approximately 12,000BCE, depicting fishing, hunting, and other aspects of basic survival - including what is commonly believed to be an early dance with religious significance of some variety. The first signs of sea travel of any variety would be found dating back to 6,000BCE, with early boats and signs of early farming being found. These boats were seemingly longships, primarily intended for coastal interaction - likely with the northmost portions of Marquesan or the island of Pandora, which they held a historically minor role in populating.

The development of Mahdah would follow general patterns throughout the bronze and iron age, comprising the development of greater naval capacity, trade routes with other states located upon what would later be called the Inner Sea, internal conflict between ancient faiths and the then-developing Yanğın Yolu, and the development of the first unified state in 190BCE.

Shortly after this unification, the early Mahdah kingdom would come into contact with a number of groups, including Arcadie traders, proto-Aureumterran immigrants moving south from internecine conflicts amongst one another, early Lothians, and a number of other groups - to some extent becoming a highly multiethnic state for the period, although inherently the native-Āturpātakān followers of the Yanğın Yolu would be the most favored members of the state, possessing the majority of roles in the bureaucratic structure and possessing the majority of wealth produced by the state through the early institutions of trade. This early kingdom would dissolve sometime near the early 300's, with a period of conflict occurring from the 300-500 period until the reunification of the state under Aüamÿli Ağasəfagil.

Middle Ages

Under the rule of Aüamÿli, the Mahdah state of the period would attempt to engage in more ambitious territorial activity against its neighbors and rivals - including a series of conflicts against Lothia occurring in 560CE, eventually ending in the defeat of Aüamÿli's army and his eventual deposition by members of the priestly caste of the Yanğın Yolu - who would use this opportunity to centralize state power within themselves and create a defacto empowered bureaucracy which would overwhelm the influence of the monarch. This bureaucracy would enact a series of policies designed to isolate the Mahdah from the outside world - focusing on cultural and political development in what became something of an golden age, although the growing power of outside states and the decreasing strength of the military would drive many to worry. This period of isolation would continue until the late 900s, with the beginning of a period of Aureumterran-Mahdahn strife caused by a series of major raids.

With this breaking of the irenic state of the nation, the Mahdahn state would prove unable to effectively respond to coastal pressure, due to lacking naval development and the poor morale of soldiers as a whole - with the series of notable defeats occurring because of such distinctly weakening the followers of the Yanğın Yolu, instead leading to a resurgence of monarchical power, especially under the rule of ßlÿsgÿr Orujov - who would force the Aureumterrans into retreat, centralize his own power, and re-open the country to foreign interaction, with Mahdah becoming a key player in Inner Sea trade during this period following their reconstruction of a navy.

This development of anti-Yanğın sentiment would eventually be acted upon by Űlvi Almsteldt in 1260 - who claimed to be the "King of Emperors" and the heir to Cnut 1 and the role of leadership over both Aureumterra and the Veldikirkjan faith. While commonly percieved as insane by later historians, Űlvi primarily used his self-proclaimed powers to reduce the power of the religious bureaucracy by introducing his own loyalists, both in a religious and political sense, into state affairs. His rule would also be culturally and politically influential - increasing the flow of trade once again, increasing the capacity to project power abroad, and even working to reach diplomatic and territorial settlements with Marquesan and Aureumterra through his supposed "eccentricity". While his death would be the death knell of these efforts, the weakening of the Yangin he caused allowed for later monarchs to take more distinctly reformist positions - eventually ending in the creation of a advisory parliament under the rule of Şamil Allahverdiyev. This parliament would gradually grow in power under successive monarchs - especially with the process of industrialization which put economic power in the hands of figures who could support elected ones without it challenging their own powerbases. With the rise of the Abbasquluoğlu dynasty in the wake of a series of issues within the Almsteldt line, the state would continue this path - until the beginning of a series of crises which would lead to the abolishment of the state, as a result of both external and internal pressure.

Pre-Revolutionary Period

While the wealth of the nation had increased as a result of the development of industrial capacity, much of that wealth had been centralized in the hands of an oligarchic class structure which worked with religious and monarchical groupings to prevent the distribution of such to the greater populace wherever possible. Working rights were poor, and factories had such a constant influx of new workers that they could afford to simply replace any who disagreed with policy, or attempted to strike against the state - this influx of workers being due to even worse conditions in the often-famine-struck agricultural provinces of the nation. The state would enact a number of forms of repression on those who attempted to agitate for reform in the government, working from bribery to imprisonment to even torture by the state security service known as the Qara Qvardiya (Black Guard) - whose role was to prevent, to the maximal extent possible, any form of worker organization.

Despite this repression, workers would unify - most especially those who had been fired for being injured when at work, and they would gradually convert to more and more radical ideologies, especially Lorism, in an attempt to form a cohesive force to strike against these actions. Unfortunately, the disunity of this movement would be exploited time and time again - and while superficial reforms would be achieved, ultimately the majority of workers movements would begin to dissapate in the early 1920s. It would take until the Great War for them to return - but in this time they would radicalize even further - becoming followers of a uniquely Mahdahn ideological understanding known as the Dalğadöyən Hərəkət, which called for the direct abolishment of the state in favor of one governed by a unitary party capable of finally abolishing the struggles of the past.

Great War

Mahda would join the Great War under the leadership of Fuad Abbaslı, an industrialist and opportunist with a connection to the then-marginalized Yanğın Scholar-Elite, who saw contribution to the defense of Pandora as the best means of squeezing concessions from both Aureumterra and Marquesan in the post-war period. Fuad had been appointed as Kansler by the Ərtoğrullı Dynasty, which had ruled the state since the early 1880s after the destruction of the previously notable Abbasquluoğlu Dynasty. The state-entity was greatly unprepared to enter the war, owing to lacking industrialization and material capability to develop large industry, and it would be forced to take damaging loans to purchase Marquesan equipment.

While it was easy to blame these failures on incompetence, it to some extent was more the fault of a bureaucratic system grasped by a religious divide which refused renewal or moderation for the purposes of national defense, leaving the government to foot the bill when these forces prevented it from taking action before this conflict began to reform such. The state had, before the conflict began, been unable to economically provide for the populace - and the conflict did, for a time, alleviate such woes, owing to the greater purchasing of oil by Marquesan and its allies. This period of success however, would be followed by collapse as the loans began to take their due on the state's capability to function.

The attempts at fixing this issue through the expansion of forced extractive labor in oil producing areas and attempts at encouraging of the military population to "live off the land" in the form of the seizure of resources from populations opposed to the war would cause the then-fledgling leftist opposition to the Fuad government to catalyze, causing the revolutionary grouping known as the MİL (Milli İnqilab Liqası) to form from a number of other early revolutionary groups, eventually coming to be lead by Nərmin Sərvərlı. Nərmin had been a long-term anti-monarchic political figure, and while imprisoned he had become the rallying point for those forces who shared his beliefs. He would collaborate with military elements who found themselves purged owing to poor performance in military matters, and shortly after the end of the Great War (known in Mahdah as the Zərərli Qələbə, or Harmful Victory) he would strike, leading a series of uprisings across the country which resulted in the collapse of the Fuad government.

Modern Period

UMRR

With the collapse of the state in the wake of the Great War, a state simply known as Revolutionary Mahdah would emerge in 1951 - at this point lead by a broad coalition of revolutionary figures and less-revolutionary antiwar figures, united primarily and near-exclusively by shared opposition to Fuad and shared desire for an end to the political struggles of the previous era. This coalition would be forced into an proxy conflict immediately after the overthrow of Fuad - with an Aureumterran-backed military goverment located on the nothern coasts taking form in an attempt to restore the political traits of the Fuadist era - and, of course, to provide a convinent resource extraction point for Aureumterra. This war would rapidly radicalize the anti-war figures in the state, with their commitment to the establishing of a conventional multiparty democratic system vanishing as they began to think in similar patterns to their more revolutionary allies - in that a vanguardist state was the only way to prevent incidents such as this from occurring again.

This war would take place over 10 years - 1956 to 1966 - and would end with the execution of the majority of military leaders involved, the formation of the United Mahdahn Revolutionary Republic, and the beginning of the Aureumterran Blockade against Mahdah. It would also end with the centralization of power into Narmin and the Dalğadöyən Hərəkət, who would form the first government of the newly formed UMRR after a series of elections following the war. The Dalğadöyən Hərəkət would become the Dalğadöyən Komanda - the only legal party within the state, as declared by the newly written Constitution of The UMRR, also known as the Xalq Kodu. The DK would enact a major process of wealth redistribution used to feed the new requirement for military industrialization - as the state was now surrounded by hostile powers, mainly its former allies in the Great War. It would have no major political relationships with any other state at this point - and instead was forced into autarky on an economic and societal level.

Mahdah, even at this stage, continued to take inspiration from Lorism - with the allowance of small businesses and internal market-based trade under the auspice of state direction, it allowed for a greater capacity for industrialization to be formed - although the UMRR was enduringly poor, it was able to provide a number of services the Fuad government had been unable or unwilling to, including free healthcare, free education, housing (if of a subpar nature) for all inhabitants of the nation, the end of racial discrimination inherent to law, and a number of other legitimate successes. It also, however, remained a profoundly one-party state, with requests for political representation of non-Mahdahn minorities in an official capacity denied, political opposition generally exiled abroad, and the arts and philosphies being censored by the state in the event they contradicted official doctrine in any fashion.

Over time, student movements and the remnants of reformist bodies within the Dalğadöyən Komanda would begin to agitate for major reforms in line with other lorist powers - a goal which would begin to see enactment in the early 1990s, under the leadership of Sərvan Kəmranlu, who - following a series of meetings and negotiations with notable Lorists - agreed to begin considering market and cultural reforms in exchange for the ending of a series of general strikes then-occurring across the nation.

Government

Law

Mahdahn law is based on the Xalq Kodu, or "People's Code", brought into being by the UMRR shortly after its establishment. The Xalq, on a historical level, guaranteed freedom of speech, the right for all members of the population to elect leaders from within the historic Dalğadöyən Komanda, the right to organize nonviolent assemblies to promote or demand societal change, and the right to legal representation. It additionally entails inherent protections, including protection from unjust imprisonment, undue harm, and undue discrimination from any entity within the state. The latter code was amended to include overt protections for LGBTQ members of society in 1986, following several decades of unofficial lack of protections for said members of society.

The Xalq would be modified in the course of the Lorist Reforms of the 1990s, creating new rights, such as the allowance for voting within multi-Lorist party elections, the right to market interaction between newly compulsory unions formed for individual corporate entities and the rest of the outside world, and a number of liberalizations in regards to press freedom and the ability to form new press organizations.

Economy

Energy

Mahdah has been one of the few states to not invest to any notable extent in green energy - instead continuing to focus on the extraction of abundant supplies of oil for the purposes of sustaining the needs of population and industry. This is made sustainable by the fact that Mahdah is one of the largest oil producers in the world, competing with Seuria and few others for that title - although due to the lack of exports, much of this oil has been rendered irrelevant for global utilization - one of the many reasons why the blockade against the MLR has continued despite its total failure to cause any major political or economic changes.

Healthcare

The UMRR would establish a free public healthcare system shortly after its own revolution, with a universal healthcare system being fully established during the reforms of the early 1980's. In the modern period, the MLR has a life expectancy of around 68-70 years at birth for both males and females, and has a large amount of medical personnel for the size of the nation and its budget, although consistent shortages of key medical equipment owing to the Aureumterran blockade have rendered certain issues impossible to cure within-country. While the MLR does not rival more developed nations in the field of healthcare, owing to a lack of budget and equipment as previously mentioned, it has been generally successful in eradicating large-scale disease outbreaks, being one of the first nations to eradicate mother-to-child transmission of Syphilis.

The population of the MLR generally does not receive the sustenance required for proper growth, owing to a lack of agricultural space and growth of animal life or other sources of protien. With this stated, obesity is not a major concern for much of the population, owing to both said issues and to smaller portion sizes and common traditions of fasting or otherwise reducing food intake on a daily basis. The minimum wage given to all workers in the state is able to purchase food, preventing larger-scale issues of per-house income being spent upon such.