West Ruthen

"People's Republic of Ruthen" redirects here. For the Republic of Ruthen, see East Ruthen.

People's Republic of Ruthen Volksrepublik Ruthen (Ruthish)
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: Arbeiter aller Länder, vereinigt Euch! ("Workers of the world, unite!")
Anthem: "Der Rote Hahn" "The Red Rooster"
Territory controlled   Territory claimed but not controlled (East Ruthen)
Capital and largest city	Thessen
Official languages	Ruthish Hyacinthean
Ethnic groups (2020)	83.5% Ruthish 16.5% other
Religion (2020)	52.8% Gregorianism 40.3% Irreligious 6.9% Others
Demonym(s)	West Ruthish · Ruthish
Government	Federal Arvidsenist socialist republic
• President	Gunnar Schönau
• Vice-President	Tilmann Rosenblatt
• Chair of the Executive Council	Otto Thoma
• Chair of the National Political Council	Natali Mannheim
Legislature	National Political Council
Establishment
• North Ruthenic Kingdom	9 December 987
• Ruthish Confederation	9 September 1438
• February Revolution	27 February 1862
• Unification	28 November 1864
• First Provisional Government	14 July 1943
• Establishment of West Ruthen	13 August 1945
• Current constitution	30 October 1977
Area
• Total	206,291 km2 (79,649 sq mi)
• Water (%)	1.0
Population
• 2023 estimate	66,382,284
• 2020 census	65,475,392 (7th)
• Density	321.79/km2 (833.4/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)	2020 estimate
• Total	$3.154 trillion (9th)
• Per capita	$47,525
GDP (nominal)	2020 estimate
• Total	$2.149 trillion (9th)
• Per capita	$32,372
Gini (2020)	24.2 low
HDI (2022)	0.951 very high
Currency	Ruthische Mark (ʀ) (WRM)
Time zone	UTC+0 (Central Calesian Time, CCT)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+1 (Central Calesian Summer Time, CCST)
Date format	dd-mm-yy
Driving side	left
Calling code	+25
Internet TLD	.vr

West Ruthen (Ruthish: West-Ruthen), officially the People's Republic of Ruthen (PRR; Ruthish: Volksrepublik Ruthen: VRR), is a sovereign country in Central Calesia. The country's northern border is defined by its coastline with the Swarin Sea as well as Dutchland. To the east it shares a border with East Ruthen along the Ruthish Demilitarised Zone although it claims sovereignty over the entirety of East Ruthen. It shares several borders with other states in the south. In the west it borders Hyacinthe and Dahemia. West Ruthen claims to be the sole legitimate Ruthish government. It has a population of 65.46 million people and a total land area of 206,291 km² (79,649 sq mi), making it the third-largest and third-most populous country in Calesia. The capital and largest city of West Ruthen is Thessen which lies in the Lonane Arc conurbation; other significant major urban areas include Schwechat, Hallschlag, Höhn, Ratekau and Lüchow.

The area encompassing greater Ruthen has been inhabited since the Paleolithic era and from the Neolithic era by various Celts and later Waldic tribes in the north of the country. The area to the south of the Hunsrück river which today forms the boundary between East and West Ruthen fell under the control of the Hernician Empire who first named the area Maior Ruthenia. After the fall of the Hernician Empire by tribes such as the Ruthenii, various Waldic states emerged before eventually being united into the first North Ruthenic Kingdom. Ruthen enjoyed a period of relative stability until the Catabolic Crisis which saw the collapse of the North Ruthenic Kingdom in 1355. The subsequent Ninety Years' War and the Peace of Sallahn led to the creation of the Ruthish Confederation which saw Ruthen re-emerge as a major power in North Central Calesia albeit as a loose confederation of several dozen independent states. During the !Reformation, the Ruthish Confederation was divided on religious lines with the northern and coastal regions falling under the influence of states loyal to the Northern Cathedralist Church whilst states more central in the Confederation remained loyal to the Presterist church.

The Renaissance in the 17th century allowed for the development of liberal and pan-Ruthenic thought, advancements in technology and communication also allowed these ideas to spread more rapidly throughout the Confederation. The Twelve Years' War and Elizabeth Square Declaration in Falland were the catalysts for events in Ruthen as liberal bourgeois revolutionaries were able to seize swathes of territory. The Thessen Parliament in February 1862 saw the first Ruthish Constitution adopted by Radical and Liberal politicians and the establishment of the constitutional Kingdom of Ruthen in 1864 after the War of Ruthish Unification. Ruthen was a key colonial power during the late 19th century, openly pursuing the creation and expansion of overseas colonial holdings culminating in the establishment of one of the largest Calesian empires at the time. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Ruthen became deeply politically divided between the emerging socialist parties and the governing liberal parties which sparked the Roter Sommer in 1923.

During the Great War, Ruthen was a core member of the Sydenham Powers and mainly fought in its overseas territories with the aim of seizing Waldish colonies. The war's unpopularity at home combined with significant socialist civil unrest and the failure of peace talks saw the Ruthish government collapse and a new emergency interim government was established which created the short lived Ruthish Republic prior to surrendering to the Transmedan Powers. The post-war Joint Occupation Authority in Ruthen of the period of Transmedan occupation collapsed during the 1944 Ruthish Crisis which saw the installation of a socialist government in Ruthen and Declaration of the Ruthish Republic. The People's Republic of Ruthen was established shortly afterwards on 13 August 1945 and initially enjoyed far more political and diplomatic legitimacy as the official sole Ruthish state. In July 1999, after a period of worsening relations, West Ruthen invaded East Ruthen, sparking the Six-Day War and the establishment of the Ruthish Demilitarised Zone and the United Congress Monitoring Authority for Ruthen (UCMAR); no formal peace treaty has ever been signed.

West Ruthen is a federal socialist republic with an indirectly elected legislature and government in accordance to the 1977 constitution and since the turn of the millennium has experienced a period of general political stability and economic development. West Ruthen has one of the world's highest scores of the Human Development Index with high levels of income equality and a robust welfare state and economy dominated by co-operative industries; it is the world's ninth-largest economy. It has been a member state of the United Congress since 2001 as part of the Inter-Ruthish peace process. West Ruthen enjoys close ties to the socialist and developing world and is one of the largest providers of foreign aid to developing countries; it is a member state of the Global Socialist League.

History

Hernician era

Main article: Hernician Empire

North Ruthenic Kingdom

Main article: North Ruthenic Kingdom

Ruthish Confederation

Main article: Ruthish Confederation

Kingdom of Ruthen

Main article: KIngdom of Ruthen

Great War and occupation of Ruthen

Main articles: Great War (Teleon) and Transmedan occupation of Ruthen

Establishment of the People's Republic

Gmehling Era

Benno Gmehling, inaugural President of West Ruthen (1945-1965) and Father of the Nation

Mahlau Era

Grenzpolitik

Main article: Grenzpolitik (Teleon)

Six-Day War

Main article: Six-Day War

Contemporary history

The abandoned city of Rosche lies within the EMZ and was the largest settlement evacuated after the Six-Day War

Government and politics

The 14 July Complex, seat of the Government of West Ruthen

The plenary chamber of the National Political Council

Gunnar Schönau
President

Tilmann Rosenblatt
Vice-President

Otto Thoma
Chair of the Executive Council

Natali Mannheim
Chair of the National Political Council

West Ruthen is a Federal Arvidsenist non-partisan socialist republic according to the Constitution of West Ruthen. Legally West Ruthen operates under a directorial system with the Head of State and Government being members of the Executive Council. The President is elected from members of the Executive Council for a once renewable five year term, although the position is legally a figurehead, they hold considerable influence on West Ruthish political affairs. The Executive Council also nominates a Vice-President, usually the runner-up for the nomination for President, who serves as the deputy for the President and can become acting President if the President is incapacitated or unable to fulfil their duties. The Executive Council can remove a President if 3/4ths of its members vote to remove them from office which would trigger a special election amongst the Executive Council for a replacement to serve the remainder of the former President's term.

The Executive Council exists as the de-facto Cabinet of West Ruthen with each member having responsibilities over differing areas of the government. As of 2024 there are 40 members on the Executive Council. The Council is chosen every five years by the National Political Council and its members do not have a term limit unlike the Presidency. A candidate for the Executive Council requires 3/5ths support from the Political Council to be elected, due to this and the number of candidates each years there can be several rounds of voting by the Political Council until a nominee is selected. The Executive Council chooses from amongst themselves who will be President and Vice-President, elections to these positions can often take several rounds of voting as a candidate requires 2/3rds support from the Executive Council to be elected. If a member of the council vacates their position, the Political Council is tasked with choosing a successor. The Executive Council has the ability to veto laws as a collective if 3/5ths of its members oppose a law, a veto needs 3/4ths of all members of the Political Council to vote in favour of removing the veto in which case the bill automatically becomes law.

The National Political Council is the legislative body of West Ruthen and is tasked with drafting and voting on laws, electing members of the Executive Council and holding them accountable as well as representing their differing constituent groups. The National Political Council is constitutionally a non-partisan system as political parties are recognised as anti-constitutional, however various factions have been formed from ideologically likeminded members of the Executive and Political councils. The Political Council does not have nationwide elections for the vast majority of its members, instead its members are chosen by members of local, workplace, trade union, social and regional councils which themselves are elected by voters, citizens and workers. However, 100 of the Political Council's 700 members are elected nationally every two and a half years.

On the lowest level of government, all Ruthish workers are able to elect workplace councils, local councils and regional councils which operate on similar lines to the National government. Members of workplace councils are divided into several differing sectors depending on the type of jobs they are which are represented by various independent trade unions. The trade unions themselves independently elect 175 members to the NPC whilst the All Ruthen Trade Union Federation elects a further 175 members. Regional governments which are elected by all voters over the age of 16 also have the power to elect a further 200 members of the National Political Council. 50 seats in the Political Council are reserved for members of various social groups such as the National Cultural Federation, All-Ruthish Federation of Sports and Activity, Federation of Ruthish Young Pioneers, National Women's Union of Ruthen and the Land Union amongst others.