Arthasthan

Socialist Union of Eisarndal Focsetva Focvat Karilatu (Eisarean)
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: Esa Hura Vatu Vastragut For Our Union Makes Us Strong
Anthem: Te Jut Fead Latufiel “Do You Hear The People Sing?”
Capital	Morakall
Largest city	Dalikall (4 Million)
Official languages	Eisarean
Recognised regional languages	Hethlandic
Demonym(s)	Eisarean
Government	Federal Focvatist presidential republic
• Chairperson of the Committee	Jalman Makarsal
• President	Pernille Urksal
• Premier of the Worker Council	Rache Shalsat
• Chief Justice	Jons Malsa
• Upper house	Tig a Solti
• Lower house	Altertig
Independence from Hethland
• Declaration of Independence	1863
• Republic Consitution	1869
• Business Coup	1917
• Declaration of the Union	1933
Area
• Total	334,422 km2 (129,121 sq mi)
• Water (%)	3.7%
Population
• 2015 estimate	22,424,000
• Density	168/km2 (435.1/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)	2016 estimate
• Total	$ 669.86 billion
• Per capita	$ 29,872.66
Gini (2016)	29.237 low
HDI (2016)	0.86 very high
Currency	Eisarean Brieder (Ḇ)
Time zone	ST−1:00
Date format	dd/mm/yyyy
Driving side	right
Calling code	07
Internet TLD	.ei

Eisarndal (Eisarean: Karilatu [karlɑːtu]), officially known as the Socialist Union of Eisarndal, is an sovereign state in Esquarium. Located on the southwestern coast of the continent of Nordania, Eisarndal is home to 42 million, a relatively medium sized nation. Located on the east coast of Central Nordania, the country is surrounded by Hethland to the east, Swastria to the west, and Sjealand across the Tynic Sea. The majority of Eisarndal’s citizens live within 200 kilometers of the western coast.

The region comprising of modern-day Eisarndal was inhabited by proto-Eisarn peoples, completely unrelated to the current peoples of Nordania. From before recorded history, to around the 10th century CE, the region would be home to dozens of Eisar tribes in constant rivalry. In 1023, the King Jalhsal united the majority of modern Eisarndal into a kingdom. In the 16th century, the Kingdom became the junior partner with the Kingdom of Hetlhand. Eisarndal would be integrated into the kingdom, and permanently tied the Eisarean state to the Tynic political sphere. The Eisarean people would live as second-class citizens, encouraged to adopt Hethlandic culture causing ethnic tensions. These tensions would grow until it exploded during the Great War of the North in 1862. Eisarean rebels subsequently declared the independence of the Eisarean Republic in 1863. The Eisarean Revolutionary War would continue after the Great War, until its end in 1868. The new Republic would continue to have numerous disputes with Hethland including a short war. Meanwhile throughout the late 19th century, corporations would grow in influence, in the economy and especially over the government. A military coup backed by corporations in 1917 led to the establishment of a dictatorship. The Eisarean Revolution in 1928 resulted in the establishment of the Socialist Union of Eisarndal, a quasi-democratic syndicalist state in 1931.

Eisarndal is officially a socialist republic, however the country has embraced liberal principles within the last several decades. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, reformist factions in the legislature adopted pro-market reforms, most significantly allowing foreign investment and permitting entrepreneurs to start small businesses. Today the Eisarean economy functions under what is called Eisarean syndicalism, a form of state capitalism where the workers of major corporations are heavily involved in the federal government. Federations of worker cooperatives make up the backbone of the Eisarean economy and thousands small businesses make a substantial presence. Major Eisaren exports include coal, iron, tungsten and electronics. Eisarndal is a member of the Nordanian League and the Nordanian Space Agency. Eisarndal is categorized by international observers as a middle power in Nordanian geopolitics.

Etymology

The origin of the name Eisarndal originates from the Middle Ages, with its first use occurring around the early 13th century by the Hethlandic. The first part of the name, Eisarn, is a corruption of the Middle Hethlandic word for iron. Dal” originates from the Middle Eisarean word for valley. It has been debated if Eisarndal is meant to be understood as a whole as “iron valley” or interpreted as separate words such as “land of iron and valleys”.

History

Pre-History

• Settlement since 15,000 BCE, unique Eisarn culture by 5,000 BCE
• Germanics are prevented from migrating into Eisarndal.
• Ensure language isolate

Medieval period

• Small duchies and kingdoms exist
• Division and civil war
• Unable to unify the region

Kingdom of Eisarn

• King unites two minor kingdoms
• Most of the Eisareans
• Goes through various dynasties
• Arch-rival Sjealand, constantly loses

Early Modern period

• Union with Hethland
• Western states break away
• Consolidation into one state
• Minor germanisation of the Eisarn culture and language

Independence from Hethland

• Gradual decline as Sjealand becomes the predominant political power
• Corruption and weak leaders arise
• Independence revolt during the Great War of the North
• Participation in the GWOTN and Eisarndal breaks free
• Slavery and serfdom get abolished

Eisarean Republic

• The first republic is politically unstable although there is major economic success.
• Ongoing threat from Hethland
• Growing influence from corporations
• ”Stolen election” in 1916
• Military coup in 1917
• Authoritarian Military Junta backed by corporations from 1917-1928
• Revolts against the Junta
• Civil War 1928-1933

Union of Eisarndal

• Syndicalist state established
• Trade unionism and workplace democracy becomes common
• The economy slowly recovers under syndicalism and economic reform
• 1960s economic stagnation
• Rising nationalism and religious identity conflict with post-nationalist syndicalism
• Economic and political reforms 1970s-1980s

Geography

Lake Hirschpoint in western near the border with Hethland

.

Eisarndal is located on the northern coast of the Nordanian continent in Northern Esquarium. The country borders Hethland to the east and Sjealand across the Sea of Njord. The country contains a large diversity of landscapes and climates on a limited area of 334,422 km².The relatively flat western coast is more densely populated than its central or eastern regions. However there is a mediums-sized urban center near the border with Hethland.

The country contains three broad topographical areas; the Northern Plains, the River Plains, and the Interior Plains. Most of western and northeastern Eisarndal is characterized by relatively flat land where the majority of Eisarndal’s population lives. The Plains has dense forests and many rolling hills. The Alatt is a mountain range that covers most of northern Eisarndal, stretching from its northern borders through the country to its southern border.

Climate

Most of Eisarndal is covered by a alpine climate especially above the tree line, including most of the central states of Bavaria, Honn, and Thuringia. Sønderland and Suj Fellan in the north experiences a subarctic climate near the Vjaarlandic-Fjallandic border. The coastline have experiences a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfb) with strong maritime influences. Due to the continent's cold climate, most of the country is non-arable except for the southern coastal region. Precipitation varies across the nation with the southern states receiving more rainfall than the centre or the north. Generally the winter and spring months experience precipitation while the summer and autumn months are dry.

Biodiversity

Despite the country's cold climate, animal life in Eisarndal is particularly diverse, with over 113 species of land mammals and 353 species of birds native to the country. Plant life consists mainly of the numerous evergreen and coniferous trees found across the country from the northern states to the southern coast. Aquatic life mainly consists of many different species of fish in the country's lakes and rivers as well as aquatic mammals.

Government and Political System

Eisarndal is officially organised as a federal syndicalist republic, established by the Social Contract for the Eisarean People, first ratified in 1933. On the federal level of government, it similar to a presidential republic. The legislative branch centers around the Assembly (Foctige) consisting of two councils which are elected through fusion voting. The Committee for the Protection of the Revolution is led by a Council Chairperson who is head of state, who must act in a non-partisan manner in order to wield significant overseeing powers effectively and impartially. The executive branch is led by President who is head of government. Eisarndal maintains a three tier judiciary, with federal, state, and local courts. On constitutional matters, the Committee effectively functions as a constitutional court, although it could vote to recuse itself and set up an independent tribunal.The Committee and the Court of Justice share judicial powers, although the latter is officially the highest body in the judicial branch.

Since the founding of the Union in 1933, the country has been ruled by political parties all espousing variants of Revolutionary Nationalism, the founding ideology of the nation. For the first three decades of the the country, from its founding to 1954, Eisarndal was a de facto one-party state, governed by a unified coalition of political parties led by Jarl Makarsal. However after his death, the coalition collapsed and although the state ideology continued to be all-encompassing, a confusing and ill-defined political situation arose which largely continues to this day. Today still all ruling political parties adhere to Revolutionary Nationalism, a nationalist, libertarian ideology that seeks to protect the Eisarean state and its people through a guided democracy.

Despite the country’s semblance of democratic institutions, non-socialist factions are largely excluded from politics. This is largely achieved by the central role of the Committee in maintaining the leftist status quo by disqualifying reform-minded candidates from running for office and censuring sitting politicians. As a result, political commentators argue that at best Eisarndal is a flawed democracy which only allows participation by accepted political groups and at worst an authoritarian regime which actively crackdowns on unwanted political movements. Many of its critics concede however that Eisarndal is significantly less oppressive and more open to political dialogue compared to other authoritarian states.

President

The President is defined by the Social Contract as the as the highest sole state authority. The President is elected by universal suffrage for a term of six years, however the election must be confirmed by the Committee. The President is responsible for the implementation of the constitution, and for the exercise of executive powers to administer and enforce federal laws and policies. The President supervises the Federal Council, coordinates government decisions, and writes government policies to be placed before the legislature. To assist in governing the President appoints ministers to the Federal Council, subject to the approval of the State Council. They all collectively work together to govern the country with their respective office.

The President is permanently under the supervision of the Committee, who could vote to remove the President and can dismiss or reinstate any of the ministers by a vote. The Committee can only vote to dismiss if it believes that the President has violated his oath in maintaining the socialist state. In both cases however, the Council of States must approve the dismissal by a two-thirds majority vote.

Legislature

The People’s House in Hausted, the seat of the Committee and the Federal Council.

The main legislative body on the federal level in Eisarndal is the Assembly, which consists of the Council of States, the Worker’s Council and the Committee. While the Committee is technically a part of the Assembly, it rarely takes part in the legislative process and thus the Assembly is a de facto bicameral legislature. Until 1963 with the introduction of major reforms, the Council of States was the only legislative body and the Committee took a more active legislative role. Both Councils are both led by elected non-partisan Premiers who functions as a speaker, overseeing sessions in their respective chambers. Both Councils have broad legislative powers such as writing federal law, declaring war, approving treaties, and approving the national budget. All Delegates in the Councils has the power to propose draft laws, which must pass a simple majority vote both Houses and a Presidential approval to become formally part of the law. The Assembly must approve all major Presidential appointments especially ones made to the Federal Council. Its most significant supervisory power however is the ability to call the Committee to do a vote of confidence on the President.

Only the Worker’s Council is directly elected by the people through a system of parallel voting and fusion voting. The Worker’s Council consists of 494 delegates elected to a three year term. Of these, 400 delegates are elected by a Local Worker’s Council to represent their interests while the other 94 delegates are elected by single transferable vote from a state-wide electoral district. The Councils of States is a representation of the Republican governments and largely reflects the political makeup of the ruling Republic government. While the Council is a de jure continuous body, since state elections almost always align with the federal ones, in effect it has legislative periods.

Committee for Protection of the Revolution

Officially known as the Committee for Protection of the Revolution, it is usually just shortened to the Committee. The Committee wields a number of constitutional powers and thus has considerable power and influence within the country. Before all federal elections, the Council vetts all presidential candidates and Assembly candidates before they run, in order to ensure their allegiance to Revolutionary Nationalist ideals. As the Council consistently prevents reformist candidates from standing, it maintains the leftist status quo. The Council’s judicial role is as a constitutional court, interpreting the Social Contract and reviewing government actions to ensure constitutionality. The Council has no formal legislative powers, but functions as an arbitrator between the Houses of the Assembly itself or the Assembly and the Presidency if disputes arise. The seat of the Chairperson of the Committee rotates among its fifteen members yearly. The most senior Committee members nominates their own successors but the rest of the Committee must agree to the nomination by a vote before having the approval of the Councils. If the Assembly declines, the nomination is dead and a new candidate must be nominated.

Judiciary

Eisarndal legal system, known as Eisarean law, is a mix of common law and Roman law. It is notable for its use of the inquisitorial system for criminal cases and the adversarial system for civil cases. On the federal level the Committee

The justice system is lead by the Chief Justice who is appointed by the Committee. The position is tasked with managing the judicial system on the federal level such as hiring, firing, promoting and assigning federal judges. In addition the Chief Justice has the power to draft judiciary bills for direct submission to the legislature. The highest judicial body, is the Supreme Court which is tasked with interpreting laws and overturn those they find unconstitutional.

Administrative divisions

Eisarndal is consists of two categories of subnational governments, the seven Republics (Foclata) and the two Worker’s States (Alterlata). While Eisarndal is ostensibly a federation of equals, Worker States have considerably less autonomy than the Republics. The Committee has authority over bills passed in a State government and has the final say. As a result, these Hethlandic minority-majority regions are largely subservient to the federal government. The Republics meanwhile do not face such restrictions and are very autonomous.

The inclusion of leftist governing principles in a decentralized federation makes Eisarndal unique among other federal and confederal states. The local Worker Council is sovereign, it is from which the will of the people is derived from because of their direct participation in it. They form the basic assembly, sending representatives to the Republic and Federal legislatures. They are also in change of the administration of their district or city. Republican governments have authority over infrastructure, establish local governments, build roads, and can manage a local budget. Taxes are collected on both a republic and national level, meaning that the places the republic taxes go are decided by the republic government. The Republics also have some economic powers, most notably allowing the amount of foreign investment in their state.

Elections

General Elections are held every six years, coinciding with the Presidential and Assembly elections. Legislative elections for the Worker’s Council are held every three years with all Worker’s Delegates up for election. Elections for the government of the Republics, and the Worker’s Council including their municipal administration also occur every three years. Only citizens that are registered as members of a federally approved political party and Worker Council can vote. In addition they must be above 18 years of age, not served time for a federal crime in the past 10 years and be mentally fit. The Committee determines whether parties or candidates are allowed to run for any federal office. On paper the Committee vetts them for personal and political integrity as well as competency. In practice however they also consider the applicants’ ideological views and dismiss those who they consider to be counter revolutionary.

Military

The armed forces of Eisarndal is known as the People’s Defence Force, which is split into the Army, Navy, Air Force and Revolutionary Guard. The Eisarean armed forces currently consist of 100,000 total troops; 50,000 of which are active members, 30,000 who are in reserve, and 20,000 who are paramilitary. The President is commander-in-chief of the military, which answers to the Federal Council via the Ministry of Defence. Military matters are handled by the High Command, a forum of military commanders and advisors part of the Ministry of Defence. Since their reorganization into the People’s Defence Force, the military has played an apolitical role, in the country as well as acting as one of the checks and balances by being subservient to the elected civil government. The coast guard takes take on military functions but, they are responsible to the Ministry of Interior. The Revolutionary Guard is a highly mixed security force, tasked with internal and border security, federal law enforcement, and counter-intelligence. Along with its counterpart the External Security Authority, it is under the collective control of the Committee. Eisarndal currently spends 4.1% of its budget on the military.

The current military has its origins in the various disorganized rebel forces, state militia groups and defected military units that overthrew the Eisarean Republic. After the Revolution, they were reorganized into a more coherent force, although the People’s Militia continued to lack a centralized command. The issues of having a decentralized military manifested the various wars with Hethland, especially the August War. In the 1960s, Eisarndal once again reformed its military by restructuring it into a more professional and centralized force. Various modernisation programs were completed throughout the 1970s and 1980s, purchasing weapons from Ambrose and Swastria, as well as developing new weapon systems. More restructuring also took place, in particular the Revolutionary Guard was reorganized from a redundant military force to a national security and law enforcement agency.

Economy

Financial centre of Haustadt on the right, with the tallest building in Eisarndal, the SBT, on the left.

Eisarndal operates under a market socialist economy with a nominal GDP of 669.86 billion. The country’s economy is driven by a combination of worker controlled cooperatives, state-owned enterprises (SOEs), many small private businesses, and foreign companies. This all functions under the framework of a market socialist economy. The original syndicalist nature of the Eisarean government has meant that the workers who lead the major worker’s cooperatives had often get elected to positions in the federal and republic government. As a result economists and political scientists have argued that Eisarndal possessed a unique form of corporatism where workers who participate in their companies functions can be directly elected to government positions and influence policy. The effects of this type of corporatism peaked in the mid-1990s when infighting from competing interests in the government gridlocked the country. Reforms mandated by the Committee and implemented by President Rel Kaldinsal in 1997 decreased the direct influence of worker unions in the government. Today, the Worker Councils ensures that while representatives elected by the Councils have the support of the workers, the workers themselves cannot be directly elected.

Demographics

Education

Each Republic is ultimately responsible for their own education system and curriculum, although the government has the authority to monitor and set standards. Education is free and is compulsory from the ages of 5 to 18, although students have the option at 16 to join the workforce through an apprenticeship. The standard school year runs from mid August to late May with some regional variations. The federal Ministry of Education and the state Educational Offices work in cooperation to ensure the quality of education. Homeschooling is an option for students who have severe behavioural or learning difficulties or would be impeded by placement in a school.

Optional kindergarten education is provided by various organisations for all children between two and five years old. Primary education, known as the (Fastalle) lasts for five years, which beings at five years of age and ends with students graduating at ten. The school first concentrates on teaching student basic knowledge, skills, and activities before shifting to gauging a student’s abilities. A test administered before graduation will measure a student’s cumulative abilities.

Secondary education is broken into two parts; the General School (Hauptschule) for general education from ten to fourteen years old and two separate specialised schools from fourteen to eighteen. The Gymnasium is for talented and intelligent students, which emphasises academic learning and preparation for universities. Students can also go to a vocational school (Berufsschule), which teaches a student the skills for a particular job. Otherwise they can remain in the Hauptschule until graduation. They also offer artistic, gymnasium, and vocational classes. The Hauptschule also offers a variety of courses known as “Realenweltlehre” or real world learning, designed to prepare students with essential skills for adulthood. These include learning to pay various taxes and bills, driving a car, gun safety, and culinary classes.

There are 241 universities and over 1000 colleges for tertiary education in the country. It is divided into vocational technicals and academic universities. Admission is free for students applying to technicals and universities who have an average grade of 2 or higher from the Hauptschule. Below that students must pay the admission fee. Average costs are NS$2000 a semester with NS$4000 set by the government to be the highest cost. In addition there are numerous federal aid plans aimed for the poor which lets them enter at significantly reduced rates.

Health

Eisarndal has a universal multi-payer and two-tier health care system collectively known as Social Insurance (Zokalfoc) which accounts of 12% of the country's GDP (PPP). There are multiple types of health insurance provided by Social Security; most notably the Statutory Health Insurance (Gesetzliche Krankenversicherung) known as health funds (Gesundheitsfonds) and Private Health Insurance (Private Krankenversicherung). Membership of one of the 130 public non-profit health funds is compulsory for mostly everyone and is paid for with joint employer-employee contributions at common rates for all members. The health funds are mandated to provide a unique and broad benefit package and cannot refuse membership or otherwise discriminate on an actuarial basis. The health fund generally covers essential services such as cancer screening, contraceptives, and vaccination for diseases. In addition there is the Emergency Fund (Notfallfond) for conditions requiring immediate or extended treatment; it is paid by a risk pool funded by a payroll tax. Private health insurance is used for people earning above NS $55,000 as well for all citizens using nonessential services. Private health insurance is also mandatory for certain people and is subject to regulation similar to health funds. Most of the funding comes from insurance premiums and is distributed by the regulator.

Culture

Food

Sauerbraten, a very popular pot roast, it is considered of the country’s national dishes

Bread and meat have long been a significant part of the Eisarean plate, although it varies from region to region, with significant differences in the north. Eisarean bakeries produce around 550 main types of bread and 1,300 different types of pastries and rolls (Botchen). Eisarndal is well known for its sausage making, making over 1,500 varieties including brasenvert and eissevert, literally faded sausage. Beer is very common throughout Eisarndal which local and regional brewers creating a large variety of drinks. In recent decades, international cuisine has grown been more popular with some international immigration.

Breakfast commonly consists of bread, cheese, boiled eggs, with large amounts of meat based toppings. It had traditionally been the largest meal but with the frantic pace of modern life, portion size have decreased. Lunch is usually a hot meal of sandwiches consisting of meats, cheeses, and some vegetables. Dinner was traditionally a small meal, but it has become the only meal where everyone gathers due to the pressures of modern life. It usually consists of just one main course, often a meat dish with potatoes and a vegetable or salad.