Volta

Socialist Federal Republic of Volta Sozialistische Föderativen Republik Voltaern
Flag Emblem
Anthem: Die Lied von Vaterland
Capital	Vien
Largest	Köstritz
Official languages	Voltan
Recognised regional languages	Tlaloc
Religion	Atheist
Legislature	People's Congress
• Upper house	People's Council
• Lower house	People's Assembly
Establishment
• Independence from Shffahkia	12 December 1863
• Establishment of the Republic	17 May 1864
• 1876 Voltan coup d'état	14 April 1876
• Proclamation of the Socialist Federal Republic	14 April 1921
• End of the Voltan Civil War	21 May 1921
Area
• Total	349,800 km2 (135,100 sq mi)
Population
• Census	29,859,313
GDP (nominal)	estimate
• Per capita	$14,561
Currency	Voltan Tepos (Ⱦ) (VLT)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Voltan Standard Time (VST))
Date format	YYYY/MM/DD
Driving side	right
Internet TLD	.vo

Volta (Voltan: [voltə]), officially the Socialist Federal Republic of Volta, is a sovereign state located in Aurelia.

Etymology

Volta is named after the Volta River that flows through part of the country. However, the Volta River itself is named after Wolter von Ehinger who established the first successful Dolch settlement in Volta. The Dolch "Wolter" (Dolch: /vɔltɐ/) over time came to be pronounced [voltə] and spelled "Volta".

History

Ancient Cultures

Evidence of the first human habitation of Volta dates back to between 47,000 BCE to 45,000 BCE. Archaeological evidence of various tools have been found, indicating that small groups of humans had lived in the area in a hunter-gatherer society. It is not known exactly how many people lived in the area at the time, but it is believed to be anywhere between a few hundred thousand to around 1 million.

Totec tribes

At around 300 CE, a massive migration of tribes from the north believed to be related to the modern Tlaloc's shows up in the archaeological record. These tribes are today known as the Totec tribes. Though the Totec's were also originally a hunter-gatherer society, they pushed away or assimilated much of the previous hunter gatherer tribes that lived in Volta. The Totec's began settling around the 8th century, and by the 11th century they had established many small city-states. The most dense of these settlements were found around Lake Tlatelolco, named after the largest and most prominent settlement built on it. The city-state of Tlatelolco would eventually become the most powerful, and in 1157 under the leadership of Tlacotzin they would start expanding their influence to surrounding city states. By 1162, they had unified the area immediately surrounding Lake Tlatelolco, either by outright conquering their neighbors or forcing the other-city states into tributary status.

Tlaloc Empire

An example of Tlaloc axe-money.

Tlatelolco would then start expanding beyond the borders of the lake. As they expanded, they began establishing tributary states, each led by a Tlatoani. The ruler of Tlatelolco, and thus that of the entire network of tributaries, had the title Huey Tlatoani. By 1252, they had unified much of the area of what would today be called Volta. This new state is called the Tlaloc Empire.

The Tlaloc Empire didn't expand much further than the modern borders of Volta. Though they didn't directly influence the internal affairs of many of their tributaries, and instead merely controlled their foreign affairs, they still had a massive impact on the area. After hundreds of years of rule under the Tlaloc Empire, many of those formerly independent kingdoms adopted the Tlaloc language as their lingua franca. Furthermore, archaeologists have discovered what is described as "axe-money", made of flattened versions of bronze weapons such as the axe. This "axe-money" was impractical to be used as an actual tool, but was highly regarded as a sign of wealth. It also served as a sort of proto-currency, largely being used starting around the 1330's to facilitate large-scale trade between tributary states. This proto-money was called "Tlaximaltepoztli", often shortened to "Tepoztli" by speakers, and is what the modern Voltan Tepos is named after.

Though the Tlaloc Empire was powerful, it began to decline in the 1400's as various tributaries began rebelling, combined with growing pressure from neighboring civilizations. In the 1500's the Tlaloc Empire came under increasing pressure by the neighboring Crescent Empire, which began exploiting the various divisions among the Tlaloc tributaries. Several disgruntled Tlaloc tributaries aligned themselves with the Crescent Empire, and 1573 started a large rebellion, which the Tlaloc's lost in 1578. After which the Tlaloc Empire became a tributary of the Crescent Empire.

Colonization

Neu-Schlammburg Colony

Dolchland claimed the area of land that would become Volta in 1632, although at the time there was no Dolch presence on the land. The first attempt at the colonization happened in 1641, when Nikolaus von Wesler, a wealthy Dolch banker at the time, was given the right to colonize the land. He arrived on 19 April 1641 with roughly 300 Dolch colonists, and established the Neu-Schlammburg Colony within several months. The native Tlaloc people, then still governed as a part of the Crescent Empire, were quite surprised at the sudden arrival of colonists. Dolchland had a pre-existing trade relationship with the Crescent Empire, and thus the Tlaloc people, so both sides initially made attempts to establish a mutually-beneficial trading relationship. However, these attempts were ended when Nikolaus left for Dolchland on 22 May 1642 with the intention of returning with more colonists. In lieu of his absence Nikolaus granted Georg von Hutten control over the colony. Shortly after Nikolaus left, there was an outbreak of a tropical disease (now believed to be malaria) from which they had no natural immunity, killing roughly 1/3 of the colonists. The colonists blamed the Tlaloc people for the outbreak, claiming the diseases had spread to the colonists by contact with those who followed the "uncivilized" Tlaloc lifestyle. At the same time Dolch diseases had become an epidemic among the Tlaloc people, causing more tension. Relations further soured when a hunting party exploring deeper inland shot and killed what they thought to be a wild animal, only to unexpectedly find that they had actually killed a child belonging to a nearby small Tlaloc settlement previously unknown to the Dolch. The Tlaloc interpreted this accident as a scouting party for an invasion killing a witness and attacked the Dolch hunting party.

After this the Tlaloc people began planning for what they believed would be an inevitable war. Though the elders weren't keen to start a war, a young man named Itzcoatl took things into his own hands. He began raising a small band of like-minded people to attack the colony. By July 1642 he had enough people and began planning his attack, not so secretly. Tlaloc elders repeatedly told Itzcoatl not to go through with his plans, fearing retaliation, but he ignored the elders and proceeded anyway. Nikolaus returned on 13 August 1642 with another 230 colonists. Upon arrival he was informed by Georg about everything that had transpired. Knowing that the situation had drastically changed since he had left, he began discussing what to do with Georg immediately. However, 2 days after Nikolaus arrived, Itzcoatl launched a surprise attack on the colony, killing most of its inhabitants in what would be known as the Neu-Schlammburg Massacre. Nikolaus was killed during the fighting, and Georg escaped along with roughly 40 other colonists by ship. They abandoned the colony and, after resupplying at a nearby friendly port, returned to Dolchland.

Köstritz Colony

The second Dolch attempt at colonizing Volta occurred in 1677. In 1676 the Dolch government gave Wolter von Ehinger, a wealthy and influencial Dolch noble, the right to attempt a second colonization of Volta. On 30 August 1677 Wolter arrived not only with about 800 colonists, but also a private army of roughly 250 men to defend the colony in anticipation of conflict with the Tlaloc's. They established a coastal settlement where the Volta River enters the Ailenor Bay. By April 1678 the initial colony was mostly set up.

Itzcoatl was still alive, and it was around this time that he heard of the second Dolch colony. When word of a second Dolch colony spread to him he immediatly started to raising another army. However, the epidemic had severely reduced the number of Tlaloc people, and Itzcoatl was only able to muster half the number of warriors compared to his previous army. On top of that the colonists arrived fully expecting an attack, so the colonists had set up basic defenses as well as what they needed to survive. When Itzcoatl attacked this colony, the defenses were ready and Itzcoatl was defeated. Much of Itzcoatl's army was captured, including Itzcoatl himself. Itzcoatl was beheaded, after which his head was impaled on a spike and displayed at the edge of the settlement facing inland. This was meant to serve as a warning to deter further Tlaloc attacks. The remaining warriors of Itzcoatl's army were disarmed and enslaved. This marked the start of the colonial governments particularly brutal treatment of the native Tlaloc people.

After the attack Wolter returned to Dolchland and came back to Volta with another 900 colonists and 300 fighting men. They established a second settlement right across the Volta River from the first one. Eventually these two settlements would be merged into a single administrative unit called Köstritz.

Further Colonization

Köstritz would become a sort of base-of-operations from which Dolchland would expand further inland. After the establishment of Köstritz various colonial expeditions would be launched from the settlement. It would also become Volta's main port from which it was linked to Dolchland. Dolch settlers used Köstritz as a stopping point before seeking out more land. It was also used by the Dolch military as a point from which they could strike at the Tlaloc's and take the land away from the Crescent Empire. This aggressive settlement of Volta continued for a while, and by 1690 the Crescent Empire had lost control of Volta. Actual settlement by Dolch colonists continued for another few decades, finally slowing down in 1732.

Dolch colonists quickly set up a new order, with the economy largely being based on agriculture. Tobacco and sugarcane became a cash-crop, with other agricultural crops such as cacao and sweet potatoes also being prominent in the economy. Much of the farms and plantations in Volta were at the time run with Tlaloc slave labor, though as the Tlaloc population declined there was an increase in hiring of Dolch colonists and even indentured servants from Dolchland. This mixing on the plantations by Dolch servants and Tlaloc slaves eventually gave rise to a new ethnicity, which the plantation and farm owners called "Mischling", that was a mix of the native Tlaloc's and the Dolch colonists. These "Mischlings" would eventually become the modern Voltan people, as well as seriously contribute to the development of the Voltan language.

Shffahkian rule

The Shffahkian Empire began a northward expansion in the early-1800's, and in 1809 reached the borders of Volta. In 1810, the Shffahkian troops crossed the border into Volta. The Dolch colonial governor at the time, Erich Homann, petitioned Dolchland for military assistance. Though some military assistance was provided by Dolchland, ultimately the Dolch defense wasn't enough and Volta fell in 1813. After conquest Volta was incorporated into the Shffahkian Empire as the Gauthier Province, and the Dolch upper-class had no choice but to reluctantly accept Shffahkian rule

Shffahkia ruled with a light hand, viewing the pure-blooded Dolch ruling class as their colonial brethren. They largely allowed the Dolch upper classes to continue their previous colonial practices unfettered, though immigration from Dolchland became much rarer than in previous years during this time. During this time the class division between the pure-blooded Dolch upper class and the mixed-race and Tlaloc middle classes became more pronounced, with the class structure becoming much more rigid and pronounced. Much of the Dolch upper class also converted to Aroman Catholicism in order to better facilitate trade with other parts of the Shffahkian Empire. Though they weren't particularly devoted to the religion, they converted to better facilitate trade with other parts of the Shffahkian Empire. They didn't bother converting their populace, but did tolerate the presence of Shffahkian missionaries, and in some rare cases even assisted them by providing them food and lodging. As a result of this, Aroman Catholicism began taking hold in Volta, becoming a significant minority in Volta during this time.

Even though the majority of the population was Mischling by this time, the Dolch ruling class refused to give them equal treatment to the pure-blooded Dolch and instead treated them more like the Tlaloc. Use of an early form of the Voltan language was commonplace among the Mischling and Tlaloc population. However, in an attempt to stamp out Voltan, the Dolch ruling class banned use of Voltan in public places and in education. In practice this ban was impossible to enforce on the ground, but it did prevent Voltan from gaining any official use for the time.

Independence

Though the Voltan upper classes reluctantly accepted Shffahkian rule, there were always minor tensions. During the several decades of Shffahkian rule over Volta these tensions gradually grew. Much of the tensions had to do with the desire of plantation and farm owners to do business outside of the Shffahkian Empire, and by the 1840's this discontent had reached a boiling point. As discontent grew the upper classes also developed the idea of a Voltan national identity, separate both from that of Dolchland and Shffahkia. This idea quickly gained traction not only among the upper class but also among the lower classes, and was aggresively promoted. After 1849, when Shffahkia had been defeated in the Eustacian Wars, this discontent evolved into the first calls for Voltan independence. The Voltan independence movement quickly spread, and within a decade was supported by a substantial portion of the population. In 1857 some members of the upper-class secretly formed the Voltan National League, an organization dedicated to using any means necessary, including violence, to achieve independence. This organization quickly grew, and they eventually started stockpiling supplies in preparation for open rebellion. However, in 1859, their secret preparations for open rebellion were leaked to Shffahkian authorities. This leak was quickly found, and the person repsonsible imprisoned. That said, with the plans no longer secret, the Voltan National League started an uprising and captured the city of Kerseruk. This sparked the Voltan War for Independence.

General Eugen Rathenau would later become the first president of Volta. (Photograph c. 1860)

The Voltan armies were led by Eugen Rathenau, who was tasked with managing the entire army of mostly untrained soldiers. He quickly got to work training his army, while at the same time engaging in offensive campaigns where he could. He furthermore set up a vast intelligence network of Voltans sympathetic to the cause, and thus was able to remain aware of the Shffahkian troop movements to a certain extent. The northern campaign was largely successful, but the southern campaign quickly became a stalemate, with neither Shffahkia nor Volta able to gain the upper hand. This stalemate was only broken in the First Battle of Vien, in which the Voltan forces not only captured the city of Vien but also destroyed much of the Shffahkian army. Roughly one year, Shffahkia agreed to a peace treaty in which Volta was granted independence.

At the end of the war Eugen called the first Voltan National Congress, where representatives of all of the former administrative divisions of colonial Volta could come together to discuss the future of the nation. The talks continued for 3 months due to various disgreements between the different parts of Volta, but an agreement was eventually reached, and on 17 May 1864 the Voltan National Congress declared the establishment of the Voltan Democratic Republic. The first elections were held on 12 November (the second Saturday of November) of that year, in which Eugen Rathenau won in a landslide, after which Eugen became the first President of Volta.

Eugen served three consecutive 4-year terms, after which he reached his term limit and was ineligible to serve any additional terms. However, Eugen wanted to continue to be in power, and to this extent he bribed the legslature to change the constitution, giving him additional powers and the opportunity to serve for a fourth term in the 1880 general election. When the opposition resisted, he suspended the constitution and gave himself absolute power over the country. The move had the support of the majority of Voltans, who viewed Eugen as the man who had liberated them from Shffahkian rule. However, the result was effectively a coup de'tat, and the legialture became a rubber stamp. Though Eugen promised to eventually transition the country to democracy, said promises were never carried out.

After gaining absolute power, Eugen implemented policies that were much harsher towards the Tlaloc's and Mischlings than many of his predecessors. Much of these policies were indended to deal with the labor shortage caused by the decline in the Tlaloc population. First, Tlaloc slaves were no longer permitted to be set free, only transferred to other owners. Secondly, much more Tlaloc's were forced away from their land and into slavery. Finally, a system of contract labor was introduced for the mischlings. This contract-labor system allowed mischlings to work and live on the plantations or farms for a set amount of years, that could be extended if the worker was in debt to the plantation or farm owner. Many mischlings went into agriculture as a result of this system, only to realize that there was no way out. The many found that the wages provided were not enough to cover basic necessities, and the necessities sold at the plantation and farm shops were priced just too high to be purchased without going into debt to the plantation or farm owner. This resulted in many of these workers becoming indefinitely trapped within this contract labor system, much of whom were treated as if they were slaves even if they legally weren't slaves.

This was also the time that the Voltan language began to develop fully into something close to what it is in the modern day.