Altenland

The Altish Realm Das Altisches Reich
Flag National Emblem
Motto: Freiheit, Einheit und Vaterland
Anthem: Lied vom Vaterland
Capital and largest city	Hochstadt
Official languages	Standard Altische
Recognized languages	!Rhenish, !Bavarian, !Austrian, !Bohemian, !Moravian, !English
Ethnic groups	Altische (84%) Reynish (11%) !Mixed Slavs (3%) Other(2%)
Demonym(s)	Altish
Government	Unitary Valkist one-party state under an authoritarian dicatorship.
• Führer and Reichskanzler	Martin Winter
Legislature	Reichstag
• Upper house	Reichsrat
History
• Martin Winter becomes Chancellor	10 August 1926
• Sicheres Altenland Decree passed in the Reichstag	6 February 1927
• Neureich Act passed in the Reichstag	19 March 1928
• Death of President Ruppert Graff	22 April 1928
• Offices of Reich Chancellor and President merged; Winter delcared Führer und Reichskanzler	2 May 1928
• Altish Annexation of Reynland	13 April 1931
Population
• 1931 estimate	64,384,201
Currency	Reichsmark (ℜ) (RMK)
Driving side	right

Altenland, also known by its official state title Das Alitsches Reich, is a country located in central Cybellum. It borders Auberon and Gweryn to the north, Alytaj to the west, Hercynia and the Holy Aventine Empire to the south, and Freijian and the Auvernian Federation to the west. Coined as the Neureich, the modern Altish state is seen as the successor to the Altish Empire. which existed from 1840 until its collapse in 1919 as a result of the December Revolution.

The Valkistiche Volkspartei, known as the VV or simply as the Valkist Party, was formed primarily from the various Freikorps movements that were active in Altenland during the turbulent period following the Great War. Headed by the skilled orator and war veteran Martin Winter, the VV formed a coalition with other right-wing political parties active at the time, known as the Reichsbund, and achieved victory in the July 1926 Altish federal elections. Winter leveraged then-president, Ruppert Graff, to appoint him chancellor, saying that he would not participate in a coalition government unless he was its leader. Winter became Reichskanzler on 10 August 1926 at the behest of prominent right-wing politicians and industrialists. The Hochstadt Plot was used to pass the Sicheres Altenreich Decree in February 1927, allowing for the suppression of civil liberties and mass arrests of political opponents. The Neureich Act of 1928 gave Winter's government the power to make and enforce laws without the Reichstag or president, and the mysterious death of President Ruppert Graff in April of 1928 allowed Winter to merge the powers of the chancellery and presidency. A referendum in 1929 confirmed Winter as the sole Führer, or leader. Power was centralized in Winter's person.

In the midst of global economic recession, which had struck Altenland especially hard due to its already-weakened economic state following the Great War, the Valkists restored economic stability and ended unemployment. Financed by deficit spending, the regime has undertaken extensive public works projects, including the Autobahnen (motorways), hydro-electric dams, and a massive secret rearmament program, which gave rise to the Wehrmacht in 1931.

The Reynland issue is one of particular concern for the Valkists, as well as the broader international community. Occupied by Altenland during the Great War, the Reynland gained independence during the December Revolution. Martin Winter, citing the ethnic minority of Altish peoples living inside Reynland, sought to answer what he called the "Reynish Question". In April of 1931, the outbreak of a Altish-backed valkist coup in Reynland and retaliation by the Reynish government against the Altish minority in the country acted as justification for Altish troops to march into the Reynland, ousting the monarchy of King James V. and leading to the creation of a Reynish government-in-exile in Carolina. In the years since the Altish annexation, most outward resistance has been curtailed, though and underground resistance movement remains active, working to prevent the process of integration of the new provinces of Westfalen and Ragnau into the Reich.

Etymology

Altenland translates literally to "Old Land" or "Ancient Land", and is the term used by both Altisch and Reynish speakers. It was originally used in reference to the geographic area that now comprises Altenland and became more popular in the 18 Century as Pan-Altish sentiments were becoming more-popular among Altish monarchs in the region's many kingdoms and city-states. The formation of the Altish Empire in 1840 saw the term Altenland first used to describe the unified Altish state, however, this was used as the country's informal name, and the official state title of the Empire was "Das Altische Reich", which was changed to "Das Altische Kaiserreich" in 1876.

The use of the name "Neureich" ("New Reich") is common both within Altenland and abroad, although there are misconceptions about its origins and its practical usage. The term was first coined by Martin Winter and used in speeches in the early 1920s, and frequently used in his book Stahl und Kampf to describe the new Altenland that he sought to built. In 1928, after Winter became Chancellor, the Neureich Act was a piece of legislation passed that gave Winter's government the power to make laws and issue decrees without parliament or the president. Despite its common usage, however, "Neureich" is not an official term, and the official state title remains "Das Alitsches Reich", as it was under the constitution of the Altish Republic.

Background

The 1919 Armistice, put into effect on 17 July, saw an end to active fighting in Cybelleum. More than seven years had passed since the first shots of the Great War were fired, and by the time the Armistice was implemented, at least nine million Altishmen had been killed, wounded, gone missing, or had been taken prisoner. Mass famine had claimed hundreds of thousands of civilian lives, and the war had taken an enormous toll on the Altish economy to the point of near-bankruptcy, and the issues plaguing the Altish Empire did not improve when the artillery and machine guns stopped firing. As delegates from the participating countries assembled in Verdon, millions of Altish soldiers continued to man their positions in the event that peace was declared untenable.

The Winter Offensive of January 1919 had seen Altish armies finally shatter the Auvernian lines and had led them to capture the Auvernian capital of Nanterre. Their advance, however, had been too hasty, and had left their supply and communication lines woefully exposed. A desperate Auvernian counter-offensive in February 1919 saw success, and Altish armies abandoned Nanterre in order to avoid envelopment and annihilation, and were subsequently chased more than 70 kilometers back towards the Auvernian-Altish border. By the time peace negotiations had begun, both Altenland and its principal adversary, Auvernia, were spent. At Verdon, the early excitement at the prospect of ending the war was quickly replaced by a bitter deadlock as neither side could come to an amicable agreement. In September, Altish delegates declared that they would not entertain any terms set forth until the blockade of Altish ports was lifted, causing the Auvernians to make a similar declaration until Altish troops withdrew from their positions in Auvernia. In October, representatives from the neutral Federation of Atlesia were brought in to mediate negotiations, and were able to convince both Auvernia and Altenland to resume talks with the conditions that heavy artillery be removed from Altish frontlines in exchange for a limited opening of the Auvernian blockade of Altenland to allow food and medical supplies to enter the country. Still, even with foreign mediation, both sides failed to come to agreeable terms throughout the rest of October and November of 1919. WIP.

History

(Further information: History of Altenland)

Birth of the Valkist movement

(Main article: Martin Winter's rise to power)