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 declared 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, (Reynish: Altany), also known by its official state title Das Altisches 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 Vorhut 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", a modification of the official state title under the Altish Empire and notably different from the official title under the Republic: Das Altisches Republik.

Background

Altenland was known as the Altish Republic between 1920 and 1928. It was a parliamentary democracy with a semi-presidential system that, from its inception after the December Revolution was plagued by hyperinflation, political extremism, contentious relationships with the victors of the Great War, and divided political parties that failed to yeild an effective coalition government. Severe setbacks to the Altish economy began shortly after the Great War ended, a large part being from reparations payments required under the 1920 Treaty of Verdon. The government printed money in order to make the payments and repay the country's war debt, but the resulting hyperinflation led to inflated prices for consumer goods, widespread shortages and food riots. Unemployment skyrocketed to a height of 30% in 1921 as the Altish wartime economy transitioned back into peacetime and millions of veterans returned home to find a lack of employment opportunities.

The Altish left-wing, which had so effectively brought about the destruction of the Lieber Monarchy, was itself dissatisfied with the state of affairs in Altenland. The common perception among Altish communists and socialists was that moderates in parliament had betrayed the revolution and thus, with center-left and centrist parties in power, formed active paramilitary organizations that engaged in street violence throughout the country. The government reacted by banning several far-left political organizations, but in most cases, the bans only served to further-placate leftist movements and encourage them to organize a second revolution. In response to the ever-present threat of communist takeover, the Vorhut took shape. Comprising mainly of veterans of the Great War, early Vorhut (Rhenish: Vanguard) organizations had been instrumental during the December Revolution, having beaten communist paramilitaries in Münzen and facilitating the destruction of the People's Republic of Küstern and Lauenmark. In the early Republican period, Vorhut movements resigned themselves to opposing leftist political movements throughout Altenland, and were often depended upon heavily by the national and state governments to oppose leftist efforts.

The Valkist People's Party (Valkistiche Volkspartei), commonly known as the Valkist Party, was born in January 1922 out of the remnants of the Vorhut movements in southern Altenland. The Valkist platform included the destruction of the Altish Republic, rejection of the Treaty of Verdon, and the implementation of valkist ideas relating to race, religion and culture. They promised a strong central government, the formation of a national community based on culture, and the full integration of the Reynland into the Reich. The party, especially its original paramilitary wing Volksgarde (VG; People's Guard), became a visible symbol of the Altish right-wing in the mid-1920s, often engaging in political violence against left-wing revolutionary movements, disrupting their meetings and attacking their members, which was customary among political paramilitary forces during this period.

The failure of the Altish government to enact effective economic reform and alleviate the burden placed upon the Altish people caused internal political strife to reach a boiling point in 1926. The Valkist Party had been campaigning for years, and its platform was met with a positive reaction from the disenfranchised population of Altenland. In the July 1926 Altish federal elections, the Valkists won a major victory, securing 227 of 670 total seats. Combined with their right-wing allies in the Reichsbund, the Valkist-led coalition enjoyed 408 seats in total, or a 60% majority.

History

Valkist rise to power

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