Terra Argo
Republic of Terra Argo República di Terra Argo |
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History
Ancient History
Originally, the country which is now Terra Argo was inhabited by Hoosier peoples, however the original name was lost to antiquity. When the Artevenian Empire discovered it, they named the country Terra Argo. The name Terra Argo comes from Daresin, meaning 'Land of the Silver', referring to its massive silver deposits.
When the Daresian Empire came to an end, Terra Argoans were able to preserve their Latin culture, similar to what the Romano-British attempted. Throughout the medieval period, Terra Argo prospered thanks to the large silver deposits, while also creating a strong maritime culture.
Medieval History
Following the retreat of the Daresian Empire from Terra Argo in the 400s, the local Daresians (who would later become Terra Argoans) banded together to try to protect their way of life and defeat invading tribes and groups. They tried their best to emulate the old Daresian systems of governance, planning and their military organisation. They chose a new king, who had previously been a Terra Argoan-born military general who chose to remain in his mother country. This new dynasty, in some form, continued to rule Terra Argo until the early 1100s.
Over the coming centuries, because of their unity, they were able to resist the effects of large scale migration, which is why today Terra Argoan is a part of the Romantic language family. A feudal class of knights, peasants and nobles began to form because of the king delegating more responsibilities to his military commanders, with the peasants also being eager for the additional protection. At the same time, the Terra Argoan religion began to develop. Old Shamanistic and Pagan traditions began to influence the existing Pontifical Church, until they had moved so far away from normal church doctrine that many considered them a different sect altogether.
This came to a head in the 1078, at the coronation of the 18 year old of King Leo I when the coronating Pontifical mission from Artevenia simultaneously conducted an investigation into the Terra Argoan Church. This report from 1078 would become infamous for decades to come, as it explained how virtually the entire population of Terra Argo were heretics of some form, with approximately 10% scorning Christianity altogether and instead having reverted to the old Paganistic traditions and the Wolf Cult. Leo was shocked at this, being incredibly zealous and eager to prove himself, and therefore began the ages of the Great Terra Argoan crusades, desperate to prove himself to the Pontifical world and rid Terra Argo of any heretics and heathens.
Leo I's Crusades can generally be split into 4 stages- the first stage was within Terra Argo itself, as he reformed the church to better align with the Artevenian doctrine and besieged holdouts of the Wolf Cult, burning their followers and forcing them underground. The second stage was largely unsuccessful, although it brought him lots of prestige and brought more of the faithful to his cause. It was mostly directed around the Penitusian sea, although he was unable to achieve any lasting progress. His third stage was against northern Amnis, attempting to correct heresies and convert pagans, as well as spread Terra Argoan influence across the continent. This is often regarded as a big success as not only it caused the spread of the Pontificial word, he helped to set up short lived Terra Argoan crusader states but more importantly and long lasting he created several trading posts and introduced the Terra Argoans to new goods and trade routes. Finally, the fourth stage was a return to the Penitusian sea, where he was much more successful than the second time, setting up trading posts and short-lived crusader states, such as the Kingdom of Biggonia.
The exact number of crusades launched by Leo is disputed, since what actually qualifies a separate cruasde is not properly defined. Some historians estimate that over his 42-year reign, Leo launched 20 separate crusades. These crusades were incredibly expensive however, and put a severe drain on the Terra Argoan economy, its nobility and people. This meant that when Leo finally died in 1120, his nobles were dissatisfied with the heavy taxes levied and the debts amassed. To make matters worse, Leo's heir was his incompetent and unpopular nephew. His nephew only reigned for 3 years until a noble rebellion unseated him and his dynasty for power. For the next 20 years, anarchy reigned as Kings would only hold power for a few weeks before being defeated by their rivals. At last, in 1145 the new Skaperelli dynasty was established but royal power was broken.
The next few centuries up until 1650 were a period of relative peace, propserity and also decentralisation within Terra Argo. The autonomous nobility and cities coupled with the new Terra Argoan trading posts led to an economic boom across the country, and the creation of a strong maritime tradition. Many explorers were from Terra Argo during this period, and trade exploded. At last, the monarchy was able to reassert their power in 1650 after the short noble wars, in which a revolt was decisively defeated and absolute power was returned to the monarchy.
Modern History
Terra Argo would continue like this for many centuries until the late 19th century, where due to the monarchy's complacency and reluctance to innovate meant that during the industrial revolution Terra Argo began to be outpaced in silver production and overall economic development by other countries. As a result exports and quality of living declined. The monarchy grew increasingly unpopular until in 1905 there was a popular revolt. Although it was brutally put down by the monarchy using imported machine guns from abroad, the King still had to install a constitutional Senate in order to appease the people.
Despite this reform, the King was still hugely unpopular, and therefore in 1917 a referendum was held to abolish the monarchy and establish a republic. The King and his family were imprisoned for life, which angered many monarchists. However, the republic was even more unstable than the monarchy. Populism plagued the senate because people had not been properly educated in democracy. This also meant that the economic situation did not improve, arguably it got worse. After the humialiting military disaster of the great war, A string of bad decisions culminated in the 'decade of discontent', or the 1940s. In 1951 monarchists rebelled in the west and they quickly gained a lot of progress. The capital city, known as Argentum Ex Animo was captured by the monarchist rebels and by 1953, they looked poised for victory.
In the republican camp, a new figure had taken control. The Commander-in-Chief of the Republican Army took control after the government fell and adopted the title of *Generalissimo*. Between then and 1955, the republicans fought back against the monarchists and at last won the war. In the immediate aftermath, the Generalissimo asserted control, executing the entire Royal family and banning monarchism. A new meritocratic system of government was established, with a Cortes Generales being made up of 50 generals and 50 civil servants. The economy was reinitialized by nationalizing silver and investing it into infrastructure and business. The government's ultimate aim is to build up the economy and educate the populace in preparation for a full shift to democracy.
Economy
Economic History
The Terra Argoan economy was traditionally lead by the Silver Mining industry, due to the large silver deposits in the country. The capital of Terra Argo, Argentum ex Animo, [roughly meaning Heart of the silver in Latin] is the uncontested heart of the Terra Argoan economy. Every day dozens of cargo ships leave the city, packed full with silver and other exported goods. The inlet that Argentum ex Animo sits upon contains some of the largest silver veins in the world, so most of the city's and country's economy is based on the silver mines and their exports. Before the Industrial Revolution, manual labour was needed and workers were deployed en masse, and mining took up most of the workforce. As drill technology progressed, less and less workers were needed for the line of work. Though while still important, today it is quite a rare job to have and therefore pay is high. Additionally, almost all silver mines are owned exclusively by the state.
When the Terra Argoan economy fell into sharp decline in the 1890s, the monarchy, desperate to raise money, sold off silver rights to foreign Hansan investors. Although this temporarily assisted the Kingdom's finances, it led to further economic decline and was a great national shame. When the Republic came to power in 1917, one of the first matters for debate was the reacquisition of silver rights. There were two major factions- the first supporting immediate seizure, whilst the second wished to buy them back. The latter eventually won the debate, but the republic was never able to assemble enough money to buy the rights back.
When the Generalissimo came to power in 1955, one of his first decisions was to seize all silver rights by force. This was a hugely popular decision, and there was little resistance. The money brought in by this allowed the newly established government to reinvest it in the reconstruction of Terra Argo. Over the years, many other industries were gradually returned to private industries, but silver mining has been staunchly controlled by the state.
Domestic Policy
Although modern Terra Argo is a dictatorship, it's intrusion into the everyday lives of it's citizens is limited. Despite the fact that political freedoms are limited, with protests forbidden, the government does not try to control individuals lives. For example, there are policies of complete indifference to issues such as LGBTQ+ rights, religion and cultural holidays. In schools, children are not taught about religious figures, apart from historical people such as Muhammed.
Terra Argoan public education is some of the highest quality in the world, and it is their largest government expenditure. In fact, the quality of state schools is so high that private schools are very few and far between. In terms of universities, although many are state owned and free, the highest quality and most exclusive are private universities. There are also generous grants offered by the government for citizens to take apprenticeships rather than a university degree.
Healthcare in Terra Argo is also well funded. Under a single-payer system, people get free healthcare provided for them by the state. Doctors and nurses are well paid and equipped with the most advanced tools.
In order to pay for this however, Terra Argo requires a high tax rate. Income tax is progressive, and ranges between 25% and 55%. Thankfully, the government frequently gives back to the people in the form of industry focused subsidies and tax cuts.
The police force is also well staffed and equipped, with a wide array of powers, such as not requiring warrants to search houses. The punishment system in Terra Argo mostly focuses on rehabilitation, however political prisoners are not treated so kindly. They are frequently beaten and sometimes even executed. The police is also assisted in various tasks by the Guardia Civil (more on the Guardia Civil in armed forces). However, in recent years Terra Argo has begun a liberalization streak, with the death penalty becoming less frequent and kangaroo courts basically disappearing. Some rumour that this is at last a sign of the move to democracy that has for decades been promised by the government. However, open discussion of the topic remains heavily censored in the newspapers and press.
Armed Forces
Due to the nature of Terra Argo's military dictatorship, their armed forces enjoy a great deal of primacy with their needs often being at the forefront when it comes to culture, laws and funding. The modern Terra Argoan army can trace itself back to the civil war in the 1950s. After the fall of Argentum ex Amino to royalist forces in 1952, the republican government was taken over by a military Clique led by the soon-to-be Generalissimo. One of their first concerns was to reform the desperate Republican army into a proper fighting force. Utilizing their limited manpower, many small units which would generally act independently but would still answer to high command, an effective combination of both guerrilla warfare and defense in depth allowed the Republicans to begin driving back the royalist armies. By 1954, the Republic once again controlled all population centres, with the final strongholds falling in 1955. Therefore the republican army had refined the tactics of both guerrilla warfare and counter-insurgency.
Over the years, the Terra Argoan army would continue to develop. As of 2022, they have 4 major formations, these being the Guardia Civil, Army, Navy and Airforce. Every Terra Argoan must serve for 18 months as a part of the Guardia Civil. Here they undergo training, with some becoming nay or airforce cadets, as well as basic policing which the Guardia Civil assists with. After these twelve months are up, then the recruits can take several paths. They could immediately leave the armed forces and work a normal job, or they could remain in the Guardia Civil and take advanced training for policing and other civilian matters, as well as gain higher ranks and status within the organisation. Optionally, the recruit may take a test which measures physical fitness and theory to see if they can qualify for the army. If these tests are failed, then they are allowed to attend various schools and military academies specifically designed to help Guards get into the army. Optionally, the navy and air force can be joined.