New Aspen

The Federal Republic of New Aspen Federalnia Respubika Novyi Aspen (Aspenian)
Flag Emblem
Motto:  "Unitya, Sloboda, Roziyvoj" "Unity, Freedom, Progress"
National animal Silver-crested Owl
Capital	United Boreas
Largest city	Serano
Official languages	Aspenian
Recognised national languages	Anglish
Demonym(s)	Aspenians
Government	Federal parliamentary representative democracy
• Federal Chancellor	Gloria Halsey
• Prime Minister	Edward Lloyd
Legislature	Aspensky Parljament Aspenian Parliament
• Upper house	Aspensky Federalicny Koncil Aspenian Federal Council
• Lower house	Aspenske Federalicne Shromazdienje Aspenian Federal Assembly
Gini (2020)	25.9 low
HDI (2020)	0.775 high
Currency	Aspenian Conifer (ACO (₡o))
Date format	dd/mm/yyyy
Driving side	right
Calling code	+554
Internet TLD	.as

The Federal Republic of New Aspen, commonly referred to simply as New Aspen, is a land-locked nation located in the northern hemisphere of the Eurth. Due to New Aspen entering the international community only recently, its borders remain somewhat unclear, and several diplomats at the World Congress are currently working on drafting a new map for the country.

New Aspen is a federal republic, consisting of 8 federated states, organised as a representative parliamentary democracy. Citizens elect their representatives to the bicameral Aspenian Parliament. The head of state is the directly elected Federal Chancellor, while the head of government is the Prime Minister, chosen by the parliament. The Federal government is fairly large, regulating many aspects of the nation's market economy.

Formerly known as the Kingdom of Aspenia, New Aspen has suffered through a bloody internal conflict, which nearly destroyed the nation. While the civilian population was mostly spared, the governmental structure suffered a heavy blow. While the new nation has a large population, it struggles to pull itself out of economic recession and therefore has a relatively low GDP. The new Federal government is facing high internal tensions, growing unemployment and a poor economic outlook.

History

Ancient Ages

While archaeological records suggest that the territory of present-day New Aspen has been inhabited by various tribes in the Prehistoric and Ancient eras, the first organised societies began forming only as late as the early Medieval era. Various settlers arrived around the 7th century, bringing with them the technological advancements of the era, and began founding their own noble clans and princely states, either through subjugation or integration of the existing population. The origins of the Aspenian language can also be traced back to around this time. Belonging to the Balto-Slavic language family, it is theorised that Aspenian developed through the collision of various Alemanic languages brought in by the settlers and the dialects spoken by the original inhabitants.

Medieval Era

Karis Martiality	Barony of Tosno	Naravian Principality	County of Kehra	Rigian Merchant Republic	Duchy of Balvia	Free City of Svetlograd	Lutian Commonality

The first settlers regularly engaged in petty conflicts between each other over land and various resources. Clans were often annexed by others, while different clans broke away. The balance of power was constantly shifting, but eventually trended towards the formation of larger, stronger states. Around the early 13th century, the groups present in the region coalesced into 8 feudal nation-states - the Karis Martiality, the Barony of Tosno, the Naravian Principality, the County of Kehra, The Rigian Merchant Republic, the Duchy of Balvia, the Free City of Svetlograd and the Lutian Commonality.

Portrait of Regina II. of Naravia

Due to their common history, the political relationships between these nation-states were very tense, teetering on the verge of war for several decades. A pivotal moment came in the late 14th century, when the region was hit by the "Red Grain Pox" a devastating plague that attacked agricultural crops like grain, corn, and potatoes, resulting in approximately three fifths of the year's harvest being destroyed. The nation-states were faced with the prospect of a widespread famine, with little to no options for regional trade. The first step was taken by the ruler of the Naravian Principality, Princess Regina II. Rosiyevichovna, who invited diplomats form each nation to negotiate a trade agreement on foodstuffs. Against most odds, the negotiation turned out to be a success, resulting in the signing of the "Mutual Agricultural Assistance Treaty". This assistance agreement enabled the nations to freely trade food with each other, thus covering various holes in their agricultural reserves caused by the famine, and significantly softening the impact of the famine on civilian populations. The diplomats reconvened after a year to review the treaty. Not only was it concluded that the treaty accomplished its aims in full, but the meeting also allowed for discussion about cooperation in different areas. Eventually, this positive trend culminated in an agreement by the nations to organise an annual "Diplomatic Council", where leaders could discuss various treaties, and resolve disputes diplomatically.

Early Modern Era

Portrait of Marshal Frederic Alleyn

Self-portrait of Peter I. Perenian

The period from the 15th to the 17th century was marked by a significant warming of regional relations. New mutual treaties allowed for expanded trade, limited migration and in some cases even military cooperation. The region remained mostly stable, with each nation-state holding approximately equal power, specialised into various areas. A turning point came in the 17th century, with the invention and arrival of firearms. The Karis Martiality, being the most militarily advanced power in the region, expressed immediate interest in equipping its military with this new technology. Other nations, especially the County of Kehra, were concerned however, that the use of firearms could unbalance the division of power in the region and give Karis a significant advantage. The ruler of Kehra, Count Gregory Russal, was very vocal about his intentions of tabling a treaty at the next Diplomatic Council, requiring that all nations purchase firearms in bulk simultaneously. However, due to the involvement of the Barony of Tosno, at the time the most economically developed nation, this treaty has never come to the table. Sensing a unique opportunity, the ruler of Tosno, Baron Peter I. Perenian, reached out in secret to the leader of Karis, Marshal Frederic Alleyn, offering him to finance and support covert imports of firearms and the construction of arms manufacturing plants in Karis. In return, Karis would pledge to provide military assistance to Tosno at any time they would request. The agreement was enthusiastically accepted by Marshal Alleyn and the Karisian army began secretly stockpiling weapons. On the next Diplomatic Council, Baron Peter I. revealed his arrangement with Karis and presented the remaining nations with an ultimatum - surrender your sovereignty to the united rule of Karis and Tosno, or face war with the newly armed Karisian army. One by one, the leaders of each nation had no choice but to submit. To cement his alliance with Karis, Baron Peter I. married Marshal Alleyn's daughter Miss Eleanor Alleyn, crowning himself as the Monarch of the newly formed Kingdom of Aspenia.

Modern Era

Flag of the Kingdom of Aspenia

Perenian Royal Wine Decanter

During the industrial revolution, the Kingdom of Aspenia developed into a fairly industrialised nation, focused primarily on processing raw materials and various heavy industry. This period was also marked by the extensive adoption of railway systems, and the creation of a wide net of train routes throughout the nation. Other important areas included agriculture, resource extraction and arms manufacturing. An interesting part of the Aspenian economy was the glassware industry. Glassblowing had a long-standing tradition in the region, dating back to the 12th century, with Aspenian glass being highly sought after for its quality and craftsmanship. One of the most famous pieces of Aspenian glassware is the Perenian Royal Wine Decanter, commissioned by the Perenian Royal family to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Kingdom of Aspenia.

Photo of Peter IV. Perenian
("Monaco" series by the
Crown Prince Photo Company)

While in terms of economic output the Kingdom of Aspenia was fairly average, the social situation in the nation was severely strained. The monarchy held absolute power, enforced by the Karisian Royal Army, with their subjects facing severe repression. Rapid population growth, increasing social and economic inequality and the resistance to reform by the ruling elite led to progressively rising tensions within the population. This was compounded by the relatively high national debt accrued at the beginning of the 20th century by the then-king Peter IV. Perenian, who was known to host lavish parties and expansive dinners using money from the national treasury. Coupled with a regressive tax system, this eventually led to the nation being hit with waves of economic depression, unemployment and high food prices, that predominantly impacted the lowest members of the social hierarchy - while the Royal family held 60% of all wealth in the kingdom, one-third of its inhabitants were either unemployed or had no regular work. These events took place on the backdrop of increasing intellectuality of the urban population. Improvements in education and literacy over the course of the 19th century meant larger audiences for newspapers and journals, with lodges, coffee houses and reading clubs providing areas where people could debate and discuss ideas. The emergence of this so-called "public sphere" left the Royal family isolated and less able to influence public opinion.

The Aspenian Civil War

Flag of the Aspenian Polity

Photo of Olga Minett, posing with her SMG

Faced with these unsustainable conditions, resentment grew quickly among the Aspenian people. The first organised resistance groups began forming around the year 1920 in the southern parts of the kingdom, namely in Svetlograd. While the Royal army was aware of the existence of resistance movements, they were routinely dismissed by high-ranking officers as unimportant. Despite standing orders to detain resistance members and supress anti-royalist activities, many movements managed to remain undiscovered. One group that quickly rose to prominence as the de-facto leader of the resistance was the "Popular Resistance Movement" ("Popularnie Hnutije Odbojove" in Aspenian). Headed by Olga Minett, a Balvian-born ex-factory worker, the PRM first focused on stoking anti-royalist sentiment by spreading various anti-regime propaganda in the form of posters, leaflets, and underground newspapers. This eventually expanded into forming secret resistance cells in various cities. Somewhat unexpectedly, the PRM found a notable amount of support among the rank-and-file members of the Royal army, as they were themselves impacted by the worsening economic and societal conditions. Minett recognised this unique opportunity and with the help of these "resistance soldiers" organised many covert operations, such as stealing weapons for the resistance, freeing detained partisans and planting sipes within the Royal army.

The situation in the kingdom reached a breaking point in the year 1927, when Peter IV., in an apparent move to ensure food security for his court, ordered all agricultural resources and production to be nationalised. In response, on 17. August 1927, Olga Minett broadcast a passionate call to arms through radio, denouncing Peter IV. as an illegitimate ruler and encouraging all Aspenias to fight back against the order. Cities across the kingdom, predominantly in the southern regions, at first refusing to enforce the order, now turned to open revolt against the Royal family. Serano, the regional capital of Rigia, became the bastion of the resistance movement, and the capital city of the newly declared Aspenian polity - the revolutionary successor state to the Kingdom of Aspenia. Meanwhile Boreas, the regional capital of Tosno, and the royal seat of power, together with most northern regions, remained the headquarters of the Loyalist forces.

File:Partisans attack village.jpg

Partisans attack a village

The resulting civil war lasted for 6 years. While the Royal army was better trained and better equipped, and thus had the upper hand in direct conflict, Resistance forces engaged mainly through guerrilla warfare tactics, preferring ambushes and hit-and-run attacks where the Royal army would be at a disadvantage, especially in urban areas. The PRM also employed a very effective "Hearts and Minds" doctrine, focused on winning the popular support of ordinary people in Loyalist regions. Though holding the initial advantage in the conflict, the Royal army, mainly as a result of ineffective leadership, outdated military doctrine and increasing loss of popular support, proved to be unable to effectively combat and supress Resistance forces. As the conflict progressed, the Resistance managed to steadily gain ground in the northern regions, turning both civilians and soldiers to their side. Some of the most notable skirmishes were the Battle of Astora, the Vergian Revolt and the Surrender of Kesano. In March 1933, the Resistance effectively controlled two-thirds of the nation. On the 11. of September 1934, Resistance forces managed to successfully storm Boreas, the seat of the Royal family. Historical records suggest that the Resistance had significant help from sympathisers within the city and even in the royal palace. The ensuing skirmish, now known as the "Storming of Boreas", was a pivotal battle in the civil war, which saw Resistance partisans fight their way through the city, plunged into utter chaos with resistance supporters turning on their former "comrades" to assist the attack on the royal place.

During the sieging of the royal palace, both Peter IV. Perenian and Olga Minett lost their lives. According to Resistance accounts, Peter IV. died in the palace halls, while attempting to throw a grenade towards incoming partisans - he had managed to arm the grenade, but failed to throw it correctly, getting caught in the resulting explosion himself. Minett was shot by a Royal army sniper while standing on the steps outside the royal palace entrance.

Civil War Recovery

The road to Aspenian recovery was a difficult one. The deaths of key figures on both sides left behind a power vacuum that most were unwilling or unable to fill. With the Aspenian Kingdom shattered, most of the nation effectively reverted to individual nation-states. The hardest-hit region was Tosno, receiving the brunt of damage from the Resistance offensive, with Boreas effectively reduced to a ghost town. For the next 6 years, each nation mainly kept to itself, focusing on rebuilding the damage caused in the war. Most nations re-established leadership titles from before the time of the kingdom, except for Tosno, which practically descended into anarchy, with only a few organised city-states. In 1940, the state of the region was very similar to that of the 14th century, with regional relationships a patchwork of bilateral, often complicated or conflicting agreements.

Photo of Eva Palet

A turning point came in 1949, when the then-leader of Lutia, Eva Palet, invited the leaders of each nation (except Tosno, as it did not have a formal leader) to re-found the "Diplomatic Council" and return to regional cooperation. The first meeting took place in the Lutian capital Astora and concluded with the signing of the "Mutual Recovery Cooperation Pact" - an agreement between the nations to assist each other in the war recovery.

Meta Information

Eurth Point System

• Population: HIGH (2)
• GDP per capita: LOW (0)
• Land Area: MEDIUM (1)
• Most applicable scenario: #5

I am willing to change and/or alter any information on this page, if the moderator team of Eurth deems it necessary.

External Links

• https://www.nationstates.net/nation=new_aspen
• https://www.europans.com/profile/1435-new-aspen/