Valduvia

Federated Valduvian Council Republics Federatīvās Valduves Padomes Republikas (Valduvian)
Flag
Motto: "Visu zemju proletārieši, savienojieties!" "Workers of the world, unite!"
Anthem: "Internacionāle" "The Internationale"
Location of  Valduvia  (dark green) – in Euclea  (green & dark grey) – in MASSOR  (green)
Capital and largest city	Tautaspils
Official languages	Valduvian
Recognised regional languages	Weranian
Ethnic groups (2020)	76.8% Valduvian 11.3% Weranian 2.5% Martish 1.8% Dellish 7.6% Other
Demonym(s)	Valduvian
Government	Federal socialist directorial council republic
• Presidium	Zigmārs Hermanis (President) Liesl Abelshauser Rūdolfs Auziņš Lauris Brastiņš Lavīze Krūmiņa Kristaps Laizāns Matīss Rozītis
• Premier	Janis Vilks
Legislature	Saeima
Formation
• Platavian Union	5 February 1450
• Treaty of Kusava	15 August 1582
• Proclamation of the Valduvian Empire	20 August 1721
• June Revolution	19 June 1921
• Current constitution	7 January 1987
Area
• Total	423,489 km2 (163,510 sq mi)
Population
• 2020 census	55,279,300
• Density	130.5/km2 (338.0/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)	2021 estimate
• Total	$1.855 trillion
• Per capita	$33,549
GDP (nominal)	2021 estimate
• Total	$1.074 trillion
• Per capita	$19,440
Gini (2021)	26.7 low
HDI (2021)	0.845 very high
Currency	Valduvian zelts (VAZ)
Time zone	UTC-1
Date format	dd/mm/yyyy
Driving side	right

Valduvia (Valduvian: Valduve), officially the Federated Valduvian Council Republics (Valduvian: Federatīvās Valduves Padomes Republikas), is a sovereign state in northern Euclea. The nation shares land borders with Kantemosha & Ambrazka to the west, East Miersa and Gaullica to the south, Kesselbourg, Hennehouwe, Estmere, and Alsland to the east, and Werania to the north. Valduvia's capital and largest city is Tautaspils, with other major cities including Kusava, Ostavpils, Reinispils, and Kirchhof. With a population of approximately 55 million and spanning an area of 423,489 square kilometers, Valduvia is the Xth most populous and Xth largest state in Euclea.

Valduvia is a socialist state governed as a federal council republic. The nation is divided into 8 constituent republics, each of which enjoys substantial autonomy over its own internal affairs, as well as the independent city of Tautaspils. Valduvia possesses a directorial head of state consisting of a seven member Presidium, with a rotating presidency currently held by Zigmārs Hermanis. The Premier, currently Janis Vilks, serves as head of government and is held responsible to the federal legislature, the Saema. Despite being one of the world's most repressive states during the 20th century, Valduvia has democratized considerably since the 1980s, and today scores highly on most freedom indices.

The ancestors of the modern day Valduvians have inhabited the region since classical antiquity, with Valduvia serving as the northern boundary of the Solarian Empire at its height. The collapse of the Empire during late antiquity created a power vacuum in the region, allowing the Valduvian tribes to consolidate into several petty kingdoms, duchies, and principalities during the early middle ages. These early states initially remained largely overshadowed by the more powerful Verliquoian Empire and Rudolphine Confederation, both of which controlled much of southern and eastern Valduvia at their respective territorial peaks. The modern Valduvian state begin to take form during the 15th century, when the monarchs of the Kingdom of Platavia inherited the thrones of several other Valduvian states. This personal union, known as the Platavian Union, quickly established itself as a regional rival to the Rudolphine Confederation. The Amendist Wars of the 16th century brought the Platavian Union into a personal union with Scovern and led to the establishment of the Valduvian Confederation, a loose defensive alliance between the Platavian realms and several other Valduvian and southeastern Weranian states. Tensions between Valduvia and the Rudolphines culminated in the Ten Years' War during the early 18th century, resulting in the consolidation of Valduvia into a federal state, the eastern expansion of the nation's borders, and the emergence of the Valduvian Empire as a great power in Euclea.

After enjoying a long period of stability, prosperity, and military dominance throughout the 18th and early 19th centuries, Valduvia's strength declined markedly following the nation's defeat in the War of the Triple Alliance. The onset of the Great Collapse in 1913, as well as the subsequent Airdale War with Estmere, caused popular support for the monarchy to collapse, culminating in a successful socialist revolution in 1921. Although initially founded on democratic principles, the new councilist regime quickly fell victim to corruption, ethnic nationalism, and weak constitutional checks and balances, allowing authoritarianism to take hold of the country by the end of the 1920s. Valduvia joined the Grand Alliance and entered the Great War in 1931, emerging victorious as a reinvigorated world power and sparking an economic boom. Tensions between Valduvia and the liberal powers of Euclea led the Grand Alliance to fracture quickly in the post-war era, leading to the Valduvian-Weranian War in 1949. The war exacerbated tensions between the federal government, which was dominated by ethnic Valduvians, and the Weranian minority community in the nation's east. Valduvian Weranians were widely accused of harboring reactionary and pro-Weranian sentiments, leading to a crackdown on suspected Weranian sympathizers by federal security forces and the outbreak of a low intensity conflict in eastern Valduvia. Nevertheless, the Valduvian regime remained largely stable as a result of its victory against Werania, becoming the first nation to develop nuclear weapons in 1951 and experiencing a long period of economic growth lasting through the 1970s.

Valduvia suffered a particularly sharp economic downturn during the Recession of 1980, allowing hardliner councilists to seize power in the 1981 Valduvian federal elections. Under Premier Andrejs Matrozis, widely accused of promoting ethnic nationalism and demagoguery by the international community, the Valduvian government intensified its campaign of repression against the Weranian population. After the 1983 Kirchhof attacks, Matrozis declared martial law in several Weranian-majority republics and ordered the military to quell the rising unrest. Several hundred thousand ethnic Weranians were killed in the ensuing 18-month long crackdown, which is now widely recognized to be an act of genocide by most nations. In 1985, a group of moderate and reformist military officers staged a coup d'état against the Matrozis regime, bringing an end to the genocide. Civilian rule returned in 1987 under the nation's first democratic constitution, which established a power sharing agreement that gave Weranians increased political representation within the federal government. Relations between the Valduvian and Weranian communities continued to improve over the next several decades, aided by the establishment of a truth and reconciliation commission in 1989, the official recognition of the Matrozis-era military crackdown as genocide by the federal government in 2010, and the 2011 approval of an economic reparations package for the Weranian community. Relations between Valduvia and the liberal powers of eastern Euclea have warmed considerably since democratization, and today the nation enjoys close economic ties with several major liberal economies on the continent.

Modern day Valduvia is a great power, boasting a developed economy and ranking highly in measures of education, life expectancy, and health. The nation is widely recognized as the home of international socialism, and its councilist system of government has formed the basis for most of the world's socialist states. Valduvia plays an active role in the international community and is a founding member of the Mutual Assistance Organisation, Association for International Socialism, and Community of Nations. A dominant military force within the socialist world, Valduvia remains a major land power in Euclea, possesses a modest blue water navy, and is a recognized nuclear weapons state under the Treaty of Shanbally.

Etymology

The native Valduvian name Valduve is taken from the Valduve river, a major waterway which passes through the traditional core of Valduvia in the republics of Platavia and Vilisland, as well as the capital city of Tautaspils. The name is derived from the Valduvian verb valdīt, meaning "to govern, rule, dominate", along with the toponymic suffix -uve. The Estmericisation Valduvia, a derivation of the native form, initially appeared on maps in the 9th century in reference to the immediate area surrounding the Valduve river, but its use was expanded in the 16th century to include all of the lands ruled by the Platavian Union.

Politics

Military

A Valduvian PH06 self-propelled howitzer during an exercise in southeast Burland.

Main article: Valduvian Workers' Army

The Valduvian Workers' Army (Valduvian: Valduves Strādnieku Armija) is the national military force of Valduvia, and is divided into Land, Naval, Air, Space and Missile, and Cyber components. The role of commander-in-chief is collectively held by the Presidium, with day-to-day operations managed by the Directorate of the Workers' Defense. Valduvia spent $27.9 billion, approximately 2.6% of its GDP, on national defense in 2021. The nation is one of the leading suppliers of arms to the socialist world, holding an X% share of all international arms exports.

Military service is compulsory for all Valduvians over the age of 18, with conscripts serving a minimum of 12 months in a reserve capacity. Woman have served in an equal capacity with men since the establishment of the councilist state, making Valduvia one of the first nations with a gender integrated military. As of 2022, the Valduvian Workers' Army consists of 410,000 active and 952,000 reserve personnel, making it the largest military force in MASSOR and the Xth largest in Euclea.

The Land Component has traditionally been the military's dominant branch, reflecting Valduvia's traditional status as a land power that dates back to the 15th century.  Modern Valduvian doctrine emphasizes combined arms warfare, making heavy use of ground based, sensor-directed fires to support maneuver units by disrupting and suppressing enemy forces. Valduvia is also capable of conducting expeditionary warfare, with a modest blue-water navy that allows the nation to project power on a global scale.