Confederation of Kolodoria

Confederation of Kolodoria Kolodoriya Konfederācija
1843–1954
Flag
Motto: "Of Our Own Accord"
Capital	Strana Mechty
Common languages	Latvian, Yakut, Letnian
Religion	Letnev Orthodox, Sylvan Catholicism, Norse Paganism
Government	Confederal parliamentary constitutional republic
Legislature	The High Council
History
• Established	1843
• Disestablished	1954
Currency	Kolodorian Credit

The Confederation of Kolodoria (Latvian: Kolodoriya Konfederācija) refers to Kolodoria when it existed as a loose Confederation between 1843 and 1954. Brought into being after the conclusion of the Third Succession War, the Confederation was an attempt to avert the types of conflicts that had devastated Jedoria between the 17th and 19th centuries. It persisted despite various internal problems until the Kolodorian Revolution, which dissolved the Confederation and brought Socialist Kolodoria into being.

The devastation brought upon by the Third Succession War prompted the leaders of Kolodoria's various kingdoms, duchies, and principalities to attempt to form a centralized government to mediate future disputes and prevent the outbreak of another major internal conflict. The Confederate Constitution established a parliament known as the High Council, which was staffed by representatives of each of Kolodoria's various sub-states. The High Council in turn elected an Archon, who served two year terms. During this time Kolodoria underwent rapid industrialization as the mining, lumber, and fishing industries all expanded, but it occurred unevenly, mostly in the coastal provinces while the interior remained lacking. Kolodoria's various states retained significant power despite the central government, resulting in frequent power struggles in the High Council.

Although intended to prevent the escalation of future conflicts and wars, the Confederation was plagued by internal unrest and infighting throughout much of it's existence. Most of the Jedorian kingdoms and states retained significant power, including their own armies and economies. The Confederate Government struggled to raise taxes and develop infrastructure, leading to uneven economic growth and public development. Although Jedoria avoided involvement and destruction during the Pan-Septentrion War, the country found itself locked in a struggle against the Letnian Empire in the Northern War, which ended in a Kolodorian defeat and severe economic downturn. The inability to resolve these issues, coupled with the involvement of the Polvokia in supporting the Kolodorian Communist Party, led to the Kolodorian Revolution which dissolved the Confederation.

History

Following the conclusion of the Third Succession War, the Kolodorian states convened the Taurach Conference, which aimed to establish a lasting peace settlement between the warring states. After weeks of deliberation the various representatives announced that formation of the High Council, originally a court of arbitration, which would serve as a platform for mediating issues and conflicts. Just a few weeks after the Treaty of Taurach was signed the Kolodorian states agreed on principal to submit their own interests to the authority of the High Council. Although the High Council was supposed to prevent the development of armed conflict between the States, the original Treaty of Taurach did not grant the High Council enough power to actually dictate policy and terms of negotiation to the States.

The High Council failed to prevent the outbreak of the Fourth Succession War in 1872, which saw the Bessarabian Dominion and the Principality of Radstadt ally against the Rasalhague Kingdom, the latter of which was forced to cede control of the Luminovian isthmus to Radstadt, and the Union of Tukayyid was granted independence. The rise of Radstadt as a major power in Kolodorian politics however only further upset the balance of power and resulted in the 1888 Radstadt War. The Principality was forced to cede territory to the Satalician League and the Rasalhague as a result of the war. In response to the frequent conflicts in southern Jedoria, the Bessarabian Dominion spearheaded efforts to reform the High Council and the government of the Confederation, resulting in the Jedorian Reforms of 1892.

The Bessarabian influence in Jedoria only expanded following the war. In 1904 the Dominion annexed the Khalkhin Khanate, and after the splitting of the Erewhon Commonwealth into the States of Erewhon and Natahculor annexed Erewhon in 1916. The Natahculor War in 1921 provided the opportunity for more growth when the Dominion brought Erewhon under Bessarabian control. Shortly thereafter the Dominion was renamed as the Northern Jedorian Dominion. The Dominion continued to dominate Kolodorian politics, once again spearheading the Reforms of 1923, which further centralized the Confederate Government and gave further power to the Dominion. This coincided with the Confederation's growing efforts to tap into the nation's deposits of petroleum and natural gas, which resulted in the economy growing by nearly 30% between 1924 and 1929. Much of the oil industry was concentrated in northern Kolodoria and dominated by Dominion business moguls and entrepreneurs, which led to a steadily increasing class divide between the so called 'oil oligarchs' and the common working class.

In 1932 the Confederation went to war with the Federation of Soviet Republics in the Jedorian-Soviet War. The conflict only further antagonized the Confederation's poor relationship with it's northern neighbors and exasperated it's own internal issues. By the 1930s there was a growing political and ideological divide between the more agrarian south and the industrialized north. Although Jedoria avoided involvement in the Pan-Septentrion War, the Confederation was steadily declining in stability. In the 1940s the Kolodorian Communist Party was founded, and with help from the FSR began staging large scale protests and movements against the now massive income inequality in the north. By the 1950s this had developed into battles in the streets, and in 1953 the Communists overthrew the Northern Dominion and established the People's Republic of Bessarabia.

The High Council, now deprived of Bessarabian influence, attempted to respond to the communist uprising but 40 years of Bessarabian domination had left the other states woefully unprepared for taking charge of the Council's leadership. To make matters worse, communist sympathizers in modern-day Arstotzka rose up in an attempt to bring communist rule to southern Jedoria. Faced with an internal insurrection and already falling apart, the High Council was virtually powerless to stop the communists from marching into Southern Jedoria and seizing control of major urban centers, in some cases welcomed with open arms by supporters. In 1954 the Confederation was officially dissolved and replaced with the Socialist Republic of Kolodoria.

Economy and Industry

The Confederation's economy was highly decentralized and varied from state to state. Frequent infighting and the unstable nature of many of the Jedorian states resulted in further economic trouble and slow development. In some cases growth was more stable; Tukayyid and Rasalhague developed strong trading relations with various other states across the Crimson Sea, and the Bessarabian Dominion became a major industrial hub for the country, producing much of the Confederation's iron and coal. Radstadt served as a significant agricultural producer, while Tikinov's major industry was lumber.

The decentralized nature of the economy made raising taxes and government funding difficult for the High Council. The states frequently refused to hand over their fair share in taxes and instead focused on developing their own industries and economies rather than focusing on the national level.