Difference between revisions of "Greater DCU"

Revision as of 06:59, 27 June 2005

Greater DCU

Flag of Greater DCU
Motto: A Place for Everyone. And Everyone in their Place
Region	Europe
Capital	Verde City
Official Language(s)	Verdian Common
Leader	General Secretary McDaragh
Population	4+ Billion
Currency	The Standard
NS Sunset XML

The Greater Democratic Communist Union is a massive, socially progressive nation, notable for its complete lack of prisons. Its hard-nosed, cynical population are fiercely patriotic and enjoy great social equality; they tend to view other, more capitalist countries as somewhat immoral and corrupt. Ruled by a democratically elected government, the nation is dedicated to and run on the principle of Progressive Communism, a philosophy that has often led to tension and, occasionally, hostilities with some of the region’s more aggressive capitalist/fascist regimes. However the strength of the People has ensured that these crises are invariably overcome.

Greater DCU is a pleasant nation in which to live, as the many immigrants who arrive each year can testify to. The planned economy ensures steady and impressive economic growth while the free healthcare and education services are the envy of the region. While the Politburo is strong and centrally controlling, the democratic system ensures that civil rights are respected across the nation. The citizens of Greater DCU are generally warm and friendly, though occasionally suspicious of foreigners. The rights of Free Press and Free Speech are also held dear among the populace.

The current government has opened the international borders so that the ambition of European Socialism may be achieved. This would permit the dissolution of the State and the implementation of true Communism. While the primary weapon in this struggle to free the Workers is information and motivation, relations with the more extreme right and libertarian regimes have always been tense. The Union has survived however and is now one of the strongest European powers.

See Who's Who in GDCU for a list of notable figures in today's Verdian society.

Geography

The region of Verde takes its name from the rolling green fields that make up much of the nation. The climate is generally temperate climate with temperatures rising further south and along the Gulf Coast. Weather systems originating outside Europe are often carried into the Union by air streams resulting in high levels of rainfall in the north. Major geographic landmarks are rare but include the Verde River (one of the longest in the region) and the Ambrosia Mts. The coastline is almost among the longest of mainland nations with much of the nation on a peninsula bordered by the Bay of Cheddar to the north, the Implarian Sea to the west and the Gulf of Verde to the south. Land borders include the People's Republic of Vocur and Rokolev.

The Communist Party of Verde

The political landscape of Greater DCU, along with every other aspect of life, is dominated by the Communist Party, the structure of which can be broadly divided into three bodies - the Populace, the Assembly and the Politburo - stacked in a pyramid organisation. There are a myriad other councils, executives and committees woven into this basic structure but these are the major decision making groupings.

The Populace consists of, as the name suggests, the majority of Greater DCU's population and the grassroots Party offices. Every member of the population is either a Party Member or a Party Applicant - on birth every child receives a provisional membership to the Party and becomes an Applicant. On their 18th birthday they are accepted into the Party proper with all the rights and responsibilities that entails. Immigrants are considered Applicants for three years before being admitted into the Party. Among the duties of each Member is to vote for the Party Assembly during elections held at least every 5 years.

The Assembly is the national meeting of the Party's elected officials and the primary decision making body of the Union. Consisting of 670 dedicated Party Officials, each one elected by and representing a constituency, the Assembly's role is to make and pass legislation and to elect some of its members to the Politburo. However the political ideology of the Party (One People, One Party, One State) ensures that, unlike most equivalent foreign bodies, Assembly members are forbidden from forming official political "parties" or groupings. Despite this a number of loose Assembly factions do exist, each one representing the broad ideological leaning of its members. However bloc voting is rare and Assembly politics tend to be far more fluid and personal than in most foreign parliaments. The three main factions are currently the Social Union (presently in the ascendancy), the Conservative Communists and the Free Enterprise Alliance.

The Political Bureau, simply known as the Politburo, of the Communist Party is the highest decision making body in Greater DCU. The term Politburo refers to both the civil service that ensures the smooth running of the Party and the government elected by the Assembly but this piece will refer to the latter when mentioning the Politburo. Comprised of and voted on by Assembly members it has the duty of deciding on and proposing Party policy. Headed by the General Secretary of the Party it contains a series of portfolios including, Defence, Foreign Affairs, Industry Trade and Enterprise, and the Chief of Staff (a military officer who must be approved by the Assembly). All legalisation proposed by the Politburo must be approved by the Assembly and vise versa.

The History

In The Beginning

The history of the Verdian region is a violent and often bitter tale. The first recorded settlers in the region date back to 4000 BC when a number of primitive tribes moved westwards across the European continent. We know little of these first peoples and all that remains of their settlements are some ancient burial mounds and early hill forts. However they appear to be primarily farmers, a marked change from the nomadic hunters who had previously roamed the empty plains. These scattered settlements were generally remote and isolated from each other, one reason perhaps that, despite lasting over two millennia, no permanent culture or civilisation was established.

Foreign Interference

In 900AD a new wave of settlers arrived and began displacing the scarcely inhabited native villages. The Celts had travelled across much of Europe, and their influence can been seen across the region, before arriving at the lush river valleys and broad plains of Verde. In fact it was the Celts who first named the large river and therefore the surrounding region. We don’t know exactly why, but it was obviously decided that many among the tribe would forget their roaming past and settle these peaceful lands. These advanced iron users easily surpassed and conquered the original settlers and began to lay down the roots of a thriving civilisation. Today they still make up the largest ethnic group in the nation.

Despite the presence of a High King at Tara, currently called Verde city, wars between the various settlements and chiefdoms were common. It was this internal strife that lead to the first “foreign” intervention in Verde. In 1324 AD the first Alamein ships appeared in the Bay of Cheddar. At the same time a minor courtier in the family of O’Connell was exiled to the remote north for the murder of his brother. Meeting the leader of the Alamein expedition, Eoin O’Connell convinced the leading nobles to back his return to glory. Supported by the superior trained and armed foreign men at arms, O’Connell overthrew the minor King of Dun Milsea. The move would lead to the establishment of a small Alamein kingdom in the east of the region while Cidonian, French and Pallux settlers would later arrive and displace many of the, now native, Celts. After centuries of intermittent warfare the borders had stabilized and the Verdian nationsates were born.

The Age of Nationstates

By the mid 1700’s the Verdian peninsula was occupied by five distinct nations. As the foreign races settled down in their new lands they established courts and then governments to administer the lands. As ties with their home nations weakened, military alliances sprung up between the states. These ever changing and fluid pacts almost invariably led to war at least once a decade as the states struggled for supremacy. To the north the remaining Celtic chieftains, who had long since banded together, formed the Gaelic Free State. To their east, along the great river of Verde, lay the Cidonian state of Borogravia while in the SW the Pallux Church had established a diocese in the mountains of Ambrosia. Along the east coast the great Alamein city of Smithfield was the centre of their presence in the area while along the Sea of Verde the Free Cities established by French traders held sway. The fluid nature of Verdian politics ensured that barely a year would go by without some minor crisis between two nations – a crisis which would usually grow and later plunge the region into yet another pointless war. The only consensus among the states was their fear that foreign interference could tip the balance of power against them. To that point the Council of Five was established as each nation pledged not to involve outside parties in local politics.

The Glorious Revolution of February 22nd

On the 17th of May 1891 an historic deal was signed between the petty states of Verde. Despite every setback imaginable the diplomats at the Council of Five had finally negotiated what appeared to be a final peace for the region. Simply called the Peace Accords it was a pledge from the national governments not to engage in conflict to resolve their issues. To a populace raised on periodic wars it was a massive step in the direction of peace. To the governments however it was a chance to furiously rearm and prepare for the next war. Almost miraculously the Accords held for close to two decades before war broke out again. In that time the governments had restocked on new weapons and were each prepared to unleash hell on each other. On the 2nd of November 1918 Bishop Karl Alkanet was assassinated on the steps of Santiago Cathedral. Within two weeks each of the states had mobilised and committed themselves to war. The Great War had begun.

Over the next 7 years the armies of Verde fought themselves to a standstill. Each offensive was thrown back, each defence tested as the citizens of Verde began to understand the horrors of industrialised warfare. Millions died in the trenches as the cities were emptied of their young men. Food began to run scarce as the armies devoured all in their path. While the soldiers were forced to run blindly into machinegun fire, the cities slowly starved.

All this came to a head on February 22nd 1925 when a group of deserting soldiers led by Alexandre Vinokourov declared a state of Revolution. After he and his men had seized control of Veers City’s government buildings, the factories emptied of their workers and rallied around the Red Banner. When the battleship the Golden Heron was ordered to fire into the city to disperse the revolutionaries the crew mutinied and killed their officers. Similar uprisings took place through the region as the Verdian socialist groups, after years of infighting, forgot their racial differences and set about bringing and end to the war. In some cities the revolts were wildly successful – a royal regiment would never again set foot in Veers City – while in others the authorities cracked down viciously, the massacre of St Jose’s being particularly brutal. In the various army headquarters general staffers suddenly realised that a second (or in most cases third or fourth) front had opened behind them. On the front line officers were suddenly confronted by mutinying soldiers as entire divisions heeded to call to “stop fighting the imperialist wars and join in the Revolution to free the Workers” The Vinokourv proclamation of independence from the capitalist shackles prompted a huge wave of support for the movement as even hardened troops refusing to fire on singing masses of women workers who had flowed out from the factories. Over the next six months the Red Army swelled from isolated groups of socialist thinkers to an army numbering millions. With many of its members deserters from the national armies, resistance to the Revolution was weakening even as the movement itself grew in strength. It was an unstoppable rise and one by one the petty nationstates fell. On December 25th 1925 the last national stronghold was taken. As the leaders of the old regime were either executed or fleeing the country, the Provisional Worker’s Government under Alexandre Vinokourov declared the creation of the Greater Democratic Communist Union.

A Place for everyone. And Everyone in their Place

In the immediate aftermath of the Revolution the Provisional Government took measures to secure its power. Vinokourov had a vision of a united communist nation so it was no surprise that both nationalist and capitalist movements were mercilessly crushed. Efforts were being however to ensure a peaceful transition to a democratic government. On the 1st March 1927 elections were held for the first Assembly of the Union. Alexandre Vinokourov, the hero of the Revolution, was elected the first General Secretary of the Verdian Communist Party. Immediately closing the borders to the outside world, the new nation embarked on the grand communist experiment. It wasn’t until early 2003 that these borders were opened and a new nation returned to its place in Europe.

European History

Almost immediately after opening its borders Greater DCU, now led by General Secretary McDaragh, joined the ComIntern, known at the time as the United Federation of European States(UFES). As one of the more moderate members of that great alliance GDCU played a vital role in bringing about a thawing in the Cold War with the EDF. When major members Cidonia and Myrth quit the alliance, Greater DCU stepped in and assumed control. Unlike the EDF the ComIntern did not collapse in on itself and at fact grew in size. Unfortunately inactivity on the behalf of newer members and an influx of fascists into the region meant that six months after the end of the Cold War the ComIntern was a pale shadow of its former self. The borders of GDCU once again closed.

In September 2004 the borders were once again opened as Greater DCU vowed to continue in the quest for European Socialism. It was once more on its own though as the other prominent socialist nations went quiet. It was into this void that the nation strode and began to confront the latest alliance of oppressors – the FMS. Despite being an excellent target in their beady imperialist eyes, Greater DCU refused to bow down. A series of crises in Europaland and the Sea of Revolution ensured as Qantrix attempted to start a war of aggression. They finally succeeded in this mission when the Red Navy destroyed a Qantrixian fleet attempting to supply a Vocurian terrorist group with arms – it would not be the last Qantrixian fleet destroyed. The resultant war has been called the Great Southern War or simply the Southern War. At the time of writing peace has been secured in Daracnia while negotiations continue in Vocur.