Difference between revisions of "Helvetic Confederation"

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The Allied States of
Helvetic Confederation

Flag of the Helvetic Confederation
National motto: The purpose of the state is to assist the individual in realizing his full potential.
Map Unavailable
Region	Europe
Capital	Bern
Largest City	Zürich
Population	Lots and lots.
Suffrage	Universal from age 18, inclusive
Languages	English, German, Spanish, French
Government Executor-General:	Federal Democratic-Republic Christian Verdad
Unified: Independent:	August 1, 1291 Fourth Century A.D. from Roman Empire
ISO Nation Code	HC
Currency	Swiss Gold Standard (HCS)
Time Zone  • Summer (DST)	GMT -1 GMT
Internet TLD	.hc
Calling Code	+41
Info: NationStates NSEconomy Pipian XML

The Allied States of Helvetic Confederation is a nation deeply rooted in traditional values and is a nation devoted to remaining on the cutting edge. Formed in AD 1291, the Helvetic Confederation has a strong history of Republic and democratic constitutionalism. The Helvetic Confederation walks a fine line of neutrality in international affairs, but holds to fundamental policies irrespective of possible loss of temporary diplomatic influence. The Helvetic nation is a diverse melting pot of nationalities from all over Europe and all over the world. Helvetians are strongly individualistic and are willing to fight against any forms of tyranny that might wish to undermine their rights. Helvetians balance science and faith, most believing in both. Most of the major religions of the world are represented in the Helvetic Confederation.

Geography

The Allied States of Helvetic Confederation is located on the southwestern edge of the Western Island of Europe. It lies on the Western coast and is north of Christianan, and west of Adelyne. The highest point in the Helvetic Confederation is Greenbriar Mountain (19,232 feet | 5862 meters). The lowest point in the country is Baja Valley (-14 feet | -4 meters).

The North

The northern quarter of the nation is heavily forested. These forests used to supply the nation with a majority of its timber resources, but recently this industry has been in decline due to cheaper imports, environmental restrictions, and the development of paperless alternatives. Much of the north is national park lands. There are few towns in the area.

The Central Valley

The center is mostly flat grasslands. The area is largely used for farming. The major city in the Central Valley is Zürich. There are many rivers that flow through the Central Valley, which are formed by snow melt from the nearby Helvetic Alps. Before major development in the area, these rivers would be rushing rapids in spring and dry most of the rest of the year. The Continental Water Project, composed of a series of dams and canals, stored the river waters in large reservoirs. Water could then be released from these reservoirs constantly throughout the year. This is what allows for the massive farm production that come out of the area.

The Helvetic Alps

On the eastern border are the Helvetic Alps, a range of mountains with peaks that reach 19,000 feet. A few of these mountains are dormant or extinct volcanoes. These mountains receive large amounts of snow throughout the year. Because of this, the area has many highly-rated ski resorts. There are several national parks scattered up and down the range. Several mountains are also known for the intense mountain climbing experiences they provide.

The Coast

The western coast is a rugged and mountainous area for the most part, resembling the Pacific coast of the United States of America. There are a few islands along the coast, most notably Santa Rosa and Isla Blanca. Because of the unique conditions found on the coast, surfers rate surfing along the coast as some of the best in Europe. The largest port on the coast in San Francisco, a metropolitan area which is home to more than 7 million people. Much of the coast, however, is dotted only with small towns.

The Southern Desert

The term desert may be a bit extreme, but not all that far from the truth. The area is more arid than the Central Valley, but there is still quite a bit of plant and animal life. Originally the area was considered too harsh for farming by most (though there were some who tried and succeeded at it). In an effort to create other industries in the area, gambling was legalized. The major city and largest gaming center in the Helvetic Confederation is Casinostadt. The Southern Desert area has also benefitted from the Continental Water Project, which brings in water from the north to supply farms and inhabitants. This has lead to a moderate increase in the farming industry there, but hotel-casinos grew more rapidly.

Formosa

The island of Formosa is located southwest of Christianan and is an old volcanic island rich in minerals and natural resources. Though there has always been geological instability on the island, it has not caused much devastation in recent memory. The tropical climate lends itself to production of tropical foods as well as a large tourist industry. Sandy beaches cover nearly three-fourths of the island's coastline. The center of the island is covered variously by farms and tropical rain forests. The large volcano at the southwest end of the island is not only responsible for the island's existence, but also for its fertile soil.

History

Roman Rule

The Helvetic Confederation has by far one of the most peaceful histories in Europe. The area that today is encompassed by the Allied States was originally colonized by the Roman Republic. The original two Roman colonies were at Zürich (then Turicum) and San Francisco (then Mætriom). The Romans later expanded to found a colony at Bern (then Bernaum). Towards the end of Roman rule, Christianity was introduced to the area, and spread quickly. As Roman power faded during the Fifth Century AD, these colonies were abandoned by the Roman military and left to govern themselves as independent provinces. Over the next three hundred years, these colonies, now sovreign, expanded to build their own colonies. These colonies include modern-day Geneva (then Averum) and Santa Rosa (then Portica).

Post-Roman Era

Most of these territories maintained the Republican tradition brought by the Romans. This Republicanism allowed for the development of the economy. The booming economy drew in new ethnicities, including a large number of Germanics from central Europe, Slavics from central and eastern Europe, and Iberians from across the Western Island. By the 12th century trade and culture were flourishing. Governments, eager to to get a share of the profits, erected many tariff barriers. This led to dissatifaction among traders and the general population. Fearing widespread rebellions, the governments of these territories came together at a convention in Bern in the early months of 1291 AD. The result of this convention was the establishment of a trade and military alliance known as the Confoederatio Helvetica, or the Helvetic Confederation.

Confederation

This confederation established a common currency and a council to govern trade across all territories. Individual states maintained their own militaries, but pledged to assist the other states in times of conflict. This treaty officially came into effect on 1 August 1291 AD, and is considered the first constitution of the Helvetic Confederation. Under this new confederation, trade boomed like never before. Schools and universities were established. Cities expanded health and sanitation services. The Helvetic population grew rapidly, both from a high birth rate and high immigration. Agricultural production increased a hundred-fold every 100 years, while requiring fewer and fewer laborers. The cities grew fastest, pulling in a tremendous amount of resources.

Religious Separation

During the 14th and 15th centuries, Helvetians began to experience a growing gap between themselves and the Twentish Catholic Church. In 1535 AD, the Helvetic Christian Church was established. This church later became the Church of Christos Progressa. The Helvetic Christian Church operated on a grassroots level, and peaceably converted a majority of the population to the faith. An interesting sidenote on religion in the Confederation is that there were no major enforcements of religion, such as Inquisitions or militant missionary campaigns, though these actions elsewhere in Europe were part of the reasoning behind the split of the Helvetic Christian Church.

The Second Constitution

The economy rolled on strong until about 1720 AD, when nations began to turn to their colonial possesions, such as then southern neighbor Suissel (colonized 1688 by Eliga Nipal), for cheap resources and labor. This caused a downturn in the economy of the Helvetic Confederation, a souring of relations with Suissel, and general discontentment among the people. The Helvetic Confederal Council, which had accumulated more powers by this time, called for an all-Helvetian constitutional convention of representatives of all the allied states. This convention convened in the fall of 1720 and presented a new constitution on 1 May of 1721. This constitution established the official name of the Allied States of Helvetic Confederation and gave more power to a new federal government under a new federal council. This constitution established a nominal unicameral legislature to represent all Helvetians, though much of the power was still in the hands of the council (which was elected indirectly by the people). This constitution also established a Helvetic military under the control of the new federal council, abolishing the individual territorial militaries. It also established a constitutional court at the federal level to resolve disputes. This new constitution did not prompt a strong resurgence in the economy, but it did instill a new confidence in the nation.

1789 to 1848

This constitution worked well until around 1789, when several amendment movements were begun to change the constitution. In the confusion, about 37 amendments were enacted, some of which directly conflicted with others. As time progressed, the government became more and more feeble because of these contradictions. Government expenditures grew, as did ever-more-complicated taxes. Laws became almost impossible to enforce because they would constantly be declared unconstitutional. In 1848, this culminated in several demonstrations in the major cities. Though most were peaceful, some turned into riots that police forces had to subdue. Citizens filed cases over supposed police abuses. Several cases reached the high court, each of which had a unique ruling, despite very similar circumstances. This caused even more demonstrations, and showed the weakness of the government. In the fall of 1848, the Federal Council declared martial law, and suspended the constitution. The military was called in to break up the demonstrations.

The Martial Law Era and the End of the Second Constitution

For two years, martial law ruled the land to prevent futher demonstrations, and to root out the growing socialist movement that was beginning to take hold. However it is important to note that the Federal Council made the the military give the citizenry a wide berth by not enforcing curfews, not inhibiting trade, and allowing most independent newspapers to remain in operation. At the end of two years, the Federal Council declared an end to martial law. At that time they presented many new constitutional amendments. Many of these amendments, however, made the government more complicated and distant from the people. At the end of a five-year approval process, most of these amendments were rejected. New legislative elections took place in October of 1855. While candidates ran on a number of varied, and sometimes ludacris platforms, a majority of seats went to candidates demanding a new constitutional convention. This legislature was installed in May of 1856. The first proposed bill was for a new constitutional convention, though it was tied up in committee for two months due to precise wording. In July of 1856, the bill was officially sent to the Federal Council who, fearing another round of demonstrations and riots, accepted it. The convention was convened on 1 August 1856. Working through the winter, delegates finally arrived at a new constitution on 1 April 1857.

The Third Constitution

On 30 April, a national referendum was held on the new constitution. It was approved by a 72% to 18% margin. The new constitution established a Helvetic National Parliament composed of two houses with real legislative powers. A new Federal Council would head the executive branch and a new Supreme Court topped the judicial branch. Included in this document were a bill of rights and a delineation of federal and state powers. This constitution officially went into effect on 7 June 1857. The first elections held under it were in November of that same year. Since then, the constitution has only been amended 11 times.

Industrial Revolution and World War I

The Industrial Revolution began to really expand in the nation starting in the 1860's. This led to unprecedented growth in the standard of living of the nation. By the start of WWI, Helvetic GDP per capita and median income per capita were much higher than the European average. WWI marked the beginning of Helvetic neutrality, when the government decided to stay out of the war. This period also marked the beginning of Helvetic banking predominance as both sides took advantage of Helvetic banking laws to secure their national wealths. After WWI, the Helvetic economy continued to boom as the nation supplied Europe with what it needed to rebuild.

The Great Depression

When the Depression hit, it deeply impacted the Helvetic economy. In an effort to curb unemployment, the Helvetic National Bank, the central bank of the nation operated directly by the government, printed large amounts of currency, leading to relatively high rates of inflation (15-20%). This led to a constitutional amendment to abolish the Bank and create a Reserve system. This did help to curb inflation, but caused higher unemployment in the short-term. By the start of WWII, unemployement was hovering around 12%.

World War II and the Aftermath

When WWII began, the Helvetic Confederation once again embarked on its policy of neutrality. However after seeing the brutal subjugation of other nations by the fascist powers, the Confederation began to secretly feed information to the Allies. After the war, the Confederation once again provided key resources for reconstruction. For most of the rest of the century, the Helvetic Confederation quietly conducted trade.

Modern History

In 2003 AD, the Allied States of Helvetic Confederation emerged once again to the fore-front when it launched a commercial satellite to broadcast Radio Helvetica News to Europe. The Helvetic Confederation gained especially close relations with Erlangen-Ansbach after showing support for that nation when its province of Hessen-Ansbach was invaded. The Helvetic Confederation became heavily involved with organizations such as the EU and EEP. Several Helvetic corporations expanded operations into Europe, further securing the Confederation's international trade. In November of 2003, an amendment was passed that replaced the Federal Council with a single executive under the title of Executor-General of the Helvetic Confederation. In 2004, the island-canton of Formosa was added as the seventh canton of the nation, and the Helvetic Confederation signed an alliance with the Pacific Coast region. At the same time, the Helvetic military joined forces with Gunnish and Christianan soldiers to liberate Suissel from an opressive government. This cooperation eventually led to the estalishment of the WEFTA (Western European Free Trade Agreement) pact with Christianan. Most recently, the Helvetic Confederation has been working with its friends in the ITO alliance to ensure democratic values continue to flourish in Europe.

Government

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The National Parliament Building

The Helvetic government is strongly Republican in nature, and has been so since its inception in AD 1291. The Helvetic Confederation has had a total of three constitutions since AD 1291. All of these constitutions ensured some level of popular democracy in the nation. The modern constitution offers a balanced government, a bill of rights, universal suffrage at age 18, and much more. The current list of government officials can be found on the Executor-General's web site.

Politics

Constitutional Republican Party (CRP): Right-Center. This party's platform is based upon free trade, individual liberty, and small government. It recently changed its name from the Conservative Advancement League to its current name. This party currently controls the Executor-Generalship and maintains a majority in the Conseil des États.

Common Motivated Unity (CMU): Left-Center. This party's platform is based upon a more socialistic outlook and greater government regulation. This party controls the Nationalrat.

eXtremist Reactionary Alliance (XRA): Statist-Extremist. This party's platform is based upon intimately close government control. It is considered extremist by the mainstream parties and only has approximately 180,000 members. No major offices are currently held by XRA members.

International Relations

Diplomatically, the Helvetic Confederation attempts to maintain a distinct neutrality. However, the nation has always abided by fundamental principles such as self-determination for all peoples, anti-colonialism, and democratic governance. The Allied States are a member of the ITO (Interlaken Treaty Organization). The Helvetic Confederation is also a member of the EU. The Confederation has strong ties to its southern neighbor, Christianan, with whom it has signed a military alliance treaty and a free trade agreement known as WEFTA.

Military

The active Helvetic military is comprised of roughly 4.7 million soldiers. There are four branches of the active military: the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, and the Marines. Helvetic military forces use highly advanced military equipment, some of which has been bought from allied nations around Europe. The cantons each maintain a National Guard. Total Reserve numbers approach 11.2 million individuals.

Intelligence services

Armed Services Intelligence Agency : ASIA - Military intelligence services, operates within the overall military budget and military command structure.

The ZărămōōkÄ­tähldöría : ƒ(Z) - Civilian intelligence services, operates under its own separate budget from the Parliament and is responsible to the head of the Joint Intelligence Committee of the Parliament.

Economy

The Helvetic Confederation was a nation historically built on trade, and this tradition has shaped the nation into a major economic power. The Confederation has one of the highest GDPs per capita in all of Europe, and therefore one of the highest standars of living. The service sector is the largest sector in the Helvetic economy, focused mainly in banking and financial services, but manufacturing and agriculture also play major roles. Reasons cited by many for the strength of the Helvetic economy include the hands-off government, and the open and competitive environment.

Vital Stats - 2005

GDP: $13,600,400,000,000 (purchasing power parity)
Real GDP Growth Rate: 3.3%
GDP Per Capita: $34,001 (purchasing power parity)
Inflation Rate: 2.1%
Unemployment Rate: 4.2%
Public Debt: 5.2% of GDP
Trade Surplus: -$11,270,000,000 (Trade Deficit < 0.1% of GDP)
Major European Trading Partners: Christianan, Erlangen-Ansbach, Liechtenistan, Lovisa, Yugostrana

Major Corporations

The Bank of Zürich-Pacifica - Banking and Financial Services
Caminos - Air and Rail Transportation Services
HELVETICOM - Cellular and Wireless Internet Services
Republic Energy - Energy Utility
Sierra Escabrosa Outfitters - Retail Clothing Chain

Society

The Helvetic people is a heterogenous collection of enthnicities from every corner of the globe. Helvetians are well educated and live above the average European standard of living.

Culture

The Helvetic Confederation has a strong and vibrant culture based on individualism and freedom of expression. There are many museums in the nation of all types. Several notable literary works have also come out of the Confederation, such as The Nature of Government by Robert de Montelier, Averea by Colinesa, and Edge of Forever by Samuel Camio.

Science and Education

Helvetians are well educated thanks to a well-funded, well-managed, and accountable schooling system. Public and private schools compete for tax vouchers, which drives schools to provide the best educations possible. The Confederation has nearly 100% literacy thanks to this system. A majority of Helvetians are also college graduates. This is due to the demands of the high-tech work environment found in the Confederation.

Helvetians are also scientifically inquisitive by nature. The Confederation has partnered with Christianan to create the Western European Space Exploration Academy, an organization devoted to the peaceful exploration of space. There are also many public and private research facilities and "think tanks" across the nation that are constantly developing new ideas.

Religion

The Helvetic government does not endorse any particular religion and offers universal religious freedom within the nation. The largest faith followed in the nation is Christianity and the single largest sect of Christianity in the nation is the Church of Christos Progressa. The second largest sect of Christianity is Twentish Catholicism. Several other Protestant sects also boast followings. Bhuddism, Hinduism, and Taoism are commonly found on Formosa. There can also be found groups of the Jewish and Islamic faiths around the nation.

Media

The primary media outlet of the Helvetic Confederation is Radio Helvetica. A second news outlet owned by the same parent company is The Helvetian Chronicle.

Links

The Confederation Online
The Helvetian Chronicle
The Confederation on EuropeWiki