Parthia

Plutocratic Shahdom of Parthia
Flag of Parthia	Coat of arms of Parthia
National motto	"In the name of the Shah, death to our enemies!"
National anthem	Imperial Salute
Region	C A D
Capital	Persepolis
UN category	Benevolent Dictatorship
UN rankings  - Civil rights  - Economy  - Political freedoms	Superb Frightening Rare
Languages  - Official  - Unofficial	Persian Arabic, English, Kurdish, others
Government  - Shahanshah  - Crown Prince  - Ruling party	· Absolute Monarchy · Absolute Capitalist state Khosru III Piruz Rostam Sassani Parthian National Party
Official religion	Zoroastrianism
Establishment	224 A.D.
Population  - Total (2007)	~8 billion
GDP   - Total (USD)   - GDP/capita (USD)	$300 trillion $44,404.01
PDAS rating	A
Currency  - Exchange rate	1 Rial = 100 dinars 1 Rial = 1.96 USD
National animal English name	Homo sapiens liberalis Liberal
National tree English name	Phoenix dactylifera Date Palm
National flower English name	Tulipa turkestanica Turkestan Tulip
Internet TLD	.par
Calling code	+98

Background

The Shahdom of Parthia has, since its entry onto the global stage, been a major power player from one part of the world to another. Parthia prides itself on a proud tradition of empires, and over 2500 years of monarchial rule. This pride, combined with extreme laissez-faire economics which benefit the economy, allows for a healthy nation with a powerful military. The nation is still ruled by the same dynasty which founded it, a great source of pride for Parthians, who look to their Shah as a guide. For the past 100 years, Parthia has made great strides in the size of both the nation and the economy, with massive changes in per capita GDP and productivity turning it from one of the most backward states on the planet, to one of the most effectively run and advanced nations in existence.

History

In 224, Ardeshir, minor king of the Arsacid client kingdom of Persis led a revolt which utterly destroyed the Arsacid dynasty and allowed for the house of Sassani to take control of all Persia. For years, the Romans and Persians fought wars with each other, and many victories were scored by both sides. Shapur I captured the Roman Emperor Valerian in 260 and made him his slave while later, Khosru I Anoushirvan sacked the city of Antioch and carried the inhabitants off into slavery. From 602-624 the Byzantines and Persians fought a war where after initial victories by Persian armies, including the capture of Jerusalem, the Romans gained the upper hand and defeated the Persian Empire. Khosru II, the Shah who led the offensives, was murdered and the kingdom fell into anarchy. Much of Syria and Mesopotamia broke off into separate kingdoms, and by the time Yezdegird III could restore order in 637, the Arabs were rapidly invading. Yazdegird ordered Ctesiphon, the old capital, to be evacuated and for all Persians to flee into the Zagros Mountains. There, the Persians halted the Arab invasion by a clever ambush and sent their armies fleeing. For the next 200 years, the Persians maintained a peace, until invasions by Turks in the year 799 managed to kill Shah Balash II and gave them the ability to seize the Indus valley and much of Bactria. Under the guidance of Islamic agents, they were converted en masse and were set upon the Persian Empire. Though they were defeated, the damage was severe. Persia had lost nearly all territories outside of modern Iran. Mongol invasions in the 1200s nearly destroyed the House of Sassani, but members of the royal family fled into the mountains of Mazandaran on the Caspian, where they hid until they could reestablish their authority. In the late 1300s, the fragmentation of Iran into over one hundred petty kingdoms, including one ruled by the Sassanis in Mazandaran and invasion of Tamerlane destroyed Iran utterly. When Piruz Sassani reunited Iran and destroyed the successor to Tamerlane's fragmenting empire, he found a nation in ruins. Persia slowly fell from the heights achieved, although westernizing military reforms by Shah Shapur VIII in 1657 allowed for success against the Ottomans, however, wars against them usually ended as stalemates and bloody slaughters on both sides. In 1720, the Parthians and Ottoman Empire agreed to an alliance which ended over two centuries of slaughter, and lasts until this day. The sack of Delhi by Kavad VII in 1747 was the high-water mark of early modern Parthia, by 1760 corruption was rampant, and the cracks in the feudalistic systems permeating the nation since the time of the first rulers were expanding. Throughout the 1800s, Russia and Britain plundered Iran, with the weak Kavad VIII losing control of Azerbaijan to Russia and selling off many commercial privileges to the British. In 1882, the last Shah of the old era, Ardeshir X, died and with him, so did the medieval systems. His energetic heir, Rostam II, began the next phase in Parthian history by abolishing the commercial privileges sold to foreign companies and creating a new plan for the economy. Now, state aid was to be furnished on native manufacturing companies turning a profit in Parthia. Several new factories opened up in Persepolis and Tehran while the Shah planned his next move, that of reforming the backward feudal system. In 1891, the Shah declared serfdom to be abolished. In addition, estates considered too large were ordered to be paid to the owner and broken up so that the old owners could reinvest into the economy. When the Shah died unexpectedly in 1905, people genuinely mourned him. Over the next hundred years, Parthia continued to grow. With the army reforms of Shah Ardeshir XI after World War II and the successful test of nuclear weapons in 1964, the Parthians paved the way for the current reign of Shah Khosru, hegemon of the Middle East.

Government and Politics

Parthia is an absolute monarchy, with the Shah in absolute command of every facet of the state, though the current Shah, Khosru III is more lenient on how intrusive the state is. Historically, and currently, the Shah keeps a cabinet of advisers which provide possible courses of action as well as offer their support or advice for policies the Shah desires to enact. With weak rulers, however, advisers hold significant power and factions play each other off regularly. Corporations also hold some sway in providing advice. The government on average is libertarian socially, letting such things as drugs and prostitution occur without prosecution, but extremely intolerant of political dissent, which is mostly nonexistent thanks to significant brainwashing and a rather large personality cult that the Shah encourages.

Defense is the main priority of Parthian spending, with over 45% of the budget going to it. No social entitlement programs exist whatsoever. Taxes vary considerably, but an 8.5% income tax is usually the norm, though some individuals in certain industries and foreigners residing in Parthia often pay lower or higher rates, ranging from 5-15%, still a far cry from the much higher taxes levied in other countries. In addition, excise taxes on drugs (marijuana and hashish are taxed at 5 Rials per gram), and other small taxes, including a national 1% tax on consumption, add to government coffers.

Economy

The economy of Parthia is absolutely massive and exceptionally unrestricted. The official economic system of the Parthian state is the Austrian School, which advocates massive deregulation and low taxation of businesses, along with a minimum of government regulation in the economy. Because of the exceptional dearth of restrictions, Parthia receives massive amounts of foreign investment, along with a healthy number of successful entrepreneurs. The corporate income tax rate is a tiny 2.5%, while capital gains is merely 5%, and not even levied on sales of companies to other companies.

The official currency, the Rial, is tied to a gold standard and is specifically monitored by the government to eliminate inflation, rendering the Parthian economy exceptionally stable and much less vulnerable to business cycles, making the country exceptionally tempting for foreign investors looking for safe investments. Because of this, Parthia manages to achieve a continual 6.5% growth per year without causing any real net inflation in the long run.

The Parthian economy relies mostly on manufacturing; with petroleum products, computers, automobiles, machinery, metal products, military goods, and chemicals being some of the largest sectors. Services are starting to take a larger share of the economy as well, with banking and financial services leading the way. Parthian Bank Code is based off of Swiss banking practices, but with increased emphasis on secrecy to encourage foreigners to launder their money through Parthian banks. Information technology and software have also started to play a more important role in the economy. Mineral resources, such as oil, uranium, coal, and strategic minerals, are also valuable industries, with refined oil itself being one of Parthia's largest exports.

Religion

The official religion of Parthia is Zoroastrianism and has been since 224. 65% of Parthia is Zoroastrian. Following them are the Armenian Orthodox and other Christians at 10%, and the Atheists and Agnostics, 10.4%. The remainder are Islamic. Officially, the government is Zoroastrian, but offers full protection, exemption of taxation, and toleration to all religions in the Shahdom (barring only Scientology, which is considered to be a fraud). Even though the government is fairly liberal in religious matters, the society discourages proselytizing and is still battling over conversion, missionaries in Parthia have also been occasionally attacked by militants, but otherwise, nearly all faiths are tolerated.

Justice and Law

See Full Article- Justice and Law in Parthia

In an otherwise socially libertarian country which permits such things as prostitution and soft drugs, Parthian justice and law is extraordinarily harsh. By 'democratic' standards, it is referenced as: "Something from the Middle Ages." It is not inaccurate, but is seen as justified by the people for maintaining order and suppressing crime. Parthia practices the death penalty extensively, executing about 13550 criminals a year for non-political offenses, but many more on average each year for political ones. Criminals who cause direct harm to others are treated poorly; prisons in Parthia are notorious for poor conditions, especially the one for political ones outside Persepolis and Evin prison in Tehran. On average, most prisoners are held solitarily in cells measuring 8x8 feet, and receive no interaction from anyone else during their sentence.

In addition, victims can file for a civil suit, winning sometimes, the people who harmed them as slaves if they cannot make restitution.

Culture

Parthia today is an interesting mixture of Iranian and western influences. Kabob houses sit next to Coca Cola vending carts while many cities have a sort of Times Square advertising zone of Western and Parthian products in Western style with Persian text. While many older individuals mourn what Westernization has brought, the culture today is virtually inseparable from Western products and goods. Traditionally, Parthian society is somewhat socially conservative, with the government being one of the more liberal forces when it comes to social issues. Even so, there has been, in recent years, a general acceptance of Western freedoms, such as casinos, and soft drugs.

Traditional Parthian culture still survives mostly unscathed, with the traditions of Persian music, and especially, Persian food, staying popular. Traditional Parthian music typically involves a collection of instruments: the setar, tar, ney, and kemancheh, as well as drums. The music is typically composed to complement a piece of poetry, sung by a vocalist. Parthian cuisine revolves around rice, as well as heavily marinated meat cooked on skewers, called kebabs, which are prized by Parthians and tourists alike for their tender, flavorful taste which is complemented with rice and uncooked onion.

Art in Parthia is not restricted to song and poetry, painting, especially miniature painting, is still practiced in Parthia. More important than painting, however, are tapestries. Parthian rugs are prized across the world for their immense craftsmanship, taking days, even weeks of work to complete; authentic rugs are done by hand out of either wool or silk and can be found in virtually every home in Parthia.

	The Shahdom of Parthia
Main article: Parthia
Parthian characters: Shah Ardeshir I, Shah Shapur I, Shah Hormizd I, Shah Bahram I, Shah Ardeshir XI, Shah Khosru III, Shahbanu Farah Suren Pahlav (deceased)
Government and law: Parthian monarchy, Parthian National Party, SAVAK, Justice and law, Foreign affairs, National Security Act
Parthian culture: Persian, Zoroastrianism, National anthem
Miscellaneous: Persepolis, PNN, Rial, Communist Party (outlawed)