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Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Novus Prosperitas
Conventional short form: Novus Prosperitas
Population: n/a
Government type: Parliamentary republic
Head of State: President Adeodatus Waterhouse
Head of Government: Prime Minister William Kingsley
HISTORY
Novus Prosperitas is a modern democratic state in Atlantian Oceania. The country is situated in north-eastern Foringana and borders the neighbouring lands of Pacitalia and Manhattan Prime. Its population is of mostly Anglo-Saxon and Latin descent.
Greco-Roman Era
Phoenicians are thought to have been the first human beings to visit the geographical area encompassing present day Novus Prosperitas. Ancient Greco-Roman explorers later followed. The period 30-60 AD saw the growth of several city states along the east coast of Foringana and farther in-land. These included Prosperitas and built vital trade links with lands to the south and south-west. Tension between rival city states and the arrival of foreigners saw frequent power clashes on the continent. Despite unification in neighbouring lands, the north remained divided and separate for centuries to come.
Anglo-Saxon discovery, colonisation
The exploration of Foringana by English navigators in the 17th century proved pivotal in the path towards the creation of Novus Prosperitas as a single, unified state. Lured by its lush forests, the region’s abundance of natural resources and attractive coastline, and spurred by imperialist ambition, the European power sought to bring north-eastern Foringana under its control. Initial forays into the area were successful, with the primitive inhabitants eager for trade with the outside world. The first English colony was established in Blairtown and others followed in Somerset and Harcourt. However, tension between the colonists and the Latins began to develop. War broke out between the city state of Prosperitas (weary of the foreigners‘ intentions) and the English. A long period of fighting ensued and culminated in the defeat of Prospertias. The Kingdom of Great Britain annexed Prosperitas and neighbouring powers.
Prior to Anglo-Saxon colonisation, there had existed an unusual mixture of democracy and feudalism. Unification and the introduction of English law and customs saw the gradual end to independent city states ruled by lords and the emergence of a single colony under the rule of a royal official (governor). The Anglo-Saxon population had by now over-taken that of Latin-Prosperitans.
Over time, the British and the Latins had come to integrate through mixed-marriage. A unique culture, an amalgamation of both worlds, began to emerge. There remained, however, a vocal separatist movement that proved popular among some Latin-Prosperitans. At various times in history, this ethnic tension was the source of violence. It has long since abated and by the 20th century began to disappear altogether.
Distinct and increasingly detached from the motherland, Prosperitans sought greater independence at the dawn of the 19th century. However, this was not achieved without further bloodshed. Between 1789 and 1804, revolutionaries fought against their imperial masters in a series of armed conflicts. The monarchy, they argued, was the barrier to progress and a truly independent identity for Prosperitans in the modern age. Many longed for the ancient days of direct democracy. Their cause, while it had widespread appeal to the young and the poor, was deeply divisive. Britain was determined to reassert its colonial authority.
In 1804, after 15 years of fighting, Prosperitas was granted responsible government in the form of democratically elected provincial legislative assemblies (although universal suffrage would not be achieved for some time). An uneasy compromise was reached and democratization slowly took shape and gradually the country moved further towards independence, eventually achieving Dominion status.
1919-1947
On December 24th 1919, the Commonwealth of Novus Prosperitas was created.
The office of governor-general was abolished by way of a national referendum and replaced with a collective head of state, the Executive Council. This collegial body was elected for a three year mandate by the popularly elected Lower House and ratified by the Upper House (Senate). Oversight of the Council rested with these bodies. A president was elected from among the members of the Council to act as chairman and also to represent the Council in public. Citizens were guaranteed the right to initiate referenda and could, in theory, overturn any act of legislation passed by Parliament. This system proved popular.
From its inception, Novus Prosperitas pursued protectionist policies. High tariffs were established to protect the manufacturing industry, import quotas enforced and subsidies increased etc. Interestingly, the country did not engage with its closest neighbours as one would expect and slipped further into isolation. The period is noted for the large influx of Irish and Welsh immigrants it witnessed.
As it had in the past, control of the Parliament (and by virtue of this, the Executive Council) alternated between the Conservative Party and the Reform Party. In the 1930s, amidst economic depression and high levels of civil unrest, many began to feel that life had not been as prosperous as they were led to expect. A third party emerged. The socialist Worker’s Party grew in popularity during the 1920s and in the 1935 general election won control of the Lower House. Despite securing a comfortable victory, the Senate remained dominated by the Conservatives and Reformists. As the Upper House was required to ratify the Lower House’s selection of Council, the incoming Workers’ government was presented with a crisis. The unusual situation arose as the result of Senate elections following a different time table. Conservative leader Preston Baran and his Reformist counterpart Cecil Reed united in opposition to the socialists. Thousands went on strike, further crippling an already fragile economy. Rioters took to the streets of major cities and in the capital, Parliament was targeted by arsonists and politicians attacked. A referendum calling for the dissolution of both houses and a second general election passed successfully and later that year the Workers’ Party was assured power with a slightly lower majority but control of the Senate. The next three years saw sweeping change to the way in which wealth was distributed, including the confiscation of private farm land and the forced nationalisation of the country’s largest enterprises. Personal freedom and the democratic process would suffer. A secret police organisation was established and employed the most brutal methods of suppression to deal to the government’s opponents. In 1938 the Worker’s Party won re-election. The month before the election, anarchists had bombed Parliament Buildings. In 1940 legislation was introduced to abolish the “inefficient” Senate. A citizen initiated referendum to reverse the act was narrowly defeated. By the time of the 1941 election it had become increasingly clear that a one party state was emerging in Novus Prosperitas. The attempted assassination of the President in September, just one week before Prosperitans were to go to the polls, led the Executive Council to announce the suspension of elections.
Military rule (1947-1989)
A faction of the military and elements of the government itself, led by the Head of the Army, General H.C. Marshall, was critical of the Executive in private. On Christmas Eve 1947, a coup de’etat was conducted in the dead of the night. Prosperitans awoke the following morning to a totalitarian junta that promised to restore democracy. Supporters of the government rallied underground though the majority of Prosperitans remained weary and withdrawn. By New Year’s Eve, fighting had broken out between rebels and the military. Marshall’s promise of restoring the democratic process proved hollow.
1989-present
The political divisions of the 1950s were now blurred; no longer was it a struggle between a right-wing military and left-wing guerrillas. It was a struggle between democratic thought and dictatorship. Finally, in the 1980s, the ideals of old gave way and slowly the power was returned to the people.
A national plebiscite, the first of its kind since 1941, was held. It proposed the restoration of a uni-cameral Parliament with general elections to be held every four years from 1989 and - once again - for them to be free, fair and open. The referendum also proposed a new constitution. Interestingly, the Executive Council was to be replaced with the office of a non-executive president who would be popularly elected by the people every two years. Voter turn out was phenomenally high and the referendum was passed almost unanimously. Also of note was the removal of a citizen’s right to initiate binding referenda. The country’s leading pro-democracy campaigner, stated that “The masses do not have the time or the intellect to decide on every issue” and he argued against what he described as “mob rule”.
On 7 January, 1989 the first general election in more than 40 years was held and contested by three new political parties: the centre-left Social Democratic Party, the centre-right Libertas and nationalist Prosperitas Party. The junta nominated General Bastian Ramsay for the presidency. Libertas won a narrow victory. Ramsay was overwhelmingly defeated and the independent candidate, pro-democracy campaigner John Blanchard became the first State President of the new republic.
This post has been edited by Novus Prosperitas on Nov 17 2008, 05:04 AM |
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