Is the Netherlands open?

Seems like it'd be fun. I imagine it'd still have the east indies and Suriname?

@Byrd Man I don't have any solid ideas for a country right now so can I play as a frustrated writer CIA agent?

If you aren't going to play a nation I would advice against playing characters tied to the military of a player nation, because you'd be depending heavily on whether or not they have work for you to RP. Characters without those kinds of ties give you more freedom as a writer. You could also play an organization. Mercenaries are always gonna have shit to do because if PoW has taught me anything it's that players are quick to jump off the precipice head-first into war. Maybe some kind of spy organization, if you really want to play something CIA-like.

East-African Confederation (unofficial title)

Rooted in the political reorganization of post-war Africa, the political relationships between the three main power bases in East Africa are complicated. Somalia and Swahililand are nominally Ethiopian protectorates, but they enjoy differing levels of autonomy, appearing as an almost feudal relationship between Ethiopia and Somalia, and a loose defensive agreement between Ethiopia and the Swahili. So, to make it easier, I'll break this down by state.

Ethiopian Empire



Since its early contact with Ancient Greek merchants, Ethiopia has been a peripheral player in western history, converting to Christianity in the same generation as the Roman Empire, and maintaining a feudal state wedged into a corner of tribal Africa. In fits and starts they maintained a broken communication with the civilizations to the north, keeping the Muslim armies at bay, feeding European rumors of Prestor John, the beacon of Christianity beyond the known world, and attracting a post-medieval breed of Portuguese explorers.

Through all of this, the blistering deserts and difficult mountains kept the Kingdom isolated from the worst depredations of foreign contact. The Empire experienced its warring states period in the nineteenth century, the Zemene Mesafint, or Era of Judges. This came to an end with the rise of Tewodros II, who reunified the country and through his madness brought into conflict with the rising west. His reign ended in a mountaintop siege, surrounded by a unified army of British expeditionaries and the Emperor's own subject. Britain did not annex the difficult Kingdom, but this brief contact introduced them to the modern world. A native Christian Kingdom made a useful ally for the Europeans, and Ethiopian armies fought alongside European ones in wars against the Sudanese Muslims. This contact brought modern weapons and tactics to the highlands.

At the end of the 19th century, Italy made a bid to colonize Ethiopia. This ended in disaster for Italy, whose devastated armies limped back to Eritrea barely alive. The victorious Emperor Menelik II returned to his freshly built capital in Addis Ababa and began the process of modernization. He died in 1913, leaving behind a profligate heir.

Iyasu was a young man of eighteen when his grandfather died and he came to the throne. By most, he was considered a profligate, disrespecting the holy rights and showing too much tolerance for the Muslims. His coronation was put off as the nobles plotted against him. His aunt, Zewidetu, was crowned. Civil War ensued in 1916.

Iyasu looked destined to lose, but he made a few political gambits that changed his fate. He made alliances with the Somali warlord Khalid al-Himyari and German colonial commander Paul von Letow-Vorbeck. With the Great War raging in Europe, these connections made his Civil War part of a wider conflict. With the help of Khalid, the rebellion was quashed, and Iyasu became Emperor Iyasu V.

As the war raged on, Africa felt the chaos. Colonial possessions were wrested from Allied control. Djibouti was annexed from the French, and while Iyasu sent his armies into Italian Eritrea, the Somalis gained their freedom. In the south, with the help of agitators from its borders, British East Africa fell into a chaotic and uncontrolled revolt. The post war world saw Ethiopia as the stabilizing force between a warlord-eaten Somalia and politically messy Swahililand. Khalid al-Himyari was awarded Ethiopia's Ogaden possessions and Imperial support in exchange for a relationship that made him a subject Governor. Khalid accepted.

As African nations shook their colonial past, Iyasu founded a Congress of Africa in an attempt to sew the embattled continent together as a community of nations to rival the Europeans.

Iyasu ruled until his death in 1958. After his death, his grandson ascended the throne to become Emperor Sahle.

Al-Himyari Somalia



Somalia was a loose territory of rival Emirs and Sheiks until the arrival of the Europeans. The scarcely populated desert land was split by the British and Italians, who ruled is divided parts as a protectorate. That was until the rise of Mohammed Abdullah Hassan, the Mad Mullah. Pronouncing the Dervish State, the Mad Mullah fought a War of Independence until his death in 1914. His movement fractures into a number of competing warlords and looked as if it would fizzle out altogether. The Great War changed this.

Leading an uprising in British Somaliland, an upstart Sheikh by the name of Khalid al-Himyari made a name for himself as an ally of the Mad Mulluh. He held on to his power base in Hargeisa during the violent first two years after the death of his commander, but a strange circumstance in Ethiopia gave him an opportunity to do more than hold on. He made an alliance with the embattled Emperor Iyasu and came to his aid, ensuring the Emperor's victory. This alliance paid off, bringing Khalid into a web of central power alliances. With this wind in his sails, Khalid battled Europeans and his own countrymen, making himself master of Somalia by the mid 1920's. The situation seemed impossibly fragile, and the Germans out of their powerbase in Tanganyika seemed to be eyeing Somalia hungrily. Khalid decided to dance with the devil he knew, and accepted a protectorship from Ethiopia in exchange for an expansion of his rule over the Ogaden. This was controversial among the Somalis, and would remain so until the present day

Khalid was an older man during the wars, and he lived to be 101, dying in 1952. He was succeeded by a successful grandson, Hassan al-Himyari, who accepted a continuance of the protectorship. His relationship with the aging Iyasu was a continuation of the policy of Khalid. The accession of Sahle has created tension between the entwined states, nod boding well for the future of East Africa.

Swahili Peoples Republic



British East Africa was squeezed out, pressured from the south by the Germans in Tanganyika and from the north by the Ethiopians and Somalis. There was, however, nobody around ready to replace that colonial government. A weak white-settler government tried to grab power from Mombassa, but their small numbers made this attempt dubious. The Kingdom of Buganda also attempted to fill the void from the west, but this resulted in tribal warfare. Tanganyika favored the whites, Ethiopia the Bugandans, but neither power base wanted to threaten war with the other. As a result, the Swahili languished in confusion.

Inspired by China and frustrated by the Imperialism of the Europeans and the Tribalism of the Africans, a clique of bizarre leftists appeared in the jungles. They appealed to frustration of the smaller tribes and the wish for a unified peace. In the 1940's, an eccentric soldier of fortune named James Lutalo unified these leftists, and with aggressive daring, he began to score victories.

None of their neighbors liked the Communists, but Tanganyikan preparations to annex Swahililand scared Lutalo and Emperor Iyasu into the same camp. Lutalo accepted their nominal status as an Ethiopian protectorate. In return, he was largely left alone.

In the three-way politics of this strange confederation, Lutalo has evolved into a wild card that the other two fear to play.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking. Can't write an app yet but I'll probably do something centered around one of those two areas. I was just asking in case there was something established in canon. When I joined PoW back in the day Russia already had some established states so I was wondering if any remnant of that lore is being kept.

@Byrd Man I don't have any solid ideas for a country right now so can I play as a frustrated writer CIA agent?

CIA don't exist, fam.

@Dinh AaronMk I think someone really needs to make a UK app; a lot of prospective independent colonies will rely on its history.

_{I can't do it because I can't handle responsibility thx}

EDIT: Also because I might do an Egypt where the Brits gave power to the Christian Copts so that they could subjugate the Muslim majority

Yeah, that's what I was thinking. Can't write an app yet but I'll probably do something centered around one of those two areas. I was just asking in case there was something established in canon. When I joined PoW back in the day Russia already had some established states so I was wondering if any remnant of that lore is being kept.

I think we've just decided that the Tsar is dead. I don't think he has been named yet. Other then that, we're trying to clean the slate, so its pretty open. Though want to read Minh's app for some details to sync with since he's rolling as the Ukraine.

Is the Netherlands open?

Seems like it'd be fun. I imagine it'd still have the east indies and Suriname?

Ahhh... we're trying to free up the colonies as much as possible...

...but I personally think it would be okay to allow the Netherlands to keep theirs. A British player could probably keep some colonies too, just not all of them.

<Snipped quote by BingTheWing>

If you aren't going to play a nation I would advice against playing characters tied to the military of a player nation, because you'd be depending heavily on whether or not they have work for you to RP. Characters without those kinds of ties give you more freedom as a writer. You could also play an organization. Mercenaries are always gonna have shit to do because if PoW has taught me anything it's that players are quick to jump off the precipice head-first into war. Maybe some kind of spy organization, if you really want to play something CIA-like.

The best idea for someone looking for a low commitment is to pick a comfortable nation with only local relevance. Mexico always seemed like a perfect starter country for these reasons IMHO, at least for an American-born player.

Ahhh... we're trying to free up the colonies as much as possible...

...but I personally think it would be okay to allow the Netherlands to keep theirs. A British player could probably keep some colonies too, just not all of them.

I might have to revise my IC Post Draft, then.

-ignore-

@Vilageidiotx In that case I'll submit an application when I'm able (no computer at the moment, I'll probably have access to one in the next few days) and include Suriname/The East Indies. Up to you guys if you accept it.

Would you be willing to reserve the area on the map until a decision is made or my app is out?

Would you be willing to reserve the area on the map until a decision is made or my app is out?

Yes

Is Italy still open? If so I'd be interested in playing as them.
Also, would Italy still hold dominion over their colonies in Libya, Eritrea and Somaliland?

Is Italy still open?

Yes

Also, would Italy still hold dominion over their colonies in Libya, Eritrea and Somaliland?

Libya: maybe. Everything else: no.

@Dinh AaronMk
Alright great! I'll have my application done as soon as possible.
Quick question though, how do I edit the map? I've tried opening it up in a couple of programs but the resolution is too low. Are there any solutions to this?

@Dinh AaronMk
Thanks!

GEASS - Grand Empowering Association of Supportive States.

As you all know, I plan to form this on the ruins of the British and Dutch domains in Southeast Asia...

Is this better?

Here's my sheet.


Nation
Federation of Central America

Location (on map)
Central America.

History
While Europe was still fighting each other, Central America was planning reunification of El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Costa Rica. Nicaragua eventually joined the Federation of Central America when it was formed in 1922. Panama later joined and Belize was annexed once the British lost control of the area in 1930. Their infrastructure and industry were in terrible shape compared to North America and the government knew that they needed to fix it. Starting in 1925, the Federation introduced a bill that the former capital cities of Central America were guarantee improves in health, education, and industry. It was signed and enacted in 1928, a few months before the economic depression happened. When it did hit the region, everyone was affected.

The Federation's two biggest exports (bananas and coffee) wasn't enough to deal with the depression head on. People were getting tried of living in poor conditions and being without jobs. And in 1932, things looked bad for the Federation and it was nearly complete collapse for the ten year old nation. However, the election of 1932 told another story for the region. President Héctor Pinto won the majority of the popular and electoral votes in the Election of 1932. President Pinto got people to work by signing a series of public work projects for the country (most of them dealt with the already poor infrastructure).

The projects managed to keep the peace for awhile until President Pinto established the Central America Reconstruction Administration (CARA). The CARA was created to establish long term economic stability for Central America since they were considered to be the poorest in the Americas. While civil war was inevitably coming to the United States of America, the Federation of Central America was slowly getting used to the depression in 1937. President Pinto was elected for a second term and began to shift focus to the coffee and banana industry. Before Pinto's second term ended in 1941, he made the factories and farms more efficient in producing Central America's most important exports.

Jonatán Franco was when elected the third President of Central America in 1941. President Franco kept on using Pinto's ideas for several months until it was clear that the depression was ending. Then, he shifted his focus on the military. Even known he only served for one term, Franco had began to upgrading both the army and navy with better weapons and vehicles of the time. Afterwards, Central America was slowly improving everything from the forties to the fifties.

President Jonatán Maroto, a former lawyer who was elected at the age of sixty-six, died in his sleep on April 20th 1960. As a result, the Vice President was elected President a few days after Maroto's death. Nathanael Blackwell was the first American to be elected as the Vice President and the President of Central America. His family originally came to Central America to escape the civil war in the United States like many other Americans. Maroto knew that he needed the American voters to win the election of 1957, resulting in Nathanael becoming his running mate.

Now many Central Americans are questioning the upcoming Blackwell administration. Will he stick to Maroto's plans or will he set his own up instead?

Other
TBA

@Dinh AaronMk

Big thanks. I'll try and work up a sheet on my phone while I wait for Amazon to send me a new charger for my laptop.

So far I'm thinking that the Netherlands managed to do fairly well after the great war given it had been spared the wars ravages on manpower and personnel. While still suffering from the depression in Europe the Dutch managed to make a pretty penny off oil, rubber, and other cash crops or resources from the east indies and managed to get through the worst of it.

With that I'd say the depression in Europe promoted significant Dutch immigration to the colonies for work, something which helped to solidify the Netherlands rule. Moreover the depression saw the ethical policy weakened, something that likely damaged the formation of Indonesian national consciousness as was the case in reality.

I'm thinking the current situation in the Europe would be a fairly rich but militarily lacking Netherlands while the state of affairs in the colonies would be one of increasing dissent. I imagine the bulk of the Dutch military would be in the colonies at rp start as a result of this.