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[OOC] Blocs - A Cold War NRP

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Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by ButtsnBalls
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ButtsnBalls Goderator

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From this interest check

*Note: currently looking for a co-GM
"The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything” - Albert Einstein

The cold war defined our world for the later half of the twentieth century. Although full scaled conflicts never broke out between the superpowers, people’s life were no doubt changed. Today, we look back into these times, studying and analyzing every success and every mistake caused by the leaders’ decisions.

But what if you had the chance to make these decisions yourself, how would history change? If you held the pen to write in the past, what would your story be?
This RP will have an advanced standard for both writing and historical analysis skills. We will start from the year 1953, after that, every set of IC posts will progress the time by one month.

You have to start with in the exact historical situation that your country was in during 1953. After that, you are free to proceed with your heart’s content, though you actions should be plausible and reasonable.

There are three core IC elements to this RP, communication, overt actions and covert actions. Communication will allow you to announce your intents through mediums such as official state medias, United Nations and summits. Overt actions are actions that you cannot, or will not hide from other leaders. Lastly, covert actions are espionage, military raids and subtle influences.

Both the communication and overt actions elements will be included in your IC post, covert actions will be sent to me via PM. At the end of every round (or IC month), I will announce the results of these actions (based on historical possibilities and/or dice rolls). Make sure you include detailed numbers and locations (expenditure, number of personnel, equipment, maneuver routes etc.) in your posts and PMs, they will influence your rate of success/failure.

Here are some (not all) of the nations. Remember, not every country we have today existed back then, so do some research if you decide to play a nation outside of this list. While the writing standard applies to everyone, major nations will require expanded applications to demonstrate your language and history knowledge.

Nations Taken [+]

Nations Available [+]
For countries with upcoming regime change(s), you get to choose how it will turn out. In Cuba’s example, you can choose between Batista and Castro. If you decide to take Batista, you will control his government and crush the revolution. If you take Castro, you will start as a revolutionary and eventually overthrow the government. In these situations, I encourage playing only one side.

Here is the format of your nation’s profile, please include at least one paragraph in each section.

Profile Format [+]
We have some third party communications in Google Docs and Chatzy.
Lastly, there are some rules, The high standard should mean that most players are sensible and willing to work positively. These will only be guidelines in case any emergency happens.

Rules [+]
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by Monkeypants
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Monkeypants

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Not near a computer but if possible I'd like to play as the UK

Gah, just saw reserved nations. I originally thought it was just important nations.

Anyway ill go for west Germany.
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by DELETED324324
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DELETED324324

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I would like to try Israel, please and thank you.
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by salamimike
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salamimike Probably not even real.

Member Seen 2 mos ago
I'll take Canada if possible.
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by So Boerd
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So Boerd

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Missing some of the more obscure bits, but here it is!

Basic information: The Union of South Africa. The most prominent languages are English and a variant of Dutch peculiar to South Africa called Afrikaans. Someone from South Africa is a South African, but more likely they would refer to themselves by their ethnic names, such as Xhosa or Afrikaner.

History: Originally a Dutch colony, South Africa was transferred to the English around the turn of the 19th century. Many Dutch speaking Afrikaners fled to the northeast part of the country. In the course of two Boer wars, the states founded by these Dutch Afrikaans were conquered and incorporated into the British Cape Colony. Eventually South Africa gained independence and present day, Apartheid is fairly new in that country.

Politics and Government: Parliamentary Westminster style. There are two dominant parties. The National Party, advocating Apartheid, and the Union party, favoring gradual integration and expanded rights for Coloureds. It is upon race that politics turns.

Military: The South African army is the strongest in the region, as is its navy. Combined with its economic dominance, South Africa is the regional hegemon.

Geography: Mostly desert in the interior, more lush towards the coast and Namibia.

Economy: Revolves mostly around natural resources and mining.

Culture: South Africa will decide that in a few months. South Africans will decide whether they prefer the new regime of Apartheid or to accept the tides of history and racial integration with the Union Party.

Infrastructure , science and development: WIP

Analysis (optional for some, required for major nations, denoted by * on list): WIP
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by salamimike
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salamimike Probably not even real.

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Canada
"A Mari Usque Ad Mare"
"From Sea to Sea"


Basic Information
Name- Canada
Official Languages- English.French
Capital City - Ottawa
Demonym- Canadian
Population -14,845,000

History:
Canada, which has been inhabited by natives including the First Nations and the Inuit for about 10,000 years, was first visited by Europeans around 1000, when the Vikings briefly had a settlement.
More permanent European visits came in the 16th and 17th century, as the French settled here. They traded much of their lands with the British in 1763, and after the American Revolution, many British Loyalists settled in Canada. With the passing of the British North America Act the British government granted the request of the French and English leaders of the colony of Canada, the status of an self-governing country on July 1, 1867. More definitive independence came in 1931 with the Statute of Westminster

Politics and Government:
The politics of Canada function within a framework of parliamentary democracy and a federal system of parliamentary government with strong democratic traditions. Canada is a constitutional monarchy, in which the Monarch is head of state. Louis St. Laurent succeeded Mackenzie King as prime minister

Military:
The title, Canadian Army, first came into official use in November 1940, and is still used today
The Canadian Forces were involved in the 1950–1953 Korean War conflict and its aftermath. Canada participated on the side of the United Nations in the Korean War, with 26,000 Canadians participating in the War, and Canada sending eight destroyers. Canadian aircraft provided transport, supply and logistics. 516 Canadians died in the conflict, 312 of the deaths were from combat.
During the early 1950s the Army advertised in British newspapers for British ex-servicemen to join the Canadian Army. These recruits were transported to Canada for training. After a 6-month trial period the soldiers' families were allowed to emigrate to join the father. Transport was usually by scheduled sea transport.
WWII saw science and industry harnessed to fight the enemy. The National Research Council (NRC), created during WWI to advise the government on industrial research, grew exponentially as did Canadian war industries. A tight bond was formed between the two.
The NRC itself helped develop radar, the proximity fuse, the explosive RDX, high velocity artillery, fire control computers and submarine detection equipment among other things
Military Stats and Points of Interest [+]


Geography:
Canada occupies a major northern portion of North America, sharing land borders with the contiguous United States to the south (the longest border between two countries in the world) and the US state of Alaska to the northwest.
Canada stretches from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west; to the north lies the Arctic Ocean
Since the end of the last glacial period, Canada has consisted of eight distinct forest regions, including extensive boreal forest on the Canadian Shield.
Canada has around 31,700 large lakes, more than any other country, containing much of the world's fresh water.

Economy:
Since the early 20th century, the growth of Canada's manufacturing, mining, and service sectors has transformed the nation from a largely rural economy to an urbanized, industrial one. Like many other developed nations, the Canadian economy is dominated by the service industry, which employs about three-quarters of the country's workforce. However, Canada is unusual among developed countries in the importance of its primary sector, in which the logging and petroleum industries are two of the most prominent components

Culture:
Canada's culture draws influences from its broad range of constituent nationalities, and policies that promote multiculturalism are constitutionally protected.
Canada is in theory a cultural mosaic – a collection of several regional, aboriginal, and ethnic subcultures. Government policies such as publicly funded health care, higher taxation to redistribute wealth, the outlawing of capital punishment, strong efforts to eliminate poverty, strict gun control, and the legalization of same-sex marriage are further social indicators of Canada's political and cultural values.

Infrastructure , science and development:
The years following WWII introduced even more innovations including: television, the transistor radio, synthetic fabrics, plastic, computers, super highways, shopping centres, atomic energy, nuclear weapons, transcontinental energy pipelines, long range electric transmission, transcontinental microwave networks, fast food, chemical fertilizer, insecticides, the birth control pill, jet aircraft, cable TV, colour TV, the instant replay, the audio cartridge and audio cassette, satellite communications and continental air defense systems.

Analysis (optional for some, required for major nations, denoted by * on list):
Louis Stephen St. Laurent stated desire was for Canada to occupy a social, military and economic 'middle power' role in the post-World War II world
Always highly sensitive to cleavages of language, religion and region, he stressed national unity, insisting, "that our external policies shall not destroy our unity....for a disunited Canada will be a powerless one." He also stressed political liberty and rule of law in the sense of opposition to totalitarianism
St-Laurent's government was modestly progressive, fiscally conservative and run with business-like efficiency. Robertson says, "St Laurent's administrations from 1949 to 1956 probably gave Canada the most consistently good, financially responsible, trouble-free government the country has had in its entire history
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by Theodorable
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Theodorable NRP Entrepreneur

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out.
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by Titanic
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Titanic

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Nvm can't join
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by SyrianHamster
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SyrianHamster

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I would like to try and turn this country around, if I may?

Syrian Republic




Basic information (official name, language(s), capital city, demonym(s)):
- Official State Name: Syrian Republic (Al-Jumhūriyyah Al-Sūriyyah)
- Official State Language: Arabic • French • Kurdish • Armenian • Syriac • Turkish
- State Capital: Damascus
- Demonym: Syrian(s)
- Population: 4.3 Million


History: Syrian independence was acquired in 1946. Although rapid economic development followed the declaration of independence, Syrian politics from independence through the late 1960s was marked by upheaval. The early years of independence were marked by political instability.

In 1948, Syria was involved in the Arab-Israeli War with the newly created State of Israel. The Syrian army was pressed out of the Israeli areas, but fortified their strongholds on the Golan and managed to keep their old borders and occupy some additional territory. In July 1949, Syria was the last Arab country to sign an armistice agreement with Israel.

In 1949, Syria's national government was overthrown by a military coup d'état led by Hussni al-Zaimy thus ending democratic rule in a coup likely sponsored by the United States CIA, with the help of agents Miles Copeland and Stephen Meade.

Later that year Zaim was overthrown by his colleague Sami al-Hinnawi. A few months later, Hinnawi was overthrown by Colonel Adib al-Shishakli. The latter undermined civilian rule and led to Shishakli's complete seizure of power in 1951.

Politics and Government: President Adib al-Shishakli, Military Dictatorship

Military: Syria’s army is rather large (around 250,000 active personnel), given its population but resulting from Shishakli’s militaristic government. It relies heavily on last-generation Western weaponry, and has close links to the USA’s CIA. However, with the fallout with Israel, and the USA’s near-constant involvement with Syrian politics, it is likely that this will change.

Geography: Syria lies between latitudes 32° and 38° N, and longitudes 35° and 43° E. It consists mostly of arid plateau, although the northwest part of the country bordering the Mediterranean is fairly green. The Northeast of the country "Al Jazira" and the South "Hawran" are important agricultural areas. The Euphrates, Syria's most important river, crosses the country in the east. It is considered to be one of the fifteen states that comprise the so-called "Cradle of civilization".

The climate in Syria is dry and hot, and winters are mild. Because of the country's elevation, snowfall does occasionally occur during winter

Economy: Syria has a meagre offering to the world beyond, having not yet consolidated its wealth of oil located in the north east. For the time being, and at the start of this RP, exports like cotton, fruits and grain are the mainstay of Syria’s exports.

Culture: Syria is a traditional society with a long cultural history. Importance is placed on family, religion, education, self-discipline and respect. The Syrians' taste for the traditional arts is expressed in dances such as the al-Samah, the Dabkeh in all their variations, and the sword dance. Marriage ceremonies and the birth of children are occasions for the lively demonstration of folk customs.

Religious Groups (Taken from recent times): Sunni Arabs account for 59–60% of the population, most Kurds (9%) and Turkomen (3%) are Sunni, while 13% are Shia (Alawite, Twelvers, and Ismailis combined), 10% Christian (the majority Antiochian Orthodox, the rest including Greek Catholic, Assyrian Church of the East, Armenian Orthodox, Protestants and other denominations), and 3% Druze. Druze number around 500,000, and concentrate mainly in the southern area of Jabal al-Druze.

Infrastructure , science and development: Up until now, Syria has been largely dependent on the West for weapons and munitions, medical advancements and everything else. However, with the Middle East fallout resulting from the establishment of Israel, it is possible the Syrian Republic will look to the USSR for future investment – or perhaps, the country will attempt to walk its own road of home-grown progress. At the start of this RP, however, the Syrian Republic is rather backward and any attempt to modernise it outside of military related topics will be slow.
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by ButtsnBalls
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Theodorable, another player have reserved the US before you, please change to another nation.
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by Outcast
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Outcast

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Basic information:
-Official Name: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
-Language: English.
-Capital: London.
-Population: ~50.5 million.

History: The Kingdom of Great Britain came into being with the unification of England and Scotland on 1 May 1707, and was renamed to the United Kingdom in 1801. During the late 18th and 19th centuries, particularily after the defeat of France in the Napoleonic Wars, the UK became the worlds dominant naval and imperial power, and built an empire that expanded to include India, large parts of Africa, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, parts of Asia, and many other islands around the world. The UK fought against Germany and its allies in the First World War, and afterwards took over many former German/Ottoman territories, so the British Empire reached its greatest extent, covering one fifth of the land and one quarter of the population in the world.

The UK entered World War II by declaring war on Germany in 1939, after it had invaded Poland and Czechoslovakia. In 1940, Winston Churchill became prime minister and head of a coalition government. Despite the defeat of its European allies in the first year of the war, the UK continued the fight alone against Germany. In 1940, the RAF defeated the German Luftwaffe in a struggle for control of the skies in the Battle of Britain. The UK suffered heavy bombing during the Blitz. There were also eventual hard-fought victories in the Battle of the Atlantic, the North Africa campaign and Burma campaign. UK forces played an important role in the Normandy landings of 1944, achieved with its ally the US. After Germany's defeat, the UK was one of the Big Three powers who met to plan the post-war world; it was an original signatory to the Declaration of the United Nations. The UK became one of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. However, the war left the UK severely weakened and depending financially on Marshall Aid and loans from the United States.

Between 1945 and 1953, a rise in nationalism in its colonies combined with a much-diminished economic position meant that a period of decolonisation was unavoidable, losing India and Pakistan in 1947. The UK was the third nation to develop a nuclear weapons program, successfully testing a nuclear bomb in 1952.

Politics and Government: Constitutional Republic. The Queen is Elizabeth II, and the Prime Minister is Winston Churchill.

Military: Post-WW2 economic and political decline have led to a contracted global role of the British Armed Forces. However, it still maintains a powerful navy, a sizeable airforce including jet aircraft, and a modern army numbering around 690 000.

Geography: The total area of the United Kingdom is approximately 243,610 square kilometres (94,060 sq mi). The country occupies the major part of the British Isles archipelago and includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern one-sixth of the island of Ireland and some smaller surrounding islands. It lies between the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea with the south-east coast coming within 22 miles (35 km) of the coast of northern France, from which it is separated by the English Channel.

The United Kingdom also maintains colonies in Africa, the Caribbean, South and Central America, the Pacific, Asia, the Middle East, and islands throughout the world.

Economy: Once the world's most powerful economy, the UK economy is still a major force in the world. The UK enjoys a high standard of living, with high levels of employment in the tertiary sector. However, the UK's economy faced major economic challenges, orginally from the USA and Germany, and more recently the USSR, and is struggling heavily to deal with the costs of the war and maintaining the empire. The Second World War was very damaging to the UK economy, bringing it almost to a standstill.

The UK was the biggest receiver of aid through the US Marshall Aid Plan, receiving almost $3.3 billion between 1948-1951.

Culture: The culture of the United Kingdom is influenced by the UK's history as a developed island country, a liberal democracy and a major power, its predominantly Christian religious life, and its composition of four countries—England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales—each of which has distinct customs, cultures and symbolism. The wider culture of Europe has also influenced British culture, and Humanism, Protestantism and representative democracy developed from broader Western culture.

British literature, music, cinema, art, theatre, media, television, philosophy and architecture are influential and respected across the world. The United Kingdom is also prominent in science and technology. Sport is an important part of British culture; numerous sports originated in the country, including football. The UK has been described as a "cultural superpower", and London has been described as a world cultural capital.

The Industrial Revolution, with its origins in the UK, had a profound effect on the socio-economic and cultural conditions of the world. As a result of the British Empire, significant British influence can be observed in the language, culture and institutions of a geographically wide assortment of countries, including Australia, Canada, India, Republic of Ireland, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, South Africa and the United States. These states are sometimes collectively known as the Anglosphere, and are among Britain's closest allies. In turn the empire also influenced British culture, particularly British cuisine.

The cultures of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are diverse and have varying degrees of overlap and distinctiveness.

Infrastructure, science, and development: The United Kingdom is still at the forefront of the world's science and technology. As a developed nation, the infrastructure of the UK is of the highest quality, and many scientific and technological discoveries and inventions happen in the UK. The UK was the third nation in the world to develop nuclear weapons.

Analysis: The UK is torn between a desire to remain dominant in world politics, and to recover from the war. The UK is capitalist, pro-American, and a major member of NATO. It is a permanent member of the UN Security Council. The future will likely see it trying to assert its dominance where it can and recover its economy. If the Cold War escalates any further, it will most likely side with the USA.
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by Pepschep
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Pepschep

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Basic information
Official name: The Kingdom of the Netherlands
Official Language: Dutch
Capital city: de jure Amsterdam, de facto Den Haag
Demonym: Dutch

History: The Kingdom of the Netherlands was forged out of the Sovereign Principality of the United Netherlands
(The territory of the Dutch Republic and the Batavian Republic), as well as the former Austrian Netherlands. Proclaimed a Kingdom in 1815, it was intended to form a northern buffer state against a potential French resurgence. The South was made to be the junior partner in this union; despite having a minimal debt it paid the same as the North did towards paying off the Kingdom's monstrous debt, which was mainly "supplied" by the North. Both North and South had fifty districts in parliament, despite the Southern population being considerably larger. State action against the Catholic Church, too, fueled unrest with the Belgians. In 1830, their anger boiled over into the Belgian Revolution. Backed by France, the Netherlands could not enlist Prussian support and in 1839 begrudgingly recognised Belgian independence. That year, Willem I abdicated the throne.

His son, Willem II, had his rule facing a severe crisis in 1848 when the liberal revolutions spread to the Netherlands, demanding an end to the royal autocracy. The King was approached by one of the country's most prominent liberals, Johan Rudolph Thorbecke, who had for a long time been a proponent of democracy. This time, the King turned him away again and coined a term common in Dutch: "to sleep a night over it". In one night, His Majesty is rumoured to have turned from a conservative into a liberal and called on Thorbecke to go ahead on implementing a new constitution. The 1848 constitution gave legislative power to a parliament elected by male voters under a system of census suffrage, and executive power to an elected government. The King still reigned but no longer ruled.

From the mid-19th century, industrialisation slowly picked up pace in the country, and kicking off in the 1870s. More and more rural dwellers migrated to the cities to work in deplorable conditions. It was during this time that the masses started becoming more politically conscious and socialism became a thing in the country. Furthermore, around this time equality of education became a focal point of confessionalist politics. Whereas state schools were subsidised, religious schools were not. An action led by Abraham Kuyper, a Minister and Protestant political leader, to change this was the first mass political action in the Netherlands. Over half a million signatures from around the country were presented, but no real action was undertaken. Knowing that confessionalists would never be able to gain a majority in parliament as long as there was no universal suffrage, it became clear to Kuyper that he had to organise the Protestants outside of parliament. In 1879, he founded the Anti-Revolutionaire Partij (ARP), the first political party in the country. On the Catholic side, Herman Schaepman worked to organise his flock, but his efforts would take off after the Rerum Novarum. After his death, the Catholics organised in the AB in 1904, and the RKSP in 1926. The socialist SDAP was founded in 1894 by the socialist icon Pieter Jelles Troelstra. These developments led to the pillarisation of Dutch society into the Protestant, Catholic, Socialist and Liberal/General pillars who formed their own societies within the greater Dutch society. This was reflected in the ever immovable exit polls where everyone voted according to their pillar. The parties had ideological issues, but still agreed to pass landmark social legislation from 1900 onwards. The biggest disagreement, however, was the 'School Battle', in which the Confessionalists demanded equal status for religious schools, and in turn the socialists demanded universal suffrage. This concluded with the pacification of 1917, where both groups threw their principles out of the window and enacted equal male suffrage and equality for the schools. In 1919, suffrage was extended to women.

The crisis of the 1930s saw a remarkable deviaton from pillarised voting, where protestant leader Colijn was able to attract support from outside his pillar, becoming the leader of four crisis cabinets. Meanwhile, the National-Socialists perform poorly, claiming only four seats in Parliament. In the interbellum years, the Netherlands maintained a strict policy of neutrality, hoping to be spared of the horrors of war. The rest is history. The Dutch army was poorly-trained and equipped, undermanned, and in Limburg had a hole in its defences. The country was expected to fall in less than a day. The country, however, fought like a cornered snake. The Dutch army was the first in the world to defeat an airborne assault, the defences at Kornwerderzand were unbroken after five days of German assault, the SS' Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler was stalled for two days at the Grebbeberg, and the Dutch Military Aviation and Anti-Aircraft Artillery shot down 328 German aircraft of the 929 deployed. Because 220 of the lost aircraft were JU-52s, it is speculated that a German airborne assault on Britain has been prevented. It took a terror bombardment on Rotterdam and a threat of another one on Utrecht to force the Dutch army to capitulate. Disregarding their orders, a group of soldiers in Zeeland continued to fight for another three days. On May 18th, 1940, the Dutch Armed Forces were finally broken by the Wehrmacht.

This left the Netherlands East Indies a colony without a motherland. When the Japanese invaded, the mistake was made in the battle of the Java Sea to engage the Japanese fleet at night. The ABDA fleet was routed and the Japanese occupied the Indies relatively quickly. The surface fleet had been destroyed, but the submarine fleet took a very agressive stance. So much so, that in one week they sank more Japanese ships than the combined US and UK surface and submarine fleets did. In 1945 the Dutch came back to the Indies, but the flame that the Japanese had lit was not to be easily extinguished.

After the Second World War, the East Indies were effectively divided into two. Most of the vast archipelago, " was under British military control directly after the cessation of hostilities, being transferred to Dutch authorities in January 1946. On Java and Sumatra, however, a revolutionary movement had broken out and declared independence on August 17th 1945. In November 1946 the Linggadjati agreement was drafted, which ostensibly paved the way for Indonesian independence. The Dutch government coalition partner, the KVP, was unhappy with these accords and the Labour party had to concede heavily to maintain the current government. The treaty was subject to vast changes in parliament, and when they were signed in March 1947 a difference in interpretation between the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Republic of Indonesia prevented even forming a basis for future cooperation between the two, and another interpretation allowed the Dutch to take "Police action", practically invading Indonesia and trying to subdue it. The United States pressured the Dutch into a ceasefire after it captured vast amounts of territory on Java. A political squabble later the Dutch attacked the republic again, yielding considerable result; Sukarno and the Indonesian leadership were captured very early in this campaign and Yogyakarta, the provisional capital, was captured in December.

But more important was American support. Douglas MacArthur, the new man in the White House, permitted Dutch action in the Indies and blocked attempts by the UN to oppose the politional actions. In 1950, the Dutch army landed in South and East Sumatra, and finding the support of the Chinese, the Sultans, the Malayans and common peasants who had enough of the unrest it took only a year for formal military control to be established over all major highways and cities on the island. This did not mark the end of the Indonesian conflict: A bloody guerilla erupted on both islands, with a clear high point being mid-to-late 1951. Since then the TNI has subsided, drawing less and less volunteers as stability has returned to parts of the islands. At the start of the game, a low-level conflict still exists in parts of Java and Sumatra's interior, but the cities, coasts, Sumatra's oil fields and Java's plantations, as well as the areas surrounding those, have been completely pacified with the exception of the occasional act of terrorism. The military and political leadership of the PNI are currently awaiting trial in the Netherlands.

Currently, the Netherlands is in the process of rebuilding after the Second World War. In 1952 Suriname and the Dutch Antilles were granted a degree of independence within the kingdom. Heavily impoverished, the country has been hit by a disastrous flood with damage equaling 5% of the GDP. Willem Drees' socialist government, passing major social legislation, has recently ordered the Delta Works Project, the world's largest flood barriers.

Politics and Government: Parliamentary democracy under a Constitutional Monarchy. The current government is formed by the Second Drees cabinet.

Military: Broken down numbers are hard to find, but the Dutch military does not reflect the country's economical condition. Bolstered by equipment from the US and UK, it is well-trained and equipped. The navy even possesses an (aging) aircraft carrier, the Hr. Ms. Karel Doorman. Deployments in Korea and the Indies put an enormous strain on the treasury.

Geography: The Netherlands is a country where everything is flat (except for the women). The country's highest point is 322 meters above sea level, on the three-country point of the Netherlands, Belgium, and West Germany. Over the seas, it owns Suriname, Indonesia, and five and a half islands in the Carribean.

Economy: Experiencing strong growth, based on services. The country's rebuilding effort recently took a punch to the gut with massive flooding in Zeeland.

Culture: Due to the increase in welfare, sub-cultures such as greasers are becoming common. I have shed light on the pillarisation of society earlier.

Infrastructure , science and development: The Netherlands has a history of scientific glory, and its infrastructure is becoming a fine one again by 1953's standards. Motorways/Highways aren't a thing quite yet.

Analysis: The country is expected to continue growing economically. Overseas, it works with hearts and minds campaign to end the guerilla in Indonesia, which has worked well thus far. The Hague has also made very clear that as soon as the guerilla stops steps can be taken to grant autonomy to the States of Indonesia, which could perhaps have played a role in the weakening of the guerilla.
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by AegonVI
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AegonVI

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WIP for West Germany here. (GCold, that's what I've decided to go with.)
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by Rare
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Rare The Inquisitor

Member Seen 7 yrs ago


Basic information:

Official Name: Estados Unidos do Brasil (United States of Brazil).

Language: Portuguese.

Capital: Rio de Janeiro.

Population: 56,739,000.

Demonym: Brazilian.

Currency: Real (R$).

History:

Colonial Days:

Brazil was officially "discovered" in 1500, when a fleet commanded by Portuguese diplomat Pedro Álvares Cabral, on its way to India, landed in Porto Seguro, between Salvador and Rio de Janeiro. (There is, however, strong evidence that other Portuguese adventurers preceded him. Duarte Pacheco Pereira, in his book De Situ Orbis, tells of being in Brazil in 1498, sent by King Manuel of Portugal.)

Brazil's first colonizers were met by Tupinamba Indians, one group in the vast array of the continent's native population. Lisbon's early goals were simple: monopolize the lucrative trade of pau-brasil, the red wood (valued for making dye) that gave the colony its name, and establish permanent settlements. There's evidence that the Indians and Portuguese initially worked together to harvest trees. Later, the need to head farther inland to find forested areas made the pau-brasil trade less desirable. The interest in establishing plantations on cleared lands increased and so did the need for laborers. The Portuguese tried to enslave Indians, but, unaccustomed to toiling long hours in fields and overcome by European diseases, many natives either fled far inland or died. (When Cabral arrived, the indigenous population was believed to have been more than 3 million; today the number is scarcely more than 200,000.) The Portuguese then turned to the African slave trade for their workforce.

Although most settlers preferred the coastal areas (a preference that continues to this day), a few ventured into the hinterlands. Among them were Jesuit missionaries, determined men who marched inland in search of Indian souls to "save," and the infamous bandeirantes (flag bearers), tough men who marched inland in search of Indians to enslave. (Later they hunted escaped Indian and African slaves.)

For two centuries after Cabral's discovery, the Portuguese had to periodically deal with foreign powers with designs on Brazil's resources. Although Portugal and Spain had the 1494 Treaty of Tordesillas -- which set boundaries for each country in their newly discovered lands -- the guidelines were vague, causing the occasional territory dispute. Further, England, France, and Holland didn't fully recognize the treaty, which was made by Papal decree, and were aggressively seeking new lands in pirate-ridden seas. Such competition made the Lusitanian foothold in the New World tenuous at times.

The new territory faced internal as well as external challenges. Initially, the Portuguese Crown couldn't establish a strong central government in the subcontinent. For much of the colonial period, it relied on "captains," low ranking nobles and merchants who were granted authority over captaincies, slices of land often as big as their motherland. By 1549 it was evident that most of the captaincies were failing. Portugal's monarch dispatched a governor-general (who arrived with soldiers, priests, and craftspeople) to oversee them and to establish a capital (today's Salvador) in the central captaincy of Bahia.

At the end of the 17th century, the news that fabulous veins of emeralds, diamonds, and gold had been found in Minas Gerais exploded in Lisbon. The region began to export 30,000 pounds of gold a year to Portugal. Bandeirantes and other fortune hunters rushed in from all over, and boat loads of carpenters, stonemasons, sculptors, and painters came from Europe to build cities in the Brazilian wilderness.

In 1763, the capital was moved to Rio de Janeiro for a variety of political and administrative reasons. The country had successfully staved off invasions by other European nations and it had roughly taken its current shape. It added cotton and tobacco to sugar, gold, and diamonds on its list of exports. As the interior opened so did the opportunities for cattle ranching. Still, Portugal's policies tended toward stripping Brazil of its resources rather than developing a truly local economy. The arrival of the royal family, who were chased out of Portugal by Napoléon's armies in 1808, initiated major changes.

The Empire and the Republic:

As soon as Dom João VI and his entourage arrived in Rio, he began transforming the city and its environs. Building projects were set in motion, universities as well as a bank and a mint were founded, and investments were made in the arts. The ports were opened to trade with other nations, especially England, and morale improved throughout the territory. With the fall of Napoléon, Dom João VI returned to Portugal, leaving his young son, Pedro I, behind to govern. But Pedro had ideas of his own: he proclaimed Brazil's independence on September 7, 1822, and established the Brazilian empire. Nine years later, following a period of internal unrest and costly foreign wars, the emperor stepped aside in favor of his five-year-old son, Pedro II. A series of regents ruled until 1840, when the second Pedro was 14 and Parliament decreed him "of age.".

Pedro II's daughter, Princess Isabel, officially ended slavery in 1888. Soon after, disgruntled landowners united with the military to finish with monarchy altogether, forcing the royal family back to Portugal and founding Brazil's first republican government on November 15, 1889. A long series of easily forgettable presidents, backed by strong coffee and rubber economies, brought about some industrial and urban development during what's known as the Old Republic. In 1930, after his running mate was assassinated, presidential candidate Getúlio Vargas seized power via a military coup rather than elections. In 1945 his dictatorship ended in another coup. He returned to the political scene with a populist platform and was elected president in 1951.

Politics and Government:

President: Getúlio Vargas.

Government: (República presidencial) Presidential Republic.

Parties: Partido Comunista Brasileiro (Brazilian Communist Party; PCB), Partido Libertador (Liberator Party; PL), Ação Integralista Brasileira (Brazilian Integralist Action; AIB), Partido de Representação Popular (Popular Representation Party; PRP), Partido Trabalhista Brasileiro (Brazilian Labour Party; PTB), Partido Social Democrático (Social Democratic Party; PSD), União Democrática Nacional (National Democratic Union; UDN), Partido Social Progresista (Progressive Social Party; PSP), and Partido Democrata Cristão (Christian Democratic Party; PDC).

Military:

The military history of Brazil comprises centuries of armed actions in the territory encompassing modern Brazil, and the role of the Brazilian Armed Forces in conflicts and peacekeeping worldwide. For several hundreds of years, the area was the site of intertribal wars of indigenous peoples. Beginning in the 16th century, the arrival of Portuguese explorers led to conflicts with the aboriginal peoples; a notable example being the revolt of the Tamoio Confederation. Sporadic revolts of African slaves also marked the colonial period, with a notable rebellion led by Zumbi dos Palmares. Conflicts were encountered with other European nations as well – two notable examples being the France Antarctique affair, and a conflict with the Netherlands in the early 17th century over control of much of the Northeast. Although Portugal retained its possessions during conflicts with other nations, it lost control of the colony after the Brazilian war of Independence, which led to the establishment of the Empire of Brazil.

Brazil's history after independence is marked by early territorial wars against its neighboring countries which have greatly affected the formation of current political boundaries. For example, the Cisplatine War, fought over the present day territory of Uruguay established that nation's independence. Brazil was also affected in its infancy by minor – and ultimately, unsuccessful – revolts in the Northern provinces. An armed conflict with Paraguay led to an establishment of Brazil's current border with that nation after a decisive victory. Internal conflicts between the executive government and the power of wealthy landowners finally led to the abolishment of the Brazilian Empire, and the rise of the current republican government. Modern activity includes participation in both World Wars along with internal struggles

The armed forces of Brazil are the second-largest in Latin America, consist of the Brazilian Army, the Brazilian Navy, and the Brazilian Air Force with a total of 371,199 active personnel, however, is largest by level of military equipment. The Army has 235,978 active personnel The Military Police (States' Military Police) is described as an ancillary force of the Army by the constitution, but is under the control of each state's governor. The Navy operates with some of the most powerful warships in the world with the two Minas Geraes-class dreadnoughts, which sparked a South American dreadnought race between Argentina, Brazil, and Chile. Today, it is a green water force and one of the ten navies that possesses an aircraft carrier. The Air Force has about 700 manned aircraft in service. Brazil has not been invaded since 1865 during the Paraguayan War. Additionally, Brazil has no contested territorial disputes with any of its neighbours and neither does it have rivalries, like Chile and Bolivia have with each other. The Brazilian military has also three times intervened militarily to overthrow the Brazilian government. It has built a tradition of participating in UN peacekeeping missions such as in Haiti and East Timor.

Geography:

Brazil occupies a large area along the eastern coast of South America and includes much of the continent's interior,[144] sharing land borders with Uruguay to the south; Argentina and Paraguay to the southwest; Bolivia and Peru to the west; Colombia to the northwest; and Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and the French overseas department of French Guiana to the north. It shares a border with every South American country except for Ecuador and Chile. It also encompasses a number of oceanic archipelagos, such as Fernando de Noronha, Rocas Atoll, Saint Peter and Paul Rocks, and Trindade and Martim Vaz. Its size, relief, climate, and natural resources make Brazil geographically diverse. Including its Atlantic islands, Brazil lies between latitudes 6°N and 34°S, and longitudes 28° and 74°W.

Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world, and third largest in the Americas, with a total area of 8,514,876.599 km2 (3,287,612 sq mi), including 55,455 km2 (21,411 sq mi) of water. It spans three time zones; from UTC-4 in the western states, to UTC-3 in the eastern states (and the official time of Brazil) and UTC-2 in the Atlantic islands. Brazil is the only country in the world that lies on the equator while having contiguous territory outside the tropics.

Brazilian topography is also diverse and includes hills, mountains, plains, highlands, and scrublands. Much of the terrain lies between 200 metres (660 ft) and 800 metres (2,600 ft) in elevation. The main upland area occupies most of the southern half of the country. The northwestern parts of the plateau consist of broad, rolling terrain broken by low, rounded hills. The southeastern section is more rugged, with a complex mass of ridges and mountain ranges reaching elevations of up to 1,200 metres (3,900 ft). These ranges include the Mantiqueira and Espinhaço mountains and the Serra do Mar. In the north, the Guiana Highlands form a major drainage divide, separating rivers that flow south into the Amazon Basin from rivers that empty into the Orinoco River system, in Venezuela, to the north. The highest point in Brazil is the Pico da Neblina at 2,994 metres (9,823 ft), and the lowest is the Atlantic Ocean. Brazil has a dense and complex system of rivers, one of the world's most extensive, with eight major drainage basins, all of which drain into the Atlantic. Major rivers include the Amazon (the world's second-longest river and the largest in terms of volume of water), the Paraná and its major tributary the Iguaçu (which includes the Iguazu Falls), the Negro, São Francisco, Xingu, Madeira and Tapajós rivers.

Economy:

In 1870 Brazil’s trade with America was valued at about 31 million dollars while the combined trade of all the South American countries was valued at about $29 million. Brazil was a significant producer of coffee and because of this the United States imported about four times as much as it exported to Brazil. In 1885 Brazil was producing more than one half of the world’s supply of coffee. Brazil’s trade in 1890 was more than $71 million while that of Argentina and Chile was $14 million and $6 million respectively. Soon after 1896, the production of coffee started to surpass consumption and prices began to fall in Brazil. Brazil then stored their coffee instead of selling all of it, and when there was bad season of coffee production they would use what they had previously stored from the year before.

The Monroe Doctrine appeared to some South American states as a U.S attempt of preserving their control over that hemisphere. Brazil viewed this doctrine as a measure of protection against the interference of the United States and from European nations. Brazil’s first ambassador to the United States, Joaquim Nabuco, 1905–1910, was a partisan of the Monroe Doctrine. Brazil borrowed money from many nations but it was not until after World War One that it actually borrowed substantial amounts from the U.S. With the outbreak of the First World War, Brazil continued to share the most significant trade with America with a trade that was valued at $154 million.

The impact of coffee on the Brazilian economy was much stronger than that of sugar and gold. When the coffee surge began, Brazil was already free from the limitations of colonialism. Moreover, the substitution of slave labor for wage labor after 1870 (slavery was abolished in 1888) meant an increase in efficiency and the formation of a domestic market for wage goods. Finally, the greater complexity of coffee production and trade established important sectorial linkages within the Brazilian economy.

Coffee was introduced in Brazil early in the eighteenth century, but initially it was planted only for domestic use. It took the high world prices of the late 1820s and early 1830s to turn coffee into a major export item. During the initial phase, production was concentrated in the mountainous region near Rio de Janeiro. This area was highly suitable for coffee cultivation, and it had access to fairly abundant slave labor. Moreover, the coffee could be transported easily on mule trains or on animal-drawn carts over short distances to the ports.

An entrepreneurial class established in Rio de Janeiro during the mining surge was able to induce the government to help create basic conditions for the expansion of coffee, such as removing transportation and labor bottlenecks. From the area near Rio de Janeiro, coffee production moved along the Paraíba Valley toward São Paulo State, which later became Brazil's largest exporting region. Coffee was cultivated with primitive techniques and with no regard to land conservation. Land was abundant, and production could expand easily through the incorporation of new areas. However, it soon became necessary to ease two basic constraints: the lack of transportation and the shortage of labor.

The cultivation of coffee farther away from ports required the construction of railroads, first around Rio de Janeiro and into the Paraíba Valley, and later into the fertile highlands of São Paulo. In 1860 Brazil had only 223 kilometers (139 mi) of railroads; by 1885 this total had increased to 6,930 kilometers (4,310 mi). The main rail link between São Paulo's eastern highlands and the ocean port of Santos allowed for a rapid expansion of coffee into the center and northwest of the state.

After the initial coffee expansion, the availability of slaves dwindled, and further cultivation required additional slaves. However, by 1840 Brazil was already under pressure to abolish slavery, and a series of decrees were introduced, making it increasingly difficult to supply the new coffee areas with servile labor. In the 1870s, the shortage of labor became critical, leading to the gradual incorporation of free immigrant labor. The coffee expansion in the west-northwest of São Paulo State after 1880 was made possible largely by immigrant labor. In 1880 São Paulo produced 1.2 million 60-kilogram coffee bags, or 25% of Brazil's total; by 1888 this proportion had jumped to 40% (2.6 million bags); and by 1902, to 60% (8 million bags). In turn, between 1884 and 1890 some 201,000 immigrants had entered São Paulo State, and this total jumped to more than 733,000 between 1891 and 1900. Slavery was abolished in 1888.

The Brazilian economy grew considerably in the second half of the nineteenth century. Coffee was the mainstay of the economy, accounting for 63% of the country's exports in 1891, and 51% between 1901 and 1910. However, sugar, cotton, tobacco, cocoa, and, during the turn-of-the-century rubber boom, rubber were also important. During the first three decades of the twentieth century, the Brazilian economy went through periods of growth but also difficulties caused in part by World War I, the Great Depression, and an increasing trend toward coffee overproduction. The four-year gap between the time a coffee tree is planted and the time of the first harvest magnified cyclical fluctuations in coffee prices, which in turn led to the increasing use of government price supports during periods of excess production. The price supports induced an exaggerated expansion of coffee cultivation in São Paulo, culminating in the huge overproduction of the early 1930s.

The 1840 to 1930 period also saw an appreciable but irregular expansion of light industries, notably textiles, clothing, food products, beverages, and tobacco. This expansion was induced by the growth in income, by the availability of foreign exchange, by fiscal policies, and by external events, such as World War I. Other important factors were the expansion of transportation, the installed capacity of electric energy, increased urbanization, and the formation of a dynamic entrepreneurial class. However, the manufacturing growth of the period did not generate significant structural transformations.

Economic growth in the nineteenth century was not shared equally by the regions. Development and growth were concentrated in the Southeast. The South Region also achieved considerable development based on coffee and other agricultural products. The Amazon Basin experienced a meteoric rise and fall of incomes from rubber exports. The Northeast continued to stagnate, with its population living close to the subsistence level. The decade of the 1930s was a period of interrelated political and economic changes. The decade started with the 1930 revolution, which abolished the Old Republic (1889–1930), a federation of semi-autonomous states. After a transitional period in which centralizing elements struggled with the old oligarchies for control, a coup in 1937 established the New State (Estado Novo) dictatorship (1937–45).

To a large extent, the revolution of 1930 reflected a dissatisfaction with the political control exercised by the old oligarchies. The political unrest of the first half of the 1930s and the 1937 coup were influenced strongly by the onset of economic problems in 1930. The coffee economy suffered from a severe decline in world demand caused by the Great Depression and an excess capacity of coffee production created in the 1920s. As a result, the price of coffee fell sharply and remained at very low levels. Brazil's terms of trade deteriorated significantly. These events, and a large foreign debt, led to an external crisis that took almost a decade to resolve.

The external difficulties had far-reaching consequences. The government was forced to suspend part of the country's debt payments and eventually to impose exchange controls. Excess coffee production led to increasing interventions in the coffee market. The state programs to support coffee prices went bankrupt in 1930. To avoid further decreases in coffee prices, the central government bought huge amounts of coffee, which was then destroyed. Central government intervention provided support to the coffee sector and, through its linkages, to the rest of the economy. Despite the economic difficulties, the income maintenance scheme of the coffee support program, coupled with the implicit protection provided by the external crisis, was responsible for greater industrial growth. Initially, this growth was based on increased utilization of the productive capacity and later on moderate spurts of investment. The initial import substitution industrialization that occurred especially during World War I did not lead to industrialization; it became a process of industrialization only in the 1930s.

The 1930s also saw a change in the role of government. Until then, the state acted primarily in response to the demands of the export sector. During the first half of the decade, it was forced to interfere swiftly in an attempt to control the external crisis and to avoid the collapse of the coffee economy; government leaders hoped that the crisis would pass soon and that another export boom would occur. However, with the magnitude and duration of the crisis it became clear that Brazil could no longer rely solely on exports of primary goods and that it was necessary to promote economic diversification. During the Estado Novo, the government made initial attempts at economic planning, and in the late 1930s began to establish the first large government enterprise, an integrated steel mill, Companhia Siderúrgica Nacional.

The World War II period saw mixed achievements. By the late 1930s, coffee production capacity had been reduced drastically, the worst of the external crisis had passed, and the Brazilian economy was ready to grow. However, the war interfered with development efforts. Output increased mainly through better utilization of the existing capacity but, except for the steel mill, there was little industrial and infrastructure investment. Thus, at the end of the war Brazil's industrial capacity was obsolete and the transportation infrastructure was inadequate and badly deteriorated.

At the end of World War II, political and economic liberalism were reintroduced in Brazil. Getúlio Dorneles Vargas was overthrown, democratic rule was reestablished, and the foreign-exchange reserves accumulated during the war made possible a reduction of trade restrictions. However, trade liberalization was short-lived. The overvalued foreign-exchange rate, established in 1945. This, combined with persistent inflation and a repressed demand, meant sharp increases in imports and a sluggish performance of exports, which soon led again to a balance of payments crisis. Pessimistic about the future of Brazil's exports, the government feared that the crisis would have a negative impact on inflation. Consequently, instead of devaluing the cruzeiro, it decided to deal with the crisis through exchange controls.

Culture:

The culture of Brazil presents a very diverse nature showing that an ethnic and cultural mixing occurred in the colonial period involving mostly Native Brazilians, Portuguese and Africans. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries Italian, German, Spanish, Ukrainians, Polish, Arab and Japanese immigrants settled in Brazil and played an important role in its culture, creating a multicultural and multiethnic society.

As consequence of three centuries of colonization by the Portuguese empire, the core of Brazilian culture is derived from the culture of Portugal. The numerous Portuguese inheritances include the language, the predominant religion and the colonial architectural styles. These aspects, however, were influenced by African and Native American traditions, as well as those from other Western European countries. Some aspects of Brazilian culture are contributions of Italian, German and other European immigrants. Amerindian peoples and Africans played a large role in the formation of Brazilian language, cuisine, music, dance and religion. This diverse cultural background has helped boast many celebrations and festivals that have become known around the world, such as the Brazilian Carnival and the Bumba Meu Boi. The colourful culture creates an environment that makes Brazil a popular destination for many tourists each year, around over 1 million.

About 2/3 of the population are Roman Catholics. Catholicism was introduced and spread largely by the Portuguese Jesuits, who arrived in 1549 during the colonization with the mission of converting the Indigenous people. The Society of Jesus played a large role in the formation of Brazilian religious identity until their expulsion of the country by the Marquis of Pombal in the 18th century. In recent decades Brazilian society is witnessing a rise in Protestantism, it started in the 1940s and Roman Catholicism is decreasing. The native inhabitants of Brazil had much contact with the colonists. Many were exterminated, others mixed with the Portuguese. For that reason, Brazil also holds Amerindian influences in its culture, mainly in its food and language. Brazilian Portuguese has hundreds of words of Native American origin, mainly from the Old Tupi language.

Black Africans, who were brought as slaves to Brazil, also participated actively in the formation of Brazilian culture. Although the Portuguese colonists forced their slaves to convert to Catholicism and speak Portuguese their cultural influences were absorbed by the inhabitants of Brazil of all races and origins. Some regions of Brazil, especially Bahia, have particularly notable African inheritances in music, cuisine, dance and language. Immigrants from Italy, Germany, Spain, Japan, Ukraine, Russia, Poland, Austria-Hungary and the Middle East played an important role in the areas they settled (mostly Southern and Southeastern Brazil). They organized communities that became important cities such as Joinville, Caxias do Sul, Blumenau, Curitiba and brought important contributions to the culture of Brazil.

The Brazilian Carnaval is an annual festival held forty-six days before Easter. Carnival celebrations are believed to have roots in the pagan festival of Saturnalia, which, adapted to Christianity, became a farewell to bad things in a season of religious discipline to practice repentance and prepare for Christ's death and resurrection. Carnival is the most famous holiday in Brazil and has become an event of huge proportions. The country stops completely for almost a week and festivities are intense, day and night, mainly in coastal cities. The typical genres of music of Brazilian carnival are: samba-enredo and marchinha (in Rio de Janeiro and Southeast Region), frevo, maracatu and Axé music (in Pernambuco, Bahia and Northeast Region).

Brazilian cuisine varies greatly by region. This diversity reflects the country's mix of natives and immigrants. This has created a national cooking style, marked by the preservation of regional differences. Since the colonial period, the feijoada has been the country's national dish. Luís da Câmara Cascudo wrote that, having been revised and adapted in each region of the country, it is no longer just a dish, but has become a complete food. Rice and beans, also present in the feijoada, and considered basic at Brazilian tables, is highly regarded as healthy because it contains almost all amino acids, fiber, and starches needed for our body.

Brazil has a variety of candies that are traditionally eaten for birthday parties, like brigadeiros ("brigadiers") and beijinhos ("kissies"). Other foods typically consumed in Brazilian parties are coxinhas, churrasco, sfiha, empanadas, and pine nuts (in Festa Junina). Specially in the state of Minas Gerais, are produced and consumed the famous cheese bun. The typical northern food is pato no tucupi, tacacá, caruru, vatapá, and maniçoba; the Northeast is known for moqueca (having seafood and palm oil), acarajé (the salted muffin made with white beans, onion and fried in oil palm (dendê), which is filled with dried shrimp and red pepper), manioc, diz, hominy, dumpling, and Quibebe. In the Southeast, it is common to eat Minas cheese, pizza, tutu, sushi, stew, polenta, and masses of macaroni, lasagna, and gnocchi. In the South, these foods are also popular, but the churrasco is the typical meal of Rio Grande do Sul. Cachaça is Brazil's native liquor, distilled from sugar cane, and it is the main ingredient in the national drink, the caipirinha. Brazil is the world leader in production of green coffee (café); because the Brazilian fertile soil, the country could produce and expand its market maker and often establish its economy with coffee, since the Brazilian slavery, which created a whole culture around this national drink, which became known as the "fever of coffee" – and satirized in the novelty song "The Coffee Song", sang by Frank Sinatra and with lyrics by Bob Hilliard, interpreted as an analysis of the coffee industry, and of the Brazilian economy and culture.

The oldest known examples of Brazilian art are cave paintings in Serra da Capivara National Park in the state of Piauí, dating back to c. 13,000 BC. In Minas Gerais and Goiás have been found more recent examples showing geometric patterns and animal forms. One of the most sophisticated kinds of Pre-Columbian artifact found in Brazil is the sophisticated Marajoara pottery (c. 800–1400 AD), from cultures flourishing on Marajó Island and around the region of Santarém, and statuettes and cult objects, such as the small carved-stone amulets called muiraquitãs, also belong to these cultures. Many of the Jesuits worked in Brazil under the influence of the Baroque, the dominant style in Brazil until the early 19th century. The Baroque in Brazil flourished in Bahia and Pernambuco and Minas Gerais, generating valuable artists like Manuel da Costa Ataíde and especially the sculptor-architect Aleijadinho.

In 1816, the French Artistic Mission in Brazil created the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts and imposed a new concept of artistic education and was the basis for a revolution in Brazilian painting, sculpture, architecture, graphic arts, and crafts. A few decades later, under the personal patronage of Emperor Dom Pedro II, who was engaged in an ambitious national project of modernization, the Academy reached its golden age, fostering the emergence of the first generation of Romantic painters, whence Victor Meirelles and Pedro Américo, that, among others, produced lasting visual symbols of national identity. It must be said that in Brazil Romanticism in painting took a peculiar shape, not showing the overwhelming dramaticism, fantasy, violence, or interest in death and the bizarre commonly seen in the European version, and because of its academic and palatial nature all excesses were eschewed.

The beginning of the 20th century saw a struggle between old schools and modernist trends. Important modern artists Anita Malfatti and Tarsila do Amaral were both early pioneers in Brazilian art. Both participated of The Week of Modern Art festival, held in São Paulo in 1922, that renewed the artistic and cultural environment of the city and also presented artists such as Emiliano Di Cavalcanti, Vicente do Rego Monteiro, and Victor Brecheret. Based on Brazilian folklore, many artists have committed themselves to mix it with the proposals of the European Expressionism, Cubism, and Surrealism. From Surrealism, arises Ismael Nery, concerned with metaphysical subjects where their pictures appear on imaginary scenarios and averse to any recognizable reference.

Brazilian architecture in the colonial period was heavily influenced by the Portuguese Manueline style, albeit adapted for the tropical climate. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the city of Ouro Preto in the state of Minas Gerais contains numerous well-preserved examples of this style by artists such as Aleijadinho. In later centuries, Brazilian architects were increasingly influenced by schools from other countries such as France and the United States, eventually developing a style of their own that has become known around the world.

Literature in Brazil dates back to the 16th century, to the writings of the first Portuguese explorers in Brazil, such as Pêro Vaz de Caminha, filled with descriptions of fauna, flora and natives that amazed Europeans that arrived in Brazil. When Brazil became a colony of Portugal, there was the "Jesuit Literature", whose main name was father António Vieira, a Portuguese Jesuit who became one of the most celebrated Baroque writers of the Portuguese language. A few more explicitly literary examples survive from this period, José Basílio da Gama's epic poem celebrating the conquest of the Missions by the Portuguese, and the work of Gregório de Matos Guerra, who produced a sizable amount of satirical, religious, and secular poetry. Neoclassicism was widespread in Brazil during the mid-18th century, following the Italian style.

Brazil produced significant works in Romanticism – novelists like Joaquim Manuel de Macedo and José de Alencar wrote novels about love and pain. Alencar, in his long career, also treated Indigenous people as heroes in the Indigenist novels O Guarany, Iracema, Ubirajara. The French Mal du siècle was also introduced in Brazil by the likes of Alvares de Azevedo, whose Lira dos Vinte Anos and Noite na Taverna are national symbols of the Ultra-romanticism. Gonçalves Dias, considered one of the national poets, sang the Brazilian people and the Brazilian land on the famous Song of the Exile (1843), known to every Brazilian schoolchild. Also dates from this period, although his work has hatched in Realism, Machado de Assis, whose works include Helena, Memórias Póstumas de Brás Cubas, O alienista, Dom Casmurro, and who is widely regarded as the most important writer of Brazilian literature. Assis is also highly respected around the world.

Theatre was introduced by the Jesuits during the colonization, particularly by Father José de Anchieta, but did not attract much interest until the transfer of the Portuguese Court to Brazil in 1808. Over the course of the 18th century, theatre evolved alongside the blossoming literature traditions with names such as Martins Pena and Gonçalves Dias. Pena introduced the comedy of manners, which would become a distinct mark of Brazilian theatre over the next decades. Theatre was not included in the 1922 Modern Art Week of São Paulo, which marked the beginning of Brazilian Modernism.

Samba is among the most popular music genres in Brazil and is widely regarded as the country's national musical style. It developed from the mixture of European and African music, brought by slaves in the colonial period and originated in the state of Bahia. In the early 20th century, modern samba emerged and was popularized in Rio de Janeiro behind composers such as Noel Rosa, Cartola and Nelson Cavaquinho among others. The movement later spread and gained notoriety in other regions, particularly in Bahia and São Paulo. Contemporary artists include Martinho da Vila, Zeca Pagodinho and Paulinho da Viola. Samba makes use of a distinct set of instruments, among the most notable are the cuíca, a friction drum that creates a high-pitched squeaky sound, the cavaquinho, a small instrument of the guitar family, and the pandeiro, a hand frame drum. Other instruments are the surdos, agogôs, chocalhos and tamborins.

Choro originated in the 19th century through interpretations of European genres such as polka and schottische by Brazilian artists who had already been influenced by African rhythms such as the batuque. It is a largely instrumental genre that shares a number of characteristics with samba. Choro gained popularity around the start of the 20th century (1880-1920) and was the genre of many of the first Brazilian records in the first decades of the 20th century. Notable Choro musicians of that era include Chiquinha Gonzaga, Pixinguinha and Joaquim Callado. The popularity of choro steadily waned after the popularization of samba but saw a revival in recent decades and remains appreciated by a large number of Brazilians.

Forró and Frevo are two music and dance forms originated in the Brazilian Northeast. Forró, like Choro, originated from European folk genres such as the schottische in between the 19th and early 20th centuries. It remains a very popular music style, particularly in the Northeast region, and is danced in forrobodós (parties and balls) throughout the country. Frevo originated in Recife, Pernambuco during the Carnival, the period it is most often associated with. While the music presents elements of procession and martial marches, the frevo dance (known as "passo") has been notably influenced by capoeira. Frevo parades are a key tradition of the Pernambuco Carnival.

Brazil has also a tradition in the classical music, since the 18th Century. The oldest composer with the full documented work is José Maurício Nunes Garcia, a catholic priest who wrote numerous pieces, both sacred and secular, with a style resembling the classical viennese style from Mozart and Haydn. In the 19th Century, the composer Antonio Carlos Gomes wrote many operas with Brazilian indigenous themes, with librettos in Italian, many of which premiered in Milan; some of the most outstanding works are the operas Il Guarany and Lo Schiavo (The Slave).

Brazilian folklore includes many stories, legends, dances, superstitions and religious rituals. Characters include the Boitatá, the Boto Cor-de-Rosa, the Saci and the Bumba Meu Boi, which has spawned the famous June festival in Northern and Northeastern Brazil.

Football is the most popular sport in Brazil. Some sport variations have their origins in Brazil. Beach football, futsal (official version of indoor football), and footvolley emerged in the country as variations of football.

Infrastructure:

Brazil has numerous airports and many of them are named after famous or well-known Brazilian citizens. There are plans for developing many of the main commercial airports due to expected increased air traffic. The São Paulo/Guarulhos–Governador André Franco Montoro International Airport is known as one of the busiest airports in Brazil by passenger traffic, aircraft movement and cargo traffic; and is located within São Paulo, Brazil. The facilities in this airport are shared with the São Paul Air Force and the Brazilian Air Force. The tropic of Capricorn passes right through the southern tip of the airport and it is situated about 25km from downtown São Paulo.

Rio de Janeiro/Galeão–Antonio Carlos Jobim International Airport is the largest airport site in Brazil and the main airport in Rio de Janeiro, and ranked as the second busiest in passenger traffic. The facilities in this airport are shared with the Rio de Janeiro Air Force and the Brazilian Air Force. This airport is situated 20km north of downtown Rio de Janeiro. In 1923 near Galeão beach on Governador Island a School of Naval Aviation began. Then in 1941 it became known as Galeão Air Force Base as the Brazilian Air Force Ministry was started.

Agriculture is an important industry in Brazil, as this country has immense agricultural resources available to it. Its most significant products in this sphere are coffee, soybeans, wheat, rice, corn, sugarcane, cocoa, citrus and beef (in order of importance). Its most significant exports are coffee, soybeans, beef, sugar cane, ethanol and frozen chickens. Southern Brazil makes up close to two-thirds of the country and is characterised by a semi-temperate, or moderate, climate. The soils here are fertile and the higher rainfall levels ensure that crops are well irrigated and fed. In addition to the natural resources of Southern Brazil, this area is also home to more advanced farming technology and farmers with extensive experience. Therefore, this region produces most of the country’s grains, export crops and oilseeds.

Northern Brazil is far drier and less equipped. It often succumbs to droughts, and lacks infrastructure, capital and good soil, due to minimal rainfall. This area is occupied mainly by subsistence farmers (who survive off of their produce). However, there are certain crops from this region that are essential for export; such as cocoa, tropical fruits and forest products. Central Brazil has, for generations, been considered to be unsuitable for farming. However, this area (partly known as cerrados) is now booming, being used extensively for mechanised crop agriculture. Vast expanses of this land are still to be developed, being used only in pasture, but having the potential to produce excellent farming and exporting crops. This area was once very isolated, due to there being a lack of roads and other important infrastructure. Cattle farming remains one of this country’s key industries, since Brazil produces millions of tonnes of beef every year. Cattle farming occurs mainly in Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Goiás and Minas Gerais.

Significantly, Brazil is also the second-largest producer of soybeans on the planet. These beans and their derivatives are used extensively all over the world. Mato Grosso and Paraná together produce almost half of the entire country’s soybean volume.Brazil is the global leader in the production of sugarcane, harvesting more than 600 million tonnes of it every year. The states responsible for the growth of sugarcane include São Paulo, Pernambuco, Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso, Goiás and Paraná, amongst others. The agriculture of Brazil (as with other countries in the world) presents a number of problems. For one, deforestation occurs to make room for agricultural areas. This causes greenhouse gas emissions and drastically reduces the amount of oxygen available to the world. It also reduces the natural habitat of many species of plants and animals, having devastating effects on their numbers.

The architecture of a country is defined, to an enormous degree, by its history and heritage. On the other hand, the architecture also forms a major part of the character and identity of a destination. Therefore, exploring the architecture of a country reveals much about it, and remains a very important part of tourism. Brazil was colonised by Portuguese explorers centuries ago, and this culture has continued to influence the look and feel of this country. Today, there remain a few examples of this Portuguese architecture of yesteryear. These colonial-style buildings give the country a really charming element. However, the modernist approach is still the overriding architectural style of Brazil. This style is characterised by minimalism and the absence of excess frill or decoration. It is simple, with clean lines and a functional form. This particular type of architecture was adopted after World War Two, when function took precedence over form.

Travellers that have a particular interest in architecture are invited to see the wonders of Brazil. They will be treated, not only to modernist examples of design and structure, but also to baroque and neoclassical influences. For these ones, the best cities to see are Salvador (the colonial capital that boasts stunning examples of the classic Portuguese style from long ago); Olinda and Minas Gerais (built during the 19th century, these areas are characterised by a distinct Baroque style); and Rio's Museu Nacional de Belas Artes, Belem's Teatro da Paz, and Manuas' Teatro Amazonas (for the neoclassical look and feel).

The forestry or timber industry is a major component of the financial success and stability of Brazil. By June 2012, Brazil had 7.74 million hectares of certified forest (according to FSC and CERFLOR standards). Of course, there is plenty of uncertified timber being produced and processed, which continues to plague the legitimate timber industries, who vie for clients. This South American country is home to the third-largest remaining frontier forest (large and relatively undisturbed natural forests) on the planet, making up about 17% of the world’s frontier forests. It has the highest biodiversity in terms of the plants that these forests accommodate. The most significant timber products to be exported include pulp, raw wood, wood chips, laminated wood, plywood, paper, flooring, furniture, wood fibre panels, frames and packaging. These are sent all over the world, generating an enormous income for the country of Brazil.

The native forests of Brazil occupy an area of just over 517 million hectares (more than 98% of the country’s forests), while the planted forests occupy approximately 6.6 million hectares. The vast majority of the country’s planted forests are located in the south of Brazil, while the native forests that provide timber are almost exclusively part of the Amazon. There is a small section of native forest that is still being harvested for wood in the dwindling Atlantic Forest on the east coast. Pine and eucalyptus are the two predominant timber species that are produced, processed and traded in Brazil. The main softwood export ports of Brazil comprise São Francisco do Sul, Paranaguá and Itajaí. For hardwood, the most significant ports for export are Belém, Paranaguá, Santarém and Vila do Conde.

It is not generally recommended that tourists opt to travel and explore Brazil on the roads, by driving a motor vehicle. The reasons include, the state of the roads are not well maintained, the parking availability in cities is low, there is a great deal of distance between cities and locations of sight-seeing; but most of all because Brazil has the highest fatality in the world from driving related accidents. It is recognized that drivers in the Brazilian cities tend to be aggressive drivers who have disregard for road rules and this is a perfect set up for road accidents. Road rage, tailgating and other forms of illegal driving do seem to be rife in Brazil. Truck drivers vary from having a safe regard and caution in road driving, to others that are known to be intoxicated or over-worked and therefore tired. The constant need to be alert is heightened by the risk of stray animals on streets. Pedestrians and motorcycle riders also do not sometimes adhere to road rules.

The threat of being mugged at robot/light crossings is also common and many drivers try to always have their windows closed. This may perpetuate many drivers feeling hot and irritable, as most cars in Brazil lack air-conditioning. Brazil has the fourth largest highway system in the world. The main route of transport of people and freight/cargo is via the highways. It is a fact that over 90% of the roads in Brazil are unpaved and this means that below 10% of Brazilian roads are paved roads. The code for highways has a simple abbreviation; the regional high-ways are named by getting the two letters abbreviating the state and then three letters describing the highway. As an example SP-123 tells us the highway is in São Paulo and is directed in a north-south direction. Brazilian National Highways are abbreviated BR with the three numbers following to describe the highway. As an example BR-241 informs us that the highway is a main one and that it is going in an east-west direction. The maintenance of the highways tends to be a major concern, as the weather and heavy use on them causes much wear and tear. Potholes are issues on the roads. Toll roads are well utilized in Brazil to gain funding for the maintenance of the roads, the highest toll fees are set by private companies.

Railway services are operated by private and public operators. There are metro systems in eight Brazilian cities, which is a huge aid as road traffic is dangerous. The rail network is about 28,538 km. There are four gauges, standard, dual, narrow and broad. Most of the train services in Brazil are used to transport cargo. From 1859 steam-powered, horse-drawn and electric tramways have been operating in Brazil. This means it was one of the first countries to utilize tramway mode of transport, and to this day trams are still used. Rio de Janeiro had street cars before London, Paris and Malan. Although Brazil borders ten countries, it only has international rail links with three, namely Argentina, Uruguay and Bolivia. There are a number of rail links connecting some Brazilian cities. While local trains transport passengers to and from interior towns, coastal areas and some metropolitan suburbs. There are some trains that are specifically focused for tourists, such as the Corcovado Train (Trem de Corcovado) in Rio de Janeiro. This train takes passengers to the site of Christ the Redeemer monument. Brazil also has some of the heaviest metal ore trains in the world.

Science and Technology:

Brazilian science effectively began in the first decades of the 19th century, when the Portuguese royal family, headed by D. João VI, arrived in Rio de Janeiro, escaping from the Napoleon's army invasion of Portugal in 1807. Like almost all territories and regions of the New World, Brazil was a Portuguese colony, without universities, and a few cultural and scientific organizations. The former American colonies of the Spanish Empire, although having a largely illiterate population like Brazil, Portugal and Spain, had, however, a number of universities since the 16th century. This may have been a deliberate policy of the Portuguese colonial power, because they feared that the appearance of educated Brazilian classes would boost nationalism and aspirations toward political independence, as it had happened in the USA and several Latin American former Spanish colonies. However, throughout the centuries of Portuguese rule, Brazilian students were allowed and even encouraged to enroll at higher education in mainland Portugal. In addition, mainland Portugal's population at the time was also largely illiterate and had for most of those period a single university, the University of Coimbra, which educated Portuguese people from all the Empire, including from the colony of Brazil.

The first firm attempts of having a Brazilian science establishment were made around 1783, with the expedition of Portuguese naturalist Alexandre Rodrigues Ferreira, who was sent by Portugal's prime minister, the Marquis of Pombal, to explore and identify Brazilian fauna, flora and geology. His collections, however, were lost to the French, when Napoleon invaded Portugal, and were transported to Paris by Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire. In 1772, even before the establishment of the Science Academy of Lisbon (1779), one of the first learned societies of both Brazil and the Portuguese Empire was founded in Rio de Janeiro - it was the Sociedade Scientifica, but lasted only until 1794. Also, in 1797, the first botanic institute was founded in Salvador, Bahia. During the late 18th century, the Real Academia de Artilharia, Fortificação e Desenho of Rio de Janeiro was created in 1792 through a decree issued by the Portuguese authorities as a higher education school for the teaching of the sciences and engineering. Both the engineering schools of the Rio de Janeiro Federal University and the Military Institute of Engineering were created and developed from the oldest engineering school of Brazil which is also one of the oldest in Latin America.

D. João VI gave impetus to all these accoutrements of European civilization to Brazil. In a short period (between 1808 and 1810), the government founded the Royal Naval Academy and the Royal Military Academy (both military schools), the Biblioteca Nacional, the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden, the Medico-Chirurgical School of Bahia, currently known as Faculdade de Medicina under harbour of Universidade Federal da Bahia and the Medico-Chirurgical School of Rio de Janeiro (Faculdade de Medicina of Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro). Notable scientific expeditions organized by Brazilians were rare, the most significant one being that of Martim Francisco de Andrada e Silva and José Bonifácio de Andrada e Silva, in 1819.

After independence from Portugal, declared by the King's son in 1822, D. Pedro I (who became the new country's first Emperor), the policies concerning higher learning, science and technology in Brazil came to a relative standstill. In the first two decades of the century, science in Brazil was mostly carried out by temporary scientific expeditions by European naturalists, such as Charles Darwin, Maximilian zu Wied-Neuwied, Carl von Martius, Johann Baptist von Spix, Alexander Humboldt, Augustin Saint-Hilaire, Baron Grigori Ivanovitch Langsdorff, Friedrich Sellow, Fritz Müller, Hermann von Ihering, Émil Goeldi and others. This science was mostly descriptive of the fantastic Brazilian biodiversity of its flora and fauna, and also its geology, geography and anthropology, and until the creation of the National Museum, the specimens were mostly removed to European institutions. In the educational area, a number of higher education institutions were founded in the 19th century, but for decades to come, most Brazilian students, still studied at European universities, such as the ancient University of Coimbra, in Portugal.

Things started to change after 1841, when the eldest son of D. Pedro I, Emperor D. Pedro II came to the throne when he was 15 years old. In the next 50 years, Brazil enjoyed a stable constitutional monarchy. D. Pedro II was an enlightened monarch who favored the arts, literature, science and technology and had extensive international contacts in these areas. The mainstay of Brazilian science and the seat of its first research laboratories was the National Museum (Museu Nacional) in Rio de Janeiro, in existence until today. D. Pedro developed a strong personal interest and selected and invited many august European scientific personalities, such as von Ihering and Goeldi, to work in Brazil. He and his ministers, courtesans and senators often attended scientific conferences in the Museum. There, the first laboratory of physiology was founded in 1880, under João Baptista de Lacerda and Louis Couty. Unfortunately, the creation of research universities and institutes would only occur on the beginning of the 20th century - a long delay for the education, science and technology in Brazil.

Development:

After 1930, the successive governments continued industrial and agriculture growth and development of the vast interior of Brazil. Getúlio Vargas led a military junta that had taken control in 1930 and would remain ruling from 1930 to 1945 with the backing of Brazilian military, especially the Army. In this period, he faced internally the Constitutionalist Revolt in 1932 and two separate coup d'état attempts: by Communists in 1935 and by local Fascists in 1938. A democratic regime prevailed from 1945–64. In the 1950s after Vargas' second period (this time, democratically elected), the country experienced an economic boom during Juscelino Kubitschek's years, during which the capital was moved from Rio de Janeiro to Brasília.

Externally, after a relative isolation during the first half of the 1930s due to the effects of the 1929 Crisis, in the second half of the 1930s there was a rapprochement with the fascist regimes of Italy and Germany. However, after the fascist coup attempt in 1938 and the naval blockade imposed on these two countries by the British navy from the beginning of World War II, in the decade of 1940 there was a return to the old foreign policy of the previous period. During the early 1940s, Brazil joined the allied forces in the Battle of Atlantic and the Italian Campaign; in the 1950s the country began its participation in the United Nations' peacekeeping missions
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Who reserved the USA before me? I'm fairly certain I reserved it first in the Interest check.
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Theodorable said
Who reserved the USA before me? I'm fairly certain I reserved it first in the Interest check.


Sovi3t did. Or it could be that the GM might want to do America.
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GM
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solamelike said
Canada

SyrianHamster said
Syria


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Did my thing.
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GM
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Dutchbag said
Did my thing.


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Yus.
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