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'''Stenza''', officially ''' | '''Stenza''', officially The '''Republic of Stenza''', is an island country in [[Australis]]. It does not have any land borders, although the [[Escal Isles]] lie just off its eastern coast. Its capital and largest city is Rakahanga. | ||
Little is known about Stenza's early history, with most of the country being governed by independent tribes until [[Corumm]] discovered and colonized the island in 1742. The following colonial era saw Stenzan society develop from its tribal roots into a more modern puppet state, ending in a brief period of semi-self governance during the early 20th century. A bloody [[war]] between Stenzan freedom fighters and the Corumm-aligned government followed between 1919 and 1921, resulting in [[A Corummese retreat from the Island.]] An internal [[struggle for power]] followed Stenzan Independence, ending with the rise to power of the [[Stenzan People's Party]]. The party had total control over the nation from 1922 until | Little is known about Stenza's early history, with most of the country being governed by independent tribes until [[Corumm]] discovered and colonized the island in 1742. The following colonial era saw Stenzan society develop from its tribal roots into a more modern puppet state, ending in a brief period of semi-self governance during the early 20th century. A bloody [[war]] between Stenzan freedom fighters and the Corumm-aligned government followed between 1919 and 1921, resulting in [[A Corummese retreat from the Island.]] An internal [[struggle for power]] followed Stenzan Independence, ending with the rise to power of the [[Stenzan People's Party]]. The party had total control over the nation from 1922 until 2022, with the country being largely isolated from the rest of the world. This changed when the [[Stenzan revolution]] removed the Party from power and paved the way for the Republic to form. | ||
'''The Republic of Stenza''' is a young {{wp|Federal state|Federal}} {{wp|presidential system|presidential}} {{wp|constitutional republic}}, its head of state is the recently elected [[Iakopo Hsin]], a charismatic public servant who was the Second Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs under the Party's rule. His Vice-President is Major General (ret.) [[Filemu Lung]], a career intelligence officer who played a vital role in orchestrating the Stenzan revolution. Stenzan legislature is through its Democratic Congress, although the President holds the right to bypass the congress through presidential decrees. | '''The Republic of Stenza''' is a young {{wp|Federal state|Federal}} {{wp|presidential system|presidential}} {{wp|constitutional republic}}, its head of state is the recently elected [[Iakopo Hsin]], a charismatic public servant who was the Second Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs under the Party's rule. His Vice-President is Major General (ret.) [[Filemu Lung]], a career intelligence officer who played a vital role in orchestrating the Stenzan revolution. Stenzan legislature is through its Democratic Congress, although the President holds the right to bypass the congress through presidential decrees. | ||
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The war was eventually decided in the [[Battle of Xīwàng]], when Stenzan irregular and regular forces massed overwhelmed Corummese defenses during a civil uprising among the workers inside the city. Corummese naval vessels, two freighters and a destroyer unloading supplies in the port, were captured by the attacking forces and a lot of the Corummese elite hiding in the city were captured and murdered in a [[widely filmed event]]. The fall of the Corummese capital on Stenza cut the Corummese army off from its supply chain, and after failing to retake the city on two different occasions the Corummese forces surrendered on the 2nd of August, 1921. This date was later to be known as the [[Day of Stenzan Independence.]] Stenzan independence was followed by a long month period that saw the defeated Corummese leave the island along with the majority of the colonizers, a period known in Stenzan history books as the [[exile of the humiliated.]] | The war was eventually decided in the [[Battle of Xīwàng]], when Stenzan irregular and regular forces massed overwhelmed Corummese defenses during a civil uprising among the workers inside the city. Corummese naval vessels, two freighters and a destroyer unloading supplies in the port, were captured by the attacking forces and a lot of the Corummese elite hiding in the city were captured and murdered in a [[widely filmed event]]. The fall of the Corummese capital on Stenza cut the Corummese army off from its supply chain, and after failing to retake the city on two different occasions the Corummese forces surrendered on the 2nd of August, 1921. This date was later to be known as the [[Day of Stenzan Independence.]] Stenzan independence was followed by a long month period that saw the defeated Corummese leave the island along with the majority of the colonizers, a period known in Stenzan history books as the [[exile of the humiliated.]] | ||
All was not well for the Stenzans after chasing out the Corummese, for the celebrations of their independence were short lived. The young Lieutenant who had caused the independence movement, Li Xhipong, was hailed by many as a national hero and was to be the first leader of a free Stenza, if it were not for the rapid rise of the far left leaning Stenzan People's Party and their assassination of Xhipong. Over the next seven months, Stenzans who backed the Party and various groups who did not fought over the rule of the island, with the Party eventually coming out on top in April 1922 through the cunning military leadership of [[Hemi Hidao]]. Hidao would end up being the first chairman of the Stenzan People's Party and the leader of the country. | All was not well for the Stenzans after chasing out the Corummese, for the celebrations of their independence were short lived. The young Lieutenant who had caused the independence movement, Li Xhipong, was hailed by many as a national hero and was to be the first leader of a free Stenza, if it were not for the rapid rise of the far left leaning Stenzan People's Party and their assassination of Xhipong. Over the next seven months, Stenzans who backed the Party and various groups who did not fought over the rule of the island, with the Party eventually coming out on top in April 1922 through the cunning military leadership of [[Hemi Hidao]]. Hidao would end up being the first chairman of the Stenzan People's Party and the leader of the country, which became known as the '''Stenzan People's Collective'''. | ||
===Totalitarian Regime=== | ===Totalitarian Regime=== | ||
Hidao's rise to power was followed by six years of civil unrest called the [[pacification]], this period was characterized by the party's consolidation of power throughout the country, the swift and public assassinations of anyone who doubted the Party and its ways, and the total isolation from any foreign influence by expelling all foreigners, aside from re-educated Corummese who had elected to stay after the war. Between the start of the Independence war and the end of the pacification in 1928 an estimated 35% of the Stenzan population died. ( | Hidao's rise to power was followed by six years of civil unrest called the [[pacification]], this period was characterized by the party's consolidation of power throughout the country, the swift and public assassinations of anyone who doubted the Party and its ways, and the total isolation from any foreign influence by expelling all foreigners, aside from re-educated Corummese who had elected to stay after the war. Between the start of the Independence war and the end of the pacification in 1928 an estimated 35% of the Stenzan population died. By 1928 the Party's control over Stenza was firm and it could shift its focus from establishing dominance to ruling the nation. Plans were drafted to industrialize the next decade and half was spent catching up to the other nations of the world. By 1943 Stenza was an industrialized nation in its own right, most of its citizens having jobs although pay was low across the board. | ||
The standard of living was not bad however, with the low pay being balanced out by a low cost of living. Stenzans enjoyed a relatively free society on the social level, being barred only by the major barriers that were a lack of contact with the rest of the world and a totalitarian regime that took care of anyone who disagreed with it. For Stenzans that had no desire to leave the country or doubt the party, life was well enough. By 1953 it became clear to Party officials that the initial ideology of total isolation did not pay off, Stenza was sitting on mined metals that it had no use for while lacking materials it could not locally produce and falling behind on modern technological advancements. A Stenzan party was sent to Corumm and by December of that year the [[Treaty of Zanshu]] was signed by representatives of both countries. The treaty marked the start of a strictly controlled Corummese-Stenzan trade relationship, with Stenzan metals and resources being traded for Corummese resources, medicine, technology and weaponry. Most of the imported items would later end up reverse engineered to lay a base for Stenzan spin-off products, spring boarding Stenzan technological knowledge on various fields by decades within the span of mere years. | |||
By 1964 Stenza was entered what is commonly known as its golden era. Its industry and knowledge base had expanded to the degree where it was able to sustain itself if need be, although it still depended on Corummese trade for new international developments and other rare resources. Stenzan universities were producing the first generation of Stenzan professionals taught entirely by Stenzan professors, and both civil liberties and relative wealth grew within the boundaries of the Party's isolationism. The Stenzan military had grown well equipped with both Corummese weapons and their reverse engineered copies, with a relatively modern blue water Navy capable of protecting Stenza's borders and even projecting Stenzan naval power across the globe, which is something it never did. | |||
The era of the Atom had not been lost on Stenza, and the isolationist nation started its own Nuclear research program in the late 1950s. Progress was not quick however, with the groundwork for the first Stenzan reactor [[La-1|''la-1'']] (Sun-1) being laid in 1961 while the reactor was not finished proper until 1976. It is rumored that [[Lixin Ji]] had a hand in helping the Stenzans achieve the goal of finishing this reactor, with various sources implying Ji provided the Stenzans with knowledge and design information somewhere between 1972 and 1975. This reportedly ran on a mix of secretly imported and locally enriched Uranium. By 1993, the Stenzans performed their first and only nuclear weapons test at an undisclosed location in the Ocean of Cathay. This test, called ''Le La Faʻaleagaina'' (Devastating Sun) was reportedly a success, yielding 21 Kilotons. Stenza's nuclear program is currently spread between two civilian reactors, called ''Ia-2'' and ''Ia-3,'' powering the capital of Rakahanga and the city of Faamoemoe respectively, and up to six undisclosed military facilities facilitating the production of Stenzan nuclear arms. Stenza is reported to have between 40 and 60 relatively low yield (max 100kt) nuclear weapons. | |||
By 1983 the golden era ground to a halt when youth across Stenza took to the streets to demand political freedoms and the right to travel outside of Stenza. These protests, known as the [[youngsters' mistake]], led to a massive government crackdown and twelve month long curfew, most of the involved youngsters being forced to attend long term re-education programs. The years after this incident were cold yet quiet, the happiness of the prior decades being replaced with a new-found fright for what happens to those who speak against the government while the relatively lax Party of the time was shaken to the core by the incident, tightening the squeeze on the population to avoid repeat incidents. It was around this time that the Stenzan economy peaked and slowly started declining, although the discovery of offshore oil and its export to Corumm briefly re-ignited Stenza's economy in the late 1980s. | |||
This short boom lasted until 1992, when the [[Party of Corummese Democrats]] rose to power in Corumm and suspended the trade agreement between both countries as part of a general stance taken against foreigners. The loss of its only trade partner robbed the Stenzan economy of its only foreign connection, and for the next five years the standard of living for Stenzan citizens plummeted. It was not until 1997 that Stenza and Corumm reached a new, albeit watered down trade agreement with Corumm, incorporated as an addendum to the treaty. The return of trade with Corumm stabiilzed the Stenzan economy, although it never fully grew as it did decades before. This situation would persist until 2022, with the cost of living for Stenzans growing quicker than the GDP per capita. These last two decades of the Party's regime were characterized by bursts of violent actions taken against those considered enemies of the state, unfinished construction programs and repeated to modernize the military's equipment in large enough numbers. | |||
===2022 Revolution and Democracy=== | ===2022 Revolution and Democracy=== | ||
The Party's iron grip over Stenza came to a quick and unexpected end on the 23rd of April, 2022 when a group of senior military officers led by Major General Filemu Lung orchestrated the [[decapitation of the Party's leadership]]. Lung, a career intelligence officer, had long butted heads with Party officials over the influence the Party exerted over the Stenzan military and the fact that in her eyes the Party's refusal to interact on the international stage handicapped the nation's potential. Lung, along with other senior military officers such as Air Force Colonel Kun Hzan, and senior civil servants such as Second Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Iakopo Hsin, came to the conclusion that the Party would not listen to their pleas to evolve and that removing the party from power would be the only way for Stenza to avoid tearing itself apart and progress to what it could become. | |||
The evening of the 23rd of April saw the [[High Executive Committee]], the de facto leadership of the Stenzan People's Party, convene at a Party-owned location outside of Rakahanga known as the [[Garden of Hidao]] to privately celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Party's victory in the Stenzan Civil War. The day itself had been filled with public celebration and military parades throughout the country, with the Party's most senior leaders agreeing to spend the night privately celebrating the occasion the same way they always did: A lavish party at a location well away from the public eye. | |||
Lung's group had known about these parties and a routine training sortie was planned for a pair of fighter-bombers from an airbase just north of Rakahanga. This base was commanded by the decorated Colonel Kun Hzang, who had ensured two flight crews loyal to the plot were flying the training sortie. Training ordinance had also been replaced with live-fire precision weapons at the direction of a junior ordinance officer loyal to the plot. | |||
The jets took off just after midnight, heading south towards the capital to reach open waters and conduct their training sortie. The jets never made it to the capital however, for they strayed off course and were over the Garden of Hidao by 12:26 in the morning. Four 2,000lb precision bombs struck the celebrating politicians before anyone realized the jets intended harm, taking out the whole High Executive Committee in a single blow. | |||
The days after the 23rd were chaotic. No official line of succession had been outlined by the Party, and multiple elements within the Stenzan government declared themselves the rightful successors to the High Executive Committee. News of the Party's leaders dying led to massive public protests, with locals who had up until that point feared the Party using the chaos within Stenza's government to protest the state of the nation. Although multiple government entities tried ordering military and security forces to clash with the protesting crowd, they never mobilized. | |||
By mid-May it was agreed that the situation was untenable and Vice-Chairwoman Fiva Yeng of the Lower Executive Committee went on national television to announce major reforms within Stenza's government. The Committee would form a temporary government with other military and civil leaders to explore ways to arrange the free elections the millions in the streets had demanded, and on the 24th of July, 2023 a new constitution was voted into effect, officially creating the '''Republic of Stenza.''' Elections were planned for next September. | |||
September came and two major political parties had formed to take part in the elections, the left-leaning [[Stenzan Labor Party]] (SLP) and right-leaning [[Stenzan Liberal Front]] (SLF). Candidates for both respective parties were Fiva Yeng, who had headed the interim government, and Iakopo Hsin, who was considered a public hero for his role in orchestrating the revolution. The race was initially tight, with no clear winner in sight until ten days before the actual election date of September 25th. It was on this day that Yeng submitted a public statement saying she felt unable to lead the nation, and wished to exercise her support for Hsin. Although the SLP managed to replace Yeng by another candidate before the elections, the SLF won by a decisive victory at 68.3%. Both houses of the Stenzan parliament would also be filled with an SLF majority. | |||
Hsin's presidency has been a step in the right direction for Stenza so far, with many decrees being signed in the first months to continue breaking down oppressive entities of the previous regime, a process the interim government had started. Stenzan borders opened a week few months before Hsin took office, with businesses from around the world being invited to explore Stenza as a market. Stenza now has an infantile tourism industry and multiple airports are being renovated to accommodate frequent international travel comfortably. With Stenza's new outlook on international trade, the relatively cheap Stenzan metals and oil have become a product available to all who wish to import it. Early estimates indicate that Stenza's economy may grow larger than it ever has as a result of these reforms and the start of large scale international trade, with reports indicating that the per capita GDP could grow to $35,000 or even $40,000 by early 2025. | |||
==Geography== | ==Geography== | ||
==Administrative divisions== | ==Administrative divisions== | ||