Difference between revisions of "History of Austria"

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[[Category:Austria]]
 
 
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[[Austria]]'s history spans the entire course of [[eRepublik]], as one of the original nations existing since the beginning. It has experienced several distinct eras - periods of growth, decline, and rebirth - with many key players that helped to define their eras, and the nation.
 
[[Austria]]'s history spans the entire course of [[eRepublik]], as one of the original nations existing since the beginning. It has experienced several distinct eras - periods of growth, decline, and rebirth - with many key players that helped to define their eras, and the nation.
  
 
==Early History (November 2007 - March 2009) ==
 
==Early History (November 2007 - March 2009) ==
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[[File:Flag-Austria.jpg|thumb|[[Austria]]'s history began with the start of [[eRepublik]].]]
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The very earliest times in [[Austria]] remain shrouded in mystery, due to a lack of record keeping. It is suspected that the first months were very sparsely populated. No records have been found for November or December 2007, and thus the first [[List of presidents of Austria|President of Austria]] is completely unknown.
  
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The very earliest times in [[Austria]] remain shrouded in mystery, due to a lack of record keeping. It is suspected that the first months were very sparsely populated. No records have been found for November or December 2007, and thus the first president of Austria is completely unknown.
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During the term of the second president, records begin to appear. Although his name is not listed, the country was reported to have 17 players, and an inactive government. The first known figure, named {{eLink|citizen|9951|frsd}} – a real life Austrian – organized opposition to the government and became the third president of Austria in February 2008. Without a newspaper, there is again little first-hand accounting of this time frame – however due to other records, the government seems to have been well run and the treasury grew. Without the war module having been implemented yet, it was by default a period of peace – with few players, yet a presence of Austrians mixed with foreigners. Among these was {{eLink|citizen|9931|VoXX}}, who would lead the party known as the Austrian Democrats.
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During the term of the second president, records begin to appear. Although his name is not listed, the country was reported to have 17 players, and an inactive government. The first known figure, named [[frsd]] – a real life Austrian – organized opposition to the government and became the third president of Austria in February 2008. Without a newspaper, there is again little first-hand accounting of this time frame – however due to other records, the government seems to have been well run and the treasury grew. Without the war module having been implemented yet, it was by default a period of peace – with few players, yet a presence of Austrians mixed with foreigners. Among these was [[VoXX]], who would lead the party known as the Austrian Democrats.
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===Growth and Conflict (March – May 2008)===
 
===Growth and Conflict (March – May 2008)===
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''See also: [[Socialist Party of Austria]], [[Karantanec]], [[nejcman]], [[Nacionalna stranka Karantanije]], [[Alternative Way]]''
  
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In March 2008, [[VoXX]] was elected the fourth president (it is not clear if frsd ran for re-election). The treasury continued to grow – and Austria grew closer to Sweden, a nation that was, at the time, the most powerful and populous e-nation (and the nation of VoXx's origin). It was during this time that the nation began to grow, largely due to Slovenians joining the game in Austria (as Slovenia had not been added to the game yet). Centering around Salzburg, they founded the Austrian Socialist Party, with [[Emdvojka]] as its leader.
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In March 2008, {{eLink|citizen|9931|VoXX}} was elected the fourth president (it is not clear if {{eLink|citizen|9951|frsd}} ran for re-election). The treasury continued to grow – and Austria grew closer to Sweden, a nation that was, at the time, the most powerful and populous nation (and the nation of VoXx's origin).<ref>{{eLink|article|137322|"The Country Power" - Austria Democrat News}}</ref> It was during this time that the nation began to grow, largely due to Slovenians entering Austria (as Slovenia had not been added to the New World yet).<ref>{{eLink|article|157622|"Uvodnik" Salzburske Novice}}</ref> Centering around Salzburg, they founded the Austrian Socialist Party, with {{eLink|citizen|173002|Emdvojka}} as its leader.
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[[File:Citizen9931.jpg|thumb|{{eLink|citizen|9931|VoXX}} was the 4th [[List of presidents of Austria|President of Austria]].]]
 
With the implementation of the war module, the first conflicts of the world began – including a small clash between Slovakia and Austria – one which ended with the status quo. Meanwhile on the domestic front, the national growth set the stage for one of the first political clashes, with VoXx's incumbency matching up against the new guard in Emdvojka's [[Socialist Party of Austria]]. Arguing that it was his leadership which led to the national growth, and against the inexperience of Emdvojka, ultimately it was the new guard which would sweep to victory in April.
 
With the implementation of the war module, the first conflicts of the world began – including a small clash between Slovakia and Austria – one which ended with the status quo. Meanwhile on the domestic front, the national growth set the stage for one of the first political clashes, with VoXx's incumbency matching up against the new guard in Emdvojka's [[Socialist Party of Austria]]. Arguing that it was his leadership which led to the national growth, and against the inexperience of Emdvojka, ultimately it was the new guard which would sweep to victory in April.
  
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Unwilling to accept the outcome, VoXx emptied the entire treasury of the nation during the closing hours of the presidential race, fleeing to eSweden with a reported 1085 gold. Left to pick up the pieces was the incoming president, Emdvojka. The task would prove difficult, and ultimately there were large disagreements about the best way to move forward. Opponents of the socialistic policies of the government split away, to form the [[Nacionalna stranka Karantanije]] (NSK) under the lead of [[Karantanec]], and later the [[Alternative Way]] (AW) as well, led by [[Nejcman]].
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Unwilling to accept the outcome, VoXx emptied the entire treasury of the nation during the closing hours of the presidential race, fleeing to Sweden with a reported 1085 gold.<ref>{{eLink|article|164871|"Kurčeva kraja ali kaj za kurca?" - Salzburske Novice}}</ref> Left to pick up the pieces was the incoming president, Emdvojka. The task would prove difficult, and ultimately there were large disagreements about the best way to move forward. Opponents of the socialistic policies of the government split away, to form the [[Nacionalna stranka Karantanije]] (NSK) under the lead of [[Karantanec]], and later the [[Alternative Way]] (AW) as well, led by [[nejcman]].
  
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The month of April also saw a new change, with further growth in the population coming from an influx of Italian players. This would prove an issue of contention as well, with the AW and NSK wary of continued immigration, and the SPA supportive. In the May 2008 presidential race, a coalition between the AW and NSK would lead Nejcman to victory over the SPA.
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The month of April also saw a new change, with further growth in the population coming from an influx of Italian players. This would prove an issue of contention as well, with the AW and NSK wary of continued immigration, and the SPA supportive. In the May 2008 presidential race, a coalition between the AW and NSK would lead nejcman to victory over the SPA.
  
 
===Changing of the Guard (May – June 2008)===
 
===Changing of the Guard (May – June 2008)===
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''See also: [[nejcman]], [[Mapplna]], [[Austrian International Movement]]''
  
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During Nejcman's term, hospitals were purchased for several cities, which at the time were essential towards restoring health and at forming a more effective fighting force. The number of Italian players continued to grow, finally forming a party of their own: the [[Austrian International Movement]], led by [[mappina]]. Giving a direct voice to the Italian population, the center-left party formed a natural alliance with the SPA – the only existing party that was not opposed to working with Italians.
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[[File:Citizen178601.jpg|thumb|left|[[nejcman]] was the 6th [[List of presidents of Austria|President of Austria]].]]
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During nejcman's term, hospitals were purchased for several cities, which at the time were essential towards restoring health and at forming a more effective fighting force. The number of Italian players continued to grow, finally forming a party of their own: the [[Austrian International Movement]], led by [[Mapplna]]. Giving a direct voice to the Italian population, the center-left party formed a natural alliance with the SPA – the only existing party that was not opposed to working with Italians.
  
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The AIM's influence would prove decisive in the June 2008 election, as they backed the SPA's candidate, sheeptar, over Nejcman (backed by the AW and NSK). In a replay of April's election, outgoing president Nejcman would take with him the entire treasury of eAustria – this time a reported 2000 gold.
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The AIM's influence would prove decisive in the June 2008 election, as they backed the SPA's candidate, {{eLink|citizen|184162|sheeptar}}, over nejcman (backed by the AW and NSK). In a replay of April's election, outgoing president nejcman would take with him the entire treasury of Austria – this time a reported 2000 gold.
  
 
For the second time in two months, the incoming president was faced with a tall order of dealing with a massive economic setback. But with the creation of the nation of Slovenia, many of the previous citizens would depart for the new country, causing even more economic turmoil and a collapse in the value of the ATS. With far fewer Slovenian players remaining, politics saw turnover as well. The AIM was left in a new role as the dominant party of the nation. How they would handle this new role would prove vital: seeking to work with people of all nationalities and move past the previous disputes, the stage was set for what many would regard as a golden age in Austria.
 
For the second time in two months, the incoming president was faced with a tall order of dealing with a massive economic setback. But with the creation of the nation of Slovenia, many of the previous citizens would depart for the new country, causing even more economic turmoil and a collapse in the value of the ATS. With far fewer Slovenian players remaining, politics saw turnover as well. The AIM was left in a new role as the dominant party of the nation. How they would handle this new role would prove vital: seeking to work with people of all nationalities and move past the previous disputes, the stage was set for what many would regard as a golden age in Austria.
  
 
===The Austrian International Movement (July 2008 - January 2009) ===
 
===The Austrian International Movement (July 2008 - January 2009) ===
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''See also: [[Mapplna]], [[Aanok Tourmil]], [[Danny Boodmann T. D. Lemon Nov]], [[PEACE GC]]''
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[[File:Citizen244081.jpg|thumb|100px|[[Mapplna]] served 3 consecutive terms as a President of Austria]]
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Elected president in July 2008, Mapplna would set a new standard for presidents of Austria in many ways. Proving a very active player, she brought Austria into a more prominent role in the world stage - first joining the [[Mediterranean Alliance]] and then its successor, [[PEACE GC]], as a founding member. While previous months saw vast turnover from month to month in the government, by incorporating different players of differing views (and nationalities), a growing sense of national identity was able to be fostered beyond the more fractured community of previous months.
  
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Elected president in July 2008, mappina would set a new standard for presidents of Austria in many ways. Proving a very active player, she brought Austria into a more prominent role in the world stage - first joining the [[Mediterannean Alliance]] and then its successor, [[PEACE GC]], as a founding member. While previous months saw vast turnover from month to month in the government, by incorporating different players of differing views (and nationalities), a growing sense of national identity was able to be fostered beyond the more fractured community of previous months.
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For the first time in Austrian history, an incumbent president was re-elected in August - and then a month later, re-elected again. Serving three consecutive terms, a gold standard was set which future presidents would seek to emulate in the coming years.  
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For the first time in eAustrian history, an incumbent president was re-elected in August - and then a month later, re-elected again. Serving three consecutive terms, a gold standard was set which future presidents would seek to emulate in the coming years.
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While mappina proved very popular, this time period was not without its disagreements, with [[Chicco]] staking out a position as leader of the opposition, largely over economic issues. Nonetheless, the AIM would have an undeniably dominant role in eAustrian politics - at its height containing over 110 members. After three months as president, mappina would step aside in favor of her chosen successor, Aanok Tourmil, who would continue her policies. mappina herself would, however, leave Austria for Italy after the completion of her final term.
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While Mapplna proved very popular, this time period was not without its disagreements, with [[Chicco]] staking out a position as leader of the opposition, largely over economic issues. Nonetheless, the AIM would have an undeniably dominant role in Austrian politics - at its height containing over 110 members. After three months as president, Mapplna would step aside in favor of her chosen successor, Aanok Tourmil, who would continue her policies. Mapplna herself would, however, leave Austria for Italy after the completion of her final term.
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[[File:Citizen193401.jpg|222px|left|thumb|[[Aanok Tourmil]] served two terms as a President of Austria]]
 
October saw the emergence of a new factor in Austria: Serbian players who awaited the addition of their country. Like Slovenians before them, they looked to Austria as a place to make their mark in the meantime. Remembering the recent past where they represented the untrusted newcomers, Aanok and the AIM looked cooperatively towards the new immigrants and sought common ground in order to strengthen the country. Choosing not to run again, Aanok supported [[Danny Boodmann T. D. Lemon Nov]], also of the AIM, as his successor.
 
October saw the emergence of a new factor in Austria: Serbian players who awaited the addition of their country. Like Slovenians before them, they looked to Austria as a place to make their mark in the meantime. Remembering the recent past where they represented the untrusted newcomers, Aanok and the AIM looked cooperatively towards the new immigrants and sought common ground in order to strengthen the country. Choosing not to run again, Aanok supported [[Danny Boodmann T. D. Lemon Nov]], also of the AIM, as his successor.
  
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Despite the successes in establishing a far more stable state of affairs - and a more prominent role for Austria - interest began to wane in many members of the AIM, who left for Italy. This was accelerated by the implementation of "Version 1" of eRepublik, which brought many changes to game mechanics. It also marked a final end of the Austrian International Movement. Aanok Tourmil was one of the remaining players of the former party, who sought to turn around the sense of decline. Forming the [[Austrian Liberal Party]] out of the AIM's ashes, the month of December saw a push for a finalization of the constitution of Austria. But the momentum was not there, and the balance of power shifted once again, this time from the Italian-centered parties towards the Serbian-centered [[Austrian-Serbian Alliance]], which gained even non-Serbian supporters such as [[Q J Lincoln]].
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Despite the successes in establishing a far more stable state of affairs - and a more prominent role for Austria - interest began to wane in many members of the AIM, who left for Italy. This was accelerated by the implementation of "Version 1" of eRepublik, which brought many changes to game mechanics. It also marked a final end of the Austrian International Movement. Aanok Tourmil was one of the remaining players of the former party, who sought to turn around the sense of decline. Forming the Austrian Liberal Party out of the AIM's ashes, the month of December saw a push for finalization of the constitution of Austria. But the momentum was not there, and the balance of power shifted once again, this time from the Italian-centered parties towards the Serbian-centered [[Austrian-Serbian Alliance]], which gained even non-Serbian supporters such as [[Q J Lincoln]].
  
 
===Months of Turmoil (January - March 2009)===
 
===Months of Turmoil (January - March 2009)===
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[[File:Citizen1129661.jpg|222px|thumb|Center|Azoo Lazzo - With full support of Austrians and Serbs, he became first Serbian president in eRepublik and first Serbian president of Austria on January 6th.]]
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''See also: [[Azoo Lazzo]], [[Austrian-Serbian Alliance]], [[Hrvat]], [[Germany-Austria]], [[Chicco]], [[Austria-PEACE Resistance War]]''
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Elected president in January 2009 with broad support of his own party and the remaining ALP members, [[Azoo Lazzo]] arrival was marked with a hope that this transition would be a smooth one. However, with no activity in the first 10 days, and no ministers appointed, suspicions began to grow to the otherwise. Finally, on January 16th, the first action occured: a theft of the entire Austrian treasury. Although Azoo initially played it off as a "mistake," the complicated steps required to transfer the large sum of money left a documented trail which was discovered by [[Hrvat]], [[Q J Lincoln]], and other loyalists.
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[[File:Citizen1129661.jpg|222px|thumb|Center|[[Azoo Lazzo]] became the 12th [[List of Austrian Presidents|President of Austria]] with broad support.]]
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Elected president in January 2009 with broad support of his own party and the remaining ALP members, [[Azoo Lazzo]] arrival was marked with a hope that this transition would be a smooth one. However, with no activity in the first 10 days, and no ministers appointed, suspicions began to grow to the otherwise. Finally, on January 16th, the first action occurred: {{eLink|article|722946|a theft of the entire Austrian treasury}}. Although Azoo initially played it off as a "mistake," the complicated steps required to transfer the large sum of money left a documented trail which was discovered by [[Hrvat]], [[Q J Lincoln]], and other loyalists.
  
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The outcry was immediate, with many members of Azoo's own party taking a harsh stance against his actions. With the creation of eSerbia, eAustria saw yet another mass exodus, and the economic damage from the theft was compounded further. Through negotiations, a return of some of the stolen funds was achieved - but the damage had been done. Dispirited by the massive betrayal, and far reduced in population, some eAustrian players began to consider different ways forward.
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The outcry was immediate, with many members of Azoo's own party taking a harsh stance against his actions. With the creation of [[Serbia]], Austria saw yet another mass exodus, and the economic damage from the theft was compounded further. Through negotiations, a return of most of the stolen funds and all public companies was achieved - but the damage had been done. Dispirited by the massive betrayal, and far reduced in population, some Austrian players began to consider different ways forward.
  
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[[Chicco]] revealed his run for the presidency of Austria shortly before the February presidential elections. In his manifesto, he put forward many policies that he believed would rebuild Austria, but most of all he stated that "Austria is not a viable nation". He proposed to combine with another nearby nation for the good of Austria and he promised that, if elected, he would start diplomatic talks with the Presidents of all neighboring nations.
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[[File:Citizen314911 v2.png|thumb|left|[[Chicco]] was the 13th President, implementing the [[Germany-Austria|Austria German Union]].]][[Chicco]] revealed his run for the presidency of Austria shortly before the February presidential elections. In his manifesto, he put forward many policies that he believed would rebuild Austria, but most of all he stated that "Austria is not a viable nation." He proposed to combine with another nearby nation for the good of Austria and he promised that, if elected, he would start diplomatic talks with the Presidents of all neighboring nations.
  
 
This proved to be a highly contentious idea, as some refused to give up on the idea of an independent, sovereign Austria despite the recent setbacks. Nonetheless, Chicco was elected president against [[Silent Bob]], a candidate who favored an even more extreme step of handing over all regions to Hungary immediately. As President, Chicco announced that it had been agreed with Germany to unite both nations as [[Germany-Austria|Austria-German Union]].
 
This proved to be a highly contentious idea, as some refused to give up on the idea of an independent, sovereign Austria despite the recent setbacks. Nonetheless, Chicco was elected president against [[Silent Bob]], a candidate who favored an even more extreme step of handing over all regions to Hungary immediately. As President, Chicco announced that it had been agreed with Germany to unite both nations as [[Germany-Austria|Austria-German Union]].
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==Rebirth (April 2009 - February 2010) ==
 
==Rebirth (April 2009 - February 2010) ==
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The defining issue of the time immediately preceding this been settled: the few remaining players were committed to an independent Austria. While this task was not disputed, the challenge would be how to accomplish it - returning regions and stabilizing the country. By the end of this era, this would be accomplished.
 
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===Rot Weiss Rot (April 2009 - September 2009) ===
 
===Rot Weiss Rot (April 2009 - September 2009) ===
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''See also: [[Metallon]], [[Rot Weiss Rot]], [[Lynari]]''
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[[File:Citizen175712.jpg|thumb|[[Metallon]] was the 15th and 17th President of Austria, serving three total terms in 2009 (April, May, September).]]
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[[Metallon]] had been a key figure in working with [[PEACE GC]] in the resistance wars, and was a natural choice to lead the small country now. By a unanimous vote of 17-0, he was elected president of Austria in April 2009 from the [[Rot Weiss Rot]] (RWR) party, and the government began the job of yet again picking up the pieces. Metallon favored a policy of cautious restoration of regions: with most still being held by Italy, Slovenia, and Hungary, it helped to reduce the open seats available in congress and deter would be-PTOers. The monetary market was put on a slow, but stable path as well, and state companies were constructed after the loss of the previous in the failed union.
  
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The community that remained in Austria, though small, of course had differing views in politics. But these issues proved secondary towards the central challenges: the community was largely cohesive and willing to work together in these early days. The leader of the anti-AGU effort, Metallon, was a natural choice to act as leader now. He had worked with Hungary, Slovenia, and Italy in the previous war to end the AGU - now he would work with them on securing a responsible return of the occupied regions, using the ties he had built previously.
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After a re-election in May (the first successful re-election since Mapplna nearly a year earlier), he handed his support over to [[Lynari]], also of the RWR, in June. The summer months would see the beginning of [[World War III]] - an effort which saw the nations of PEACE GC move into the former nations of the now fallen alliance [[ATLANTIS]]. This became a growing issue of contention, as liberal advocates opposed involvement in what they deemed a "war of revenge" on one side, while others in the RWR favored full support of the effort. The [[Osterreich Independence Party]] (ÖIP) formed in this environment in opposition to wars of conquest (led by [[Travis James]], containing members of many nationalities bound together by the party's liberal leanings. The [[Illuminus Austria]] (IA) would follow suit, forming as advocates of expansion (led by [[Dio Jazar|Jazar]]), and containing largely Brazilian players in Austria.
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Metallon founded the first - and for a time only - party in this new Austria - the Rot Weiss Rot. The patriotic name outlined again the main goal of securing an independent Austria. While the RWR would act more or less as a “catch-all” party in its earliest days, allowing all people in the community to run for office, it certainly tilted towards social democracy overall as this was the leanings of the leadership.
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While some would call for an immediate return of all regions, Metallon favored a slow return - with just 1 region, only 10 congress seats would be up for a vote. As there was no such thing as citizenship at that time, anyone could move in and run for a seat. If all 40 seats were being contested, regular players could easily be outnumbered by people who simply moved at the last minute to run. Thus it was preferred to deal only with 10 seats at first before eAustria grew.
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Metallon would represent the RWR in the first two presidential elections of this era, each time running unopposed (17-0 in April, 43-0 in May). With few people in the nation at all, few were in the government - in fact, for much of his terms he would be listed as the only member of the cabinet. This meant that the president was a very important role, responsible for most tasks. Likewise, the small congress was not very influential at this time: most decisions were deferred to the president.
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After his two terms, Metallon chose Lynari to be his successor - who took a different tact to the presidency as Austria continued to grow. The cabinet would be expanded as more players were included - and Lynari struck a more collaborative tone with players. Though undoubtedly, the presidency remained in control of decision-making.
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This diplomatic tact was shown abroad as well - Lynari would gain Germany's formal recognition of Austrian independence late in his first term, turning a page and setting the place for what would eventually become an alliance in later months.
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While the RWR was undoubtedly the most influential party of this era, it would not stay the only party. This era saw a large amount of growth in the community as regions slowly returned, and as the community grew, divisions became more visible as well. Socialists would be the first to form a new party - the Socialist Party of Austria (SP) - led by Primeminister Keogh, with Ministry of Finance Robert Knotsworth being a prominent member. They favored a more active government, in particular, in the realm of helping new citizens, through the creation of government programs.
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Next to form was the Illuminus Austria by Antonio Salgado in July - an expansionist party with an emphasis on experienced players, and closer ties with PEACE GC. While they agreed with the near-term goal of regaining Austria’s regions, they also wanted to expand past these borders and conquer new territories afterwards.
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And finally, it would see the Osterreich Independence Party (ÖIP) form in August with Travis James as its founder - a liberal party favoring a peaceful foreign policy and less expansive government. While it would be critical towards the government’s economic policy, it differed greatest with the Illuminus Austria’s vision for expansion.
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As these parties grew, towards the later part of this era, there would be more strains showing between the groups. Yet Lynari, leader of the RWR, would remain a popular president. More centrist than Metallon, he was able to diplomatically walk the line between the now growing parties and their different ideals. These other parties would be included into the cabinet, and find an ability to influence policy. After Metallon’s two terms, Lynari would be elected to three terms in this period, each by a large margin in his own right (65.12%, 63.79%, 69.31%).
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The RWR’s dominant and largely uncontested role defined this period - as did the quest for returning all regions. In late August, this quest would come to its successful end with the return of the final region - Burgenland - to Austria from Hungary. With the defining challenge of the era having been met, the greatest force keeping the different factions together was no more. Austria had begun this era numbering in the 10’s - 17 votes were cast in April - now it numbered in the hundreds (over 100 votes were cast in August).
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Fittingly, the “One Party Era” came to a definitive end when the Illuminus Austria (IA) ended its support of the RWR, challenging them for the Presidency in September 2009, and for dominance in Austrian politics
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===Assertive IA (August - September 2009) ===
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Previously supportive of the Rot Weiss Rot (RWR), the Illuminus Austria (IA) found its moment. Having grown significantly in the last few months, especially from international players who moved to Austria, it broke with the RWR, pushing for an expansionist foreign policy, and a more active role in the broader world war. There was a plan to attract PEACE GC “tanks” - powerful soldiers - to move to Austria, along with influential members of the alliance. Dischmcds was among these players to join - a multi-term president in the eUK and eMexico. Along with strengthening the Austrian army and Austria’s influence in PEACE GC, these new players helped solidify the IA’s position in Austrian politics.
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They also found a huge boost when Metallon - the original founder of the RWR - moved to the IA and agreed to run for president under their banner. But President Lynari, fresh off the success of seeing all regions returned, and still personally very popular, was not ready to step aside. He entered the race for what would be an unprecedented fourth consecutive term. He found support from the liberal Osterreich Independence Party (ÖIP), which had grown since its founding. As it favored a peaceful, defensive foreign policy - and was opposed to mass immigration - the RWR was a natural ally against the IA, even if the RWR was not wholly signed onto their same agenda.
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In the first contest (September 2009) pitting the two key figures of the previous era against each other, Metallon came out ahead - delivering a win to the newly dominant IA - over Lynari and the RWR (47.79% to 44.85%).
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September would see several changes in Austria, including a significant turnover in the cabinet, with many longtime RWR members being replaced by the IA. This set the stage for one of the most contentious months politically in Austria, as many people who had been pushed into the unfamiliar position of being outside the government - essentially being “out of work.” While the RWR had previously been known as a conciliatory party when it held the presidency, it quickly assumed the role of critical opposition. Arguments frequently turned bitter, and the media saw many articles from both members of the IA and RWR facing off, including through government papers.
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Militarily, Austria had been involved in operations abroad in previous months, but in September this greatly increased. It saw the first “common hit times” take place, particularly with a deployment into Canada to aid an allied invasion force. To go with this was a significant increase in funding to the alliance’s effort. 200 gold was designated for the alliance - far more than most nations would give, even though Austria was still among the smallest nations. This donation would become controversial amongst some Austrians, and was another issue of contention.
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Minister of Finance Olorum led the ministry in a policy of issuing more currency, in order to lower the overall value of the ATS (during this time, there was not a universal currency - each nation had their own). This was done with the plan to make Austria more competitive in the export market, but came under criticism particularly from the ÖIP, which favored keeping the ATS value stable.
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===Rising ÖIP (September - November 2009) ===
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As with the IA, the ÖIP saw growth during August. But September would present a new opportunity. Increasingly, the feuding between the IA and RWR became perceived as personal. Even though the ÖIP had far greater differences with the IA than the RWR did - and the ÖIP certainly participated in criticisms - it stuck strictly to policy and politics under Travis James’ leadership. This significantly raised its profile and earned new members who grew tired of the other parties.
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As well, the central push of the party - a defensive, peaceful foreign policy - grew increasingly popular by Austrians, wary of too much involvement (both military and monetary) in the world war, and to the impacts of being an “international state.” Missteps by the IA - by far the most vocal proponent of expansion - increased this further.
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As September wound down, Metallon sought re-election in October for a fourth overall term, with a planned invasion of the Czech Republic as a top agenda item. Lynari considered running again under the RWR, but declined. During Metallon’s term, the RWR begun a decline from which it would not recover, as members headed for other parties. Though it was once the largest party, it now fell behind the IA.
+
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+
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Seeking a candidate to challenge Metallon, instead they turned to the ÖIP - now ranked 3rd overall - who put forward Rangeley, a congress member, as their candidate in October. While the Socialist Party had not supported either candidate in September, the ÖIP openly sought them as a political ally, and would find common ground with Party President Arthur Reynolds on issues of foreign policy. On this issue as well, they would find common ground with the newly formed nationalist party, the National Front of Austria, led by Alfred Ball.
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+
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The October presidential race saw IA’s Metallon against the ÖIP’s Rangeley - with the backing of the RWR, SP, and NFA. This race would see yet another turnover of power: the ÖIP came out on top (51.33% to 40.67%).
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The new ÖIP government understood it was in a tenuous position - winning only with the backing of a broad, potentially shaky coalition. It would take a delicate balancing act to not only enact changes, but also see them upheld in future elections. While Metallon had approached the presidency as a commander, Rangeley approached it more politically. Prominent members of the previous months cabinet were given a chance to continue in their roles. Although some declined, ultimately the cabinet would include members from all major parties, including IA member Dishmcds as Minister of Finance. And the cabinet was directed to avoid media-warring, with the president instead directly addressing complaints in regular updates.
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+
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The first Constitution of Austria - which had been drafted during the previous month - was signed into law, an initiative that had backing from all parties. But on foreign policy, change would be swift: the first military order given was to withdraw from all offensive operations, sticking strictly to defensive battles. Likewise, the plan to invade the Czech Republic was scrapped entirely; instead, a deal promising mutual respect and sovereignty between Austria and the Czech Republic was brokered. This would receive criticism from the IA, which still aimed its sights towards expansion.
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+
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On economic policy, there would be softer shifts. Government programs aiding new players, which had expanded greatly over the past few months, remained the centerpiece of the Socialist Party’s agenda - a key backer of the ÖIP-led government. These were expanded, yet at the same time, their funding method was changed from tax money, to being entirely donation based, favored by the liberal ÖIP. With less money being spent on military operations as well, the focus was placed on stockpiling after the heavy spending of September - and away from manipulating the monetary market. Instead, Minister of Finance Dishmcds worked to stabilize the exchange rates.
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+
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Although tensions had cooled from the heights of the previous month, there still remained vast disagreements about which course to take - and the more vocal members of the IA were very critical of the ÖIP-led government and its policies. Meanwhile, the IA continued to grow, in part due to the continued decline of the RWR, and in part due to continued immigration. By this point in time, citizenship had been introduced, and the IA held more citizenship approvals than other parties due to their strong representation in congress.
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+
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The November race saw the IA again challenge the ÖIP and it’s supporting coalition of the RWR, SP, and NFA. Though there was speculation that Metallon might mount a bid to retake the presidency, he would decline - as would Dishmcds. Instead, Querb, a military commander within PEACE GC, represented the party. What would follow was one of the closest elections in Austrian history. By a single vote, the ÖIP came out on top (50.33% to 49.67%).
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+
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===Political Re-allignment (November - December 2010) ===
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This would prove significant - after two months of radical turnover, November re-affirmed - if by the narrowest of margins - the ÖIP’s policies. It would be a turning point for the IA, as it began to lose members. The surprising collapse of the PEACE GC alliance a few days later also removed one of the central concepts of the IA, and after this double-blow many of its members would leave for other nations. The remaining members of the IA would begin a reform under its new leader, the more liberal Oraizan, that saw it abandon its focus on expansion - while still emphasizing the importance of experience and cooperation with allies.
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+
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The collapse of PEACE GC would affect the National Front of Austria as well. Since its founding as a party in September, the NFA had grown greatly: taking a nationalistic line, it favored total withdrawal from PEACE GC. This increasingly began to cause problems with the ÖIP-led government - tensions which seemed destined to come to head until the alliance collapsed in mid-November. With this surprising turn, foreign policy became an area where all major parties essentially agreed to the status quo: remaining outside of an alliance officially, with close cooperation with allied nations.
+
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+
−
But as one issue is settled, more always arise. With foreign policy off the table, the old coalitions would disband - parties would now fight in this new environment for the political future of the country.
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+
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By December, with the changes in the political environment, the coalition of the previous two months was no more. Four candidates ran for president - all four in agreement on foreign policy. Now, other issues would begin to take prominence. The ÖIP again fielded Rangeley, with the RWR’s backing. Wanting to further solidify their mark, the ÖIP aimed for a continuation of the previous months policies and for increased military assistance to allied France.
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+
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The NFA backed Minister of Defense Alfred Ball. With more of a military focus, the nationalist NFA aimed for a re-organization of the military after the departure of most of its heavy fighters as members of the IA left for other nations. The IA backed Chief of Staff Oraizan, who found support from the remaining IA members - including Metallon - while the Socialist Party backed its new party president, MachtGeil. The new leadership of the party was much more ideological, and less interested in political coalitions - wanting instead to raise its profile by being more assertive. In this divided field, Rangeley won a third term with 41.61% of the vote.
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+
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The December presidential race revealed the internal breakdown of what had formerly been the coalition against the IA, and would show hints of the political battles to come, as the NFA came in a strong second place - their form of nationalism now presenting the biggest competitor to the ÖIP. Though in December itself, tensions would remain low.
+
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+
−
Meanwhile, other shifts were still occurring: the cabinet began to slowly grow in influence and power, beyond what had been seen in previous months. Meeting regularly in IRC, this began to create a closer network of players that would provide increasing consistency from month to month.
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+
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Another significant change was the growth of the real-life Austrian population. Even as eAustria grew during the summer of 2009, few of the active players were real life Austrians. By late 2009, the number had grown larger, including Vreath in November, and OEBernd in December. The government sought to reach out to Austrian players who might not speak English as well, through German translations of articles - a program undertaken by Minister of Translation Borojevic von Bonjar, himself a real life Austrian.
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Borojevic would rise to prominence in his own right during December. Elected leader of the RWR, he reformed it into the Kronloyale Union Party (KU). Unlike the RWR, which had been in decline since September, the KU was an openly conservative party. The change would would be significant, as the KU began to grow.
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After three consecutive terms, Rangeley did not run in January 2010. Instead, the NFA again fielded then Minister of Defense Alfred Ball against the newly formed Kronloyale Union’s candidate, Borojevic von Bonjar. The ÖIP would sit out the race officially, as both candidates had close ties to the party, allowing members to vote their conscience. The election saw the NFA come out on top, 56% to 44%.
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+
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===Conservative Coalition (January - February 2010) ===
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The National Front of Austria brought a different style to the government. While Alfred Ball would largely continue the foreign policy of the previous government - Rangeley was appointed as Minister of Foreign Affairs - there was a new focus on military organization. With the decline of the IA - which formed the backbone of the army - Austria’s strength on the battlefield had been reduced. It became necessary to find the “next generation” of fighters and commanders, which the government made a focus. Nonetheless, the force continued to be used defensively, mostly helping France against a Spanish invasion.
+
  
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Economic policy likewise saw a continuation from the previous government, as the ÖIP’s stoneman was maintained as Minister of Finance. But domestic affairs saw a significant change in tone. While the ÖIP-led government was totally averse to any media-warring, the NFA viewed it as a recruiting tool, with the Socialist Party as their target. These disputes were both on policy and of a personal nature, which drew some criticism from the ÖIP and IA for the latter, as being inappropriate actions for the government. The strategy, however, was to some extent successful in boosting party morale and membership.
+
[[Lynari]] would remain a popular figure to both crowds in the growing country, and was re-elected in July, and then in August by wide margins. But as Austria became whole again in the end of September - having grown again into the hundreds of players (of numerous nationalities) - the stage was set for a new confrontation.
  
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This began to draw a new dividing line in Austrian politics, which saw the more nationalist NFA on one side, and the more liberal ÖIP on the other. The final election of this era saw this dividing line tested somewhat, with the NFA throwing its support behind the conservative KU and their candidate, Borojevic von Bonjar, in an alliance of the more conservative parties. The ÖIP would back the IA’s candidate, Oraizan - a party alliance unthinkable just a few months earlier. The Socialist Party would run its own candidate however, again seeking to raise its profile, in a move that made the field more divided. Ultimately, with the IA still depleted and the KU on the rise, Borojevic’s KU came out on top (40.51% over Oraizan’s 34.81%), with the Socialist Party’s Stancel in third (13.92%).
+
===The IA vs ÖIP (August - November 2009) ===
 +
''See also: [[Osterreich Independence Party]], [[Illuminus Austria]], [[Metallon]], [[Rangeley]]''
 +
[[file:Citizen645501.jpg|thumb|left||[[Lynari]] served three consecutive terms as the President, from June through August 2009.]]
  
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Although not a direct competition between the two parties, the result could be seen as the NFA outboxing the ÖIP for the first time, as they now endorsed opposing candidates. It would be the first setback for the party after its period of success through the latter part of 2009.
+
With Lynari seeking an unprecedented fourth term, Metallon entered the race for a third term of his own, under the Illuminus Austria party. Against a coalition of the RWR and ÖIP, he came out on top and was elected president in September 2009. During this month, Austria increased its role in [[World War III]], and a focus on growing the military and attracting strong international fighters. It would be this month that the ÖIP would emerge from the RWR's shadow, and in the October 2009 election run its own candidate, [[Rangeley]]. Organizing a coalition of disparate parties, Rangeley faced off against Metallon, who planned to invade the [[Czech Republic]]. Rangeley was elected president.
 +
[[File:Citizen152181.jpg|thumb|[[Rangeley]] served three consecutive terms as President, from October through December 2009.]]
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The cabinet was made to include members from all parties, notably including IA member [[Dishmcds]] as Austria's Minister of Finance. However, the month saw several immediate changes, including an end to war planning against the [[Czech Republic]] - instead a "shared statement of principles" was signed between the nations vowing peaceful relations. The government strongly rejected expansionism, instead believing that diplomacy with neighbors was essential towards long-term stability. Participation in hostile campaigns within [[World War III]] likewise ended, strictly focusing on defensive battles on behalf of allies. These moves strongly angered elements of the [[Illuminus Austria]], who favored expansion, and the month saw continued confrontations between political factions.
  
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The election of Borojevic von Bonjar brought a real-life Austrian to the presidency for the first time, a group which continued to grow. In the previous month, Penegrin (KU), PrinceOfAustria (NFA), and samu-l (NFA) all joined the game. Borojevic would not continue the media war of his predecessor, taking a more moderate tact, and instead his term began relatively calmly - representing the overall strategy of the KU towards conservative realism.
+
The final passage of the [[Constitution of Austria]] - a long sought after goal - was achieved early in the month (which notably forbade any formal or legal union with another nation). With a donation-based method of funding implemented for the Austrian Red Cross, the government likewise sought to cut expenses and take a more conservative stance on the monetary markets. In the November race, the IA fielded {{eLink|citizen|1484698|Querb}} as their candidate on another expansionist platform. By the narrowest of margins (76 to 75), Rangeley was re-elected president in November.
  
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Where the February election might have been read as a success for the NFA, some key members left the party early in the month, including party president Alfred Ball. The NFA was now led by Kaiser Alex. This signalled a decline in the NFA, as it would now be the KU which found itself in the most dominant political role - albeit in one that was still very competitive.
+
This would prove a turning point, as soon nations in [[PEACE GC]] would begin to leave the alliance, including [[Brazil]] (where many members of the IA hailed from, and would return to). Though the ÖIP  had been critical of the expansionist policies of PEACE GC, Austria remained in the alliance until the end, (and arguably never left, as no vote was held to do so).
  
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The consensus on foreign policy was stable, even in an environment with other shifts. It is interesting to think how things may have played out, had they the chance. But this era’s end would come not with any internal events; instead it would be swept away with the Croatian invasion of Austria in early February 2010.
+
===Political Re-alignment (November 2009 - February 2010) ===
 +
''See also: [[Kronloyale Union (2010)]], [[Alfred Ball]], [[National Front Austria]], [[Borojevic von Bonjar]]''
 +
[[File:Citizen1528302 v2.jpg|left|thumb|[[Alfred Ball]] served as the 19th [[List of presidents of Austria|President of Austria]].]]
 +
The most significant outcome of these events was a re-alignment of the political alliances, as the pro-expansion movement all but collapsed with the IA falling far in membership. The ÖIP would represent a liberal strain of Austrian politics, while the NFA took on the mantle of a more conservative nationalism; these two forces would define the next few months politically. The December 2010 presidential race saw [[Rangeley]] elected to a third consecutive term over the NFA's [[Alfred Ball]] and [[Illuminus Austria]]'s [[Oraizan]]. In this month, Austria became heavily involved in defending [[France]] against a Spanish invasion. As well, the government placed a major focus on reaching out to German speaking real-life Austrians, offering translations of updates and other outreach programs, with the belief that ultimately this would be the future of the country.
  
 +
Choosing not to run for a fourth consecutive term, [[Rangeley]] stepped aside and the January 2010 election saw the NFA's [[Alfred Ball]] face off against the newly formed [[Kronloyale Union (2010)|Kronloyale Union's]] [[Borojevic von Bonjar]]. Alfred Ball succeeded, and the month saw a continuation of involvement in the defense of France, and an emphasis on military involvement. In February, a new coalition formed between the conservative leaning parties of the NFA and KU, facing off against what would previously be an unthinkable alliance of the OIP and IA, who backed [[Oraizan]]. Borojevic would be the first real-life Austrian president since {{eLink|citizen|9951|frsd}} was elected exactly 2 years earlier.
  
 
== War with EDEN (February 2010 - November 2010) ==
 
== War with EDEN (February 2010 - November 2010) ==
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{{main|First Croatia-Austria War}}
+
From mid November 2009, through early February 2010, Austria's political sphere saw liberal (OIP, IA) and conservative (NFA, KU) forces face off. Even so, there was broad agreement on foreign affairs: a rejection of expansion, and continued support for the former nations of [[PEACE GC]]. In the aftermath of PEACE's collapse, [[EDEN]] had regained lost regions and even began to push its advantage. In February 2010, this brought [[EDEN]] to [[Austria]]'s doorstep.
  
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===The Croatian War===
+
===Croatian Invasion (February - March 2010)===
 +
''See also: [[First Croatia-Austria War]], [[Borojevic von Bonjar]], [[Oraizan]], [[Hedera]]
 +
[[File:Citizen1704415.jpg|thumb|President [[Borojevic von Bonjar]] rejected [[Croatia]]'s offer.]]
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Early in [[Borojevic von Bonjar]]'s term, he was faced with a major crisis: [[Croatia]] demanded passage through the country, en route to attacking [[France]]. Refusal would lead to a "permanent occupation" of Austria as punishment. Though Croatian fighters by far outnumbered Austria's, [[Borojevic von Bonjar|Borojevic]] refused to betray Austria's allies, and rejected the offer. Croatia launched its war - yet became entangled by a series of military manoeuvres conducted by [[Austria]], [[Slovenia]], and [[Hungary]]. Moving roughly half-way through the country, Croatia's advance was halted, and a series of resistance wars liberated the country completely by late February.
  
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Borojevic von Bonjar had just begun his term as president. With the backing of the KU and NFA, it was a hard fought win, and he sought to embark on a series of initiatives, such as increasing national exports, taking a look at reforming the constitution, and strengthening ties to neighboring allies. But on February 9th 2010, he would be contacted by Croatian diplomat Djani Ujkan Marich with an offer that would dramatically change the course of his presidency.
+
[[File:Citizen1338829 v2.jpg|thumb|left|President [[Oraizan]] led the effort to remove [[Croatia]] from Austria.]]
 +
Due to time constraints, [[Borojevic von Bonjar|Borojevic]] would resign mid-term, to allow [[Oraizan]] to continue the time intensive war as president. Throughout the whole effort, a powerful war cabinet was constructed which contained many figures from previous administrations, such as [[Metallon]] and [[Rangeley]], who brought every resource to bear against the much more powerful foe. While proving pivotal in the military campaign, it caused some problems politically, as animosities stood in the way of presenting a truly united front in the March 2010 presidential race. Instead, the lack of unity led to the election of a largely unknown candidate - [[Hedera]] - powered in large part by multi accounts.
  
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Croatia had long desired to attack France - but the most attempted path (Slovenia -> Italy) was exceedingly difficult. A less direct path would require passing through Austria, once they reached Austria’s border, then moving west through Switzerland. Both nations would appear easier targets than Italy and Slovenia. Easier still than fighting, was if Austria allowed Croatia to pass through. Thus, Croatia offered that in exchange for Austria retreating battles against them, Croatia promised to return the regions afterwards, and pay gold for damages.
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Retreating the entire country to [[Poland]] (Croatia's ally) and likewise stealing the treasury, it seemed the previous month's successes had been wiped away in a single move - and likely that [[Croatia]] would now succeed in moving through Austria. Yet the previous war cabinet, acting now as a "shadow government" under Oraizan's lead, worked again with allies and accomplished just that - halting passage and removing Poland as well. [[Hedera]] would be impeached, and in the March race for president there would be no repeat of disunity: a strong consensus backed [[stoneman]] for president.
  
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Borojevic, after meeting directly with Djani Ujkan Marich, presented the offer to the cabinet, where it was heatedly debated. As well, Oraizan, the IA’s candidate in the February election, weighed in on the issue. The ÖIP and IA strongly opposed the deal: France was a strong ally of Austria’s, and being complicit in Croatia’s attack would be a betrayal. It was not clear at this time if Croatia would try to pass through without Austria’s permission; even if Austria was unable to stop them, however, it would be important to have tried. Borojevic agreed, and the offer was officially declined.
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===The Fight for Austria (April - May 2010)===
 +
''See also: [[stoneman]], [[89Djani|Djani Ujkan Marich]], [[Rangeley]]''
 +
[[File:Citizen1436159.jpg|thumb|[[stoneman]] served as [[List of presidents of Austria|President of Austria]] in April 2010.]]
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[[stoneman]] (of the [[Osterreich Independence Party]]) began the job of rebuilding the [[Austria]]n economy after the damage caused by Hedera, and was aided in part by a respite from the invasions. [[Penegrin]] (of the [[Kronloyale Union (2010)|KU]]) was appointed the Minister of Welfare, in charge of administrating new companies tasked with keeping the economy afloat. But in the congressional races later that month, Croatians [[Political takeover|PTOers]] would succeed in gaining a narrow majority, transferring around 400 gold (and equivalent currencies) from the treasury. Worse, gold was donated back into the treasury to be issued as currency, multiplying the PTO's gains.
  
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Croatia had hoped for permission, but made it clear they did not require it: on February 11th war was declared, with the war officially commencing on February 12th, 2010. Diplomat Djani Ujkan Marich presented Croatia’s new offer to Austria: retreat all regions, allowing Croatia through without a fight, or be forced to pay 300 gold for the return of every region taken - if not, Croatia would stay permanently. Even less acceptable than the previous offer, Austria now readied for total war.
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This setback was a shock, as Austria's congress had never previously been controlled by a PTO. In the May 2010 presidential election, it was needed again the select a candidate to face off against the PTO and deal with a hostile congress. Many favored [[89Djani|Djani Ujkan Marich]], a player known to have been a member of the Croatian government and advocate of [[EDEN]], who presented himself as repentant, and the only candidate who could deal with the PTO. But this plan would be foiled when [[Penegrin]] successfully broke into a secret PTO chat room, in which Djani was present - revealing that he was a part of the PTO all along.
 +
[[File:Citizen152181.jpg|thumb|left|[[Rangeley]] served as [[List of presidents of Austria|President of Austria]] in May 2010.]]
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At the last minute, a unity coalition came together around the [[Osterreich Independence Party]]'s [[Rangeley]], who was elected over Djani for his fourth term as president in May 2010. Believing it important to not focus exclusively on the home front, [[Austria]] became heavily involved in the defense of [[South Korea]] against EDEN-aligned [[Japan]]'s invasion in the [[Japan-South Korea War]], believing Austria could make a difference. By month's end, South Korea would push back against the invasion and secure its borders.
  
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Additional experienced players, such as Oraizan and Metallon, were brought into the cabinet by Borojevic. Mutual protection pacts were signed as quickly as possible with Slovenia, Serbia, and Russia. Although Austria had less firepower on the battlefield than Croatia, strategic maneuvers with Slovenia and Hungary helped to block Croatia in place before they were able to advance onto additional Austrian regions.
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The new president also implemented the plan to protect money, with proposals to buy defense systems and hospitals tying up money to prevent donations, and intentionally losing regions to allied nations (who received a percentage of national treasuries). Threats that the PTO would destroy the economy did not stop the anti-theft measures, which ultimately succeeded in securing more money than was lost due to the PTO donating gold to be issued as currency.  
  
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These maneuvers proved successful, but required more time from the president than in any recent timeframe. These time constraints led Borojevic von Bonjar to resign, making Oraizan - who had more time - the new president, aided by the “war cabinet.” Far from the weak cabinet of the “One Party Era,” this war cabinet made great use of the skills, connections, and experience of players in Austria. Operating more or less through consensus, decisions would need wide support before proceeding. Along with some of the previously mentioned was Fragreg, a newer citizen who had strong ties with Hungary, who provided essential aid to the overall strategy.
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Aiding the PTO later in the month was [[Poland]], which launched an attack into [[Austria]] ([[Poland-Austria War]]). Aiming to wipe the country before the Congress race (forcing open citizenship), their effort fell short due to coordination with [[Germany]], [[Slovenia]], and [[Hungary]]. In the aftermath of the defense, [[Austria]] even aided in a Slovenian swap into Germany, strengthening the strategic situation. The final setback for the PTO was a mass-banning that included several of their congress members, and many of their supporters. With congress retaken (and easily secured in the May congress race), most remaining PTOers fled by the end of the month.  
  
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With cooperation with the new alliance “Phoenix” (successor to PEACE GC), Croatia would be completely ejected from Austria by February 22nd through successful military operations, even losing its border to Austria in the process.
+
===Taking Charge (June 2010 - August 2010)===
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''See also: [[Fragreg]], [[Penegrin]], ''
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[[File:Citizen1407459.jpg|thumb|[[Fragreg]] served as [[List of presidents of Austria|President of Austria]] in June 2010.]]
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With the home front in a more secure position than it had been for months, the broader [[EDEN]]-[[PHOENIX]] struggle likewise took a turn for the better, with PHOENIX making gains. [[Rangeley]] would step aside in the June 2010 presidential race, which turned into a conflict between [[Adeptus Astartes]]' [[Fragreg]] and the Conservative Party's [[Kaiser Alex]]. Although already the frontrunner, [[Fragreg]] solidified his lead after a dirty campaign by [[Kaiser Alex]] focused on Fragreg's nationality backfired. Having established his trustworthiness, Fragreg soundly defeated Kaiser Alex with the backing of most parties.
 +
[[File:Citizen2523428.jpg|thumb|left|[[Penegrin]] served as [[List of presidents of Austria|President of Austria]] in July 2010.]]
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June saw [[Austria]] again on the world stage, this time enabling a major swap with [[PHOENIX]] nations that would lead to Spain being finally removed from [[France]] in the battle of the [[Rhone Alps]]. The success combined with highly competent economic leadership in moving Austria further down the road to recovery. The [[Kronloyale Union (2010)|Kronloyale Union's]] [[Penegrin]] would follow Fragreg, who did not run for re-election, and was elected in a landslide in July.  
  
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===Faltering Coalition (March 2010) ===
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This month would see the implementation of a new military module, which favored combatants who were highly organized - ultimately increasing Austria's effectiveness and downplaying its numerical disadvantage. Austria would increase its participation in battles around the world, with a special focus being played on other small nations. With Penegrin stepping aside after one term, the [[Osterreich Independence Party]]'s [[Thomas765]] would run unopposed in the August 2010 election.
  
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While the war cabinet made great use of different players skills, and was overall collaborative in the war effort, it proved to struggle in one key area: politics. Although Croatia was repelled for now, it was deemed inevitable that they would try again: who would lead the country in this continued war? While Oraizan was a natural choice to continue, time constraints made it impossible for her to run for the March 2010 race. The ÖIP put forward Rangeley, but strong opposition from members of the IA - in particular Metallon - and segments of the KU and NFA vetoed the idea. In turn, Metallon was proposed by the IA. After the bitter political battles of the last year, the ÖIP was very opposed in turn to this idea.
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===Italian Invasion (August - November 2010)===
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''See also: [[Italy-Austria War]], [[Thomas765]], [[Kikericsy]], [[Penegrin]], [[Travis James]], [[Alfagrem]]
 +
[[File:Citizen2766125.png|thumb|[[Thomas765]] served as president in August 2010.]]
 +
Peace on the home-front would be broken, when [[Italy]] launched an invasion of Austria in August. Although Austria was strongly overmatched in terms of numbers, through organization (particularly with [[Fragreg]]'s leadership in military affairs) and diplomacy Italy was repelled in two successive battles. President [[Thomas765]] worked with Minister of Foreign Affairs [[Rangeley]] in a diplomatic push to end the conflict with [[Italy]], offering forgiveness based on the historic friendship between the countries. For a time, it would prove successful.
  
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But the ÖIP found itself in a more isolated position than it had been for some time. The KU and NFA were willing to endorse Metallon, who was strongly supported by Oraizan, leading the ÖIP to reluctantly endorse the idea. Yet another issue arose where time constraints forced Metallon to reconsider his candidacy. Metallon proposed bobbySAURON in his stead - an even less popular choice with the ÖIP, and within the KU as well. But again, with resistance still existing to alternatives, the ÖIP and KU reluctantly supported the choice of the IA.
+
[[Thomas765]] did not run for re-election - instead, [[Kikericsy]] faced off against {{eLink|citizen|2605814|samu-L}} in what amounted to a referendum on whether to join [[PHOENIX]]. Kikericsy would easily win the race, and later in the month an official vote was held to join the alliance. While the vote in Austria would be in the affirmative (by an over two thirds margin), [[PHOENIX]] would reject the proposal. The tide had begun to turn against them again, and some member nations did not want to accept new smaller nations. The rejection emboldened Italy, which launched again an invasion and found increased success as yet another military module had been implemented, which favored raw numbers.  
 +
[[File:Citizen2523428.jpg|thumb|left|[[Penegrin]] served as [[List of presidents of Austria|President of Austria]] in October 2010.]]
 +
[[Penegrin]] would be elected by a wide margin as president in the October 2010 race, coordinating heavily with [[Germany]] and other regional PHOENIX allies. A focus was retained on maintaining state-run companies in order to further economic growth. But ground continued to be lost, and even [[Germany]] began losing regions to Italy. With the creation of several new nations, [[Austria]] would see a small exodus as some players departed. A weakened electorate saw small participation in the November 2010 race between the [[Osterreich Independence Party]]'s [[Travis James]], and Socialist Party's [[fanaticro|NIKAN]]. NIKAN would win by a slim margin, and would turn out to be an agent of EDEN yet again - stealing the entire treasury and aiding further the Italian invasion, before being impeached.
 +
[[File:Citizen1590919.jpg|thumb|[[Travis James]] served as President of Austria during the Battle of Vorarlberg.]]
 +
[[Travis James]] would succeed him as president, bringing together a new team of players, including [[JaFe]] as Minister of Finance, to handle the new crisis - which had not ended. With EDEN hoping to wipe Austria from the map for the November congress race (leading to open citizenship), the fate of Austria hung in the balance. Rallying fighters together, efforts to stop the Italian advance proved ineffective. Early on the 23rd of November, Austria had been entirely wiped off the map. Austria would need to return to the map before the end of the day - and it all depended on a successful resistance war in Vorarlberg. In what became known simply as "'''The Battle of Vorarlberg'''," [[Alfagrem]], a powerful fighter from [[South Korea]] answered the call and looked to return the favor for Austrian help against Japan earlier in the year. Delivering massive amounts of damage, he almost single handedly took on the powerful Italian military. Austria returned to the map, and players quickly founded the [[Austrian Unity]] party, successfully securing Congress and preventing open citizenship.
  
−
While initially supportive, the NFA withdrew its support after disputes arose with the candidate over inappropriate behavior. The unity coalition was in utter turmoil - in the meantime, a new political figure - Hedera - made his rise.
+
After this surprising victory, there was a true sense that [[Austria]] had been granted a new chance at life, and a new opportunity. Italy would eventually be pushed entirely from Austria. This drew to a close the direct war with [[EDEN]], as [[Austria]] entered a new era, uncertain of what was to come.
  
−
While the war cabinet struggled to find a candidate to endorse, Hedera formed the new Austrian Reform Party, a self described pro-Phoenix party which proposed departing from the status quo - fully embracing the alliance and favoring joining. Although he had been in Austria since September 2009, he only recently would raise his profile with a series of well received articles. His message proved popular: very few would have supported joining Phoenix before the war began, but cooperation with them had greatly increased in February. The Socialist Party endorsed him, and the NFA would likewise cast their support towards him.
+
== A Republic Expands (December 2010 - February 2012 ==
 +
Moving past the long war with EDEN, Austria now had one party: the [[Austrian Unity]]. This "unity," however, would be an imperfect one: a number of old divisions remained. Although led ostensibly by liberal elements, with [[Rangeley]] as party president, the nationalist-leaning [[PrinceOfAustria]], a long time Minister of Defense, was selected as the presidential candidate in December, in order to present a broad front.  
  
−
Hedera and the ARP won the election with 46.81% over bobbySAURON’s 42.55% (88-80). It is possible to see some of this support as a rejection of war cabinet’s preferred candidate, and from seeking a new direction for the country. But while some of this support was surely legitimate, a large portion would quickly be revealed to have been from multis: Hedera was a PTO president and would soon show his true colors.
+
===A Cold War Flares (December 2010 - January 2011) ===
 +
''See also: [[Austrian Unity]], [[PrinceOfAustria]]''
 +
[[File:Citizen2173796.jpg|thumb|left|[[PrinceOfAustria]] served two terms as president in December and January 2011.]]
 +
Continuing the trend of the last days of [[Travis James]] presidency, more regions would be successfully returned from Italy. One region that remained occupied, however, was Upper Austria - held by [[Slovakia]]. Slovakia had moved into Lower, and Upper Austria in October in a largely uncontested battle, in the midst of the larger Italian invasion. Unable to fight in two fronts, and with the Slovakian front largely laying dormant, this war remained a cold one. However, with Italy now on the retreat, Slovakia saw an opportunity to expand its footprint, moving to attack Styria in late December. President [[PrinceOfAustria]] rallied broad support, and with a clean victory, Austria won the Battle of Styria.
  
−
Quickly stealing the treasury, and retreating the entire country to Poland, Austria was stunned by the rapid turn of events. It seemed inevitable now that Croatia would be able to find its way through Austria, despite the successes in February. But the war cabinet of the previous month would return, with Oraizan nominally leading it again, now in an unofficial “shadow government” capacity. With strategic moves with allies, Poland would be pushed out of Austria, and Croatia’s escape path blocked once more. Hedera would become the first president in Austrian history to be impeached, with a 20-2 vote. Still Croatia was shown to be unable to advance through Austria.
+
The question was then what the next move should be: with Upper Austria still held, and after a string of victories, the government believed a battle in Upper Austria would be very winnable. [[PrinceOfAustria]] opened the attack: however, while Slovakians were divided about attacking Styria, they were united in opinion on holding Upper Austria: the battle was a decisive loss. This setback led to a reshuffling of the cabinet in January 2011, when [[PrinceOfAustria]] was elected to a second term by a wide margin. Integrating more players from previous administrations (particularly members of [[Travis James]]'s administration). This new team saw [[Vreath]] as Vice President, [[JaFe]] return as Minister of Finance, [[Rangeley]] return as Minister of Foreign Affairs, and [[Klavh]] as Minister of Defense.
  
−
One result of losing all regions to Poland, however briefly, was that all parties were likewise wiped from Austria, meaning they would have to be reformed. In some cases however, it would spell an end to the parties as they had previously existed. The IA would be absorbed within both the re-made KU, led by Borojevic von Bonjar, and remade ÖIP, led now by Rangeley. The NFA would likewise find its end: instead, the Conservative Party of Austria, led by Kaiser Alex, and the Allianz Starkes Osterreich (ASO), led by PrinceOfAustria, would succeed it as two nationalist parties. Adeptus Astartes would also form, led by Fragreg - a conservative leaning party. Meanwhile, the Socialist Party saw most of its leadership leave Austria during this time - a left leaning party would not reform for quite some time.
+
With a new resource system implemented, the government negotiated deals with [[Slovenia]], [[Hungary]], and [[Serbia]] to rent regions for gold. This became possible after an amendment to the [[Constitution of Austria]] which outlined the official process for legally renting regions for extended periods of time. [[Slovakia]] would remain the sole holdout: refusing to make rental payments, their occupation of Austrian regions remained unrecognized by the Austrian government. Tensions again flared in the middle of January: Slovakia announced a "training war" was taking place with Austria. Although Slovakia promised to return any regions taken, the timing would complicate rental plans with other nations - and the lack of communication or consent led Austria to reject the idea that this was a mere "training war." Rallying support of allies again, the hard fought battle ended in a victory for Austria.
  
−
===War Cabinet Solidified (April 2010)===
+
An opportunity to turn the page presented itself later in the month: Hungary desired Bratislava, a Slovakian region, for rent. As [[Austria]]n help was essential for a swap to take place, the government sought to use this as an opportunity for a broad regional agreement, including the Slovakian occupation of Austrian regions. But [[Slovakia]] refused to consider discussion on any topic other than Bratislava, and walked out of the talks. The setback would end hopes in January of addressing the longstanding issues.
  
−
With the war cabinet once again in official power, the quest to find an acceptable candidate for the presidential race became one of utmost importance: there clearly was a PTO effort underway, and a united front must be put up against it. The ÖIP insisted against a repeat of the previous month: endorsing a candidate who could not hold together a coalition was a recipe for continued failure. They proposed stoneman, who was well known and trusted, having served as Minister of Finance since December.
+
January saw an increased international role for the Osterreichs Bundesheer. With [[Bulgaria]] leaving [[PHOENIX]] and attacking its former ally, [[Turkey]], [[Austria]] sent fighters to defend Turkey from the invasion. In another foreign deployment, [[Austria]] became involved in settling the dispute in the [[Malaysia-Singapore War]]. With Singapore at risk of being wiped for Congress, [[Austria]] supported them in a battle against a hostile invasion. But when Singapore in return sought to then wipe [[Malaysia]] in revenge, [[Austria]] fought to defend [[Malaysia]]. Acting as an arbiter, "Operation: Everybody Lives" was implemented with the agreement between the two parties, successfully avoiding a wipe for either nation through the election.
  
−
He would receive the backing of all of the above mentioned parties (KU, ASO, ÖIP, AA, CPA.) In protest, and unwilling to support stoneman, bobbySAURON would form his own party to declare himself candidate again.
+
===Cold War Continues===
 +
''See also: [[Good Neighbor Doctrine|Gute Nachbar-Doktrin]], [[JaFe]], [[Vreath]], [[Albert Neurath]]''
 +
[[File:Citizen1976514.jpg|thumb|[[JaFe]] brought [[Austria]] into prominence during the [[2011 eRepublik Rebellion]].]]
 +
While unable to solve the issues with [[Slovakia]], tensions would subside for a time. In February, with [[PrinceOfAustria]] stepping aside, the [[Austrian Unity]] party would endorse [[JaFe]] for president. Taking a more liberal tact than his predecessor, a focus continued on settling the issue of Slovakian occupation of Austrian regions. Likewise, a strong focus on rebuilding the treasury continued. [[JaFe]] had served as Minister of Finance during most of the time since the theft in November, and had selected a trusted advisor of his, {{eLink|profile|2137989|Jules Casey}}, as his MoF during his presidency. By February, despite the ongoing territorial issues, Austria's economy had stabilized, and the rental program with [[Slovenia]], [[Hungary]], and [[Serbia]] continued to be a success. Their presence also would serve as a roadblock to any realistic expansion by Slovakia into further Austrian regions.
  
−
One other major party would form: Pro Patria Österreich, formed by Djani Ujkan Marich - the Croatian diplomat who had earlier issued threats against Austria. Now having moved to Austria, and presenting himself as apologetic and reformed, he made frequent articles speaking in favor of Austria against “Croatian PTOers.” A real life resident of Austria who was fluent in German, he would succeed in earning a degree of influence, despite some voicing concerns about his history as a Croatian diplomat - who gleefully mocked Austria for rejecting his offer. He would enter the race against stoneman as well, with the backing of his PPÖ.
+
[[Austria]] would be a key participant in the [[2011 eRepublik Rebellion]], a widely supported movement against certain changes in the game, with President [[JaFe]] as an early signatory. Joining in a worldwide peace treaty, for a brief moment, all conflicts in the New World ceased. [[JaFe]]'s Minister of Foreign Affairs, [[Rangeley]], was selected as one of four spokespersons to negotiate with the eRepublik administration. The negotiations, however, failed to lead to changes, and after the implementation of new missions, the worldwide boycott against war slowly collapsed. Nonetheless, participation in the effort increased relations with [[Hungary]] and [[Slovenia]], strong supporters of the effort.
 +
[[File:Citizen2189300.jpg|left|thumb|[[Vreath]] codified the [[Good Neighbor Doctrine|Gute Nachbar-Doktrin]].]]
 +
After one term, [[JaFe]] would step aside. The [[Austrian Unity]], no longer the only party in [[Austria]] (joined by the Szekler's [[Party of the Horny Princess|PHP]] and Socialist Party), was renamed to the [[Osterreich Independence Party]] after a vote by party members and a payment of {{Gold|40}} to the Austrian Government. All three parties would back [[Vreath]], who had served as Vice President during [[PrinceOfAustria]] and JaFe's administrations. [[Vreath]]'s term would see the formulation the [[Good Neighbor Doctrine|Gute Nachbar-Doktrin]], a policy which respects the sovereignty of all neighboring nation and asks for the same from neighbors in return. In practical purposes, it ruled out aggressive expansion in a formal doctrine - yet laid the groundwork for how the expansion could occur: with bilateral agreements with neighbors.
  
−
With the battlelines drawn, the April 2010 presidential race was underway. While stoneman would take an early lead over Djani Ujkan Marich, late votes began pouring in during the night hours for Djani. Taking a 110-93 vote lead, he was in line for the presidency over the combined totals of the unity coalition. However, the late-breaking trend was observed and documented to the admins; after admin review, 40 multi votes would be removed from Djani. stoneman retook the lead and the race would finish 93-70.
+
Tensions would continue with Slovakia, but the month saw no new battles erupt. Instead, a training war was arranged with [[Switzerland]]. The move, however, saw interference from opponents of [[Switzerland]], who looked to use the war as an opportunity to wipe Switzerland. Unwilling to allow the training war to be hijacked, President [[Vreath]] organized fighters to fight on behalf of Switzerland. After a week, the war was able to be closed. Although it would prove costlier than intended, [[Austria]] would keep its word and overcame efforts to abuse the training war.
  
−
Djani insisted that he knew nothing of these votes or where they came from, claiming that someone must have been framing him to hurt his reputation in the country. Djani was never trusted by the ÖIP or AA, even before the election - and regardless of the deleted votes, they pointed to a clear continuation between the votes cast for Hedera in March, and the votes cast for Djani in April. But their view would be a minority one. Djani’s explanation was broadly accepted by many players, significantly, the ASO, most of the KU - Metallon vehemently vouched for Djani’s credibility - and the Conservative Party of Austria (CPA).
+
[[Austria]] would also aid its ally [[Slovenia]] against a resurgent [[Croatia]]. With [[Croatia]] looking to wipe Slovenia from the map for the March Congressional race, a key resistance war battle in Carinthia (which returned the region to Austria) halted Croatia's advance into the other rented regions, and protected Slovenia from open citizenship. This further strengthened Austria's longstanding friendship with [[Slovenia]], a relationship which would prove essential in times to come.
 +
[[File:Citizen1226337.jpg|thumb|[[Albert Neurath]] signed the Central European Friendship Pact.]]
 +
After one term, [[Vreath]] would step aside as President. [[Albert Neurath]], party president of the conservative [[Austrian Coalition of Patriots]], ran in his stead and received the endorsement of the OIP, Socialist Party, and PHP. Implementing a re-organization of the Austrian government, based around a corporate model of directorates, Albert Neurath looked to take changes abroad as well. Making definitive moves towards the newly formed [[Order of New EWorld]] (ONE) alliance, he saw a way to settle issues with [[Slovakia]].  
  
−
With the election of stoneman, the ÖIP returned to the presidency for the first time since December - but in this time of crisis, he would take a more centrist economic position than was traditionally the ÖIP’s stance (in stoneman's words, "economic pragmatism.") There was a dramatic increase in efforts to help the struggling economy - with the economy being the center-point of stoneman’s agenda. After two months of war, and especially the total wipe in March, there were fewer available jobs, and fewer workers in Austria, leading to a fear that the economy would move in a downward spiral.
+
By aligning closely with [[Hungary]] and [[Slovenia]], this could raise pressure and achieve a new agreement. With strong relationships with Hungarian president {{eLink|citizen|2214871|mobra}}  and [[Slovenia]]n president [[Blaz Gutman]], a roadblock was met with [[Poland]]'s strong support of Slovakia. Although [[Albert Neurath]] preferred no regions be occupied at all, an agreement was reached known as the "'''Central European Friendship Pact'''", establishing the legal framework for the rental of region in exchange for gold. By the end of the month, half of the agreement was achieved, with Burgenland held by Slovakia, and plans were in the works for a transfer of Styria as well.
  
−
Creating an economic council, which saw influential members in Fragreg, Penegrin, and Borojevic von Bonjar, the government worked to purchase more government owned companies which could provide a degree of stability in the very volatile time. As Hedera had stolen all government companies, this meant starting from the ground up. Penegrin would become the Minister of Labor, officially tasked with managing the companies, a position he would hold into future administrations as well.
+
===War Erupts (May 2011 - July 2011)===
 +
''See also: [[m0bra|AliasSun]], [[Rangeley]]''
 +
[[File:Citizen1875534.jpg|left|thumb|[[m0bra|AliasSun]] led the war effort during the Slovakian invasion.]]
 +
Succeeding Albert Neurath as president in the April 2011 election was [[m0bra|AliasSun]], an influential political figure and leader of the PHP - the powerful Szekler party in Austria. With his strong ties in Hungary, there was a hope to build on the progress made during the past months and secure the terms of the CEFP. But this would be dealt an immediate setback: Hungary would see the election of a new president who was less interested in [[Austria]] - and [[Slovakia]] would see the election of a new hardliner who rejected the terms of the CEFP, and desired full conquest of Austria. In this difficult situation, and with no alternatives presented, President [[m0bra|AliasSun]] decided to face the invasion head on, hoping to drain Slovakian resources. After a series of extremely hard fought battles, Austria was wiped from the map, and for the first time, wiped during a congress election. Though this no longer meant there would be open citizenship (due to a game change,) it was nonetheless a dire situation. With [[Slovenia]] the only nation in Austria's corner, it was more isolated than it had been in years.
  
−
====Congress PTO====
+
Although an extremely difficult month, the heroic efforts of the Szeklers - both in Austria and in Hungary - would endear Austrians to them and remove any doubts about their loyalty to Austria. By going to bat for [[Austria]], they and [[Slovenia]] laid the groundwork for a path forward. After one term, [[m0bra|AliasSun]] would step aside, and the Osterreich Independence Party endorsed [[Rangeley]] for president. As the diplomat tasked with working with Slovakia during the past 5 months, he hoped to finally achieve a breakthrough. Reiterating that both Slovakia and Austria were pro-[[ONE]] - and that continued fighting was nothing but a distraction for the larger [[ONE]] cause, the new president insisted that more could be accomplished together than from continued fighting. Rather than dedicating resources to fighting [[Slovakia]], the [[Osterreichs Bundesheer]] fought hard for [[Hungary]] and [[Slovenia]].
 +
[[File:Citizen152181.jpg|thumb|[[Rangeley]] made peace with Slovakia.]]
 +
This strategy proved controversial in [[Austria]] - with many, frustrated after months of conflict, wanting continued war with [[Slovakia]]. In Slovakia, the reception was likewise mixed at first. Yet Slovakian President [[fwdre]], and his Minister of Foreign Affairs, {{eLink|citizen|3198892|Dimitru Osraldescu}}, were interested in turning the page in relations, as even without active effort from the Austrian government, the task of holding Austrian regions against medal hunters proved costly. By the middle of the month, an agreement was reached between Austria, Slovakia, and Hungary, which would rent several regions to Hungary, and lead Slovakia to peacefully return the rest. Resistance wars supported by the three parties succeeded, enabling the election of a new congress.
  
−
If there was to be doubt about the continued existence of a PTO, these disappeared with the Party President and congress races of April 2010. Seizing a minor party in the PP race on April 15th, Gaganic renamed it “Free Austria,” and its numbers grew from Croatian PTOers in the country. And in the following congress race on April 25th, they would seize a near majority of seats on their own - enough to block legislation in congress.
+
[[Rangeley]] was re-elected president in July, and work continued with the new president of Slovakia - Dimitru Osraldescu, who stated he hoped to draw a firm dividing line between the past hostilities, and new friendship. This was put into immediate action, as [[Croatia]] (led by Croatian president [[89Djani|Djani Ujkan Marich]]) launched an invasion of Austria and [[Slovakia]], bringing the nations together in battle as allies. By the end of July, Austria and Slovakia were firm allies - and the long war was but a memory.
  
−
After Minister of Finance Borojevic von Bonjar was unable to pass a donation bill, the PTO proposed their own bill, donating money into their organization - which passed 21-17. Following this was a series of other donations, withdrawing in total around 400 gold (in gold and equivalent currencies.) Even with Hedera’s presidency, the congress remained in Austrian hands; for the first time, congress had fallen to a PTO.
+
===Peace and Prosperity (August 2011 - February 2012)===
 +
''See also: [[erdoni]], [[Luis Grindl]], [[csaba.pinter]], [[Hale Kane|patar333]]''
 +
[[File:Citizen2301916.jpg|thumb|left|[[erdoni]] grew the alliance with Slovakia.]]
 +
After two terms, [[Rangeley]] was followed by the [[Osterreich Independence Party]]'s [[erdoni]] in August 2011. An accomplished economist, and military fighter, he led the [[Osterreichs Bundesheer]] during the previous two months. As president he continued the war effort against Croatia, working especially close with Slovakia, building personal friendships between the armed forces of the nations in a way that had not been done previously. Croatia would be finally expelled from the country, and with the end of this fight, [[Austria]] entered a new period of extended peace - one that it had not seen since before the war with EDEN began in February 2010. All original Austrian regions were held by [[Austria]].
  
−
stoneman would be unable to run again for the presidency due to time constraints, meaning a new unity candidate would have to be found. And now more than ever, it became clear that the presidency must be won: congress could not impeach a PTO president as it had with Hedera. Gaganic declared his candidacy for president, and seemed poised to make a competitive run after his party took control of congress.
+
A new training war was held with [[Poland]], emphasizing the new role [[Austria]] had in the region, which was surrounded by friendly nations largely in the [[ONE]] alliance. After one term, [[erdoni]] stepped aside. The September election saw the most competitive election in many months, with [[Hale Kane|patar333]] facing off against [[Luis Grindl]]. [[Luis Grindl]] was elected with 51.81% of the vote, and would work to build upon the new peace: bringing Austria beyond its borders.
 +
[[File:Citizen2844376.jpg|thumb|[[Luis Grindl]] signed the Styria-Southern Bohemia Treaty.]]
 +
[[Luis Grindl]] worked with [[Slovakia]]n president [[gabberattack]] to create a new rental arrangement. As Slovakia had peacefully merged with the Czech Republic for a time, they had surplus iron resources in the region of [[Southern Bohemia]]. In exchange for renting this region to [[Austria]], the regions of [[Styria]] and [[Burgenland]] would be rented to [[Slovakia]]. This agreement, known as the "'''Styria-Southern Bohemia Treaty'''," drew broad support, and was signed into law late in the month. After one term, [[Luis Grindl]] did not seek re-election. In the October 2011 race, economist [[csaba.pinter]] would face off against former president [[JaFe]]. In another close race, [[csaba.pinter]] won with 55.32%.
 +
[[File:Citizen4383700.jpg|thumb|left|[[csaba.pinter]] implemented the occupation of Southern Bohemia.]]
 +
[[csaba.pinter]]'s term saw the implementation of the Styria-Southern Bohemia Treaty. In a clean battle, [[Austria]] occupied [[Southern Bohemia]]. This agreement would hold, with little to no incidents, for the next 4 months, as [[Austria]]ns enjoyed the largest region bonuses they had ever enjoyed before - and for the first time held regions outside of Austria for an extended period. In the November 2011 presidential race, [[Hale Kane|patar333]] would run again, this time with the support of all major parties.
  
−
As with two months prior, the ÖIP proposed Rangeley - and as with before, the idea found significant resistance. After weathering the storm of the last presidential race, Djani Ujkan Marich had continued as an active player in Austria, even growing his support. With the May 2010 Presidential race approaching, he was emerging as a consensus candidate, supported by the KU, ASO, and CPA, to run against Gaganic - over the continued objections of the ÖIP and AA. Without proof that he was involved with the PTO, however, their objections were poised to be dismissed, as Austria headed for a race between Djani and Gaganic.
+
The month of November saw a successful administration of the treaty, and further cooperation with allies. But the competitive political environment continued, as he saw a strong challenge from former president [[erdoni]] in the December 2011 race. Ultimately, [[erdoni]] would win the election, with 53.6%. December again saw success and peace, with a focus placed on helping allies abroad. Considering the place [[Austria]] had stood a year prior - on the brink of destruction - there had been a remarkable turnaround to one of the highest points in the nations history. The opportunity afforded by the victory in Vorarlberg had been seized.
  
−
But on May 1st, 2010, proof would be found.
+
== War At Home (February 2012 - August 2012) ==
 +
===Takeover and Impeachment (February 2012)===
 +
''See also: [[A.Emmerich]], [[Vreath]], [[m0bra|AliasSun]]''
  
−
====The Break-in====
+
The long period of peace and prosperity would end not with invasion, but with a betrayal reminiscent of [[Azoo Lazzo]]'s three years prior. With an Austrian population eager to help newer citizens climb the ladder, [[A.Emmerich]], who was elected president in January, largely continued policies of the previous governments. Although Hungarian in origin, this was a non-issue, as many other Hungarians and other foreigners worked side by side together. With continued success for the country, he was re-elected in February. In February however, he would declare that he was "emperor" of Austria, launch resistance wars against Slovakia (breaking the Styria-Southern Bohemia Treaty), and pledge to give Burgenland away permanently to [[Hungary]]. He also announced that the Kuruc MU, which already had some members, would be immigrated in its entirety for the purpose of taking full control of the country.
 +
[[File:Citizen2189300.jpg|thumb|[[Vreath]] led the nation after the impeachment of [[A.Emmerich]].]]
 +
The actions would have immediate consequences, as the cabinet took charge, looking to undo the diplomatic damage. Along with a swift congressional impeachment of the self proclaimed "emperor," issues over Burgenland were solved with Hungary (as regions could not simply be given away in that manner). Meanwhile, more of the Kuruc military unit would enter into Austria, initially supportive of the ex-presidents mission. In order to bring this to a halt, the new president, [[Vreath]], authorized a plan to intentionally have Austria wiped for congress. This plan proved key in halting the growth and momentum of the PTO, as no citizenship requests could be granted. However, in the aftermath of the PTO, Southern Bohemia would not be retaken from Austria. Along with the events in the nation, external pressure on [[ONE]] made the effort impractical in the short term.
  
−
Unbeknownst to most players in Austria, a secret IRC chat room room existed with the descriptive title “#TOaustria.” From here, much coordination occurred for elections as well as congress laws, with the overall goal being spelled out in its name: to PTO Austria. Though some details of how it happened remain secret or unknown to this day, there would be a successful infiltration into this group by a dedicated citizen of Austria - Penegrin.
+
===Countermeasures (March - May 2012) ===
 +
''See also: [[m0bra|AliasSun]], [[OEBernd]], [[Vreath]]''
 +
[[File:Citizen1875534.jpg|thumb|left|[[m0bra|AliasSun]] worked to strengthen ties with [[ONE]].]]
 +
While A.Emmerich had been impeached, he vowed to make a return to power. With a sizable number of supporters imported, even despite the Congress wipe, it was clear that [[Austria]] was not free of danger. To present a broad front in the presidential race, [[m0bra|AliasSun]] ran for president in March 2012, with the backing of every party except for the [[National Front]] - A.Emmerich's party. In a key test of support, AliasSun would win with 68.48% of the vote.
  
−
While most of the KU was supportive of Djani Ujkan Marich, Penegrin was one of the few who were suspicious of Djani from the start. Confronting him after the deletion of votes in the April election, he was more sure than ever. He made it a goal to find incriminating evidence - and on May 1st 2010, that led him, undercover, into “#TOaustria”, where notable members of the PTO were residing - along with Djani. Logs were quickly provided to other players in Austria, and spread through IRC, implicating Djani with the most concrete evidence yet.
+
He would continue efforts in the aftermath of the PTO, especially working with Hungary to exert pressure against the PTO effort. Military cooperation continued with [[ONE]] in battles abroad. During this time period, the media was filled with many dueling articles from both sides. After one month without a congress, the election proceeded in April: 82.50% of the seats were secured by the anti-PTO coalition. This enabled both sides to use citizenship approvals to bring in supporters. [[OEBernd]] would run for president in April as the unity candidate, this time winning with 69.53% of the vote. With A.Emmerich now banned for multis, the leadership of the [[National Front]] moved to its new party president, {{eLink|citizen|3308827|Tarsolytestver}}, who largely would continue the hardline, pro-PTO stance. While the PTO continued to grow in strength during this time frame, Congress remained securely held, with the coalition holding again 79.42% of the seats. However, the number of votes possessed by the PTO continued to grow.
  
−
As these began to circulate, word would get back to Djani that he had been found out, prompting a furious reaction. The PTO organizers went into rapid damage control mode: it could be claimed, they said, that Djani was only invited there as a negotiation, he was not really involved with them, and that he was banned from the chat due to an inability to come to an agreement.
+
In May, [[Vreath]] would win the presidential election with 62.5% of the vote. Re-implementing the congress wipe plan, no congress election took place during this month.
  
−
This cover story, however, would have one key flaw: they were still being watched. A log of this entire conversation was made public too, meaning not only was Djani implicated in the first log, but his furious reaction and damage control after the first leak was revealed as well. Fearing the presidential race was lost, he would vow to steal as much as he could. Logs were widely distributed, and the word got out, notably through Metallon and PrinceOfAustria.
+
===Reconciliation (June - August 2012) ===
 +
''See also: [[Rangeley]], {{eLink|citizen|1307428|II. Jemby}}, [[Prince of Austria]], {{eLink|citizen|1344487|ZoltanB}}''
 +
[[File:Citizen152181.jpg|thumb|[[Rangeley]] sought reconciliation between Kurucs and Austrians.]]
 +
With tensions remaining at a high level between the factions, there were growing signs that some in the [[National Front]] wanted to move beyond the past few months. Amongst those on the Austrian side, this sentiment began to grow as well. [[m0bra|AliasSun]] in particular had worked hard to find Kurucs who were willing to work together with Austrians, using his ties to Hungary and Hungarian politics. With [[Rangeley]]'s election to the presidency in June, a supporter of reconciliation, Kurucs were for the first time included into the cabinet - particularly {{eLink|citizen|1307428|II. Jemby}}.<ref>[http://www.erepublik.com/en/article/regierungsneuigkeiten-government-updates-2054503/1/20 June 2012 Cabinet]</ref> While there would not be universal agreement on issues, there would be common ground that could be built upon, and friendships formed.
  
−
There was now to be zero doubt - all concerns about Djani had been proven. The ASO, KU, and CPA all revoked their endorsement of Djani, and joined the ÖIP and AA in endorsing Rangeley for president. With no need for Gaganic to play the “bad cop” to Djani’s “good cop,” Gaganic and the “Free Austria” party would endorse Djani, who had the backing of his own Pro Patria Osterreich party. Djani would drop his public guise, admitting he was in the PTO.
+
Along with reconciliation efforts, the month would see the "Reorganisationsplan" implemented in the Osterreichs Bundesheer, to better take advantage of changes to the military module.<ref>[http://www.erepublik.com/en/article/reorganisationsplan-reorganization-plan-2058853/1/20 Reorganisationsplan]</ref> This new module would see an early test: the continued deterioration of [[ONE]]'s position led [[Romania]] and [[Croatia]] to launch an invasion of [[Austria]], after moving through Slovenia. Despite support from [[ONE]]'s central command, Austria would be wiped by the end of the month. The war would, however, prove a point where all sides could cooperate.<ref>[http://www.erepublik.com/en/article/reorganisationsplan-reorganization-plan-2058853/1/20 "Laying Groundwork" - Austrian Independent]</ref>
 +
[[File:Citizen4607333.jpg|thumb|left|[[Prince of Austria]] led Austria through a Croatian invasion.]]
 +
[[Prince of Austria]] would succeed [[Rangeley]] as president in July (with 62.24% of the vote), after serving as vice president the previous month. This began three consecutive terms as president: the first such stretch since 2009. The new cabinet would include {{eLink|citizen|1307428|II. Jemby}} again, then the party president of the [[National Front]].<ref>[http://www.erepublik.com/en/article/-cp-cabinet-for-july-2012-2077489/1/20 July 2012 Cabinet]</ref>  The war effort against Croatia continued in earnest: setbacks continued in the first half of the month, as Croatia remained in a dominant position, successfully holding off several attempts at resistance wars. Yet persistence would pay off, as [[Austria]] returned to the map late in the month with one region by August 5th. In his successful re-election campaign, [[Prince of Austria]] included {{eLink|citizen|1344487|ZoltanB}} as his vice president, an influential member of the [[National Front]].<ref>[http://www.erepublik.com/en/article/cp-candidate-campaign1-2095879/1/20 Prince of Austria's August 2012 campaign article]</ref>
  
−
The race would see the most votes cast in any presidential race, before or since, as both candidates topped 100 votes. Yet at no time in this race would Djani be able to take the lead - Rangeley, with the backing of the ÖIP, AA, KU, ASO, and CPA would be elected with 55.63% of the vote to Djani’s 40.07%.
+
Re-elected to a second term with 62.28% of the vote in August, broad changes began to occur in world geopolitics, as [[ONE]] came to a formal end as an alliance, after months of struggles. Even so, the progress in liberating regions continued, and by the end of the month, all regions were returned into friendly hands - and Austria made it clear the end of ONE would not mean the end of cooperation with its allies, any more than previous ends to alliances meant this.<ref>[http://www.erepublik.com/en/article/-cp-candidate-campaign-goals-2114921/1/20 Prince of Austria's September 2012 campaign article]</ref> In his third term, this cooperation would continue. Changes came to the home front as well - after the departure of the highly influential [[m0bra|AliasSun]], [[lazo]] succeeded him as party president of the [[Party of the Horny Princess|PHP]].
  
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===The Fight for Austria (May 2010)===
+
== A New Consensus (September 2012 - August 2013) ==
 +
Although there would not be a total agreement, there would be a common consensus around which all major parties could work. This was embodied in some ways by the increased role that the [[Party of the Horny Princess|PHP]] took, under the new leadership of [[lazo]].
 +
===Growing Cooperation (September 2012 - March 2013) ===
 +
''See also: [[Prince of Austria]], [[lazo]], [[OEBernd]]''
  
−
With a wide variety of parties backing the new government, the cabinet was expanded to its biggest size yet, with the hope of bringing even more voices to the discussion table and solidifying the unity coalition. While universal agreement would be impossible in this larger cabinet, a seat at the table could bring greater understanding about why decisions were made. Less a consensus driven “war cabinet” than previous months due to its larger size, more a “team of rivals,” discussions would be heated throughout the month on a variety of issues, particularly with what were perceived as esoteric decisions by the new president.
+
=== War With Latvia (April - June 2013) ===
 +
''See also: [[Schwrzwolf]], [[Rangeley]]''
  
−
After the whirlwind of a few days which saw a presidential PTO foiled and the unity candidate successful, it still remained a fact that Austria’s congress was controlled by the PTO, which remained a sizable threat. President Rangeley felt this problem would likely be around for a while, and it was important for morale that Austria be involved in issues besides just fighting the PTO, which would be a long term struggle. He saw an opportunity when Japan - a nation in EDEN’s sphere - launched an invasion of South Korea, a neutral nation. With both being small nations, here was an area where Austria could make an impact on the battlefield.
+
== Coalition Government (July 2013 - October 2014) ==
 +
=== A New Leadership (July 2013 - February 2014 )===
 +
''See also: [[Harzakc]], [[yst31]], [[Schwrzwolf]], {{eLink|citizen|2973214|LarsUlrich87}}, [[OEBernd]], [[Prince of Austria]]''
 +
[[File:Citizen2879877.jpg|thumb]]
 +
In the aftermath of the Latvian war, Austria saw shifts in the political dynamics of the country. During [[Harzakc]]'s term as president, the Szeklers began to leave Austria, with many returning to [[Hungary]]. The Szeklers had formed one of the largest political faction since the summer of 2010, forming successful political alliances with governments throughout this time. Their departure in late summer 2013 brought a new sense of uncertainty. But Austria was in a different place 3 years after their entry: with real life Austrians more numerous, and now even the undisputed majority of the country, new leaders rose to the occasion.
 +
[[file:Citizen6248942.jpg|thumb|left]]
 +
A new challenge facing the country would involve abuse of the immigration system by the "tiegers" PTO group. While they had begun to move into the country late in 2012, they would rise to more prominence during the summer of 2013. With the Szeklers much smaller, and with the tiegers having imported many voters of their own, action had to be taken. After his election in August 2013, [[yst31]]'s presidency was marked with the introduction of Congress wipes as a method of curbing their growth. By purposely having no regions for the congress election, there would be no citizenship approvals for the month.  
  
−
Vowing support for South Korea, Austria deployed some of its best fighters, including Minister of Foreign Affairs Eisenhorn and Minister of Defense Prince of Austria, on May 6th 2010. Eisenhorn in particular would receive a battle hero medal for his heavy fighting.
+
Cooperation would continue with Slovenia and Slovakia, in the form of military assistance and training wars, as well as in carrying out the Congress plan. [[yst31]] would also begin the process of updating the [[Constitution of Austria]] to better reflect the current game. After serving two terms, yst31 was followed by [[Schwrzwolf]] as president in October. An agreement was reached between the government and the tiegers, where citizenship approvals would only be used with a consensus between the parties. This led to the first congressional election since July. With a congress in place, the amendments to the Constitution could be placed to a vote (congressional approval was required.) The final approval was given in November, with {{eLink|citizen|2973214|LarsUlrich87}} as president.
  
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The move, however, was, highly criticized by the CPA, and other nationalist elements - who felt South Korea wouldn’t be able to help Austria. One of the biggest critics was CPA president Kaiser Alex - then Minister of Justice - who took to the media, even before the decision was officially announced, to criticize the plan and voice support for Japan. This move would severely strain ties between him and President Rangeley, who nonetheless kept him in the cabinet.
+
However, the agreement with the tiegers was broken when the tiegers approved many new citizenship requests. This prompted LarsUlrich87 to re-institute the Congress plan.
  
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Generally, however, it was a well received military deployment, as for the first time in a long while, Austria was in the position to give real help and not simply require it from others. After early gains by Japan, South Korea would reclaim the advantage and their lost regions, ending the war in a matter of weeks.
+
=== Primary System (March 2014 - October 2014) ===
 +
''See also: [[Prince of Austria]], [[capoqwer]], [[Jeanlouis]], {{eLink|citizen|5096524|Vlado33}}, {{eLink|citizen|5647963|Geheimdokument}}, {{eLink|citizen|4287270|Cyberkoc}}''
  
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For all intents and purposes, the PTO had already emptied the treasury by the start of May - but they had an idea to make a bigger profit still. By donating gold back into the treasury, they could issue it as currency, withdraw it, then use this currency to buy gold in the monetary market, increasing their gains further - and then repeat this over and over.
+
In order to foster more political competition, a primary system was introduced.
  
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This plan was begun on May 9th, with all of the stolen money from Austria being returned to the treasury. The issue currency law would proceed and head towards passage, as expected. But here, the PTO’s plan would hit an unexpected snag.
+
==Recent History (November 2014 - present) ==
  
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The government realized that the PTO had left open an opportunity, based on fortunate timing: a donation law was already in progress, which would not expire until 3 minutes after the issue currency law passed. This left a 3 minute gap where the newly issued money was sitting in the treasury, but unable to be donated yet (until the previous donation law ended.) By proposing to purchase a defense system (an old feature where you could upgrade the defenses of individual regions) for exactly the amount of currency in the treasury during the gap, this money could be placed into a sort of limbo: the law would not pass because the PTO still held a majority, but the money could not be donated for these 24 hours as it was already being held for this law.
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===Increased Party Role (November 2014 - January 2015) ===
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+
''See also: {{eLink|citizen|5931338|wschwabe}}, {{eLink|citizen|5647963|Geheimdokument}}''
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Likewise, gold had already been deposited by the PTO for the next round of issuing currency. To tie up this gold, a peace proposal was made in which Austria offered this amount of gold. This forced the PTO into donating only smaller amounts of foreign currency. Meanwhile, around 550 in gold (and equivalent currency) was now tied up in the treasury, with coordinated actions from the President and loyal congress members.
+
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The PTO was not happy to see this development. They issued threats that unless the money was allowed to be stolen again, taxes would be raised to maximum levels in order to damage the country. If the government allowed it to be stolen, the PTOers promised to leave, saying this choice was in “Austria’s hands.” The offer was flatly rejected by President Rangeley, as well as the premise: how they chose to behave was in their hands, not Austria’s. The parliamentary techniques continued. As the PTO followed through with their tax proposals, Minister of Finance Fragreg led the governmental effort to help any citizen who needed help dealing with the higher taxes, while the Ministry of Labor under Penegrin continued to provide government aid in the job market.
+
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Their threat having failed to change the situation, the PTO implemented a new strategy with parliamentarian tricks of their own, on May 13th. Defense systems could, at most, be purchased for 99,999 currency. If there was more currency than 99,999 in the treasury, it could no longer be placed into limbo by a law, and would be available to be donated out. Thus even more gold was sent into the treasury by the PTO in hopes that they could flood the treasury and proceed as before; by now roughly 1,200 in total had been sent.
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+
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With roughly 170,000 ATS now in the treasury, the Austrian government implemented a new tact as well: coordinating with Slovenia on May 14th, several regions were retreated to them (at this point in time, a percentage of the treasury was lost to a conqueror). This enabled about 130,000 currency (equivalent to 650 gold) to be removed from the treasury and placed into friendly Slovenian hands. Slovenia was given enough to cover the cost of the battles and more, while 80,000 of this currency was returned to the official Austrian Bank. The rest of the gold and currency remained in parliamentary limbo.
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Military
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The original cause for the war, Croatia’s desire to pass through Austria, had not gone away. On May 20th, Poland and Croatia would launch a renewed attempt both to gain passage, and wipe Austria in the process for the May 25th congressional election. During this time in eHistory, being wiped during a congressional election would mean automatic citizenship: anyone who applied would be granted it. It would seem that the stakes were continually escalating - a wipe would be devastating and place the country’s future into totally uncertain hands.
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+
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Yet with close cooperation with Slovenia, Germany, and Hungary, Poland and Croatia would be once again blocked, unable to advance. Timely RW’s secured Austria from a wipe, as by a margin of minutes a region returned to the map before the formerly last region fell. Austria would even be able to help Germany and Slovenia conduct some swaps of their own, enabling Germany to rent key regions to Slovenia - which in turn would help solidify their strategic position for the coming months, changing the dynamics of the region.
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Congress Retaken
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After the failed military push, the PTO would be dealt more setbacks. Prior to the May 25th congressional election, several PTO congress members were banned, reducing their numbers into a minority position, and ending their ability to donate even foreign currencies. Others would jump ship at this time, including Djani: only a few players even ran from their parties for the congress race. After a tumultuous month, legitimate Austrian parties regained control of congress, with the KU, ASO, ÖIP, AA, and CPA forming the new top 5, where they would remain for months to come.
+
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Although information on the exact exchange rates can only be estimated, when all was said and done, of the ~1,200 gold placed into the treasury by the PTO, they would only withdraw back about 50. While some would be lost in battles, others given to Slovenia, in total roughly ~800 was secured by Austria, about 400 more than was actually stolen from the nation in April. In all attempts, Croatia would fail to pass through Austria.
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This time in Austria’s history saw the trend of increased representation by real life Austrians greatly continue - Schwrzwolf, Luis Grindl, Harzakc, LarsUlrich87, spachti, Havok Fault, and wolfwien would be a few of many to start their time here in a time of great conflict, joining what had already been growing numbers.
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+
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After a month of infiltration, parliamentary tricks, and strategic maneuvers, the central challenges that defined the Croatian War Era had come to an end. Austria was ready to move on from the unity coalitions, back into a more competitive political environment - though one that looked very different than the one before the war, as a new political alliance aimed to the reigns.
+
−
 
+
−
With the Croatian PTO having subsided, and the strategic situation in central Europe now favoring Phoenix and Austria, the central challenges of the previous era had ended. After months of uniting together, now Austria would enter a time where political competition again took the forefront in an era of relative peace. The Kronloyale Union and Adeptus Austria would form new a dominant political alliance during this era, which would set the tone and drive political debate.
+
−
 
+
−
===Taking Charge (July 2010)===
+
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+
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The last time there was open political competition, the conservative KU and nationalist NFA had formed a powerful political alliance that swept Borojevic von Bonjar into office in February. Since then, the NFA had dissolved, with the formation of the CPA (Kaiser Alex) and ASO (PrinceOfAustria) as its successors. While the KU remained under Borojevic von Bonjar’s leadership, the nationalist parties had drifted away from their previous alliance with the KU during the Croatian War era, wanting to pursue their own path together. With the June 2010 Presidential election approaching, and the incumbent president (Rangeley) not running for re-election, it was an open field. CPA’s party president, Kaiser Alex entered the race.
+
−
 
+
−
After the success of the previous month, this new nationalist alliance (CPA + ASO) wanted to press its advantage: they advocated expansionism into a neighboring country, and potentially supported joining an alliance to make it happen. To them, the Austria had been the clear victor in the previous engagement, and provided an opportunity to become more assertive as a nation.
+
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+
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But another political alliance would form, between the conservative KU and the like-minded Adeptus Austria, led by Fragreg. They would put forward Fragreg as a candidate for president. While viewing the events of May as a success, they took a much more “realist” foreign policy view. In their view, Austria had not won because it possessed great military power; the military successes came from close cooperation with allies, and in some cases, through sheer luck. Placing Austria in a more solid position - solidifying the new peace - would not be achieved by launching a war of expansion, but by increasing the cooperation with allies: taking decisive action.
+
−
 
+
−
The AA and KU placed forward Fragreg as their presidential candidate, earning the support of the OIP, which largely agreed with their interpretation of the events - but strongly disagreed with the platform of the nationalist coalition. As a party formed in opposition to expansion, it found both realist, and more ideological objections to the plan to change to aggressors.
+
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+
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Accusations and Backtracking
+
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+
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With the race now looking to be in Fragreg’s favor, Kaiser Alex issued a new dramatic strategy, claiming that Fragreg was a PTOer who meant the country harm. The strategy - which was surely intended to win favor for Kaiser Alex - backfired: Fragreg was a highly respected, and trusted member of the Austrian community who had been serving as Minister of Finance for the past month, and assisting the country long before. With nothing to back the claims, the reaction was immediate - the ASO began to speak publicly of removing their endorsement of Kaiser Alex.
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+
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Realizing that he had overplayed his hand, he backtracked his allegations of being PTO, saying “maybe” they were too aggressive. While the ASO would maintain their endorsement, the overall strategy would not change minds in his favor. In the June 2010 election, Fragreg came out ahead 59.56% to Kaiser Alex's 40.44%.
+
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+
−
Fragreg had demonstrated during the war his extensive knowledge of the game, and his term would again see this put into action. With a diverse cabinet, his term would see further organization of the military, and expansion of the Ministry of Welfare under Penegrin. There was also an expansion of the Ministry of Community that began in March - polls and interviews were conducted through the Bundespressedienst on a regular basis.
+
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+
−
He also lived up to the pledge to take decisive action. Carrying out a strategic swap with Hungary, the resource rich region of Rhone Alps region France was freed from Spanish occupation (Spain had not yet been fully pushed out of France from the earlier war). The action in favor of France was a military success, which gained support from the KU, AA, ASO, and OIP as well. However, it would receive much criticism from the CPA.
+
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+
−
Of the two nationalist parties (ASO and CPA), the CPA was easily the more extreme of the two, with some members extremely opposed to Fragreg and the government. This opposition in some ways would push the ASO out of their sphere. The Rhone Alps action was popular with the ASO - and the CPA fears that Austria would not regain regions after the swap proved unfounded. Instead, they would move into the KU’s sphere, as they were in search of a party with a more like-minded mission.
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+
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Penegrin, the KU’s new leader, was able to bring them on board, gaining their endorsement for his presidential candidacy in July. The CPA would not field a candidate in opposition: if their missteps at the start of July marked the start of their downturn, the success of the Rhone Alps mission marked their death knell as a major political player in Austria, as nationalist support solidified behind the more moderate ASO.
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Instead, the newly re-formed Socialist Party would displace the CPA in the top 5, fielding NIKAN as their candidate. NIKAN had been involved with the PTO, but like Djani before him presented himself as repentant and wanting forgiveness. Few would take this seriously: with the backing of the KU, AA, OIP, and ASO, Penegrin would have a decisive victory, winning 82.52% over NIKAN's 17.48%.
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===V2 eRepublik===
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Penegrin would be the second real-life Austrian elected president - and after serving in multiple governments, and in particular working closely with Fragreg, brought great experience to the role. July would see the first full month of “V2 eRepublik” - a period of the game where there were many changes to how the game worked in all aspects. The government made a priority to try and provide economic stability, as ironically much of the ground gained since the end of the Croatian war in the job market and general economy was lost with the new system. OEBernd lead the effort as the new Minister of Welfare.
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Working closely with Phoenix, all Austrian regions were fully returned, for the first time since the war with Croatia. These RW’s, combined with training wars, provided a learning experience for the new military system: grid based battles replaced the old “wall” style, introducing a huge new opportunity for strategy. The first real test came with a successful Austrian deployment in favor of a Bolivian (pro-Phoenix) independence effort, while another closer to home saw deployment in favor of Hungary against EDEN.
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Overall, the transition to V2 was a surprisingly successful time for Austria: seemingly for once, changes actually benefited the nations position. Fragreg would continue as Minister of Finance, and greatly increase the reserves of the Austrian Central Bank during this time. This period of time saw a large focus on the past history of Austria, as the government sought to compile some of it for the eRepublik wiki, and Penegrin’s frequent updates (in the form of "A Mesage From the President") proved popular. However, he would not choose to run for re-election - opening the field to new candidates.
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Thomas765, the new leader of the OIP, placed himself forward for candidacy in August, and quickly gained the support of all major parties in Austria. More conservative than the previous OIP leader Rangeley, he was well positioned to appeal to the conservative leaning alliance of the KU and AA, as well as the ASO. In the end, he would run unopposed, and largely continued the policies of the previous two months.
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===Italian Invasion===
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The peace in Austria since Croatia and Poland were repelled in May would find its first test in August. Italy, previously a member of Entente, withdrew from the alliance in July over disputes with France. Seeking the favor of EDEN, they launched an attack against Austria in Salzburg on August 24th - on their way to attacking Germany. Now, Austria would have a chance to test its skill on the new grid-based battle system.
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At first, Italy quickly overtook the entire map: Austria put forward only limited resistance to the much larger force. Italy was highly prepared and occupied the key strategic points with heavy stacks of troops. However, the Austrian counter-attack was in the works. Led by Fragreg, whose Omnicorp militia were joined by Hungarian and Ukrainian fighters, as well as the Bundesheer, led a coordinated attack against the stacks of Italian troops.
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Although far outnumbered, Italy’s early coordination would not continue into the later hours of the battle: their troops largely sat idle as the counterattack overpowered them. Austria and its allied help completely pushed back the Italian force and successfully defended Salzburg.
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After the success in battle, it was agreed not to push the advantage - even as Italy taunted for a counterattack - which would have triggered MPP’s against Austria. Instead, Minister of Foreign Affairs Rangeley made a diplomatic push to de-escalate the situation, and to secure peace with Italy, meeting their Minister of Foreign Affairs Scoundrel, offering forgiveness for their attack and promising to turn the page on relations.
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The offer was rejected - and Italy launched its second attack, now into Tyrol on September 3rd. Even larger than before, again the battlefield was overwhelmed by Italy’s numbers. But yet again, Fragreg was able to lead a highly successful counter-offensive, dramatically retaking the map against an unorganized Italian occupation force. This battle saw the heaviest fighting Austria would ever see in the new V2 system - and its success forced Italy to reconsider Austria’s peace proposal, which remained on the table. A tenuous peace was accepted between the two parties - and Scoundrel, Italy’s MoFA, would become Italy’s new president, a seeming assurance that the agreement would be upheld.
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While Thomas765 had gone into office with the backing of all major parties, there was a key disagreement that was looming. Should Austria try to join Phoenix? While all major parties were pro-Phoenix, the liberal OIP and nationalist ASO favored remaining officially outside it, while maintaining close ties with its member nations. The conservative AA and KU however favored joining it outright - believing that it was necessary towards securing a longstanding security. This battle would see its first act play out in the September 2010 presidential election, between the ASO’s samu-L and the AA’s Kikericsy.
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== A Republic Expands (December 2010 - February 2012 ==
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== War At Home (February 2012 - August 2012) ==
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===Takeover and Impeachment (February 2012)===
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===Rebuilding (March - May 2012) ===
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===Reconciliation (June - August 2012) ===
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== A New Consensus ==
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=== War With Latvia (April - June 2013) ===
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==Recent History==
+
  
 +
===Preventive Coup (February - June 2015) ===
 +
''See also: [[Schwrzwolf]], [[capoqwer]], [[sinisa91]], {{eLink|citizen|2650162|wolfwien}}''
  
 +
===End of 2015 (July 2015 - December 2015) ===
 +
''See also: [[Harzakc]], [[Prince of Austria]], [[Luis Grindl]]''
  
 
==[[File:Icon-warinprogress.gif]] Wars ==
 
==[[File:Icon-warinprogress.gif]] Wars ==
Line 345: Line 260:
 
*[[Austria-PEACE Resistance War]] (March 27th, 2009 - April 12th, 2009)
 
*[[Austria-PEACE Resistance War]] (March 27th, 2009 - April 12th, 2009)
 
*[[World War III]] (July 13th, 2009 - November 16th, 2009)
 
*[[World War III]] (July 13th, 2009 - November 16th, 2009)
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*[[Indonesia-Malaysia War]] (November 10th, 2009 - present)
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*[[Indonesia-Malaysia War]] (November 10th, 2009 - ?)
 
*[[Hungary-Austria War]] (November 18th, 2009 - November 21st, 2009)
 
*[[Hungary-Austria War]] (November 18th, 2009 - November 21st, 2009)
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*[[Spain-France War]] (December 3rd, 2009 - present)
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*[[Spain-France War]] (December 3rd, 2009 - February 6th, 2010)
 
*[[Second_Kyushu_Controversy#Battle_For_Kyushu|Battle of Kyushu]] (December 7th, 2009 - December 8th, 2009)
 
*[[Second_Kyushu_Controversy#Battle_For_Kyushu|Battle of Kyushu]] (December 7th, 2009 - December 8th, 2009)
 
*[[First Croatia-Austria War]] (February 11th, 2010 - February 23rd, 2010)
 
*[[First Croatia-Austria War]] (February 11th, 2010 - February 23rd, 2010)
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*[[Second Croatia-Austria War]] (March 13th, 2010 - April 3rd, 2010)
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*Second Croatia-Austria War (March 13th, 2010 - April 3rd, 2010)
 
*[[Second Japan-South Korea War|Second Japan-South Korea War]] (May 6th, 2010 - May 25th, 2010)
 
*[[Second Japan-South Korea War|Second Japan-South Korea War]] (May 6th, 2010 - May 25th, 2010)
 
*[[Poland-Austria War]] (May 20th, 2010 - May 31st 2010)
 
*[[Poland-Austria War]] (May 20th, 2010 - May 31st 2010)
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== References ==
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<references/>
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[[Category:Politics of Austria]]
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[[Category:History of Austria]]

Latest revision as of 04:24, 14 April 2024

Languages: 
EnglishIcon-English.png
Coat-Austria.gif Flag-Austria.jpg Seal-Austria.png
AustrianFlagCorner.png

Austria's history spans the entire course of eRepublik, as one of the original nations existing since the beginning. It has experienced several distinct eras - periods of growth, decline, and rebirth - with many key players that helped to define their eras, and the nation.

Contents

Early History (November 2007 - March 2009)

Austria's history began with the start of eRepublik.

The very earliest times in Austria remain shrouded in mystery, due to a lack of record keeping. It is suspected that the first months were very sparsely populated. No records have been found for November or December 2007, and thus the first President of Austria is completely unknown.

During the term of the second president, records begin to appear. Although his name is not listed, the country was reported to have 17 players, and an inactive government. The first known figure, named frsd – a real life Austrian – organized opposition to the government and became the third president of Austria in February 2008. Without a newspaper, there is again little first-hand accounting of this time frame – however due to other records, the government seems to have been well run and the treasury grew. Without the war module having been implemented yet, it was by default a period of peace – with few players, yet a presence of Austrians mixed with foreigners. Among these was VoXX, who would lead the party known as the Austrian Democrats.

Growth and Conflict (March – May 2008)

See also: Socialist Party of Austria, Karantanec, nejcman, Nacionalna stranka Karantanije, Alternative Way

In March 2008, VoXX was elected the fourth president (it is not clear if frsd ran for re-election). The treasury continued to grow – and Austria grew closer to Sweden, a nation that was, at the time, the most powerful and populous nation (and the nation of VoXx's origin).[1] It was during this time that the nation began to grow, largely due to Slovenians entering Austria (as Slovenia had not been added to the New World yet).[2] Centering around Salzburg, they founded the Austrian Socialist Party, with Emdvojka as its leader.

VoXX was the 4th President of Austria.

With the implementation of the war module, the first conflicts of the world began – including a small clash between Slovakia and Austria – one which ended with the status quo. Meanwhile on the domestic front, the national growth set the stage for one of the first political clashes, with VoXx's incumbency matching up against the new guard in Emdvojka's Socialist Party of Austria. Arguing that it was his leadership which led to the national growth, and against the inexperience of Emdvojka, ultimately it was the new guard which would sweep to victory in April.

Unwilling to accept the outcome, VoXx emptied the entire treasury of the nation during the closing hours of the presidential race, fleeing to Sweden with a reported 1085 gold.[3] Left to pick up the pieces was the incoming president, Emdvojka. The task would prove difficult, and ultimately there were large disagreements about the best way to move forward. Opponents of the socialistic policies of the government split away, to form the Nacionalna stranka Karantanije (NSK) under the lead of Karantanec, and later the Alternative Way (AW) as well, led by nejcman.

The month of April also saw a new change, with further growth in the population coming from an influx of Italian players. This would prove an issue of contention as well, with the AW and NSK wary of continued immigration, and the SPA supportive. In the May 2008 presidential race, a coalition between the AW and NSK would lead nejcman to victory over the SPA.

Changing of the Guard (May – June 2008)

See also: nejcman, Mapplna, Austrian International Movement

nejcman was the 6th President of Austria.

During nejcman's term, hospitals were purchased for several cities, which at the time were essential towards restoring health and at forming a more effective fighting force. The number of Italian players continued to grow, finally forming a party of their own: the Austrian International Movement, led by Mapplna. Giving a direct voice to the Italian population, the center-left party formed a natural alliance with the SPA – the only existing party that was not opposed to working with Italians.

The AIM's influence would prove decisive in the June 2008 election, as they backed the SPA's candidate, sheeptar, over nejcman (backed by the AW and NSK). In a replay of April's election, outgoing president nejcman would take with him the entire treasury of Austria – this time a reported 2000 gold.

For the second time in two months, the incoming president was faced with a tall order of dealing with a massive economic setback. But with the creation of the nation of Slovenia, many of the previous citizens would depart for the new country, causing even more economic turmoil and a collapse in the value of the ATS. With far fewer Slovenian players remaining, politics saw turnover as well. The AIM was left in a new role as the dominant party of the nation. How they would handle this new role would prove vital: seeking to work with people of all nationalities and move past the previous disputes, the stage was set for what many would regard as a golden age in Austria.

The Austrian International Movement (July 2008 - January 2009)

See also: Mapplna, Aanok Tourmil, Danny Boodmann T. D. Lemon Nov, PEACE GC

Mapplna served 3 consecutive terms as a President of Austria

Elected president in July 2008, Mapplna would set a new standard for presidents of Austria in many ways. Proving a very active player, she brought Austria into a more prominent role in the world stage - first joining the Mediterranean Alliance and then its successor, PEACE GC, as a founding member. While previous months saw vast turnover from month to month in the government, by incorporating different players of differing views (and nationalities), a growing sense of national identity was able to be fostered beyond the more fractured community of previous months.

For the first time in Austrian history, an incumbent president was re-elected in August - and then a month later, re-elected again. Serving three consecutive terms, a gold standard was set which future presidents would seek to emulate in the coming years.

While Mapplna proved very popular, this time period was not without its disagreements, with Chicco staking out a position as leader of the opposition, largely over economic issues. Nonetheless, the AIM would have an undeniably dominant role in Austrian politics - at its height containing over 110 members. After three months as president, Mapplna would step aside in favor of her chosen successor, Aanok Tourmil, who would continue her policies. Mapplna herself would, however, leave Austria for Italy after the completion of her final term.

Aanok Tourmil served two terms as a President of Austria

October saw the emergence of a new factor in Austria: Serbian players who awaited the addition of their country. Like Slovenians before them, they looked to Austria as a place to make their mark in the meantime. Remembering the recent past where they represented the untrusted newcomers, Aanok and the AIM looked cooperatively towards the new immigrants and sought common ground in order to strengthen the country. Choosing not to run again, Aanok supported Danny Boodmann T. D. Lemon Nov, also of the AIM, as his successor.

Despite the successes in establishing a far more stable state of affairs - and a more prominent role for Austria - interest began to wane in many members of the AIM, who left for Italy. This was accelerated by the implementation of "Version 1" of eRepublik, which brought many changes to game mechanics. It also marked a final end of the Austrian International Movement. Aanok Tourmil was one of the remaining players of the former party, who sought to turn around the sense of decline. Forming the Austrian Liberal Party out of the AIM's ashes, the month of December saw a push for finalization of the constitution of Austria. But the momentum was not there, and the balance of power shifted once again, this time from the Italian-centered parties towards the Serbian-centered Austrian-Serbian Alliance, which gained even non-Serbian supporters such as Q J Lincoln.

Months of Turmoil (January - March 2009)

See also: Azoo Lazzo, Austrian-Serbian Alliance, Hrvat, Germany-Austria, Chicco, Austria-PEACE Resistance War

Azoo Lazzo became the 12th President of Austria with broad support.

Elected president in January 2009 with broad support of his own party and the remaining ALP members, Azoo Lazzo arrival was marked with a hope that this transition would be a smooth one. However, with no activity in the first 10 days, and no ministers appointed, suspicions began to grow to the otherwise. Finally, on January 16th, the first action occurred: a theft of the entire Austrian treasury. Although Azoo initially played it off as a "mistake," the complicated steps required to transfer the large sum of money left a documented trail which was discovered by Hrvat, Q J Lincoln, and other loyalists.

The outcry was immediate, with many members of Azoo's own party taking a harsh stance against his actions. With the creation of Serbia, Austria saw yet another mass exodus, and the economic damage from the theft was compounded further. Through negotiations, a return of most of the stolen funds and all public companies was achieved - but the damage had been done. Dispirited by the massive betrayal, and far reduced in population, some Austrian players began to consider different ways forward.

Chicco was the 13th President, implementing the Austria German Union.
Chicco revealed his run for the presidency of Austria shortly before the February presidential elections. In his manifesto, he put forward many policies that he believed would rebuild Austria, but most of all he stated that "Austria is not a viable nation." He proposed to combine with another nearby nation for the good of Austria and he promised that, if elected, he would start diplomatic talks with the Presidents of all neighboring nations.

This proved to be a highly contentious idea, as some refused to give up on the idea of an independent, sovereign Austria despite the recent setbacks. Nonetheless, Chicco was elected president against Silent Bob, a candidate who favored an even more extreme step of handing over all regions to Hungary immediately. As President, Chicco announced that it had been agreed with Germany to unite both nations as Austria-German Union.

In February 2009, the Austro-German Union was created with the help of, Isy, President of Germany and Chicco, President of Austria. This union began to be implemented, with Germany moving one by one to occupy Austrian regions. Yet the plan was never able to be fully implemented, due to resistance wars established by PEACE GC (Germany being a member of the opposing alliance, ATLANTIS.) A combination of these resistance wars, and Silent Bob's slim victory over Chicco in the March 2009 election (due in large part to many of Chicco's supporters having moved to Germany) spelled an end to the union, yet not the question of whether an independent Austria could succeed. With a virtually non-existent government during the month, and a near total decimation of political leadership, Austria stood at its lowest point thus far. The stage was set for the nations reins to be taken up by a new group of leaders.

Rebirth (April 2009 - February 2010)

Rot Weiss Rot (April 2009 - September 2009)

See also: Metallon, Rot Weiss Rot, Lynari

Metallon was the 15th and 17th President of Austria, serving three total terms in 2009 (April, May, September).

Metallon had been a key figure in working with PEACE GC in the resistance wars, and was a natural choice to lead the small country now. By a unanimous vote of 17-0, he was elected president of Austria in April 2009 from the Rot Weiss Rot (RWR) party, and the government began the job of yet again picking up the pieces. Metallon favored a policy of cautious restoration of regions: with most still being held by Italy, Slovenia, and Hungary, it helped to reduce the open seats available in congress and deter would be-PTOers. The monetary market was put on a slow, but stable path as well, and state companies were constructed after the loss of the previous in the failed union.

After a re-election in May (the first successful re-election since Mapplna nearly a year earlier), he handed his support over to Lynari, also of the RWR, in June. The summer months would see the beginning of World War III - an effort which saw the nations of PEACE GC move into the former nations of the now fallen alliance ATLANTIS. This became a growing issue of contention, as liberal advocates opposed involvement in what they deemed a "war of revenge" on one side, while others in the RWR favored full support of the effort. The Osterreich Independence Party (ÖIP) formed in this environment in opposition to wars of conquest (led by Travis James, containing members of many nationalities bound together by the party's liberal leanings. The Illuminus Austria (IA) would follow suit, forming as advocates of expansion (led by Jazar), and containing largely Brazilian players in Austria.

Lynari would remain a popular figure to both crowds in the growing country, and was re-elected in July, and then in August by wide margins. But as Austria became whole again in the end of September - having grown again into the hundreds of players (of numerous nationalities) - the stage was set for a new confrontation.

The IA vs ÖIP (August - November 2009)

See also: Osterreich Independence Party, Illuminus Austria, Metallon, Rangeley

Lynari served three consecutive terms as the President, from June through August 2009.

With Lynari seeking an unprecedented fourth term, Metallon entered the race for a third term of his own, under the Illuminus Austria party. Against a coalition of the RWR and ÖIP, he came out on top and was elected president in September 2009. During this month, Austria increased its role in World War III, and a focus on growing the military and attracting strong international fighters. It would be this month that the ÖIP would emerge from the RWR's shadow, and in the October 2009 election run its own candidate, Rangeley. Organizing a coalition of disparate parties, Rangeley faced off against Metallon, who planned to invade the Czech Republic. Rangeley was elected president.

Rangeley served three consecutive terms as President, from October through December 2009.

The cabinet was made to include members from all parties, notably including IA member Dishmcds as Austria's Minister of Finance. However, the month saw several immediate changes, including an end to war planning against the Czech Republic - instead a "shared statement of principles" was signed between the nations vowing peaceful relations. The government strongly rejected expansionism, instead believing that diplomacy with neighbors was essential towards long-term stability. Participation in hostile campaigns within World War III likewise ended, strictly focusing on defensive battles on behalf of allies. These moves strongly angered elements of the Illuminus Austria, who favored expansion, and the month saw continued confrontations between political factions.

The final passage of the Constitution of Austria - a long sought after goal - was achieved early in the month (which notably forbade any formal or legal union with another nation). With a donation-based method of funding implemented for the Austrian Red Cross, the government likewise sought to cut expenses and take a more conservative stance on the monetary markets. In the November race, the IA fielded Querb as their candidate on another expansionist platform. By the narrowest of margins (76 to 75), Rangeley was re-elected president in November.

This would prove a turning point, as soon nations in PEACE GC would begin to leave the alliance, including Brazil (where many members of the IA hailed from, and would return to). Though the ÖIP had been critical of the expansionist policies of PEACE GC, Austria remained in the alliance until the end, (and arguably never left, as no vote was held to do so).

Political Re-alignment (November 2009 - February 2010)

See also: Kronloyale Union (2010), Alfred Ball, National Front Austria, Borojevic von Bonjar

Alfred Ball served as the 19th President of Austria.

The most significant outcome of these events was a re-alignment of the political alliances, as the pro-expansion movement all but collapsed with the IA falling far in membership. The ÖIP would represent a liberal strain of Austrian politics, while the NFA took on the mantle of a more conservative nationalism; these two forces would define the next few months politically. The December 2010 presidential race saw Rangeley elected to a third consecutive term over the NFA's Alfred Ball and Illuminus Austria's Oraizan. In this month, Austria became heavily involved in defending France against a Spanish invasion. As well, the government placed a major focus on reaching out to German speaking real-life Austrians, offering translations of updates and other outreach programs, with the belief that ultimately this would be the future of the country.

Choosing not to run for a fourth consecutive term, Rangeley stepped aside and the January 2010 election saw the NFA's Alfred Ball face off against the newly formed Kronloyale Union's Borojevic von Bonjar. Alfred Ball succeeded, and the month saw a continuation of involvement in the defense of France, and an emphasis on military involvement. In February, a new coalition formed between the conservative leaning parties of the NFA and KU, facing off against what would previously be an unthinkable alliance of the OIP and IA, who backed Oraizan. Borojevic would be the first real-life Austrian president since frsd was elected exactly 2 years earlier.

War with EDEN (February 2010 - November 2010)

From mid November 2009, through early February 2010, Austria's political sphere saw liberal (OIP, IA) and conservative (NFA, KU) forces face off. Even so, there was broad agreement on foreign affairs: a rejection of expansion, and continued support for the former nations of PEACE GC. In the aftermath of PEACE's collapse, EDEN had regained lost regions and even began to push its advantage. In February 2010, this brought EDEN to Austria's doorstep.

Croatian Invasion (February - March 2010)

See also: First Croatia-Austria War, Borojevic von Bonjar, Oraizan, Hedera

President Borojevic von Bonjar rejected Croatia's offer.

Early in Borojevic von Bonjar's term, he was faced with a major crisis: Croatia demanded passage through the country, en route to attacking France. Refusal would lead to a "permanent occupation" of Austria as punishment. Though Croatian fighters by far outnumbered Austria's, Borojevic refused to betray Austria's allies, and rejected the offer. Croatia launched its war - yet became entangled by a series of military manoeuvres conducted by Austria, Slovenia, and Hungary. Moving roughly half-way through the country, Croatia's advance was halted, and a series of resistance wars liberated the country completely by late February.

President Oraizan led the effort to remove Croatia from Austria.

Due to time constraints, Borojevic would resign mid-term, to allow Oraizan to continue the time intensive war as president. Throughout the whole effort, a powerful war cabinet was constructed which contained many figures from previous administrations, such as Metallon and Rangeley, who brought every resource to bear against the much more powerful foe. While proving pivotal in the military campaign, it caused some problems politically, as animosities stood in the way of presenting a truly united front in the March 2010 presidential race. Instead, the lack of unity led to the election of a largely unknown candidate - Hedera - powered in large part by multi accounts.

Retreating the entire country to Poland (Croatia's ally) and likewise stealing the treasury, it seemed the previous month's successes had been wiped away in a single move - and likely that Croatia would now succeed in moving through Austria. Yet the previous war cabinet, acting now as a "shadow government" under Oraizan's lead, worked again with allies and accomplished just that - halting passage and removing Poland as well. Hedera would be impeached, and in the March race for president there would be no repeat of disunity: a strong consensus backed stoneman for president.

The Fight for Austria (April - May 2010)

See also: stoneman, Djani Ujkan Marich, Rangeley

stoneman served as President of Austria in April 2010.

stoneman (of the Osterreich Independence Party) began the job of rebuilding the Austrian economy after the damage caused by Hedera, and was aided in part by a respite from the invasions. Penegrin (of the KU) was appointed the Minister of Welfare, in charge of administrating new companies tasked with keeping the economy afloat. But in the congressional races later that month, Croatians PTOers would succeed in gaining a narrow majority, transferring around 400 gold (and equivalent currencies) from the treasury. Worse, gold was donated back into the treasury to be issued as currency, multiplying the PTO's gains.

This setback was a shock, as Austria's congress had never previously been controlled by a PTO. In the May 2010 presidential election, it was needed again the select a candidate to face off against the PTO and deal with a hostile congress. Many favored Djani Ujkan Marich, a player known to have been a member of the Croatian government and advocate of EDEN, who presented himself as repentant, and the only candidate who could deal with the PTO. But this plan would be foiled when Penegrin successfully broke into a secret PTO chat room, in which Djani was present - revealing that he was a part of the PTO all along.

Rangeley served as President of Austria in May 2010.

At the last minute, a unity coalition came together around the Osterreich Independence Party's Rangeley, who was elected over Djani for his fourth term as president in May 2010. Believing it important to not focus exclusively on the home front, Austria became heavily involved in the defense of South Korea against EDEN-aligned Japan's invasion in the Japan-South Korea War, believing Austria could make a difference. By month's end, South Korea would push back against the invasion and secure its borders.

The new president also implemented the plan to protect money, with proposals to buy defense systems and hospitals tying up money to prevent donations, and intentionally losing regions to allied nations (who received a percentage of national treasuries). Threats that the PTO would destroy the economy did not stop the anti-theft measures, which ultimately succeeded in securing more money than was lost due to the PTO donating gold to be issued as currency.

Aiding the PTO later in the month was Poland, which launched an attack into Austria (Poland-Austria War). Aiming to wipe the country before the Congress race (forcing open citizenship), their effort fell short due to coordination with Germany, Slovenia, and Hungary. In the aftermath of the defense, Austria even aided in a Slovenian swap into Germany, strengthening the strategic situation. The final setback for the PTO was a mass-banning that included several of their congress members, and many of their supporters. With congress retaken (and easily secured in the May congress race), most remaining PTOers fled by the end of the month.

Taking Charge (June 2010 - August 2010)

See also: Fragreg, Penegrin,

Fragreg served as President of Austria in June 2010.

With the home front in a more secure position than it had been for months, the broader EDEN-PHOENIX struggle likewise took a turn for the better, with PHOENIX making gains. Rangeley would step aside in the June 2010 presidential race, which turned into a conflict between Adeptus Astartes' Fragreg and the Conservative Party's Kaiser Alex. Although already the frontrunner, Fragreg solidified his lead after a dirty campaign by Kaiser Alex focused on Fragreg's nationality backfired. Having established his trustworthiness, Fragreg soundly defeated Kaiser Alex with the backing of most parties.

Penegrin served as President of Austria in July 2010.

June saw Austria again on the world stage, this time enabling a major swap with PHOENIX nations that would lead to Spain being finally removed from France in the battle of the Rhone Alps. The success combined with highly competent economic leadership in moving Austria further down the road to recovery. The Kronloyale Union's Penegrin would follow Fragreg, who did not run for re-election, and was elected in a landslide in July.

This month would see the implementation of a new military module, which favored combatants who were highly organized - ultimately increasing Austria's effectiveness and downplaying its numerical disadvantage. Austria would increase its participation in battles around the world, with a special focus being played on other small nations. With Penegrin stepping aside after one term, the Osterreich Independence Party's Thomas765 would run unopposed in the August 2010 election.

Italian Invasion (August - November 2010)

See also: Italy-Austria War, Thomas765, Kikericsy, Penegrin, Travis James, Alfagrem

Thomas765 served as president in August 2010.

Peace on the home-front would be broken, when Italy launched an invasion of Austria in August. Although Austria was strongly overmatched in terms of numbers, through organization (particularly with Fragreg's leadership in military affairs) and diplomacy Italy was repelled in two successive battles. President Thomas765 worked with Minister of Foreign Affairs Rangeley in a diplomatic push to end the conflict with Italy, offering forgiveness based on the historic friendship between the countries. For a time, it would prove successful.

Thomas765 did not run for re-election - instead, Kikericsy faced off against samu-L in what amounted to a referendum on whether to join PHOENIX. Kikericsy would easily win the race, and later in the month an official vote was held to join the alliance. While the vote in Austria would be in the affirmative (by an over two thirds margin), PHOENIX would reject the proposal. The tide had begun to turn against them again, and some member nations did not want to accept new smaller nations. The rejection emboldened Italy, which launched again an invasion and found increased success as yet another military module had been implemented, which favored raw numbers.

Penegrin served as President of Austria in October 2010.

Penegrin would be elected by a wide margin as president in the October 2010 race, coordinating heavily with Germany and other regional PHOENIX allies. A focus was retained on maintaining state-run companies in order to further economic growth. But ground continued to be lost, and even Germany began losing regions to Italy. With the creation of several new nations, Austria would see a small exodus as some players departed. A weakened electorate saw small participation in the November 2010 race between the Osterreich Independence Party's Travis James, and Socialist Party's NIKAN. NIKAN would win by a slim margin, and would turn out to be an agent of EDEN yet again - stealing the entire treasury and aiding further the Italian invasion, before being impeached.

Travis James served as President of Austria during the Battle of Vorarlberg.

Travis James would succeed him as president, bringing together a new team of players, including JaFe as Minister of Finance, to handle the new crisis - which had not ended. With EDEN hoping to wipe Austria from the map for the November congress race (leading to open citizenship), the fate of Austria hung in the balance. Rallying fighters together, efforts to stop the Italian advance proved ineffective. Early on the 23rd of November, Austria had been entirely wiped off the map. Austria would need to return to the map before the end of the day - and it all depended on a successful resistance war in Vorarlberg. In what became known simply as "The Battle of Vorarlberg," Alfagrem, a powerful fighter from South Korea answered the call and looked to return the favor for Austrian help against Japan earlier in the year. Delivering massive amounts of damage, he almost single handedly took on the powerful Italian military. Austria returned to the map, and players quickly founded the Austrian Unity party, successfully securing Congress and preventing open citizenship.

After this surprising victory, there was a true sense that Austria had been granted a new chance at life, and a new opportunity. Italy would eventually be pushed entirely from Austria. This drew to a close the direct war with EDEN, as Austria entered a new era, uncertain of what was to come.

A Republic Expands (December 2010 - February 2012

Moving past the long war with EDEN, Austria now had one party: the Austrian Unity. This "unity," however, would be an imperfect one: a number of old divisions remained. Although led ostensibly by liberal elements, with Rangeley as party president, the nationalist-leaning PrinceOfAustria, a long time Minister of Defense, was selected as the presidential candidate in December, in order to present a broad front.

A Cold War Flares (December 2010 - January 2011)

See also: Austrian Unity, PrinceOfAustria

PrinceOfAustria served two terms as president in December and January 2011.

Continuing the trend of the last days of Travis James presidency, more regions would be successfully returned from Italy. One region that remained occupied, however, was Upper Austria - held by Slovakia. Slovakia had moved into Lower, and Upper Austria in October in a largely uncontested battle, in the midst of the larger Italian invasion. Unable to fight in two fronts, and with the Slovakian front largely laying dormant, this war remained a cold one. However, with Italy now on the retreat, Slovakia saw an opportunity to expand its footprint, moving to attack Styria in late December. President PrinceOfAustria rallied broad support, and with a clean victory, Austria won the Battle of Styria.

The question was then what the next move should be: with Upper Austria still held, and after a string of victories, the government believed a battle in Upper Austria would be very winnable. PrinceOfAustria opened the attack: however, while Slovakians were divided about attacking Styria, they were united in opinion on holding Upper Austria: the battle was a decisive loss. This setback led to a reshuffling of the cabinet in January 2011, when PrinceOfAustria was elected to a second term by a wide margin. Integrating more players from previous administrations (particularly members of Travis James's administration). This new team saw Vreath as Vice President, JaFe return as Minister of Finance, Rangeley return as Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Klavh as Minister of Defense.

With a new resource system implemented, the government negotiated deals with Slovenia, Hungary, and Serbia to rent regions for gold. This became possible after an amendment to the Constitution of Austria which outlined the official process for legally renting regions for extended periods of time. Slovakia would remain the sole holdout: refusing to make rental payments, their occupation of Austrian regions remained unrecognized by the Austrian government. Tensions again flared in the middle of January: Slovakia announced a "training war" was taking place with Austria. Although Slovakia promised to return any regions taken, the timing would complicate rental plans with other nations - and the lack of communication or consent led Austria to reject the idea that this was a mere "training war." Rallying support of allies again, the hard fought battle ended in a victory for Austria.

An opportunity to turn the page presented itself later in the month: Hungary desired Bratislava, a Slovakian region, for rent. As Austrian help was essential for a swap to take place, the government sought to use this as an opportunity for a broad regional agreement, including the Slovakian occupation of Austrian regions. But Slovakia refused to consider discussion on any topic other than Bratislava, and walked out of the talks. The setback would end hopes in January of addressing the longstanding issues.

January saw an increased international role for the Osterreichs Bundesheer. With Bulgaria leaving PHOENIX and attacking its former ally, Turkey, Austria sent fighters to defend Turkey from the invasion. In another foreign deployment, Austria became involved in settling the dispute in the Malaysia-Singapore War. With Singapore at risk of being wiped for Congress, Austria supported them in a battle against a hostile invasion. But when Singapore in return sought to then wipe Malaysia in revenge, Austria fought to defend Malaysia. Acting as an arbiter, "Operation: Everybody Lives" was implemented with the agreement between the two parties, successfully avoiding a wipe for either nation through the election.

Cold War Continues

See also: Gute Nachbar-Doktrin, JaFe, Vreath, Albert Neurath

JaFe brought Austria into prominence during the 2011 eRepublik Rebellion.

While unable to solve the issues with Slovakia, tensions would subside for a time. In February, with PrinceOfAustria stepping aside, the Austrian Unity party would endorse JaFe for president. Taking a more liberal tact than his predecessor, a focus continued on settling the issue of Slovakian occupation of Austrian regions. Likewise, a strong focus on rebuilding the treasury continued. JaFe had served as Minister of Finance during most of the time since the theft in November, and had selected a trusted advisor of his, Jules Casey, as his MoF during his presidency. By February, despite the ongoing territorial issues, Austria's economy had stabilized, and the rental program with Slovenia, Hungary, and Serbia continued to be a success. Their presence also would serve as a roadblock to any realistic expansion by Slovakia into further Austrian regions.

Austria would be a key participant in the 2011 eRepublik Rebellion, a widely supported movement against certain changes in the game, with President JaFe as an early signatory. Joining in a worldwide peace treaty, for a brief moment, all conflicts in the New World ceased. JaFe's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rangeley, was selected as one of four spokespersons to negotiate with the eRepublik administration. The negotiations, however, failed to lead to changes, and after the implementation of new missions, the worldwide boycott against war slowly collapsed. Nonetheless, participation in the effort increased relations with Hungary and Slovenia, strong supporters of the effort.

Vreath codified the Gute Nachbar-Doktrin.

After one term, JaFe would step aside. The Austrian Unity, no longer the only party in Austria (joined by the Szekler's PHP and Socialist Party), was renamed to the Osterreich Independence Party after a vote by party members and a payment of Icon - Gold.gif 40 GOLD to the Austrian Government. All three parties would back Vreath, who had served as Vice President during PrinceOfAustria and JaFe's administrations. Vreath's term would see the formulation the Gute Nachbar-Doktrin, a policy which respects the sovereignty of all neighboring nation and asks for the same from neighbors in return. In practical purposes, it ruled out aggressive expansion in a formal doctrine - yet laid the groundwork for how the expansion could occur: with bilateral agreements with neighbors.

Tensions would continue with Slovakia, but the month saw no new battles erupt. Instead, a training war was arranged with Switzerland. The move, however, saw interference from opponents of Switzerland, who looked to use the war as an opportunity to wipe Switzerland. Unwilling to allow the training war to be hijacked, President Vreath organized fighters to fight on behalf of Switzerland. After a week, the war was able to be closed. Although it would prove costlier than intended, Austria would keep its word and overcame efforts to abuse the training war.

Austria would also aid its ally Slovenia against a resurgent Croatia. With Croatia looking to wipe Slovenia from the map for the March Congressional race, a key resistance war battle in Carinthia (which returned the region to Austria) halted Croatia's advance into the other rented regions, and protected Slovenia from open citizenship. This further strengthened Austria's longstanding friendship with Slovenia, a relationship which would prove essential in times to come.

Albert Neurath signed the Central European Friendship Pact.

After one term, Vreath would step aside as President. Albert Neurath, party president of the conservative Austrian Coalition of Patriots, ran in his stead and received the endorsement of the OIP, Socialist Party, and PHP. Implementing a re-organization of the Austrian government, based around a corporate model of directorates, Albert Neurath looked to take changes abroad as well. Making definitive moves towards the newly formed Order of New EWorld (ONE) alliance, he saw a way to settle issues with Slovakia.

By aligning closely with Hungary and Slovenia, this could raise pressure and achieve a new agreement. With strong relationships with Hungarian president mobra and Slovenian president Blaz Gutman, a roadblock was met with Poland's strong support of Slovakia. Although Albert Neurath preferred no regions be occupied at all, an agreement was reached known as the "Central European Friendship Pact", establishing the legal framework for the rental of region in exchange for gold. By the end of the month, half of the agreement was achieved, with Burgenland held by Slovakia, and plans were in the works for a transfer of Styria as well.

War Erupts (May 2011 - July 2011)

See also: AliasSun, Rangeley

AliasSun led the war effort during the Slovakian invasion.

Succeeding Albert Neurath as president in the April 2011 election was AliasSun, an influential political figure and leader of the PHP - the powerful Szekler party in Austria. With his strong ties in Hungary, there was a hope to build on the progress made during the past months and secure the terms of the CEFP. But this would be dealt an immediate setback: Hungary would see the election of a new president who was less interested in Austria - and Slovakia would see the election of a new hardliner who rejected the terms of the CEFP, and desired full conquest of Austria. In this difficult situation, and with no alternatives presented, President AliasSun decided to face the invasion head on, hoping to drain Slovakian resources. After a series of extremely hard fought battles, Austria was wiped from the map, and for the first time, wiped during a congress election. Though this no longer meant there would be open citizenship (due to a game change,) it was nonetheless a dire situation. With Slovenia the only nation in Austria's corner, it was more isolated than it had been in years.

Although an extremely difficult month, the heroic efforts of the Szeklers - both in Austria and in Hungary - would endear Austrians to them and remove any doubts about their loyalty to Austria. By going to bat for Austria, they and Slovenia laid the groundwork for a path forward. After one term, AliasSun would step aside, and the Osterreich Independence Party endorsed Rangeley for president. As the diplomat tasked with working with Slovakia during the past 5 months, he hoped to finally achieve a breakthrough. Reiterating that both Slovakia and Austria were pro-ONE - and that continued fighting was nothing but a distraction for the larger ONE cause, the new president insisted that more could be accomplished together than from continued fighting. Rather than dedicating resources to fighting Slovakia, the Osterreichs Bundesheer fought hard for Hungary and Slovenia.

Rangeley made peace with Slovakia.

This strategy proved controversial in Austria - with many, frustrated after months of conflict, wanting continued war with Slovakia. In Slovakia, the reception was likewise mixed at first. Yet Slovakian President fwdre, and his Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dimitru Osraldescu, were interested in turning the page in relations, as even without active effort from the Austrian government, the task of holding Austrian regions against medal hunters proved costly. By the middle of the month, an agreement was reached between Austria, Slovakia, and Hungary, which would rent several regions to Hungary, and lead Slovakia to peacefully return the rest. Resistance wars supported by the three parties succeeded, enabling the election of a new congress.

Rangeley was re-elected president in July, and work continued with the new president of Slovakia - Dimitru Osraldescu, who stated he hoped to draw a firm dividing line between the past hostilities, and new friendship. This was put into immediate action, as Croatia (led by Croatian president Djani Ujkan Marich) launched an invasion of Austria and Slovakia, bringing the nations together in battle as allies. By the end of July, Austria and Slovakia were firm allies - and the long war was but a memory.

Peace and Prosperity (August 2011 - February 2012)

See also: erdoni, Luis Grindl, csaba.pinter, patar333

erdoni grew the alliance with Slovakia.

After two terms, Rangeley was followed by the Osterreich Independence Party's erdoni in August 2011. An accomplished economist, and military fighter, he led the Osterreichs Bundesheer during the previous two months. As president he continued the war effort against Croatia, working especially close with Slovakia, building personal friendships between the armed forces of the nations in a way that had not been done previously. Croatia would be finally expelled from the country, and with the end of this fight, Austria entered a new period of extended peace - one that it had not seen since before the war with EDEN began in February 2010. All original Austrian regions were held by Austria.

A new training war was held with Poland, emphasizing the new role Austria had in the region, which was surrounded by friendly nations largely in the ONE alliance. After one term, erdoni stepped aside. The September election saw the most competitive election in many months, with patar333 facing off against Luis Grindl. Luis Grindl was elected with 51.81% of the vote, and would work to build upon the new peace: bringing Austria beyond its borders.

Luis Grindl signed the Styria-Southern Bohemia Treaty.

Luis Grindl worked with Slovakian president gabberattack to create a new rental arrangement. As Slovakia had peacefully merged with the Czech Republic for a time, they had surplus iron resources in the region of Southern Bohemia. In exchange for renting this region to Austria, the regions of Styria and Burgenland would be rented to Slovakia. This agreement, known as the "Styria-Southern Bohemia Treaty," drew broad support, and was signed into law late in the month. After one term, Luis Grindl did not seek re-election. In the October 2011 race, economist csaba.pinter would face off against former president JaFe. In another close race, csaba.pinter won with 55.32%.

csaba.pinter implemented the occupation of Southern Bohemia.

csaba.pinter's term saw the implementation of the Styria-Southern Bohemia Treaty. In a clean battle, Austria occupied Southern Bohemia. This agreement would hold, with little to no incidents, for the next 4 months, as Austrians enjoyed the largest region bonuses they had ever enjoyed before - and for the first time held regions outside of Austria for an extended period. In the November 2011 presidential race, patar333 would run again, this time with the support of all major parties.

The month of November saw a successful administration of the treaty, and further cooperation with allies. But the competitive political environment continued, as he saw a strong challenge from former president erdoni in the December 2011 race. Ultimately, erdoni would win the election, with 53.6%. December again saw success and peace, with a focus placed on helping allies abroad. Considering the place Austria had stood a year prior - on the brink of destruction - there had been a remarkable turnaround to one of the highest points in the nations history. The opportunity afforded by the victory in Vorarlberg had been seized.

War At Home (February 2012 - August 2012)

Takeover and Impeachment (February 2012)

See also: A.Emmerich, Vreath, AliasSun

The long period of peace and prosperity would end not with invasion, but with a betrayal reminiscent of Azoo Lazzo's three years prior. With an Austrian population eager to help newer citizens climb the ladder, A.Emmerich, who was elected president in January, largely continued policies of the previous governments. Although Hungarian in origin, this was a non-issue, as many other Hungarians and other foreigners worked side by side together. With continued success for the country, he was re-elected in February. In February however, he would declare that he was "emperor" of Austria, launch resistance wars against Slovakia (breaking the Styria-Southern Bohemia Treaty), and pledge to give Burgenland away permanently to Hungary. He also announced that the Kuruc MU, which already had some members, would be immigrated in its entirety for the purpose of taking full control of the country.

Vreath led the nation after the impeachment of A.Emmerich.

The actions would have immediate consequences, as the cabinet took charge, looking to undo the diplomatic damage. Along with a swift congressional impeachment of the self proclaimed "emperor," issues over Burgenland were solved with Hungary (as regions could not simply be given away in that manner). Meanwhile, more of the Kuruc military unit would enter into Austria, initially supportive of the ex-presidents mission. In order to bring this to a halt, the new president, Vreath, authorized a plan to intentionally have Austria wiped for congress. This plan proved key in halting the growth and momentum of the PTO, as no citizenship requests could be granted. However, in the aftermath of the PTO, Southern Bohemia would not be retaken from Austria. Along with the events in the nation, external pressure on ONE made the effort impractical in the short term.

Countermeasures (March - May 2012)

See also: AliasSun, OEBernd, Vreath

AliasSun worked to strengthen ties with ONE.

While A.Emmerich had been impeached, he vowed to make a return to power. With a sizable number of supporters imported, even despite the Congress wipe, it was clear that Austria was not free of danger. To present a broad front in the presidential race, AliasSun ran for president in March 2012, with the backing of every party except for the National Front - A.Emmerich's party. In a key test of support, AliasSun would win with 68.48% of the vote.

He would continue efforts in the aftermath of the PTO, especially working with Hungary to exert pressure against the PTO effort. Military cooperation continued with ONE in battles abroad. During this time period, the media was filled with many dueling articles from both sides. After one month without a congress, the election proceeded in April: 82.50% of the seats were secured by the anti-PTO coalition. This enabled both sides to use citizenship approvals to bring in supporters. OEBernd would run for president in April as the unity candidate, this time winning with 69.53% of the vote. With A.Emmerich now banned for multis, the leadership of the National Front moved to its new party president, Tarsolytestver, who largely would continue the hardline, pro-PTO stance. While the PTO continued to grow in strength during this time frame, Congress remained securely held, with the coalition holding again 79.42% of the seats. However, the number of votes possessed by the PTO continued to grow.

In May, Vreath would win the presidential election with 62.5% of the vote. Re-implementing the congress wipe plan, no congress election took place during this month.

Reconciliation (June - August 2012)

See also: Rangeley, II. Jemby, Prince of Austria, ZoltanB

Rangeley sought reconciliation between Kurucs and Austrians.

With tensions remaining at a high level between the factions, there were growing signs that some in the National Front wanted to move beyond the past few months. Amongst those on the Austrian side, this sentiment began to grow as well. AliasSun in particular had worked hard to find Kurucs who were willing to work together with Austrians, using his ties to Hungary and Hungarian politics. With Rangeley's election to the presidency in June, a supporter of reconciliation, Kurucs were for the first time included into the cabinet - particularly II. Jemby.[4] While there would not be universal agreement on issues, there would be common ground that could be built upon, and friendships formed.

Along with reconciliation efforts, the month would see the "Reorganisationsplan" implemented in the Osterreichs Bundesheer, to better take advantage of changes to the military module.[5] This new module would see an early test: the continued deterioration of ONE's position led Romania and Croatia to launch an invasion of Austria, after moving through Slovenia. Despite support from ONE's central command, Austria would be wiped by the end of the month. The war would, however, prove a point where all sides could cooperate.[6]

Prince of Austria led Austria through a Croatian invasion.

Prince of Austria would succeed Rangeley as president in July (with 62.24% of the vote), after serving as vice president the previous month. This began three consecutive terms as president: the first such stretch since 2009. The new cabinet would include II. Jemby again, then the party president of the National Front.[7] The war effort against Croatia continued in earnest: setbacks continued in the first half of the month, as Croatia remained in a dominant position, successfully holding off several attempts at resistance wars. Yet persistence would pay off, as Austria returned to the map late in the month with one region by August 5th. In his successful re-election campaign, Prince of Austria included ZoltanB as his vice president, an influential member of the National Front.[8]

Re-elected to a second term with 62.28% of the vote in August, broad changes began to occur in world geopolitics, as ONE came to a formal end as an alliance, after months of struggles. Even so, the progress in liberating regions continued, and by the end of the month, all regions were returned into friendly hands - and Austria made it clear the end of ONE would not mean the end of cooperation with its allies, any more than previous ends to alliances meant this.[9] In his third term, this cooperation would continue. Changes came to the home front as well - after the departure of the highly influential AliasSun, lazo succeeded him as party president of the PHP.

A New Consensus (September 2012 - August 2013)

Although there would not be a total agreement, there would be a common consensus around which all major parties could work. This was embodied in some ways by the increased role that the PHP took, under the new leadership of lazo.

Growing Cooperation (September 2012 - March 2013)

See also: Prince of Austria, lazo, OEBernd

War With Latvia (April - June 2013)

See also: Schwrzwolf, Rangeley

Coalition Government (July 2013 - October 2014)

A New Leadership (July 2013 - February 2014 )

See also: Harzakc, yst31, Schwrzwolf, LarsUlrich87, OEBernd, Prince of Austria

Citizen2879877.jpg

In the aftermath of the Latvian war, Austria saw shifts in the political dynamics of the country. During Harzakc's term as president, the Szeklers began to leave Austria, with many returning to Hungary. The Szeklers had formed one of the largest political faction since the summer of 2010, forming successful political alliances with governments throughout this time. Their departure in late summer 2013 brought a new sense of uncertainty. But Austria was in a different place 3 years after their entry: with real life Austrians more numerous, and now even the undisputed majority of the country, new leaders rose to the occasion.

Citizen6248942.jpg

A new challenge facing the country would involve abuse of the immigration system by the "tiegers" PTO group. While they had begun to move into the country late in 2012, they would rise to more prominence during the summer of 2013. With the Szeklers much smaller, and with the tiegers having imported many voters of their own, action had to be taken. After his election in August 2013, yst31's presidency was marked with the introduction of Congress wipes as a method of curbing their growth. By purposely having no regions for the congress election, there would be no citizenship approvals for the month.

Cooperation would continue with Slovenia and Slovakia, in the form of military assistance and training wars, as well as in carrying out the Congress plan. yst31 would also begin the process of updating the Constitution of Austria to better reflect the current game. After serving two terms, yst31 was followed by Schwrzwolf as president in October. An agreement was reached between the government and the tiegers, where citizenship approvals would only be used with a consensus between the parties. This led to the first congressional election since July. With a congress in place, the amendments to the Constitution could be placed to a vote (congressional approval was required.) The final approval was given in November, with LarsUlrich87 as president.

However, the agreement with the tiegers was broken when the tiegers approved many new citizenship requests. This prompted LarsUlrich87 to re-institute the Congress plan.

Primary System (March 2014 - October 2014)

See also: Prince of Austria, capoqwer, Jeanlouis, Vlado33, Geheimdokument, Cyberkoc

In order to foster more political competition, a primary system was introduced.

Recent History (November 2014 - present)

Increased Party Role (November 2014 - January 2015)

See also: wschwabe, Geheimdokument

Preventive Coup (February - June 2015)

See also: Schwrzwolf, capoqwer, sinisa91, wolfwien

End of 2015 (July 2015 - December 2015)

See also: Harzakc, Prince of Austria, Luis Grindl

Icon-warinprogress.gif Wars

List of wars that Austria is taking part in or took part in:

References

  1. ↑ "The Country Power" - Austria Democrat News
  2. ↑ "Uvodnik" Salzburske Novice
  3. ↑ "Kurčeva kraja ali kaj za kurca?" - Salzburske Novice
  4. ↑ June 2012 Cabinet
  5. ↑ Reorganisationsplan
  6. ↑ "Laying Groundwork" - Austrian Independent
  7. ↑ July 2012 Cabinet
  8. ↑ Prince of Austria's August 2012 campaign article
  9. ↑ Prince of Austria's September 2012 campaign article
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