Southeastern Federation
| Southeastern Federation | ||||||||||||
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| Capital | Not specified | |||||||||||
| Government | Republic | |||||||||||
| History | ||||||||||||
| • | Established | 1 July 1976 | ||||||||||
| • | Disestablished | 17 May 1983 | ||||||||||
| Area | ||||||||||||
| • | 1978 | 1,525 km2 (589 sq mi) | ||||||||||
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The Southeastern Federation was formed on July 1, 1976, after Rata Sum, Kosma, Yutuland, and Valdron granted their Southeastern colonies independence. It was completed on July 1, 1978, with the admission of Valdron's colonies. On May 17, 1983, the Lost Islands declared independence.
A potential war between the remainder of the Federation and the Lost Islands was averted when South Kosma and New Yutuland declared independence on August 15, 1978 as Spitzenbergen. East Rata Sum agreed to unite with Chruno later that year.
Founding members
- Chruno Joined 1 July 1976
- East Rata Sum (became South Chruno, and is now the southern end of Chruno Joined 1 July 1976
- South Kosma (became North Spitzenbergen and is now the northern island of Spitzenbergen Joined 1 September 1976
- New Yutuland (became South Spitzenbergen and is now the southern island of Spitzenbergen Joined 13 August 1977
- Yugogirland (became and remains the Lost Islands) Joined 1 July 1978.
Background
The islands that became the Federation were first inhabited around 500-550 AD, with the native Romí occupying all the islands over the next century.
Oral tradition, now backed up by modern archaeological evidence, indicates three countries emerged among the Romí that correspond to the modern-day countries. These countries were engaged in nearly continual low-grade warfare, with one country occasionally occupying the other two.
During the 18th and early 19th century, neighboring mainland countries fought over the islands. Chruno was able to maintain its independence, albeit only after ceding its southern territory to Rata Sum. Spitzenbergen was split between Kosma and Yutuland, and Valdron occupied the Lost Islands. This was codified in an 1856 treaty.
A 1926 treaty saw the Valdrons grant full autonomy to the natives of Salapp and Kálith in the Lost islands, although the Romí did not engage in external affairs.
By the 1960s, a movement for Southeastern independence had started, with some acts of violence and rebellion making colonial administration even more expensive. A disagreement emerged over whether how a post-independence Southeast would look, but advocates of a federation gradually emerged the most popular between the mainland colonial powers and the Southeastern people.
Rata Sum agreed to grant its colony of East Rata Sum independence on July 1, 1976, and the Federation was born. Over the next two years, Kosma, Yutuland, and Valdron, all agreed to allow their former colonies to join the federation.
Federation government
The Federation was set up so each nation (Chruno and each of the former colonies) had one vote in the Federal Council, which was the executive branch. An Assembly, consisting of 30 members from each of the five nations, was the Federation's legislative branch. A full judicial branch for the entire Federation was never established.
Defence and foreign policy were explicitly in the hands of the Federation government. Other powers could be ceded to the federal government at the request of a member nation.
Internal dissension
The Lost Islands opposed these arrangements due to the fact that it had only one-fifth of the Federation's voting power. The other component nations pointed out that the Lost Islands also had a lower population than the other countries, but Chruno/South Chruno and North/South Spitzenbergen typically voted as blocs -- each of which had twice the votes of the Lost Islands.
The Lost Islands repeatedly proposed reorganizing the federation along the old three nations model of the pre-colonial era, but this was opposed by the other nations.
A symbol of this disunity was a failure to establish a capital for the entire federation -- the federation's legislature and ruling council met in each of the national capitals for a six-month period. A court system for the entire federation was provisioned, but no full agreement could be reached on the membership of that court.
Chruno proposed creating a single unitary nation of the entire Southeast, but this was also opposed by the other nations, fearing Chruno would dominate this hypothetical nation. A growing movement in East Rata Sum proposed a union between Chruno and East Rata Sum, although the proposal of this nation having double votes in the Federation was a complete non-starter.
Spitzenbergen, having been under separate colonial masters, was itself split between Federal (remain part of the Federation), National (declare independence as a single nation), and Republican (declare independence as two nations) blocs.
The breakup
The Lost Islands declared a referendum on March 15, 1983, on the question of independence. 84% of Lost Islanders declared their desire for full independence, while only 16% wished to remain part of the Federation. This was done over the objections of the other four nations, although last-minute intervention from the Council of Internatia ensured the actual voting was free of violence.
After independence, the Lost Islands requested Federation soldiers from other nations leave Lost Islands territory by May 15. This request was refused, and scattered warfare started in the Islands. During the almost two-month Lost Islands War of Independence, 1,000 Lost Islands Territorial Forces soldiers faced 600 garrisoned Federation soldiers and an additional 1,000 soldiers from Chruno and South Chruno that attempted to intervene. 11 Lost Islands soldiers lost their lives along with an estimated 80 Lost Islands civilians and 30 Federation soldiers.
Chruno and South Chruno were keen to re-integrate the Lost Islands, while North and South Spitzenbergen were willing to allow the Lost Islands to leave the Federation. Spitzenbergen allowed its garrisoned soldiers to leave the Lost Islands, and the Lost Islanders permitted this to occur, greatly reducing the bloodshed (and the effectiveness of Federation intervention.)
By May 14, the Lost Islands Territorial Forces had ejected all Federation troops from its soil and full independence could be declared on May 17, 1983.
By this point, Chruno and South Chruno were ready to declare war against the Lost Islands, a threat that weakened the power of the Federal bloc in North and South Spitzenbergen, which were both ready to move on with a Federation of four component nations. The Council of Internatia had also moved to action, threatening a full takeover of the Southeast if the war escalated.
On July 15, 1983, authorities in North and South Spitzenbergen agreed to a plebiscite on those nations' future. The "unite as one nation" bloc won 54% of the vote in North Spitzenbergen and 62% of the vote in South Spitzenbergen. A date of August 15 was slated for independence.
This time, Chruno and South Chruno were forced to accept the breakup of the Federation, and withdrew their soldiers peacefully. They voted on November 3, 1983, to unite as a single nation by a 92%-6% margin in Chruno and a 95%-3% margin in South Chruno.
By the beginning of 1984, the modern map had been finalized.
Aftermath
For many years after the breakup, tensions were high between the three nations -- a state of tension existed. Occasional interventions from the Council of Internatia were needed to mediate high-level disputes, and no peacekeepers were ever needed to be dispatched.
Recently unclassified documents reveal the existence of plans from the Federation's former colonial masters to forcibly intervene, or even occupy some or all of the nations in the event of open warfare -- a fact that past Lost Islands Prime Ministers have admitted knowing.
The late 1980s saw an oil bust through the entire former Federation and massive corruption in the Lost Islands; each nation was occupied by its internal problems and unable to focus any more than rhetorical energy against the others.
As the years passed, however, relations thawed. 2001 saw a breakthrough with the formation of the Eastern Islands Corporation. 2013 saw a major breakthrough with the Southeastern Song Festival and the Southeastern Football Championships.