Paxem

The Greater Union of Paxem, GUP, or simply Paxem, is a country located in the mideastern Doggerland bank. Its territories extend from the southern waters of the Eastern Sea all the way to the Aral Valley Basin in the north. It consists of four states: New Wiltshire, Aquinas, Sedona, and Bayreuth, as well as one Federal Capital. Paxem has a diverse economy with major sectors in manufacturing and raw materials. It is the most populous nation on the Doggerland bank.

Paxem is a Federal Socialist Autocracy, led by a Consul who holds near-ultimate power on both foreign and domestic matters. Much of the day-to-day legislation is conducted by the Paxemese Senate, which meets in the People's Hall in the capital city of Concora. Many Megacorporations also wield considerable power and influence in both local and national politics within the country, especially in Cyrene.

The country holds considerable economic, cultural, and military influence over the eastern Doggerlands, often being described as a superpower. It serves as the manufacturing base of the subcontinent. It inherited vast stocks of military equipment from the Neu Corporate Republik after its downfall and has engaged in regional conflicts throughout its history.

Paxem is a largely atheist state, with the largest established religion in the Doggerland Bank, Pontifical Christianity, being actively repressed throughout much of the country. Other religions are more freely allowed, but receive no financial or cultural incentives or benefits from the government. In contrast, atheistic philosophy is supported by the government through its one state church, the Church of Reason. This has led to tensions with the Pontifical States and Imperial Doggerland Confederation. Paxem is closely aligned with the states of Atlas, the New Almere Republic, and Novenae.

Etymology

The name "Paxem" comes from the Latin word for peace, "Pax". This originated from the original vision of the nation as a antithesis to the former Neu Corporate Republic, a government with engaged in active war throughout most of its existence. Despite this, Paxem continues to maintain a large standing military and has engaged in numerous conflicts.

History

See: Republic of Paxem

The Greater Union of Paxem is a direct successor to the old Republic of Paxem. After the Cyrene dam collapse left much of the old Republic's capital in ruins and the nation in chaos, Triumvirate member Donna Winters led a successful coup against the government, assassinating one of the other members of the Triumvirate, Kotomichi Satoro, and nearly killing the third, Mycroft Morsehead. After this, Winters nullified the constitution, executed hundreds of political rivals in a governmental purge, and established the Greater Union of Paxem. The executive Triumvirate was abolished and replaced with a single Consul. The GUP existed as purely autocratic emergency government for about a year after the dam collapse. The Senate was reintroduced as a legislative body subservient to the Consul a year after the dam collapse, now being reduced to a total of 100 Senators. In addition, the old ban on political parties from the Republic was overturned, with a single political party being permitted, the Paxemese National Party, also known as PAXNAT, with every Senator being required to be a member.

The governmental changes were met with mixed reaction by the population, with some accepting the new authoritarian government for the stability it brought, while others resented the loss of democracy. Paxem has been plagued with radical political groups since the formation of its new government, which the existing government actively repressesses.

In November of 3026, the capital of Paxem was moved from its largest city, Cyrene, to a new Federal City located within the agricultural state of Bayreuth. This led to extreme civil unrest in Cyrene and an economic collapse in the city due to the loss of the governmental sector. The Fall Riots, as they came to be known, claimed the lives of approximately 1,500 people and caused billions in property damage.

Geography

Paxem has a diverse geographic layout due to its vast size. The south of the country, New Wiltshire, enjoys a mediterranean seaside climate and consists of rolling hills and limestone cliffs. Aquinas is a mountainous region, bordered by the Atlas and Sedona mountains. The climate and environment of the region has been several affected by the Zaandam Nuclear Disaster, leading to a dry, rocky arid environment prone to wildfires. The largest state of Sedona straddles the entire northern coastline of the Eastern Ocean and extends far north, past the Sedona mountains. Sedona has an extremely wet climate, with an average 284 days of rainfall per year. It is also struck by numerous tropical storms during its monsoon season. Finally, Bayreuth, which lies north of Sedona, has an extremely flat landscape and has a temperate climate. Bayreuth lies within the Aral Valley Basin, a particularly fertile region.

Politics

The Greater Union of Paxem is a Federal Socialist Autocracy. Ultimate power and authority rest with the Consul. Successor Consuls are chosen by the current Consul before their retirement or death, and are confirmed by the Paxemese Senate. The Consul has the authority to unilaterally create and veto laws, execute military action, and appoint or fire governmental officials. Despite this power, the Consul rarely interferes in day-to-day legislation and local politics.

Legislative authority rests with the Senate, who are in charge of drafting day-to-day laws for the nation. The Senate consists of 100 Senators, 25 from each of the four states which comprise the country. Senators are elected by the people every two years, and are permitted to serve a maximum of four terms. The Senate resides in and conducts business in the Federal Capital of Concora.

Paxemese National Party

One political party exists within the Paxemese state, the Paxemese National Party (PAXNAT). All higher-ranking governmental officials are expected to be active members of the party, and party membership among the general population is encouraged by the government. A lack of party membership among the average citizen is not punished. The head of the party, the General Elector, is chosen by a general vote among the party's politburo. The PAXNAT party chooses which individuals are able to run for Senate and attempts to give the Paxemese Senate a united front. The PAXNAT party is headquartered in Concora.

State politics vary by state, but each state has a governor or equivalent, as well as a legislature. The governor of each state does not enjoy the same supreme authority over state politics as the Consul does over Federal, instead being far more restricted by state constitutions and the legislature. Additionally, state politics are far more combative and less centrally controlled, with political parties being banned in all four states and legislative officials having far more varied opinions. However, anti-PAXNAT and governmental rhetoric from local politicians is not tolerated by the Federal Government and generally results in punishments ranging from demotion to imprisonment, or even execution in extreme cases.

Economy

Paxem has a varied economy, with multiple important sectors, including agricultural, financial, manufacturing, shipbuilding, mining and technology. Several of the largest corporations in the world are based within the country or operate substantial operations within. Notable examples include ATON, Chisel Enterprises, Agency Industries, and Clement Corporation.

Manufacturing

The single largest economic sector in Paxem is its manufacturing sector, a move aggressively pursued by the new government ever since the dam collapse. Paxem accounts for 62% of the subcontinent's manufacturing. Primary hubs for manufacturing operations are the Paxemese cities of Cyrene and Aquinas, which have earned the name "factory-cities", after the large amount of infrastructure devoted to manufacturing there.

Agriculture

Paxem also has a significant agricultural sector, almost entirely located within the state of Bayreuth. Paxem's main crop exports are wheat, soybeans, okra, and rice. Paxemese megacorporations were the first to embrace automated farming operations and gene-edited crop variants, allowing for greater efficiency in crop production and harvesting. As a direct result of this, over ninety percent of Paxem's farming operations are run by three main companies. Paxem also does not grow a large variety of crops, instead resulting on a few main exports. Critics have stated that this leaves the nation vulnerable to species-specific diseases.

Science and Technology

The nation is responsible for a variety of scientific advancements, including the adoption of Uranium Hexafluoride as a fuel source, the large-scale deployment of solar reflector farms, autonomous farming, mass-scale traffic control, robotics, and Aerodyne vehicles. Paxem has continuously been rated as one of the most technologically advanced nations on the bank. Paxem's space agency, PAX-SPATIAL, has also been responsible for numerous advances and discoveries in space, including the construction of the largest aerostat habitat on Venus, Phosphor-One. Much of these technological advancements are a result of the work of Megacorporations.

Infrastructure and Transportation

Paxem's has been host to a variety of infrastructural superprojects. Examples of this include the Eastern Seawall (a replacement for Cyrene's Great Oceanic Dam which collapsed in 3024), the Cyrene Spaceport, Phosphor-One, the Winden Sea-City, and the Aral valley agricultural project. In November of 3026, Paxemese Consul Donna Winters announced the formation of National Service, which required unemployed individuals to sign up for national labor projects to be contracted out to construction companies. This resulted in a rise in infrastructure projects across the country.

The country's four states are linked together by both a nationally owned federal highway system and the KMTA roadway system.

In 3026, Paxem nationalized all BCR railways within its borders under Paxrail. NCRR and Superlink also operate rail lines within the country.

Paxem operates one major spaceport and several airports which link each of its cities to eachother and the wider world and space.

Demographics

Paxem is a demographically diverse nation, with a variety of different ethnicities, races, cultures, and species living within its borders. This results from a large influx of immigration from 3022-3025, with millions of individuals coming from the Novus Imperium Romanum, the Austro-Suisse-Staatenbund, China, the Japanese archipelago, and the Indian archipelago. The recent completion of the Cyrene spaceport has also resulted in some interplanetary migration, with the main origin of arrivals coming from Neptune and Taurus. The Paxemese state of Sedona accounts for 80% of new arrivals, which filter out into the rest of the states through there. This has led to approximately 40% of Paxem's population consisting of immigrants from outside the Doggerland bank.

Languages

Primary Languages spoken in Paxem

English	53%
German	15%
Russian/Cyrillic	14%
Cantonese	12%
French	5%
Tauran	1%

Urbanization

Many of the Doggerland's largest cities are located within Paxem, the result of a trend in urbanization caused by the environmental collapse of many of Paxem's states following the Zaandam Nuclear Disaster. Consistent radioactive ash clouds from the resulting Zaandam pile fire rendered much of Sedona and Aquinas unsuitable for human habitation, resulting in mass migration to the Paxemese cities of Cyrene and Aquinas. Greater economic opportunities in Paxem's cities also led to the vast majority of extracontinental immigrants to choose to live there. All of this has resulted in a scale of urbanization unseen in other Doggerland states. Construction has become dense enough in Cyrene that throughout large sections of the city, the sky is blocked from view from street level by massive superstructures of buildings.

The incredible urbanization particularly seen in Aquinas and Cyrene has led to a significant rise in both poverty rates and criminal activity. It is also linked with a distinct rise in pollution and a reduction in sanitary living conditions for much of the urban populations.

Culture

Much of Paxemese culture revolves around themes of quiet resistance to oppression, capitalism, and past historical events which have shaped the nation as a whole. Despite the repressive nature of the government, a vibrant countercultural movement exists, exhibiting itself through art, music, and literature. The government and corporations themselves are also responsible for the production of more mainstream media.

Art

Paxemese art is varied in both its cultural influences and subject matter, but traditionally exists in two camps - government-sponsored and privately created. Government-sponsored art is often publicly displayed and is patriotic in subject matter. It is most commonly simplistic and consists of statues, monuments, memorials, banners, and decos.

Individual art is far more varied.