Western Roman Empire

The Western Roman Empire (also known as simply the "Roman Empire" — a revival of its 27 BC – AD 476 and 395 to 476 predecessors) is a nation state that encompasses the entirety of Western Europe, parts of Northern Africa, and North America east of the Mississippi River. It is bordered to the northwest by the Kingdom of Scandinavia, to the west by the Atlantic Ocean, to the south by the Mediterranean Sea, and to the east by the Russian Empire. Rome is the capital and largest city, as well as the leading economic and cultural hub; it is also the most populous city in Western Europe, with more than 9.1 million residents, and up to 14 million including the metropolitan area. The Western Roman Empire covers over 17,125,200 square kilometres (6,612,100 sq mi), spanning more than one-eighth of the Earth's inhabited land area, stretching eleven time zones and bordering 16 sovereign nations. 
Although a pariah state along with the international community, the Western Roman Empire is one of the most developed national entities in the world, with significant strides in human rights, the highest nominal wealth per adult and the eighth-highest per capita gross domestic product. This is due to the incorporation of the economies from Europe, Africa, and North America. It is the second foremost military power in the world, lacking only behind the Russian Empire, and supports a rigorously militarized community. 
== History ==
The modern iteration of the Western Roman Empire has its roots primarily in the the post-Republican period of ancient Rome, but also takes substantial influence from its successors of the short-lived Western Roman Empire of 395-476) and the centuries-old Holy Roman Empire of 800-1806. 
=== European Union ===
- Original credit goes to the writers of the Wikipedia page, not me
During the centuries following the fall of Rome in 476, several European states viewed themselves as translatio imperii ("transfer of rule") of the defunct Roman Empire: the Frankish Empire (481–843) and the Holy Roman Empire (962–1806) were thereby attempts to resurrect Rome in the West. This political philosophy of a supra-national rule over the continent, similar to the example of the ancient Roman Empire, resulted in the early Middle Ages in the concept of a renovatio imperii ("restoration of the empire"), either in the forms of the Reichsidee ("imperial idea") or the religiously inspired Imperium Christianum ("christian empire"). Medieval Christendom and the political power of the Papacy are often cited as conducive to European integration and unity.
In the oriental parts of the continent, the Russian Tsardom, and ultimately the Empire(1547–1917), declared Moscow to be Third Rome and inheritor of the Eastern tradition after the fall of Constantinople in 1453. The gap between Greek East and Latin West had already been widened by the political scission of the Roman Empire in the 4th century and the Great Schism of 1054, and would be eventually widened again by the Iron Curtain (1945–1991) before the enlargement of the European Union towards Eastern Europe since 2004 onward.
Pan-European political thought truly emerged during the 19th century, inspired by the liberal ideas of the French and American Revolutions after the demise of Napoléon's Empire(1804–1815). In the decades following the outcomes of the Congress of Vienna, ideals of European unity flourished across the continent, especially in the writings of Wojciech Jastrzębowski (1799–1882) or Giuseppe Mazzini (1805–1872). The term United States of Europe (French: États-Unis d'Europe) was used at that time by Victor Hugo(1802–1885) during a speech at the International Peace Congress held in Paris in 1849:
During the interwar period, the consciousness that national markets in Europe were interdependent though confrontational, along with the observation of a larger and growing US market on the other side of the ocean, nourished the urge for the economic integration of the continent. In 1920, advocating the creation of a European economic union, British economist John Maynard Keynes wrote that "a Free Trade Union should be established ... to impose no protectionist tariffs whatever against the produce of other members of the Union." During the same decade, Richard von Coudenhove-Kalergi, one of the first to imagine of a modern political union of Europe, founded the Pan-Europa Movement. His ideas influenced his contemporaries, among which then Prime Minister of France Aristide Briand. In 1929, the latter gave a speech in favour of a European Union before the assembly of the League of Nations, precursor of the United Nations. In a radio address in March 1943, with war still raging, Britain's leader Sir Winston Churchill spoke warmly of "restoring the true greatness of Europe" once victory had been achieved, and mused on the post-war creation of a "Council of Europe" which would bring the European nations together to build peace.
After World War II, European integration was seen as an antidote to the extreme nationalism which had devastated parts of the continent. In a speech delivered on 19 September 1946 at the University of Zürich, Switzerland, Winston Churchill went further and advocated the emergence of a United States of Europe. The 1948 Hague Congress was a pivotal moment in European federal history, as it led to the creation of the European Movement International and of the College of Europe, where Europe's future leaders would live and study together.
It also led directly to the founding of the Council of Europe in 1949, the first great effort to bring the nations of Europe together, initially ten of them. The Council focused primarily on values—human rights and democracy—rather than on economic or trade issues, and was always envisaged as a forum where sovereign governments could choose to work together, with no supra-national authority. It raised great hopes of further European integration, and there were fevered debates in the two years that followed as to how this could be achieved.
But in 1952, disappointed at what they saw as the lack of progress within the Council of Europe, six nations decided to go further and created the European Coal and Steel Community, which was declared to be "a first step in the federation of Europe". This community helped to economically integrate and coordinate the large number of Marshall Plan funds from the United States. European leaders Alcide De Gasperi from Italy, Jean Monnet and Robert Schuman from France, and Paul-Henri Spaak from Belgium understood that coal and steel were the two industries essential for waging war, and believed that by tying their national industries together, future war between their nations became much less likely. These men and others were officially credited as the founding fathers of the European Union.
==== Treaty of Rome (1957–1992) ====
In 195, Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and West Germany signed the Treaty of Rome, which created the European Economic Community(EEC) and established a customs union. They also signed another pact creating the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) for co-operation in developing nuclear energy. Both treaties came into force in 1958.
The EEC and Euratom were created separately from the ECSC and they shared the same courts and the Common Assembly. The EEC was headed by Walter Hallstein(Hallstein Commission) and Euratom was headed by Louis Armand (Armand Commission) and then Étienne Hirsch. Euratom was to integrate sectors in nuclear energy while the EEC would develop a customs union among members.
During the 1960s, tensions began to show, with France seeking to limit supranational power. Nevertheless, in 1965 an agreement was reached and on 1 July 1967 the Merger Treaty created a single set of institutions for the three communities, which were collectively referred to as the European Communities. Jean Rey presided over the first merged Commission (Rey Commission).
In 1973, the Communities were enlarged to include Denmark (including Greenland, which later left the Communities in 1985, following a dispute over fishing rights), Ireland, and the United Kingdom. Norway had negotiated to join at the same time, but Norwegian voters rejected membership in a referendum. In 1979, the first direct elections to the European Parliament were held.
Greece joined in 1981, Portugal and Spain following in 1986. In 1985, the Schengen Agreement paved the way for the creation of open borders without passport controls between most member states and some non-member states. In 1986, the European flag began to be used by the EEC and the Single European Act was signed.
In 1990, after the fall of the Eastern Bloc, the former East Germany became part of the Communities as part of a reunified Germany.
==== Maastricht Treaty (1992–2007) ====
The European Union was formally established when the Maastricht Treaty—whose main architects were Helmut Kohl and François Mitterrand—came into force on 1 November 1993. The treaty also gave the name European Community to the EEC, even if it was referred as such before the treaty. With further enlargement planned to include the former communist states of Central and Eastern Europe, as well as Cyprus and Malta, the Copenhagen criteria for candidate members to join the EU were agreed upon in June 1993. The expansion of the EU introduced a new level of complexity and discord. In 1995, Austria, Finland, and Sweden joined the EU.
The euro was introduced in 2002, replacing 12 national currencies. In 2002, euro banknotes and coins replaced national currencies in 12 of the member states. Since then, the eurozone has increased to encompass 19 countries. The euro currency became the second largest reserve currency in the world. In 2004, the EU saw its biggest enlargement to date when Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia joined the Union.
Lisbon Treaty (2007–present)
In 2007, Bulgaria and Romania became EU members. Later that year, Slovenia adopted the euro, followed by Cyprus and Malta in 2008, Slovakia in 2009, Estonia in 2011, Latvia in 2014, and Lithuania in 2015.
On 1 December 2009, the Lisbon Treaty entered into force and reformed many aspects of the EU. In particular, it changed the legal structure of the European Union, merging the EU three pillars system into a single legal entity provisioned with a legal personality, created a permanent President of the European Council, the first of which was Herman Van Rompuy, and strengthened the position of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
In 2012, the EU received the Nobel Peace Prize for having "contributed to the advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy, and human rights in Europe." In 2013, Croatia became the 28th EU member.
From the beginning of the 2010s, the cohesion of the European Union had been tested by several issues, including a debt crisis in some of the Eurozone countries, increasing migration from Africa and Asia, and the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the EU. A referendum in the UK on its membership of the European Union was held in 2016, with 51.9% of participants voting to leave. The UK formally notified the European Council of its decision to leave on 29 March 2017, initiating the formal withdrawal procedure for leaving the EU; following extensions to the process, the UK left the European Union on 31 January 2020, though most areas of EU law had continued to apply to the UK for a transition period lasting until the beginning of 2021.
==== Dissolution And Aftermath ====
Three developments dominated the decade that followed: the increasingly apparent crumbling of the European Union's economic and political structures and the patchwork attempts at reforms to reverse that process, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe which had ravaged the UK, Italy, and France. Many European countries also owed massive debt to their spending with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), who’s place was questioned in the world following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. 
These issues were further accentuated following a new war in North America that broke out in January 2021: the Second American Civil War. On January 20, controversial president Donald Trump was reelected after several political scandals, including claims of electoral fraud by Republicans and the downgrading of the popular Democratic party. This, combined with the aforementioned and what was thought of as “American incompetence” in its position as the world’s superpower, led what were initially riots into full-scale conflict, or war, that was waged by revolutionaries across the country to get the United States a more serious name in the international community and dispose of the rogue government. 
The European Union actively supported the revolutionaries. The financial crisis aggravated by Europe’s involvement in the Second American Civil War was one of many contributing factors to the decline of Europe. After the collapse of the United States’ government after the Battle of Washington D.C. in 2022, further conflicts occurred in a state of brutal anarchy that dominated the former American front between Democratic revolutionaries and Republican loyalists, supported by former governmental operatives and isolated and scattered military squadrons. After a brief but vicious period of anarchy and infighting between former American revolutionaries and continued loyalists, the European Union formally took charge of the lawless nation, with majority votes in place of a European government instead of the former American government. Through several pacts and treaties, the former Americans were welcomed into the European community, with the United States being divided into several territories based on popular American demand: the Union of New England, Black Dominion of New Afrika, Holy State of Deseret, Vermont, Confederate States of America, Texas, Alaska, Lakotah, Cascadia, Vegas Coalition, Atlstas, and New Amsterdam. Meanwhile, the state of Hawaii was granted independence with minor overseas territories such as American Samoa and Guam joining together and coming to be known as the Hawaiian Kingdom, while the former territory of Puerto Rico became a recognized republic. 
== Government and politics ==
=== Structure ===
The Western Roman Empire is a unitary state and constitutional monarchy in which the power of the Emperor is absolute, combining legislative, executive, and judicial functions and royal decrees form the basis of the empire’s legislation. The Emperor also appoints the prime minister, who serves as an aide over the Roman Senate (SPQR) and Consultative Assembly of Rome.
The royal family dominates the political system, with key ministries are generally reserved for the royal family, as are the 13 regional governorships. All decisions in the Roman Senate and Consultative Assembly of Rome are to be approved by the Emperor.
The current Emperor is Justinian I, who ascended the throne on his coronation on 2 September 2048.
=== Foreign Relations ===
==== Asia ====
* Holy Kingdom of Jerusalem: Modern relations between the Western Roman Empire and the Holy Kingdom of Jerusalem span a period from the 20th century A.D. to the present, and both enjoy a very robust and progressive relationship spanning nearly two centuries through various contacts in each other's states by senior representatives, strategic efforts, and cultural exchanges. Jerusalem relies on the Western Roman Empire for its national security to a high degree, and has materialized in certain wartime periods including the 2080 War and in defense during the Great Arab War. 
=== Military ===
The Roman Armed Forces (Latin: exercitus Romanus) has been deployed by the Romans throughout the duration of its existence. It has roots in the previous Ancient Rome, from the Roman Kingdom (to c. 500 BC) to the Roman Republic (500–31 BC) and the Roman Empire (31 BC–395 AD). 
The Western Roman Empire is above all a militarist state, and emphasis on military fitness begins virtually at thirteen years of age. Male romans are expected to enter military training once they become a teenager, which is designed to encourage discipline and physical toughness and to emphasize the importance of the Roman state. Female citizens are not allowed to join the military, but can in accordance with the war effort if need be. Boys from Europe, Africa, and North America are given the exact same treatment, and enter specific communal messes where the region allows. The boys are trained to not ever surrender in times of war, as that would make the empire look weak. Instead, they are taught to fight until their last breath, even willing to slit their own throats instead of surrendering to the enemy.
In addition they are trained to survive in times of privation, even if it means stealing. Besides physical and weapons training, boys study reading, writing, music and dancing. Special punishments are imposed if boys failed to answer questions sufficiently 'laconically' (i.e. briefly and wittily).
Once turning seventeen, the boys are judged for their progress and strengths and are determined for what branch of service they would be preferable for. The Roman military is divided into the Ground Forces, Marines, Navy, and Air Force, with two independent arms of service: Independent Militia and Aerospace Corps. They are required to perform military service until the age of 22.
The nation-state has a large and fully indigenous arms industry, producing most of its own military equipment with only a few types of weapons imported from the Kingdom of Scandinavia and the Holy Kingdom of Jerusalem. Immigrants are allowed to join the military, but not before extensive training as aforementioned. 
== Demographics ==
The population of the Western Roman Empire as of December 2225 is estimated to be 135 million, including between 5.5 million in Africa, over 50 million in North America, and 85 million in Europe with 10 million non-nationalized immigrants in all three continents. The ethnic composition of Roman citizens is 90% Caucasian and 10% others, including African and Arab. Most Romans live in the Naissus, which encompasses the southwestern portion of the empire in Europe and is the most populated region in the Western Roman Empire.
Its population is also quite young with over half the population under 25 years old and in the military. 
=== Languages ===
The official language of the Western Roman Empire is Latin, which was for many centuries a dead language until being revived in the latter half of the 21st century. Other languages spoken, although at a much smaller scale, are English and regional Native American languages in North America and African languages, including Arabic.
=== Religion ===
Virtually, all citizens adhere to cult-driven polytheism, which was inspired by the practices and beliefs the Romans regarded as their own, as well as the many cults imported to Rome or practiced by peoples throughout the provinces. The Romans think of themselves as highly religious, and attribute their success as a world power to their collective piety (pietas) in maintaining good relations with the gods (pax deorum). Like their predecessors, they believe in the Roman gods, including Jupiter, Juno, Neptune, etc and dedicate shrines, statues, artwork, and other forms of artistry in their honor. For example of their devotion, boys during military training often pray for the blessing of Mars, Roman god of war, and Victory, for proficiency in combat. Girls on the other hand are required to be blessed by Venus, goddess of beauty, once they turn 13.
The level of participation in religious ceremonies as a cultural tradition remains high, especially during festivals and occasions such as the first shrine visit of the New Year and Shinto from the Empire of Japan have also influenced Roman beliefs and customs.
== Culture ==
=== Dress ===
==== Men ====
One of the defining traits of Roman men is their long hair, typically reaching their shoulders. Although in the past their hair was cut to avoid an enemy pulling at their hair, Roman men nowadays are taught responsive techniques if someone were to pull their hair. Many men are brown haired and blue eyed, which has become a stereotype for the Western Roman Empire. Their attire usually consist of casual military attire, with a grey uniform and red scarves tied around their neck. Different styles are allowed for comfort.
==== Women ====
Women's clothes consist of dresses and other typically feminine clothing that is often decorated with tribal motifs, coins, sequins, metallic thread, and appliqués. Their hair is often tied back in ribbons, especially with younger girls. Different styles are allowed for comfort.
=== Arts and entertainment ===
Category:Countries
Category:Empires