Old World Conglomerate

The **Old World Conglomerate** is a unitary parliamentary republic encompassing most of Europe and large parts of North Africa consisting of thirteen provinces stretching from Greenland in North America to southernmost Algeria in North Africa.

Established in early 2153 following the outbreak of widespread revolts and the resulting European Civil War which resulted in the exile of the former government, it is ruled by Chairman Adrien Monet, whose stated goal is to re-establish Europe as a respectable superpower and stop the continuous loss of territory at the hands of the Russian Mechanocracy.

By its very nature, the Conglomerate is a militarist, revanchist entity with very little restraint in its stated goal of re-establishing an European hegemony.

## History

The Old World Conglomerate's roots lie in the now defunct European Federation of the Post-War Era and the deeply ingrained disdain for its incompetent government that saw it gradually rot from the inside out.

Emboldened and enraged in equal measure by the horrific losses taken in Algeria in 2152/2153, the population of Europe quickly rose up to cast down the Frenkish-backed puppets, swiftly driving them out of most of mainland Europe and, following a brutal slog through the British Isles, the entirety of the Old World.

## Geography

The Old World Conglomerate's core lands lie in Western and Central Europe, with it controlling Greenland and various territories in northwestern Africa. It borders the Russian Mechanocracy in the East, the USSA and the Caliphate in the South and has a contentious maritime border with the Frenkish Empire in Greenland.

### Environment

Much of the land in Europe is still dominated by vast plains of dry, cracked ground with intermittent remaining radiation hotspots that are only broken up by the occasional, sprawling arcology city or mountain range. However, the government has begun funding multiple land reclamation and re-terraforming projects to heal the long untended wounds of the European continent and purge it of dangerous mutant creatures.

By comparison, the lands in Greenland and Africa are far less scarred by the remains of the war, and retain a more normal appearance, with Greenland especially serving as a constant reminder of what Europe once, roughly, looked like.

## Politics

The Old World Conglomerate is a parliamentary republic and contrary to its predecessor, a unitary state, rather than the federation Europe used to be. The reason for this change was the tendency of European leadership to crumble into bickering among itself during times of hardship, which at least in part is often cited as one of the reasons for the repeated military failures against the Mechanocracy.

The Chairman The Old World Conglomerate comprises of sixteen provinces, of which only some originate from Federation-era government structures.f the Conglomerate, currently Adrien Monet, serves both as the Head of State and Government and presides over the Senate with the ability to override any decision with a veto unless backed by at least 80% of the voting Senators.

### Constituent Provinces

The Old World Conglomerate comprises thirteen provinces, of which only some originate from Federation-era government structures.

### Military

The Conglomerate's Armed Forces retain most of the rough organizational structure of the Federation-era, largely due to the fact that any major restructurization of the chain of command would have been a hindrance with the integration of former Federation units that defected en masse during the short European civil war. As such, the command structure still largely resembles that of the regular pre-war military, and the most notable changes are in unit equipment, most of which now is home-produced as the acquisition of Frenkish equipment is, obviously, no longer an option.

#### Equipment

The Conglomerate began the production of its own equipment with a surprising degree of swiftness, with its own production appearing on the battlefield less than two weeks after the initial outbreak of hostilities. Early on, soldiers were issued with a ballistic-weave overall and a rudimentary ceramic plate carrier, often repurposed and modified Federation equipment.

Towards the end of the war, the 'Trooper' type next-gen infantry armor appeared on the battlefield - providing nearly complete coverage of the wearer's body, made from a special alloy that offers an immensely greater degree of protection, especially against energy weapons fire. Thought at present only an elite core of the Armed Forces are equipped with armors of this type, it is expected to completely replace the early Defender type suits except for militia and auxiliary units in the near future.

## Demographics

With a population of approximately 1.7 billion according to the 2149 census, making it the fifth most populou state in the world. The average European life expectancy at birth is 88.7 years (102.8 years for arcology inhabitants and 60.5 years for wasteland inhabitants). The fertility rate of 2.6 children born per woman is one of the highest in recent European history, though the number of births has been declining in tandem with the increasing reconstruction and reindustrialization of the European continent.

#### Religion

Even though the modern European state throughout its multitude of incarnations has always adhered to a secular philosophy and despite the aftershocks of global nuclear war, the European mindset, especially among the Wasteland population, still shows strong Christian roots - even if most people do not formally belong to any larger religious organization, the cross remains a powerful symbol and widely regarded as a memento of past European greatness.

Other Abrahamic faiths are not widely practiced in Europe, and in the case of Islam especially often regarded with suspicion and mistrust, due to constant tensions with the Caliphate.

A small number of neo-pagan cults of Norse, Celtic and Greco-Roman varieties exist, usually found in Scandinavia, Britannia and Italia, respectively.