Alberat

Alberat was a nation on Stevenis that lasted from 1868-1989. It was split into 4 states: Waidan, Wenshou, Warklebury, and Scotch. Its flag was half white, half red with two red and white triangles in the middle. The two triangles represented the 'Er Juren' mountains and the two contrasting colours symbolised the two languages, equal in rank, spoken by the people of Alberat.

A person or thing from Alberat is known as Albertian, not Alberatian. This seemingly minor detail mattered very much to the people of Alberat.

## Dates

### Destroyed

1989

Alberat has not existed as a single nation since the Albertian Civil War (1989). As of 1996, it is three separate countries.

## Geography

Alberat, being near the equator, had a higher average temperature than its more northern neighbours. The climate was ideal for growing crops such as bananas, tea, coffee, and coconuts.

The east side of Alberat - along the border with Redding - was quite mountainous. The two tallest mountains in Stevenis could be found in South Waidan. They are collectively named 'Er Juren' (Two giants).

## History

### Pre-nationhood

Historically, the land was inhabited by outer Szeina people. The area was very sparsely populated. At the time, the marshlands were much larger and the Szeina people found the land hard to navigate. The land was barely crossed by Szeina traders.

The land stayed under weak Szeina influence and with a low population for centuries. In 1694, the devastating \_\_ hurricane killed an estimated 8% of the population. 73% subsequently abandoned the area.

### Breakup of Insomnia Empire

In 1839, Faringway gained its independence from the Insomnia Empire. The Empire was the smallest it had been in decades, with only IE Redding and IE Alberat left. In 1842, the name Insomnia Empire was abandoned in favour of Albering - a mix of the two state names, Alberat and Redding.

### Dissolution of Albering 1868

It was decided that the nation would be named Alberat, after its name under Insomnia Empire.

### Assembly Fire Crisis 1901-1904

In 1901, a fire began in the Albertian Assembly while it was in session. The cause of this fire is still a mystery to this day. 37 of the 56 Assembly Members perished in the fire. This caused extreme shock and a huge power vacuum in the nation.

By 1904, there were two main parties formed, the People of Alberat and the Albertian Democratic Party.

### The Great Reshuffle 1950-65

*Main article - The Great Reshuffle*

The Great Reshuffle was a major shift in Albertian society. The majority of the population shifted from rural, agricultural lives to urban, industrial ones, in only 15 years.

Historians today place the beginning of the Great Reshuffle in 1950, when a young farmer by the name of Lambeth Choi gave a speech at the annual Waidan Council Meeting. Choi called for 'the cessation of the agricultural state'. The council was very intrigued by his ideas, and so they ordered the construction of factories in Waidan. Other councils followed Waidan's example. These new factories had 'factory towns' built around them.

In 1952, Alice Attridge of ADP was elected, under the slogan 'Industrialisation first'.

The decrease in farming meant that by 1958, Alberat could no longer grow enough to feed its populace, so it began trading with Redding for food.

The 'factory towns' grew in size. In 1957, a small attic flat in Warklebury's largest factory town cost the same as 30 acres of farmland.

In 1963, Lambeth Choi, in an event nobody anticipated, denounced his former speech, and declared that industrialisation was the 'one true evil'. He said that it 'destroys all individuality, freedom, and leisure'. His disillusionment with the Great Reshuffle was shared by many, and together they formed a group called 'Together for Alberat' (TFA), which campaigned for the old way of life.

In 1965, the TFA released a document titled 'The Choi Declaration' in which Lambeth Choi claimed that Alberat had 'accepted dystopia'. He then committed suicide by jumping into the chimney of Zhangli Industry. Subsequently, thousands more people followed Choi's example, taking their own lives in the factory chimneys. They demanded an end to industrialisation. This caused extreme shock in the nation. Eventually, the government compromised with TFA, allowing them to become a political party and banning the building of any new factories.

### Before The Great Faringway War 1956-9

In 1956, Mojang Asdain - the newly elected president of Faringway - began talks with the Albertian govenment. Asdain promised Ariel's downfall, and this enticed Alberat. They were still bitter about \_\_ and planned to be Ariel's 'silent killer'. An alliance between the two nations was formed, and Alberat loaned $400,000 to Faringway.

However, in 1959, Mojang betrayed Alberat by stealing a large amount of cargo on its way from Redding. The stolen goods were food for the Albertian people, since they no longer produced enough themselves. This led to a huge shortage, and so the government introduced rationing. The people of Alberat were not used to limited food, and so the crisis caused great unrest. Alice Attridge resigned under pressure in 1960, replaced by Hannah Nom.

### The Great Faringway War 1959-64

Alberat was uncomfortably close to Faringway, and so they requested join the 'Partners Treaty' (1960), which formalised an alliance between Insomnia Central, Wordsmith, and Alberat. It was highly to Alberat's advantage, since it was now easier to trade for good weapons and large amounts of crops. This ended the food shortage, and also allowed Albertians to study Wordsmith's advanced weaponry.

In 1962, Alberat took part in the 'Jock Plan', which involved a joint IC-Alberat attack in the 'Lin Corridor'. It was highly successful, and ended Faringway's presence in Lin.

On 11th of Arjun 1963, Alberat stated a non-alliance with Faringway. Alberat agreeing to not attack Faringway was directly against 'the Partner's Treaty', so Insomnia Central redesigned 'the Partner's treaty' with just Wordsmith & Insomnia Central.

### Lead up to Civil War 1987-8

In 1987, there was an unofficial vote in Scotch, in which 73% of people voted 'Yes' to closing down factories and 64% of people voted 'Yes' to allowing caps on how much land a single company is allowed to own. The President,

In 1988, it was time for elections. In every state there was a landslide victory, TFA in Scotch, TJ in Waidan and Wenshou, and ADP in Warklebury.

## Culture and Language

The Er Juren were a great point of pride for Albertians. Every 5 years, on the date that Alberat was founded, the government would officially measure them. A festival, called both Chong'aan and Athberdag where people placed bets on which would be the taller one. This tradition has previously occurred every year that is a multiple of 5. The 1990 festival was the first where no measurements could be taken at all, since the Er Juren are right on the border between North Alberine and New Alberat. (see history above). The 1995 festival did not happen at all.

Alberat had two main languages: Tongyun and Somian. Waidan and Wenshou were majority Tongyun, whereas Warklebury and Scotch were majority Somian. These two languages are very different. Apart from language, Alberat had mostly uniform customs and culture. During the Great Reshuffle, some speakers of both languages suggested that a common language might be more simple, and so the government hired linguists and ordinary people from all over Alberat to create a language that was an equal mix of both, plus easy to learn. This program lasted from 1960-62, ending when the government could no longer fund it, due to the Great Faringway War and increased cost of food imports.

It is an ancient Albertian custom to give small rocks to friends and family in the event of a birth or death. The received rocks are kept and then passed on to others for their family's own life events. As written by Albertian historian, Meghan Grant, "This symbolised the never ending cycle of generations and how in touch Albertians are with their ancestors." This tradition has been decreasing in popularity since the Great Reshuffle. It is still very common in Scotch, but has completely fallen out of favour in Warklebury.

## Trade

In the 19th century, Alberat's biggest exports were their tropical crops such as bananas, tea, coffee, and coconuts. The biggest consumers were Redding, Insomnia Central, and Wordsmith. Famous Alberat historian, Meghan Grant wrote in her 1972 book: "Alberat had a monopoly on these goods, since the other nations could not cultivate them in such large quantities. The state of Lin, in Redding, although warm, was too mountainous; the state of Shiverlous in IC could not organise vast farming projects; and the entire nation of Dersat was much too dry."

However, in the mid 20th century, the people of Alberat abandoned their agricultural roots, due to new ideas, introduced in the Great Reshuffle. Alberat's exports changed to mostly factory made goods.

During the Faringway War, Mojang Asidan (leader of Faringway), ordered the looting of a large amount of cargo on its way from Redding.