Oceanic Empire

> "*We pray for the rise of OE once more habibi.*"
> ― unknown
>
>

Flag of Oceanic Empire

### Dissolved

30/11/2022United with Southern Republic to form the Oceanic Republic, returned by 23/01/2023

### Preceded by

New Holland, Oceanic Republic

The **Oceanic Empire** is a federal constitutional monarchy led by King Wheeldeal and co-led by PandaDeltaFrappe, both experienced nations 1 players. The early plans revolved around settlement in the Netherlands but it's geographical location changed as release day grew closer. Currently, the nation spans all of Australia, New Zealand, Papua and maintains vassal states in Malaysia and Renaissance, and it once held most of Asia. In late November of 2022, the nation merged with the Southern Republic to form the Oceanic Republic, but this was later reversed on the 23rd of January 2023.

## History

### **Founding of the Oceanic Empire**

In its earliest forms New Holland or the Dutch Empire was originally intended to be a group of towns located in Netherlands that were part of the extremely powerful theoretical mega nation Holy Roman Empire, this plan was however unfruitful and the nation divided into 3 separate nations. New Holland, Tokugawa Shogunate and The Teutonic Order albeit were geographically far apart but still remained close allies.

The initial plans were to create the Dutch Empire and settle in the Netherlands but due to some internal conflicts and close proximity to Britain & Flanders, there was a reconsideration for a new location, Australia suited it the best with its different biomes and the safe haven it offered in the initial starting period, thus New Holland was created on 20th March 2021 with its capital as New Amsterdam, some of the members then split up and created New Rotterdam and New Utrecht.

The Oceanic Empire was a nation originally intended to serve as a federation between New Holland and Zealandia, two nations in Oceania with similar interests. The name is derived from the region where it is primarily located, Oceania, and this name was chosen as it encompassed both Australian and Zealandian landmasses. The flag of the Oceanic Empire exemplifies the original view of the nation, showing a lion in its coat of arms to represent the royal family of New Holland and a Silver Fern, a symbol of New Zealand, to represent the nation of Zealandia.

The nation originally gave New Holland and Zealandia equal power in the union, as in the early days they were of similar relevance. The nation’s government was based in New Amsterdam, and the reasoning for this was that it would give the nation more range, but it was not intended to symbolise Dutch superiority in the Union. In return for having ShootingRice, King of New Holland, as the leader of the nation, the Zealandians originally had ownership over the Oceanic Empire discord, which gave them leverage over communication between the different parts of the nation, however they never took advantage of this and instead Rice and Wheeldeal took a leading role in the nation’s politics.

Zealandia was, somewhat uniquely, a Czech speaking community within the Oceanic Empire, and this served as somewhat of a barrier to communications. OE discord originally had Czech language exclusive channels for the Zealandians, but these were never used throughout the entire nation’s existence. Due to some language barriers, as well as the geographical distance between the Australian mainland and New Zealand, Zealandia and New Holland grew further and further apart as time progressed.

From the very beginning of the server and the beginning of New Holland’s existence, there were settlers on the West Coast of Australia that eventually began to make contact with the Dutch settlers in the East and South of the continent. Silkvelt, later Catabe, was the origin of soon-to-be very influential players such as Heudreu (later Hydrx\_ or Hydra) and KingStanchez. Due to the activity of these players and their constant engagement with the Dutch after having joined the Oceanic Empire discord, Catabe soon grew to exceed Zealandia in relevance in the nation.

Catabe and Perth, a town south of it that joined OE later on, came to serve as a centre for much of OE’s naval technology and a significant portion of its manpower. After linking the two settlements with speed 2 horses and tunnels, Western Australia became a well integrated part of the Oceanic Empire.

### **Early Government**

The Oceanic Empire first properly established a democratic form of government in early May 2021, where the States General, a Dutch form of Parliament that was used in New Holland beforehand, was elected throughout the empire. The first term elected Heudreu, epictgah123, Taziaq and Rigel, ½ Western Australian and ½ Dutch. Those elected symbolise the relevance of certain regions at this time, with Zealandia having no representation in the newly elected Parliament due to a lack of any voting by Zealandians, whilst the Dutch and Western Australians were very engaged in politics. This first term saw the rise in importance of Catabe, and the Federalisation of the Oceanic Empire into states.

The Oceanic Empire was divided into 5 internal states, New Holland, which encompassed New Rotterdam, New Amsterdam and New Utrecht, Zealandia, Western Australia, Sandakan and Rockhampton. Both Sandakan and Rockhampton were very much tied to New Holland, whilst Western Australia and Zealandia operated as somewhat separate groups. The Federal Council was formed to attempt to represent each of these states with their own representative, but this was mostly a failure as the Federal Council was not engaged with by its selected representatives, instead discussions on national policy were mostly available to the public in general channels.

### **Initial Wars and Allies**

The Nordic Wars, at Kiev, Zafra, Vestfold and Paris, were defining moments for the Oceanic Empire. The wars marked the earliest time, other than intervention in Japan, that the nation had left its isolationism to involve itself in international affairs. The role of the Oceanic Empire was important in the victories at Kiev and at Zafra. The Oceanic Empire for the first time saw itself sitting at the same table as other world powers such as the Teutonic Order Shinsei and SCA. The peace between the Nordics and Oceanic Empire, as well as Shinsei and Teutonic Order, marked the beginning of an alliance that was later dubbed “STO”.

The Oceanic Empire had, for all of its history, been a strong ally of the Teutonic Order and the Teutonic Order felt the same way towards OE. However, OE relations with Shinsei were frosty at best before the Nordic Wars. Disputes with Nuxyr over the siege at Rorikstead almost resulted in all-out war between Shinsei and OE, which would have created yet another front in an ongoing worldwide conflict. The Teutonic Order managed to bring the Oceanic Empire into an alliance with Shinsei over their mutual interest to defend the Teutonic Order.

After the Nordic Wars, the split between SCA and STO became apparent to all and a new era of global politics began, one in which OE was now actively involved in.'

### Unification

After prolonged negotiations between the leadership of the Southern Republic and the Oceanic Empire, the two nations entered into an official union on 30/11/2022 forming the Oceanic Republic. This would last until the 23rd of January, where the Southern Republic was effectively absorbed into the Oceanic Empire.

### Historical Flags

The Oceanic Empire, previously New Holland, has gone through several flags. They are as follows (in chronological order)

The flag of New Holland consisted of a royal Dutch coat of arms and a tricolour. This flag was used to represent the lands that would come to dominate the politics of the Oceanic Empire, and would continue to be used by New Rotterdam, New Utrecht and New Amsterdam as a provincial flag.

The royal flag of the Oceanic Empire consisted of a newly created coat of arms, one encompassing Dutch elements, with the usage of the lion, and Zealandian elements, with the usage of the Silver Fern. The tricolour was inherited from the flag of New Holland, but purple was chosen instead of blue. This flag came to represent the Oceanic Empire throughout the vast majority of its history, being used from the initial merge with Zealandia up until the merge with the Southern Republic. Even after the merge with the Southern Republic, the flag was still used to represent territories formerly a part of the Oceanic Empire and sometimes used for the Oceanic Republic.

The current flag of the Oceanic Empire, originally used to represent the Oceanic Republic, is a flag that was created with the intention to define a new Australian nation. The initial inspiration for the flag was the Eureka Flag, a flag used historically in the real world nation of Australia. The flag makes use of the blue from that flag, the purple of the Oceanic flag, and expands upon the stars used in the Eureka flag. The flag came to represent the union of the Southern Republic and the Oceanic Empire, eventually coming to be used by the Oceanic Empire.[1]

## The Economy

The Oceanic Economy was, at many times in history, one of the strongest in the world. Centred in New Rotterdam and Luminus primarily, but also New Amsterdam during certain periods, the nation's economy revolved around slimefun goods and silver production. During the Oceanic golden age, around the summer of 2021, Oceanic markets were some of the most prosperous in the world, often exceeding Europe in output.

The Oceanic Empire's long distance from any aggressive powers, and the insistence of the Industrialist-led States General during the Golden Age to maintain non aggression with Japan, enabled the nation to focus on its economy rather than on its defence. This same safety brought about by being distant from Europe also encouraged many from other continents to migrate to Australia, most notably Luminus, bringing a large labour pool that often saw the nation with the most online players during peak hours, further contributing to its economic power.

During and slightly after the Golden Age, the so-called "Gravel Economy" dominated Oceanic society. Players in the nation would sell gravel and buckets of fuel to New Rotterdam in exchange for high wages, these would be turned into silver and slimefun machinery, which would then be sold back to those providing gravel. This economic cycle saw New Rotterdam grow into the centre for Oceanic commerce and industry, and much of the surrounding towns became reliant upon it. Nationwide cooperation and centralisation of the economy in New Rotterdam was a major contributor to the nation's economic success.

During the Summer Reformation, beginning in July 2023, the influx of players to the New Guinea region caused significant economic growth. New Queensland, the biggest town currently in Papua, currently has a wealth total of over $350,000. At a similar time, Tahiti underwent a major industrial expansion, significantly increasing both their domestic and international exports. The 'gravel economy' became recreated on local scales, instead of the previous national trade. Players from across the nation flock to New Rotterdam to trade with one another through both the auction house and chest shop trading.

## Politics

The Oceanic Empire for most of ShootingRice’s reign was a democratic constitutional monarchy. The role of the King in OE was central to government, and was aided by a co-leader who held near equal authority. The parliament of the Oceanic Empire was known as the States General, which derives its name from the Dutch origins of the nation. The States General was originally a structure only found within the largest and most influential state in the nation, New Holland, but was eventually made a nationwide governmental body in May 2021.

The States General was the most powerful governmental entity in the nation, and outweighed the authority of the King and co-leader. The States General would hold elections once every month, allowing the general public to vote for those who would serve. Whenever the nation made major decisions, the States General, King and co-leader would vote on a solution. The States General held an overall 60% say over government policy, whilst the King and co-leader held 20% each. Considering that the States General usually elected 3 members, it meant that each of the elected officials to the States General had equal say on policy to the King. The King however held a veto over any proposal, but for all of OE history this was never used.

The Oceanic government also had an advisory body, the Federal Council. The Federal Council was supposed to be used to represent each state at a federal level, to make sure that all parts of the nation had a say. In practice this was usually not used and instead the government communicated with certain parts of the nation in general channels and their respective town channels.

Oceanic politics, whilst usually quite stable, had some divisiveness. The two main factions of Oceanic politics were those who supported Militarist policies and those who supported Industrialist policies. For most of OE political history there were no political parties, and the terms Militarist and Industrialist were not used to describe these viewpoints at that time, however it is useful to refer to these two unspoken and unnamed political groups as the Industrialists and the Militarists.

The Industrialists tended to support the idea of Oceanic Isolationism, where the nation would exclude itself from the affairs of other nations. They however made an exception for especially close allies, which included the Teutonic Order and Shinsei. Industrialists wished to encourage trade in Asia and to prevent any potential wars in the region, leading to the creation of the Pacific Council with the Japanese. Industrialists were also responsible for the nation’s economic policies, leading to the rapid growth of the Oceanic economy in Summer 2021. The most notable players that held these view points were Wheeldeal, who held the position of co-leader for all of Rice’s reign, and Liciea, who was a political heavyweight in the Oceanic Empire, being elected to States General every time he campaigned. King ShootingRice also usually favoured Industrialist ideas.

The Militarists however tended to support the idea of an Oceanic sphere of influence in Asia, and supported invading nations such as Shimazu, later Japan, and Malaysia. Militarists believed that other nations, namely Japan, were stronger than they deserved to be and if the Oceanic Empire went to war with them, OE could instead hold dominion over all of Asia. They often believed that Industrialist policies held the nation back, and prevented the nation from becoming a vast empire that it was capable of becoming. Militarists were responsible for the Oceanic war at Rorikstead, as well as the conquest of India, Japan and Malaysia. The most notable players who held these views were Hydra (Heudreu, Hydrx\_), a very successful individual in Oceanic politics who sat in most States General terms and became co-leader during Perpltxed’s reign, and Taziaq, a player elected to States General for every term until he became leader of the Belkan Empire and later co-leader of the Oceanic Empire. King Perpltxed usually favoured Militarist ideas.

After the abdication of King ShootingRice and the resignation of Wheeldeal in late August 2021, the Oceanic Empire became undemocratic and the States General was not elected for 4 months. The King and co-leader quitting CCNet contributed greatly to inactivity in the nation which led to those in positions of power preferring to lead undemocratically to ensure national stability. The period between August 2021 and December 2021 is now known as the Oceanic Oligarchy, because government policy during this era was almost entirely determined by a small group of Oceanic elites. This period also saw a strong increase in Militarist sentiment, leading to the Oceanic conquest of Asia in December 2021 under King Perpltxed and Hydra.

wheel can do the blue-taz thing :>

sr-oe merge thing + civil war

sr-oe coleading

After Wheeldeal returned to power, OE returned back to an active phase. During this time period, masterbigbear founded the town of Singapore, and later on December 15th 2022, the vassal nation of the Malay People's Republic. MPR, as it was commonly known, was a vast island nation spanning from India to the Philippines and to Papua New Guinea. The nation, whilst a part of the Oceanic political system, was largely a personality cult revolving around the worship of their leader masterbigbear.

The boost in activity around this time period resulted in another reformation of the political system. Under this system, there would be an elected Prime Minister, acting as the second-in-command of the nation. The Prime Minister was able to form a small cabinet, consisting of a Chancellor, Commander-General, Home Secretary and Foreign Secretary. The first elections of this system were held around the 7-9th December 2022, resulting in Priyansh achieving a narrow win over LeDuxBerrie. His inaugural cabinet attempted to balance out the roles between Southern Republic and Oceanic Empire members, resulting in Panda, Hydra, Dart10lazer and Jaminator5559 ascending to government.

After his general activity and lack of action as Prime Minister (due to irl commitments), the public no longer backed Priyansh as their Prime Minister, causing him to announce that he would not seek a second term. Instead, he endorsed Panda, who achieved 87% of the vote in the January elections - the largest margin of victory in Oceanic electoral history. After conferring with the King, he decided that it was in the best interests of OE to replace the SR citizens in the cabinet, due to their lack of activity in the last month. This resulted in Hydra, Rick, Paul and Dan\_OCD gaining cabinet positions. During this term, the Lower Ministry was also established, giving 5 OE citizens recognition for their hard work in their respective regions. The first set of Lower Ministers were TheBlueMagician, Roxolid\_, masterbigbear, Jaminator5559 and Meowsalod. During his term, the transnational railway project was restarted, linking both southern towns and those in the far north and west of Australia.

At the end of his first term, Panda decided not to run for office again, but rather to accept Wheeldeal's offer of coleader. Both the King and outgoing PM endorsed Rick's campaign, which was the start of significant political factionalism between the old OE citizens and the new French and SR citizens. For some reason, Panda became the PM in March 2023 ( I think? I don't remember this at all and there are literally no records of the government at that time. Let's assume I did well. ) During this term, the ministries were abolished, and regional representation encouraged instead.

April saw LaughingSpade run against a Southern Australian for the fourth consecutive election cycle, and his fourth consecutive defeat - Dan\_OCD narrowly won the election by 2 votes. This narrow margin caused significant uproar from French and SR members, resulting in most of the remaining SR members fleeing to Antarctica, under the command of General\_Flagg15. They would later move to India, forming the vassal nation of Renaissance. The May elections saw Spade finally stop running, instead being replaced by popular Papuan leader FaceyZino as the main opposition to the South Australians. Zay8 achieved victory with a respectable margin, becoming the first female Prime Minister of OE. Her term saw significant development in the foundations of recruitment into the empire, as well as the creation of a mayor-only government tier that aimed to promote local representation. Unfortunately, she became inactive towards the end of her term and was unable to run for re-election due to her town falling.

There was yet another reform in June, with the system taking the shape of a European democracy. The federal council, created in April, became filled based on the popular vote rather than selection from the Prime Minister. During this first trial of the new system, Panda's Oceanic Worker's Union party achieved a plurality of the vote, followed by Eatmadi's Femboy Thighs party. Additionally, 3 minor parties gained one seat in the 10-person parliament. The July elections were the cause of much divide between Renaissance and MPR citizens. Tensions had been building for some time, resulting in the two vassal nations launching rival parties at opposite ends of the political spectrum. masterbigbear's National Malay People's Action Party achieved 11 votes to the Neosovereign Party's 8 votes. This caused masterbigbear to become the first Prime Minister elected from a vassal nation, rather than the homeland.

In August, the elections were not run due to a period of internal instability. To combat secessionary attitudes in New Guinea, FaceyZino, a popular leader in the region, was appointed as Prime Minister. His rule brought stability and progress to all corners of the empire, resulting in him being widely regarded as the man who changed OE.