Meikberg Republic

## **History**

Before and During the Prestige wars against the Republican Briayon and Lindonce, Meikberg was a mere backbone of European politics, a minor power subject to the influence of its neighbors. In the early 1800s it was conquered by the Republic of Lindonce and turned into a puppet state: the Revolutionary Republic of Meikberg. However, with the republics defeated by 1812, Meikberg was once again an independent monarchy, with Destburg having even more influence over the country. While the republics were defeated, their ideologies were not. Ideas of nationalism and liberalism began to spread across Europe like wildfire. Meikberg was not spared from these new ideas.

### **Seeds of Disunity**

Being a homeland for Kanetian, Lindoncian, and Destburgian cultures and peoples, these ethnic groups began demanding autonomy, yet the absolute monarchy refused to promote any ideas of national disunity. For a decade after the Prestige Wars, Meikberg would stumble along, as each ethnic group began demanding more and more from the government. This culminated in the Meikbergian Democratic Revolution of 1824, with king Max VII abdicating the throne and granting power to a unitarian democratic government under Emilio Meusburger. While Meikberg began the long transition into a democratic entity, many people were still not satisfied. Further instability in the 1850s arose with the rise of Communism, started by Communist Philosopher, Karl Weisser.

### **On a Knife Edge**

Seeing little progress in Meikberg representation, the Mrassian Empire, Republic of Lindonce, and Empire of Desburg approached President Anton Menger in 1900, and stated that if the government did nothing to solve its ongoing ideology and nationality crisis, then they would be forced to make… “adjustments.” After that confrontation, plans were proposed to partition the small republic. Yet to avoid this, the Menger and later Pascal Bogen administrations would attempt to solve the crisis but to no avail. The communist party was unbanned in 1905, and trade unions were legalized, yet with strict government oversight. Lobbying in the Meikbergian Congress halted any other progress, sparking even more discontent.

In 1910, the Meikbergian Congress was officially in deadlock, with no party agreeing on any reforms. As instability ramped up in the nation, the only remaining stable faction in the entire country, the military, decided it was time to take matters into its own hands. Under the leadership of feared military general Rafael Semmelweis, couped the government in 1915, beginning the rule of the junta. The new Semmelweis government would take the country down a more radical nationalist, almost fascist path. Trade unions were once again banned by law in 1918, and all radical left wing parties were banned from practice.

### **The Iron Fist**

The next leader, Matthias Werner would begin policies of de-foreignization of Meikberg. Ethnic Lindoncian, Kanetian and Destburgian peoples were segregated against and lowered to second class citizens, while promoting ideas of a more unified and militaristic Meikbergian identity. He would be critical of both the Berufspakt and Internationale, claiming both to be weak and unable to create a stable world order. Throughout the 50s and 60s, the Matthias Werner junta would suppress all reformist proposals in the congress and would begin a period of rapid militarization and industrialization, boosting the strength and economy by the end of his rule in 1967.

Michael Hundertwasser would succeed Werner in 1967, and he would witness the world peace break down as the 2nd Weltkrieg began between the Berufspakt and Internationale. After the Vicegusa Covenant, the third party alliance of Mediterranean Fascist States, encouraged Meikberg to join the war on their sides to “liberate Europe from degeneracy.” Yet Hundertwasser refused, preferring to stay neutral. The Berufspakt and Covenant would be defeated by the Internationale by 1996, and new communist and socialist regimes being established across Europe, Africa, and Asia. Meikberg remained one of the only non-communist states in Europe, and the lack of action by the government saw social and political unrest not seen since the intiial military takeover.

### **End of the Junta**

Liberal youth began demanding reforms and the end of military rule, leading to the overthrow and end of the junta in 2000, with the social democrats under Max Lang winning the new presidency with a majority vote. Succeeding leaders would limit military influence in society to prevent another junta taking power. The reintroduction of democracy would take a long time to complete. In 2009, Benjamin Goss passed the National Representation and Unity Act through the Congress with a mass of support, ending ethnic segregation in the country, and granting full citizenship to ethnic Lindoncians, Kanetians, and Destburgians.

By the 2020s, as the 2nd Cold War was brewing on the horizon, the Meikbergians agreed to sit out the upcoming Cold War. Meikberg was from then on a fully functioning, and stable liberal democracy. Free from foreign influence and shining the light of European democracy for many years to come.