General Lore

Below is the **General Lore** for Roessen, including aspects of the previous simulations.

## Roessish Beginnings

### The Jewel of the Strait

Roessen, at first, had very little self-autonomy, and instead was a prized possession bickered over by the British and the Germans. The British held claims to the island with the existence of Port George, and strived to impose the entire island as an imperial colony under the same name. However, the island was also of strategic importance to the growing German Empire, who believed that the island was their rightful colony.

Tensions over the Jewel of the Strait turned to violence with the First War of Port George from 1883 to 1885, which resulted in a German victory and a declaration that the island was to be known as the Dominion of Bismarck. The Second War of Port George from 1891 to 1894 only furthered German dominance over the island, and the British agreed to cede the harbours of Port George to the solidified Dominion of Bismarck.

### The Call of War

The Dominion of Bismarck's naval position was seen as strategically important for the Great War. When the war was announced, the Dominion became an important Prussian naval base against the British and the French. But its position was not wholly recognised; German soldiers from the island moved to the front lines against France and the ports themselves were not entirely defended.

The Entente made use of this fact well. In 1916, British Secretary of State for War, Edward Stanley, gave the go-ahead for Operation Lionheart, a naval invasion of the island. The capture was successful, and in some cases, the populace welcomed the British, who saw the German rule as deteriorating. Acclaimed military general of the island, Henri Tocqueville, for example, stated that "...the British were welcomed with open arms; we saw it not as invasion, but as liberation, and an opportunity for autonomy".

And an opportunity for autonomy it certainly became.

## The First Republic

### The Schrek and Sturt Years

The Treaty of Versailles had given the former Dominion of Bismarck its own autonomy, in the form of a new republic. The Roessen Accord, a literature that enforced Roessish independence, gave the land a new name: Roessen, named after its capital city. At its helm, its first President, Dominik Schrek, one of the main signatories of the Roessen Accord on behalf of the Roessish people. Despite this, Schrek barely lasted a year - although he was made President in 1919, he resigned in 1920 to open for elections, of which he refused to stand. Still, his year as President was instrumental in the formation of the first Roessish constitution and the founding of the new republic.

In his place, Nationalist candidate Adal Von Sturt was elected, widely regarded as the first *official* President of the Roessen Republic. Ruling as President for two terms, Sturt helped form a national bank, as well as prevent Roessen from collapsing economically by forming a new currency, the Roessenmark, to replace its tie to the German Papiermark and the subsequent Rentenmark. Sturt's plethora of cabinets also dealt with issues such as growing enterprise corruption, political radicalism in Wolfszing and gang warfare, although these issues were never truly stomped out of society.

The Sturt years also saw the growth in the Jewish population in Kirchfelden, which eventually spilled out into the Kirchfelden Aggression, a series of violence between Wolfszing fascists and the Jewish populations. Afterwards, the Jewish sects in Kirchfelden were granted some autonomous powers, much to the disgrace of the Wolfszing authorities. Alongside Roessenstadt, Kirchfelden had essentially become an entirely free city.

After Sturt's second term was finished, he announced he would not stand for a second term, announcing his intention to follow the American model.

### The Heydrich Years

Despite widespread support for Adal Von Sturt, support for the Nationalist Party entering into the 1928 elections were wavering. The 1926 General Strike in the UK and the rise of the Soviet Union had bolstered socialist support, and the greater industrialisation of Roessen saw more workers striving for political office. For the Nationalists to win, it was important they chose a candidate worthy of winning the support of the new proletariat. Despite their options, they chose Arnold Heydrich - a former disgraced Kanzler, who promised workers rights while also staying true to the principles of the Nationalist Party. It was an exceptionally close election, but Heydrich won. His election, however, did not come without consequence; protests at the election result ignited, despite announcements from the Roessish Electoral Commission stating the results were correct.

However, people were stunned when the former disgraced Chancellor gradually became a sensational President. The Heydrich years brought about economic prosperity at a time when the Great Depression was looming, and even put Roessen in the international sphere as a strong and independent European power. The years brought about a population boom, with the nation even greatly outnumbering that of its larger neighbours Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland. Many feared the population boom would have been costly, but instead it brought about an economic miracle that lingered all the way to the Second World War.

Heydrich won re-election in 1936, this time with a much greater majority, taking on his former socialist Chancellor, Otto Höger. Höger won 38.1% of the vote in the final count, against Heydrich's 61.9%. Heydrich's second term was more relaxed than the first, yet saw an increase in Roessen's diplomatic situation. This included more high-profile ambassadors to the League of Nations and the United States, one more prominent diplomats being Gorden Braunbusch.

### Braunbusch and Rommel-Herz

When Heydrich's second term gradually came to an end in 1936, it became apparent that support for the Nationalist Party was once again wavering. Scandals involving Nationalist politicians and dodgy dealings with mafia bosses and prominent fascist politicians resulted in the Nationalists struggling to campaign. But even the Rote Koalition were struggling; candidate Richard Lionsonn's absurd nationalist-socialist policies, which appeared to align with Nazism, made the coalition vastly unpopular. Instead, the election became a contest of two unlikely candidates: Vinzent Hoehman, the Liberal candidate for 1932 and now in 1936, and the former ambassador to the United States, Gorden Johann Braunbusch. Despite running as an independent, Braunbusch's campaign captivated Roessen. He was a man of charisma and charm, and his position as an independent made him flexible in policy. In the end, Braunbusch won the election but very narrowly, winning 51.2% to Hoehman's 48.8%.

The Braunbusch administration led to the creation of the Sozialdemokratische Partei Roessen, or the Social Democrats, which became the ruling party. They nabbed seats from Liberal and Socialist parties, taking advantage of the collapse of the Rote Koalition, and only cemented Braunbusch's position as a powerful President. His first term saw the amalgamation of cabinet positions, the nationalisation of some of Roessen's more urgent services, but also the gearing up for war.

The start of his first term saw the main fallacy of the previous Nationalist administrations. Both Sturt and Heydrich had aimed to stamp out organised crime in Roessen, but had only pushed them into secrecy. With the new party in power, mafia attacks began to increase. One of their prime targets was PDV Johannes Dümmler, who was assassinated in 1936 outside of the Volksvertretung. Desperate to find a suitable replacement that would save his skin as President, Braunbusch optimistically chose a lawyer to replace him: Eduard Rommel-Herz.

Rommel-Herz, after accepting the position as PDV, quickly rose to fame as a respectable gentleman and new yet unbiased politician. His appointment only increased Braunbusch's popularity at a time when the Braunbusch administration was looking slow and shaky. But this by no means meant the Braunbusch administration was secure - and with the dawn of World War II, it seemed doomed to fall.

## World War II

### Optimism to Pessimism

At first, the Braunbusch administration remained optimistic that politics would go ahead as normal, and that the Allies would protect the republic's integrity; with that, Braunbusch announced elections would go on as normal in 1940, and promised greater military protection and diplomacy with the Allies as the German threat continued to grow.

The optimism, however, did not last. When Germany conducted the Anschluss, then broke the Munich Agreement and later formed the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact with the Soviet Union over Poland, it was clear German ambition was turning into practicality. The Braunbusch administration attempted to deter fears by stating Roessen would be protected by the Allies, but even the President knew hope was running out.

### Occupation and Government Evacuation

The Germans eventually launched their attack with Operation Weserübung in 1940, which resulted in the occupations of Denmark, then Roessen, then Norway. Roessish political elites fled to Britain, aside from a notable few who remained as resistance figureheads, but for four and a half years, Roessen had returned to the ways of the Dominion of Bismarck, a German colony controlled centrally from Berlin. It had become a Reichskommissariat.

But the treatment of Roessish people were mixed. Those who were seen as strongly Germanic and able to fight were drafted as soldiers to the Nazi war effort. Kirchfelden, however, became a solemn display of Hitler's sadistic fantasies. A concentration camp was established in the city, which executed numerous Jewish citizens in the city. The rest of Roessen was put to work as an industrial and military and naval position, and life expectancy dropped dramatically as Roessish citizens nearly worked themselves to death.

The liberation of Roessen came in 1944, with government executives returning in 1945, in what was called the Second Operation Lionheart. Prime Minister Winston Churchill personally welcomed President Braunbusch back to the nation.

## The Second Republic

### The 1947 Constitution

Braunbusch knew that the people would not accept it if he continued his run as President. From 1945 to 1946, Braunbusch operated a restorationist national government between all the major parties to rebuild Roessen after the costliness of the war. In 1946, Braunbusch stood for his official second term as President, and won with an astonishing 74%.

The second Braunbusch administration was dominated by two things: first, the writing of The 1947 Constitution, which scrapped the role of the Chancellor and devolved more powers to that of a Vice President, and gave the President a more direct position in politics. Secondly, the involvement of Roessen in the international sphere. The SDPR maintained a policy of Western-orientation as the Cold War grew, and Braunbusch maintained strong relations with President Truman and Prime Minister Attlee.

The 1947 Constitution also ratified the new official election standard present in the 1946 General Election. Instead of constituent voters, Members of the Volksvertretung became Senators, and each province was given a fixed amount of Senators. Roessenstadt, the capital city, was also granted its own provincial status in elections, as well as having a Mayor like other cities.

Finally, the 1947 Constitution announced that both the Federal and Presidential elections would be amalgamated into one General Election, to be conducted in the January of the year. The new President-elect would be inaugurated on Roessen's official "Liberation Day" from the Axis, on February 5th.

The 1947 Constitution had done away with the old Roessen Republic; in came the new Federal Republic, or the Bundesrepublik Roessen.

### Braunbusch's Ailing Health

President Braunbusch knew by 1948 his health was deteriorating. Signs of cancer began to spring up, and he announced the weirdly-timed second administration would be his last. It was indicated that his nominated successor would be his Vice President, Glenn Junggruppe. Braunbusch announced his intention to resign from politics altogether after the election had been safely convened.

**Now it is 1949. The election is looming, and Braunbusch does not intend on standing again. The future of the Bundesrepublik is bright; but will it survive?**