The Federal Republic of Olympus

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Magister Militum
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The Federal Republic of Olympus

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Federal Republic of Olympus

Formal Name: The Federal Republic of Olympus and the Allied Territories
Common/Popular Name: Olympian Star Republic
Government: Semi-Presidential Constiutional Federal Republic
Species: Human, with some minor alien residents
Capital: Olympus
Affiliation: OAS

History:

The History of the Federal Republic of Olympus is a rich and intriguing one full of ups and downs. It has seen hardships as the the colonies of Olympus struggled to get off their feet, hope as the individual colonies came to grow in population and prestige, and prosperity as as Olympus came to be one of the key industrial and political hubs in the Terran Sphere, and later, the OAS. And, of course, there has always been its legacy of warfare. It has seen war against not only ideological enemies such as Earth, but also against rivals such as the Cortallian Star Empire, which seek to destroy Olympian dominance in its region and reduce it to a puppet state. Of course, none of this would have never occurred had it not been for the events that resulted in the creation and eventual independence of Olympus.

The Federal Republic of Olympus can trace its roots centuries back to the great Terran Diaspora that resulted in the rapid growth of human colonies all throughout known space. Prior to its colonization, the United Nations had been considering several star systems for the site of a new major colony that would, hopefully, become a major hub in Earth's colonial empire. Having recently scouted out Olympus via its newly discovered graveddy, the United Nations Colonial Bureau settled on the promising star system and opened its colonization up to whatever nations were willing to invest in it. Ultimately four nations stepped up to the proposal: The United States of North America, The Second Republic of China, the Empire of Brazil, and the United Republic of Germany (a German-Austrian Union). Gathering individuals from all walks of life and building the colonization ships needed for the trek, the four nations, under UN supervision, sent off their colonists through the graveddy that led to the Olympus System and hoped for the best.

Landing on the largest and most hospitable world of Olympus, the colonists quickly went to work setting up the first cities and industrial zones on the planet. For a time, the Olympus system, being equally divided among the four nations and ultimately governed by the UN, prospered and maintained a peaceful relationship with Earth. The newly established colonies in Olympus began to grow in rapid strides thanks to the steady flow of emigration to Olympus from Earth and the riches being generated from the factories of Olympus. While the colonies did start to grow apart from Earth in terms of political and ideological outlook, they still maintained a bond with Earth and their patron nations. To revolt against Earth and its generosity seemed, quite frankly, unfathomable at the time. That would all soon change with the passing of United Nations General Assembly Resolution 1051A.

The United Nations, having grown increasingly authoritarian towards many of its colonies and protectionist of its member-states, began making rapid progress in souring its relation with its colonies. Limited to no representation in the United Nations, heavy taxes on all non-Earth goods coming in, and other policies caused an uproar in many of Earth's colonies. With their protests either ignored or put down, the colonies of Earth began to contemplate succession. Olympus was no exception, as they began to view the growing crisis with serious concern. With their Earth-based sponsors abandoning them and siding with the United Nations decisions, with the lone exception of His Imperial Brazilian Majesty Pedro VIII, who fought tirelessly for colonial representation (and would pay for it by being forced off the throne by ultranationalist rebels), and the United Nations preparing for eventual occupation duties, the colonies of Olympus, united together as the United Colonies of Olympus, authorized the full wartime mobilization of all colonies in Olympus. The brutal and bloody suppression of the pro-representation riots in Starkland and the passing of UN General Resolution 1051A, which authorized military action to pacify rebellious colonies, proved to be the straw the broke the camels back, as Olympus, alongside many other of Earth's colonies rebelled in what would be later known as the Terran Diaspora War.

Ultimately, victory was on the colonies side, as the United Nations was forced to spread out its forces across the width and breadth of its colonial sphere. The Olympian colonies, having only to defend but one system, could focus on defeating the local UN garrison while fortifying itself for the impending UN pacification fleet. That, of course, was easier said than done. While critical areas, such as the capital of the Confederation, were fully secured from the beginning, many other areas, including several vital industrial and population centers, were firmly in the hands of the UN. Not able to fight the UN peacekeepers directly (at least not in the early phases of the war), the Olympian Colonial Army's command staff focused on a campaign of attrition, whereby the UN forces would be worn down to the point of collapse by the repeated hit-and-run strikes and ambushes set up by the Colonial Army. The tactic would work, as the lumbering army of the United Nations would be constantly harassed and weakened by Colonial forces who, in contrast to the UN peacekeepers, could skillfully maneuver their way out of dangerous treaters and back to friendly lines. In space it was no different, as the Olympian Colonial Navy, made up of whatever ships they could get their hands on, and Marine Corps would carry out increasingly bold raids on the much larger and powerful UN Navy.

Ultimately, the UN peacekeepers, having suffered considerable casualties and facing multiple defections, abandoned all attempts at retaking the Olympus system and retreated to its fortresses to wait for reinforcements. Unfortunately for the peacekeepers, by the time the UN could send reinforcements, the colonies of Olympus had fortified themselves to the point that they were capable of inflicting devastating losses against the pacification fleet. Worn out materially, economically, and morally, the United Nations finally accepted defeat and granted its rebellious colonies, including Olympus, total independence.

While they had secured their independence, the colonies of Olympus were left with the more pressing concern of their long-term future. While some had considered the notion of the colonies becoming fully independent and united under a military/political bloc, others pushed for a much stronger pan-Olympus government. Fearing another potential war with Earth and encroachments by rival powers, the later group rationalized that a federal republic that provided for common defense and political outlook would be in their best interest. With the autonomy and sovereignty of the member-states of this republic also guaranteed, what little opposition to the plan evaporated, and, approximately two and a half years after its independence, the United Colonies of Olympus became the Federal Republic of Olympus.

Since then, The Olympian Republic has come to recover from the devastation of the Diaspora War and has prospered and grown considerably. As it began to explore and settle new star systems, Olympus would gain the attention of other nearby powers, especially as it began to intervene in various crises that affected it. When the nearby government of the Hyperion Union fell to a fascist coup and threated the sovereignty of various small, nearby nations, The Republic would send its Star Navy to crush the Hyperion Starfleet and its Army to overthrow the fascist government and restore democracy (and gain a minor ally, or puppet for the cynical minded, to boot). Similar interventions would reoccur at various intervals, including the war against the Calgarta Pirate States, which resulted in the abolition of the slave trade and piracy in the region, and the colonial skirmishes fought against a renewed United Nations. It would also come to make contact with another polity that would come to represent a significant threat to its own interstellar interests: the Cortallian Star Empire.

A vast empire held together via the legal tie of dynasty, the two powers originally shared a cordial, if somewhat strained relationship, when it came to diplomatic affairs, but relations between the two would sour immensely after it became clear that Cortallia was planning for nothing less that full domination of Olympus' sphere of influence. Meanwhile, the government of Olympus, who been attempting to move into Cortallia's sphere of influence and working to support pro-Republican dissident groups in the Star Empire, grew increasingly antagonistic towards Cortallia and began making the preparations necessary for the eventual war to come. Known later on as the Olympian-Cortallian War, the conflict would be a long and drawn-out affair that would see the establishment of a demilitarized zone after hostilities ceased and the starting of the current-day cold war between the two. With the two polities now allied with opposing blocs (Olympus with the OAS and Cortallia with C-WEB), the rivals now stand ready for the great war that will eventually spark between the two blocs. As to which of the two nations will triumph is anybodies guess.

Government:

As per the Common Market and Military Cooperation Treaty that formed the current government, The Federal Republic of Olympus is a constitutional semi-presidential federal republic. Each member-state of Olympus (known officially as a sovereignty) is a fully sovereign entity that maintains its own government structure, governs its own internal affairs (with a few exceptions), and raises and maintains its own defense forces, although they gave up control of foreign affairs for the sake of political solidarity. Reflecting the cultural and national ancestry of their patron nations, the Sovereignties of the Republic vary considerably in structure and breakdown; the Federal Republic of Columbia, inspired by the old United States of North America, has many critical differences when compared to the constitutional monarchy of the Empire of Nova Brasilia (which became the new home of Emperor Pedro VIII coincidently), for example. However, all of the Sovereignties are ultimately reigned in by the Federal government. The President of the Republic is the Head of State and is elected to a four term and can be elected for an unlimited number of terms, although, in practice, most only serve two terms (the exception was President Thomas Wagner [Democratic-Socialist-Labor] who served five terms and part of a sixth before dying of natural causes). The powers of the President include the handling of foreign affairs, appointing Federal officials, veto legislation passed by the Federal Assembly (which can be overridden by a 2/3rds supermajority), and acting as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.

The President is assisted in running the nation by the Chancellor, who is the Head of Government and, like the Cabinet, is drawn from the Assembly (specifically the Chamber of Deputies). In contrast to the President, the Chancellor is in charge of internal affairs, and is appointed by the President and approved by the Senate. Interestingly enough, the President and the Chancellor need not be of the same political party, referred to as cohabitation, which can potentially cause serious political disagreements depending on their ideology. The general rule of thumb is if the President's party controls the Assembly, then the President essentially controls the state and government. If the opposite is true, than the majority party(s), which can block the President's choice for his cabinet and Chancellor, will control the government via the Chancellor.

The legislative branch of the Olympian Republic is a bicameral organization known as the Federal Assembly. The lower house of the Assembly, known as the Chamber of Deputies, consists of several hundred deputies who are elected from their Assembly districts to serve a two year term with no limit on total number of terms. The deputies are elected in a staggered system, whereas one third will be up for elections every two years, thus setting up a system of seniority. The Chamber of Deputies maintains the exclusive powers to initiate revenue bills, call for the impeachment of any Federal officer, and elect the President in electoral college deadlocks. In order to prevent the Assembly from being overrun by dozens of sovereignty-level parties with virtually the same philosophy, members of the Chamber, along with the Senate, are elected from Federal-level umbrella parties (also known as Overparties). These parties are essentially organizations that unite parties that share common ground, thus creating a less chaotic structure in the Assembly.

The upper house of the Assembly is known as the Senate. In contrast to the Chamber, the Senate is composed of a fixed number of members per sovereignty that are elected via popular vote in their respective sovereignty. Senators do not serve terms; they serve until they are recalled by their home government or retire. Together with the Chamber, the Senate can override the President's veto and try a Federal officer with impeachment (2/3rds vote required to remove officer from position). The leader of the Senate is known as the President of the Senate and is chosen among the Senators. The President of the Senate acts as one of the chief advisors to the Federal President and is second in line of succession to the Presidency.

The Federal Judiciary consists of a Supreme Court as well as a series of lower subordinate Federal Courts. The judges of the Supreme Court are nominated by the President and are confirmed by the Senate and serve for life or until death, retirement, or impeachment. The Supreme Court maintains the sole power of judicial review and can strike down laws and constitutional amendments that are unconstitutional or violate the core principles of the Olympian Republican Constitution and its Declaration of Human Rights.

Culture:

Having intervened in various brushfire/proxy wars and being embroiled in a cold war against their arch-rivals, Olympus can best be described as being a militant democratic republic of sorts. The government routinely spends a significant percentage of their GDP on defense and maintains an intelligence network that has no qualms about assassinating key political/military leaders or overthrowing governments. As such, the military can be seen as having a not inconsiderable amount of influence in governmental affairs. The public is aware of this and in reality feels relatively safe knowing that the Armed Forces, one of the chief defenders of Olympian liberties and freedom, makes an active effort to defend the citizens of Olympus from authoritarian or totalitarian forces.

This, of course, leads to another major point regarding Olympian culture and society: it is considerably leftist. Having fought for their independence from the authoritarian United Nations and successfully removing totalitarian regimes power and creating prosperous republics has resulted in a general distaste for reactionary and strongly conservative governments. Major left-wing parties such as the Democratic-Socialist-Labor and the Federalist Party, as an example, have generally done better than their conservative counterparts, although there have been exceptions (e.g., the so-called 'conservative revolution' that saw the rise in power of the center-right Populist party). It is only natural, then, that the people of Olympus would be at odds with the relatively conservative (and religious) Cortallia.

Religion-wise, the citizens of Olympus take separation of Church and State very seriously and are really not that religious to begin with. Things such as going door-to-door and having people convert to another religion is seriously frowned upon by society (hence why faiths that used to practice similar actions instead operate offices were the interested can go to). This isn't to say that all religion is frowned upon; Indeed, Olympus is home to a large and diverse variety of religions. Those religions that preach strict fundamentalism or obedience no matter what, however, will be hard pressed to thrive and survive in Olympus.

Economy:

The Olympian economy is centered around the shipbuilding indsutry. The massive shipyards orbiting around Beijing-III, some of the largest in the known galaxy, are a clear indication of the strong naval and shipbuilding traditions that flow throughout Olympus. More than just tradition, the naval industry plays a significant role in the Olympian economy, as it has produced a myriad of craft for civilian, government, and military usage, ranging from long-range high-endurance explorers to megafreighters to heavy battleships. In addition, there also exist thriving robotics, computer, and automobile industries, as well as, to a limited extent, mining and fuel industries. The Republic generally trades with any friendly nation, and maintains several special trade agreements withing the OAS and its protectorates. Polities that are identified as hostile to Olympian interests and sovereignty, such as Earth, are cut off from Olympian trade.

The main unit of currency in the Olympian Republic is the Olympian Mark, which comes in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, and 100. The Olympian Mark is further subdivided into cents, with 100 cents making up 1 Mark. The currency is commonly used among both friendly nations near Olympus and Olympian protectorates.

Military:

The Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Olympus (AF-FRO) is the entity primarily responsible for the defense of Olympus and her interests and is one of the key tools used in Olympian power projection. An all-volunteer force (save when the Assembly activates selective service), the AF-FRO draws its manpower, hardware, and funds, among other things, from the sovereignties of the Republic, who are required by law to provide for the common defense of the entire Republic. The Armed Forces can also be augmented by the Defense Forces of the individual member-states, which vary in strength and composition depending on various factors. The AF-FRO is made up of six independent services: the Olympian Republican Star Navy, Olympian Republican Marine Corps, Olympian Republican Army, Olympian Republican Aerospace Forces, and the Olympian Republican Maritime Service.

The Olympian Republican Star Navy (ORSN) is considered to be the senior service in the Armed Forces, as well as the most important. Fielding one of the larger fleets in the OAS, the Star Navy is a robust, technologically sophisticated fighting force that focuses primarily on the Wall of Battle. Ships such as the Emancipator-class heavy command battleship and Defiance-class fast battleship, alongside their escorts, form the heavy hitting backbone of the ORSN, while faster, rapid-response ships, such as the Germania-class battlecruiser and Alexander Burke-class guided missile destroyer, provides for a powerful screening and escort force. While dominated by ships-of-the-wall, the Star Navy has recently begun to field a growing carrier fleet, with the Thomas Wagner-class strategic carrier and Enterprise-class fleet carrier forming the heart of this new combat arm. In addition to the fleet, the Star Navy also maintains its own fighter fleet in the form of the Starfighter Corps, which operates all starship and naval base stationed starfighters, such as the F-305B Vendetta interceptor and TB-259C Corsair torpedo bomber.

Known as the 'big stick' of Olympus, the Olympian Republican Marine Corps is one of the first elements of the Armed Forces to be deployed in the event of a military/diplomatic crisis. Unlike the Army, which is geared towards 'heavy warfare' and long-term operations, the Marine Corps is meant to be a flexible, fast response force that is capable of fighting in virtually any known environment. They pay for it, though, by fielding not much more than light infantry, with some armor and orbital assault divisions for support. Marines can commonly be seen serving on board starships and naval installations as a security detail, as well as operating from their own garrisons and assault ships, which are always kept ready for immediate deployment. Unlike the Army, which always maintains a fairly large supply train, the Marine Corps lack the extensive logistics needed for long-term campaigns (barring major military deployments), and, as a result, Marines are typically only deployed for short-term operations or for the initial invasion.

The Olympian Republican Army, in contrast with the armies of other polities, is a relatively small force when compared to other star nations. What the Army gives up in size, however, it gains in quality, as the ORA is one of the most lavishly equipped armies around, especially with nuclear munitions. Standard Army doctrine is to deliver mass preparatory atomic bombardment upon enemy lines before utilizing armor, mechanized infantry and assault infantry (heavy power armored infantry, essentially), alongside aerospace and artillery/ortillery support, to conduct the wholesale destruction of enemy forces and to paralyze their command/communication structure. Known as the Air-Space-Land Battle Doctrine, this doctrine, which emphasizes maneuver warfare, has resulted in Olympian armor being some of the finest, and deadliest, in the galaxy. In addition to controlling its tactical air fleet and the Army Air Defense Command, which it jealously guards, the Army also maintains control over the Olympian Republican Maritime Service, which exists as a quasi-independent branch of the ORA.

Finally, there is the Olympian Republican Aerospace Forces, a service in charge of all aerial operations on and near celestial bodies (planets, moons, etc.) that have a significant gravitational pull. Utilizing the wide range of aerospacecraft that it has under its control, the ORAF conducts CAS, interdiction, tactical and strategic bombardment, and very long-range reconnaissance. In addition, the Aerospace Forces also control Olympus' strategic missile arsenal and almost all planetary defense centers and star fortresses, a tradition that is drawn from one of the services many influences, the United States Aerospace Force. Traditionally crossing the line between aerospace and interstellar duties, the ORAF routinely carries out naval patrols via is heavy bombers to protect the space-lanes (much to the chagrin of the Star Navy), as well as acting as both a rapid-response and a first-strike force should emergences arise.
Last edited by Magister Militum on Sun Mar 15, 2009 12:34 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: The Federal Republic of Olympus

Post by Malchus »

Interesting faction, MM. What I really like, though, is the four nations that backed its creation: The United States of North America, The Second Republic of China, the Empire of Brazil, and the United Republic of Germany. It tickles me that there is--or possibly was, depending on the development of Earth's nations over the centuries--an Empire of Brazil and that it was apparently a big player.
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Re: The Federal Republic of Olympus

Post by Destructionator »

I'm curious: what is ortillery?
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Re: The Federal Republic of Olympus

Post by Booted Vulture »

Orbital Artillery I would assume.
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Re: The Federal Republic of Olympus

Post by Magister Militum »

Destructionator wrote:I'm curious: what is ortillery?
It's just another name for orbital artillery.
Malchus wrote:It tickles me that there is--or possibly was, depending on the development of Earth's nations over the centuries--an Empire of Brazil and that it was apparently a big player
The Empire of Brazil, the sucessor of the original Empire under the House of Braganza, was indeed a major player in Earth politics. The Empire pretty much held hegemony over most of South America (with the exception of Argentina and Chile) and had a growing colonial empire. I actually havent' decided its fate yet; I'm considering having the ultranationalist coup that removed Pedro VIII from power cause a major civil war (which could be another reason why the UN wasn't able to put down the colonial rebellions), but nothing concrete has been developed yet.

Also, I fixed a few errors that were in the article, particularly the occasional name swap from the Olympian Republic to the United States (that stems from my polity evolving into its current form and stupid me not double-checking the damn article :oops: ).
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