History of Balisca
| History of Balisca |
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History[edit | edit source]
Indigenous history[edit | edit source]
The Guanarú people, with their deep connection to the sea, found solace and sustenance along the northern and western coast of Pindorama, with their historical capital at Tabajara. Their maritime expertise was renowned, and their mastery of fishing techniques became a source of admiration for both fellow tribes and the incoming settlers. The art of navigating the currents and reading the stars was intricately woven into their heritage, guiding them safely through vast waters, uniting neighboring tribes through trade and shared celebrations.
Nestled within the enchanting embrace of the eastern islands' dense rainforests, the Ypérynã tribe thrived, their lives interwoven with the rhythms of the natural world. They became revered keepers of herbal medicine, possessing a profound knowledge of the forest's secrets and the arts of healing. The Ypérynã shamans, adorned with vibrant feathers and intricate tattoos symbolizing their wisdom, served as conduits between the physical and spiritual realms, offering guidance and solace to those in need.
Further south on Semlikkan ("cold land', today known as Atlantida), the Itajuba people cultivated the fertile plains, tilling the land with reverence and care. Their agricultural practices were a harmonious dance with nature, honoring the sacred balance between giving and taking, ensuring that the earth's bountiful gifts endured for generations. The Itajuba were skilled architects, constructing communal dwellings with sustainable materials and a deep appreciation for the land's offerings.
European colonization and rule[edit | edit source]
The first Europeans to step foot in what is now Balisca arrived on 2 June 1500, with the arrival of an Aragonese fleet commanded by the Basque explorer Xenokrates Lizoain at Alcázar. The explores met various indigenous tribes, many who spoke the Tupi–Guarani languages. The initial encounter between the settlers and the indigenous tribes was a delicate balance of curiosity and caution. The Guanarú fisherfolk, at first wary of these newcomers, gradually established friendly exchanges through their seasoned diplomatic emissary, Chief Yayákuru. Despite the initial mutual goodwill, misunderstandings arose as the settlers sought to cultivate the land they considered their new home. The Ypérynã, who held the rainforest of Pindorama sacred, were alarmed by the settlers' clearing of vast tracts of land. The Council of Elders, under the guidance of Mborayhu, a revered sage, convened to address these issues.
Tensions escalated, leading to sporadic clashes between the Guanarú and the settlers. Mborayhu recognized the need for peaceful resolutions and organized meetings where grievances were aired, and agreements were forged to protect the sacred lands while allowing the settlers to establish their settlements with respect for nature.
In the heart of the island of Atlantida, the Itajuba tribe observed these interactions with curiosity. Chief Apoti, a skilled mediator, extended an invitation for peaceful dialogue between his tribe and the settlers, hoping to forge alliances and prevent further conflicts.
Lizoain, upon further exploration and discoveries eventually named the entire land Basilikako hegoaldea (or "southern Balisca"), in reference to the natives he encountered that engaged in the growing of grape vines with a similar appearance to that of the bygone ancient grape vines from his homeland, Navarre. Lizoain established a close friendship with native leaders, especially that of the Kurupirana peoples originating from Pindorama and the skilled Caiçara sailors, whom he viewed as very important partners in the exploration of Balisca. Lizoain would make three trips between the Aragonese Crown and the Baliscan archipelago, and also extensively explored Patagonia.
Originally, what is now Hesperia was sparsely populated by several indigenous tribes. European exploration began with its discovery by explorer Carlo Archerio on 28 June 1502, on behalf of the Republic of Genoa. Following several failed settlement attempts, the Genoans established Neapolis (“new city”) as the first permanent European settlement in modern Balisca. The Genoans naming the land Atlantide (literally “Atlantis”; from the apparent belief that they had discovered the fabled lost land). The Genoans were quickly followed by the other Maritime Republics, who's colonies later banded together as the Hesperian League. Westward exploration by the League was limited, due to the high Matarrañya / Cañadapirén mountains that bisected the island.
During this time, there were several parties simultaneous exploring the Baliscan archipelago, including the Mediterranean merchant communities (including Malerno?), and displaced Mudéjar, Moriscos, Sephardic Jews, and Cathars under the patronage of the Crown of Aragon.
Initial settlement flourished thanks to cordial relations with the indigenous Pindorama civilization and the promising climate that proved to be similar to the Iberian coastal climate.
During the late 15th century, Balisca was estimated to have been home to between three and ten million indigenous people in what was one of the largest indigenous populations in the Americas. Although not without conflict, European Baliscans' early interactions with the Kurupiranga and smaller indigenous populations were relatively peaceful. However repeated outbreaks of European infectious diseases such as influenza, measles and smallpox (to which they had no natural immunity), combined with other effects of European contact, resulted in a twenty-five percent to sixty percent Indigenous population decrease post-contact. By 1522, over 40% of the Native population of Balisca perished from various diseases, most commonly smallpox. The influence of the Kurupiranga over Atlantida (known to them as Semlikkan) rapidly receded, with the native population already decimated by new diseases, and the European settlers soon grew to dominate the territory economically.
By 1537, the native population of Balisca was estimated to number under one million people, down from an all time high of around 8 million prior to the arrival of Europeans. Tales of the widespread suffering and exploitation of the Indigenous people at the hands of the colonists were spread by the Catharist community. This provoked large disgust and outrage amongst the Aragonese Council, and prompted a significant effort to defend the Indigenous wellbeing in the Spanish Cortes, leading to the New Laws. Furthermore, to ensure peace and respect between the settlers and the indigenous peoples, the mandated that settlers not interfere with populated native areas, and set out to demarcate divisions between the two groups, resulting in the prohibition of European expansion into the island of Pindorama.
Cathars strongly condemned the forcing of natives into chattel slavery across the territory. Similar actions were not taken by the Hesperian League, whose members were already heavily involved in the slave trade on the Mediterranean. To satisfy the demand for labor in the archipelago, the Hesperian League turned to Atlantic slave trade, as suggested by prominent reformists such as Bartolomé de las Casas. In 1539 the first ship carrying African slaves arrived in Balisca, at Corpus Christi. The importation of African slaves rapidly picked up the pace as European colonists ramped up production of brazilwood and sugarcane.
Early Iberian colonization was characterized by conflict between Castilian conquistadors and the Aragonese condemnaos to assert their conflicting claims over the other in what became known as the Reapers' War. The Aragonese mercenaries established friendly relations with the Indigenous peoples they encountered, distinguishing themselves from the cruelty of the Castilians. Early colonial Balisca did not result in the formation of a single centralized colonial authority or system.
As early as 1537, Spanish and Portuguese conquistadors extensively explored the coastal region of what is now Bayara, establishing extensive claims motivated by their desire to exploit of the abundant Brasilwood and other natural resources, versus the Aragonese endeavors which were facilitating the resettlement of persecuted ethno-religious groups (such as Cathars, Sephardic Jews, Mozarabs and Mudejars from the the Iberian Peninsula and the Maghreb to Balisca. The colony of Macaio was established on 11 January 1538, and was quickly followed by Salvador, Macao, and Uxiu as they explored up the Alva River.
In Spain, discontent amongst the the Moriscos under the jurisdiction of the Crown of Castile led to a rebellion 1568. The War of the Alpujarras (as it came to be called), was fought until 1571, when the Aragonese Crown intervened, enforcing the Peace of Granada that same year. By the rebellion’s end, a significant proportion of Castile's formerly Muslim population was expelled, dispersing across the Spanish Empire, primarily across the Atlantic to Balisca. Sizable numbers also relocated from Marrascania in North Africa, out of fear of potential future persecution by the Castilian council.
The Peace of Granada had significant implications for the development of colonization in Balisca, as it codified their rights to property within the Spanish Empire, and established the Council of Mozarabia as an aeque principaliter state of Iberia, representative of the the Moriscos and Mozarabs. However tensions remained high in Spain, and instead of expelling the Moriscos or compelling them to abandon the last vestiges of their Arabic culture, the Cortes proposed a resettlement program: any Mozarab household that relinquished its lands in Iberia would receive lands of three times the acreage in Balisca (primarily in the territory of Atlantida) or a stately home and a 5-year annual stipend of 24,000 reales in any Baliscan land under Aragonese patronage. The sudden influx of Mozarabic-speaking Christians and Muslims also led to small scale conversions among the native population that remained amongst them.
Relative to other European colonies, particularly those of the Spanish, the footholds within the Baliscan archipelago was considered exceptionally "poor and dangerous" place. In 1609, King Philip III of Spain decreed the Expulsion of the Moriscos, resulting in the dispersal of over three million Moriscos across the the Spanish Empire. The Castilian council forcibly moved many Moriscos to Balisca to bolster their claims to the archipelago.
Slave revolts[edit | edit source]
Opposition to slavery immediately arose following the arrival of the first slave ship in 1539. The first revolts began on 2 October 1593 and the institution of slavery had been all but eliminated by 1808 with the mass abolition of slavery at the beginning of the Revolutions of May. It involved various religious communities, French, Iberian, Haitian, British, and American participants. The practice was heavily condemned by the leadership of Catharist and Jewish settlers, and communities became involved in abolitionist movement. This network of secret routes and safe houses established across the Baliscan archipelago was used by enslaved people to escape into Satanazes.
Daramazán was founded as a colony 1617 by escaped Mozarabic convicts and African slaves, at a time when Araucaria was known as "Satanazes" remained largely unexplored by Europeans. As a refuge for those fleeing the colonial authorities, the territory became notorious for its gaudy displays of wealth and loose morals. It was a popular homeport for Mozarabic pirates from which to launch their raids on Iberian slave ships and settlements to liberate enslaved people, most of whom then joined the colony. The outbreak of slave revolts against the Aragonese was to an extent supported by the colony, which helped to smuggle individuals along the Araucarian Passage. This city later joined with the other maroon settlements to form the Maroon Confederacy.
Between the outbreak of the first slave revolts in Bayara, and the Spanish attempt to reconquer the archipelago in 1808, more than 375,000 formerly enslaved and free-born black people who faced social and legal oppression in the Baliscan colonies, along with 3,198 Afro-Caribbeans were freed. Gradually developing an Creole identity heavily influenced by Indigenous, African and Mozarabic groups, the settlers carried their culture and tradition with them.
The Maroon wars became the second and last slave uprising that led to the founding of a state which was both free from slavery and ruled by non-whites and former captives. It is now widely seen as a defining moment in the history of the Atlantic World. The inhabitants developed a society and government that derived from a range of Indigenous and West African sociopolitical models, with aspects of European culture and specifically local adaptations. This government was decentralized in nature, operating as a confederation of nominally independent towns and settlements united by their common goal of defending against threats posed by Iberian settlers. Eight Iberian expeditions invaded the territory in an attempt to conquer Palmares between 1799 and 1804, but failed.
The revolution's effects on the institution of slavery were felt throughout the Americas. The disunity of the besieged Iberian government, and the de facto abolition of slavery in the colony was followed by a successful defense of the freedoms the former slaves won and, with the collaboration of already previously free people of color, solidified their independence from white Europeans. Together with the simultaneous Haitian Revolution, the revolt in Balisca represented the largest slave uprising since Spartacus' unsuccessful revolt against the Roman Republic nearly 1,900 years earlier, and challenged long-held European beliefs about slaves' ability to achieve and maintain their own freedom. The rebels' organizational capacity and tenacity under pressure ultimately contributed to the 1809 Proclamation of Alcabaza which de jure ended the practice of slavery in Balisca.
Winds of revolution[edit | edit source]
Angered by what he saw as sedition by the realms of the Crown of Aragon, which had supported the claim of Charles of Austria to the Spanish thrones during the war and taking his native France as a model of a centralised state, Philip V suppressed the institutions, privileges, and the ancient charters of almost all the areas that were formerly part of the Crown of Aragon (Kingdom of Aragon, Principality of Catalonia, Kingdom of Valencia, and the Kingdom of Majorca). The decrees ruled that all the territories in the Crown of Aragon except the Aran Valley were to be ruled by the laws of Castile ("the most praiseworthy in all the Universe" according to the 1707 decree), embedding those regions into a new and nearly uniformly administered, centralised Spain.
This event greatly impacted the governance and threatened the relative autonomy that Balisca had under the jurisdiction of the Crown of Aragon. Additionally, the population, at this time composed mainly of Sephardic Jews, Muslims, Mozarabs, and Mudejars, staunchly opposed the centralization of power imposed by the Nueva Planta decrees. Having experienced persecution against their respective communities, they adamantly rejected the authority of the now-dominant Castilian Catholics. Their resistance was fueled by a desire to preserve their distinct cultural identities and religious practices.
Amidst this resistance, Baliscan colonists faced a challenging dilemma—whether to bow to the centralizing authority of the new Spanish government or to pursue their struggle for autonomy and cultural preservation. The clash of these ideologies shaped the socio-political landscape of Balisca and influenced its trajectory within the Spanish realm.
Resistencía and civil war[edit | edit source]
Spain under Joseph Bonaparte attempted to forcibly re-impose colonial rule in the Baliscan archipelago, marking the end of the "Espanya Boba" period of Baliscan history stretching back to the early 18th century. Although there has been research on the idea of a pan-Baliscan identity that overlapped the early political boundaries, political unification of the archipelago was not the aim of most, nor was it necessarily inevitable. In fact, there was little coordination between the different factions in the opening years, despite their mutual interest in resisting the Spanish attempt at conquest.
The Spanish had wider support in the economic Bayaran economic elite, in the hopes of preserving slavery (upon which it's profitable plantation economy was based). This support intensified to the Proclamation of Alcazaba, in which the Southern Confederation pledged to "fully eradicate" the practice. However beyond this, the Bayarans had little affection for the new Bonapartist regime in Spain and it's struggle for legitimacy.
Unlike the other Spanish American Wars of Independence, the Resistencía was primarily fought to preserve independence against an attempted imperial reconquista, as opposed to the civil wars between colonists seen in South America.
In 1815, representatives of Royalist Bayara surrendered to the confederal forces following the decisive Battle of Navassa, effectively destroying the last royalist strongholds in mainland Balisca, allowing the rebels to consolidate ending the threat of invasion against the Confederation. While this did not change the position of Spain against separatism, it resulted in the collapse of royalists forces Balisca. Over the course of the next two years, the Anti-royalist armies won major victories and consolidated their control in their respective provinces. The continued political instability in Spain, without a navy, army or treasury, convinced many former royalists of the need to formally abandon their cause and embrace independence.
Independence also did not result in the end of political turmoil, and was immediately followed by political infighting. The fledgling Confederation imprisoned, hanged, or expelled all former slave owners (most relocated to Brazil and Argentina), and divided their land and other assets between the newly emancipated African population. Additionally, the confederation did not have a well-defined identity, but rather the process of creating a new identity was only beginning. This would be carried out through newspapers and the creation of national symbols.
Most significantly, borders between the emergent communities were not firmly established, and competing movements for federalism or confederalism were becoming increasingly violent. The two largest states that emerged from the wars—Bayara and Hesperia —fought a bloody conflict over the Confederal Question that effectively split the fledgling confederation from 1819 to 1820. It led to the partition of Bayara, propped up by the Cerdanyan Legion in the Estuarian wetlands. The Confederation eventually would descend into a civil war and collapsed entirely in 1828, following Bayara's attempt to rescind it's confederalization.
Hesperian delegates called for a Confederal Convention to solve the impending crisis, to be held in Alessandria. The convention resulted in the Compromise of 1827 which provided for a significantly strengthened central government to handle disputes between the respective communities and their territories. This was unanimously supported by the delegations of Hesperia and Cerdanya, but was opposed and ultimately ignored by the Bayarans, with the exception of the delegation from Macaio. These delegates were at the time aware that the republic was well on it's way towards renouncing the Articles of Confederation and seceding from the Confederation, and sought to pre-empt this by declaring the Carpinchera Republic. Bayara announced it's denunciation of Articles of Confederation on 6 July 1828, and the secessionist Xunta Nacionalista assumed provisional powers in anticipation of war.
Despite controlling a numerical troop advantage throughout the war, the Bayarans were unable to overcome its geographic disadvantages: it was relatively flat, it was unable to establish control over high mountain passes across the Matarrañya / Cañadapirén, and thus were unable to directly threaten Hesperian territory. Bayaran armies attempted to capture the Alpujarra, culminating in the Siege of Castejón, which was beaten back following the intervention of the Maroon Confederacy in support of Confederalist forces. Additionally, it was further hobbled by a far larger confederalist navy. By 1835, most Bayaran pro-secessionist land and naval forces had either surrendered or otherwise ceased hostilities. Despite this the war lacked a formal end, with bands of secessionist guerrilla forces fighting, surrendering or disbanding sporadically throughout most of 1835-1837. Tensions reignited after a massacre in Brumavent, in which pro-secessionist soldiers executed the hundreds of captives and vowed to continue their guerrilla warfare.
This triggered significant unrest on both sides and reignited the already high tensions between the Catalans and Castilians that resided in the Western Plains. Reprisals and counter reprisals escalated, and the two factions subsequently fought a series of battles across the Estuarian wetlands (referred to as the Two Hundred Days), in which the confederalists again emerged victorious.
Bayara was punished severely in the Treaty of Isàvena: they were forced to pay the expenses and debts incurred by the Confederation during the war, in addition to the the Legislative Assembly's being coerced into ratifying the Compromise, resulting what became known as the Reconstruction era. Communes and regions within Bayara that had sided with the conconfederalists following the Brumavent massacre largely avoided occupation. In addition, the Confederal Council forced the ceding of significant amounts of land in Bayara's south, which was allocated to the Maroon Territory under "amical protection" of the Confederation pursuant to the Afro Atlantic Charter.
Reconstruction and industrialization[edit | edit source]
Reconstruction, as directed by Congress, federalized the country and ended the remnants of Portuguese secessionism in the Bayaran provinces. It heralded equal rights for Afro-Baliscans, abolished the old colonial Iberian caste system and introduced universal manhood suffrage; these rights were nominally guaranteed by three new constitutional amendments: the tba, tba, and tba, collectively known as the Reconstruction Amendments. Additionally, the rebelling provinces were punished severely in the Treaty of Isàvena: they were forced to pay the expenses and debts incurred by the Confederation during the war, in addition to the loss of their autonomy and their occupation by Federalist troops.
In addition, the Baliscan Congress forced the ceding of significant amounts of land to the Federal government. A sizeable portion of the seized Bayaran territory was set aside by the Baliscan government as a refuge for former slaves and their descendants following the passage of the Maroon Settlement Act in 1840. The massive human and economic losses incurred during the civil war significantly hampered the country’s efforts to reconstruct. The country was saddled with war debt, lacked any adequate infrastructure, and had a severe shortage of skilled workers. The country turned to Europe, specifically the United Kingdom, Austria, and Prussia for assistance. The Baliscan government established the Reconstruction Commission in 1844, charging it with the monumental task of coordinating the country’s recovery. It’s Prussian-born commissioner, Issac Goss-Kuehn, was given significant discretion regarding economic and social policies to steer the country’s reconstruction.
In the early 19th century the Industrial Revolution was in full swing in Britain, France, and Belgium. Balisca was inclined to pursue industrialization policies due to its lack of arable land which set it apart from more agricultural countries such as Brazil (which maintained largely profitable cash crop plantations). Economic and social ideas brought on by the growing numbers of foreign immigrants attracted to the country during the Ivorra Gold Rush triggered a strong push to industrialize. Government sponsored-programs resulted in an unprecedented wave of immigrants to Balisca, resulting in significant European influence in Baliscan economic and social policy. Early investments for the railway network during the 1840s came almost exclusively from private hands. Without a central regulatory agency the construction projects were quickly realized. Actual industrialization only took off after 1850 in the wake of the railroad construction. The textile industry grew rapidly, profiting from the elimination of tariff barriers by the Commission. During the second half of the 19th century the Baliscan industry grew exponentially and by 1900, Balisca was an industrial world leader along with Britain, Germany and the United States.
Cosmocazo[edit | edit source]
Cosmopolitanism and cantonalism were important influences for those that were opposed to the displays of caesarism of President Michelangelo Valentino, and wanted Baliscan culture to be regarded as distinct from that of Latin European countries and Latin America. The tenure Valentino's successor, Josèp Bernat was fraught with growing radicalism, anarchism, the labor movement, and by Bernat's efforts to crush protests with violent force by provincial militias in the Cantonal War. After three tumultuous years in office, Bernat (operating from Maracaju) abdicated on 8 June 1876, and fled to Brazil. The 1883 Confederal Convention would overwhelmingly consist of the Cantonalists, and the confederation was subsequently reorganized into cantons and communes, while provincial powers were abolished.
The new cantonalist regime established policies that tended toward a horizontal and anti-religious system of council democracy, which included the total separation of religion from public life, self-policing, the abolition of rent, the abolition of child labor, and the universal right of employees to take over an enterprise. Active (predominately Catholic) churches and religious schools declined substantially due to their prior support for the presidency of Bernat, in contrast with most communities which were more receptive to the cantonal cause. Feminist, socialist, communist and anarchist currents played important roles in the shaping of this new system.
The relatively large immigrant-descended population was were often economically marginalized and locked into relatively dangerous elicit means of survival until the emergence of railroads, trade unions, and universal education which strengthened the integration of rural Balisca in the late-1800s. Decentralization happened gradually, while the cantons came together in 1884 to establish the Association of the Baliscan Language (Baliscano: L'Asociación de la Llengua Baliscana), which set to reconcile and standardize the emerging Alpujarran pidgin dialect into one standardized language, to be called Baliscano. In the process, the work of these linguists furthered the idea of a plurinationalist confederation, based on the interdependence of the cosmopolitan communities that had come to the Baliscan archipelago. This was reflected in the motto of the the Reconstruction era administration; El se equivale ("They amount to the same").
Secular humanism and anti-clericalism witnessed surges in popularity during this time. Later, the idea of cosmopolitanism entered mainstream Baliscan society. La Cosmopolitòpolis by tba greatly influenced national thought, furthering the idea of this new state being a union of numerous ethnic groups and calling for historical reconciliation and opposition to sectarianism. This was enshrined in the Constitution of 1883, which defined Balisca as the first "cosmopolitan state". Within the Constitution's articles, indigenous sovereignty was recognized and protected, environmental conservation prohibited religious schools in prohibited political parties, and granted sweeping land reforms,
However, this era was not without its challenges. Inequality and corruption became concerning issues as time went on, and the cantons at time faced criticism for their handling of social issues. The millions of people migrating to the Baliscan cities quickly led to overcrowding, sanitation issues and crime. The influx of people put immense pressure on the existing transport and sanitation networks, which were not equipped to handle such a large number of people. As a result, many migrants were forced to live in unsanitary conditions, leading to outbreaks of diseases such as cholera and typhus.
In response to these issues, progressive movements emerged, advocating for reforms to improve the living and working conditions of the urban poor. These progressive movements worked to pass labor laws that established minimum wages and maximum work hours, as well as safety regulations that helped to prevent accidents and injuries in the workplace. They also pushed for the development of public transportation systems such as trams and the eventual development of rapid transit, along with the construction of adequate sanitation networks, which helped to improve living conditions and reduce the spread of disease.
Baliscan Revolution[edit | edit source]
The Baliscan Revolution was a social revolution and mass movement that spread across Balisca in the late 1910s. It followed years of voluntary communization, increasing non-nationalism as a result of shifting demographic across the country and increasing radicalization of postcolonial and anti-imperialist movements that supported the idea of proletarian internationalism, such as the Anhangá Liberation Movement.
The revolution resulted in the abolition of the Baliscan republican system and the widespread implementation of anarchist and more specifically libertarian socialist principles throughout various portions of society, including the abolition of internal borders, secularization, and democratic socialism. Much of the economy of Balisca was put under worker control, while social welfare was significantly expanded through the redistribution of income and wealth. Worker committees gained control of their factories, agrarian areas became collectivized and run as libertarian socialist agricultural communes.
The mass empowerment and embrace of various groups in this bottom-up system has been described as a "people's commune" or an "anarchist republic", one based on the theories of anarcho-communism and built on a network of trade unions, factory committees and popular assemblies. The assemblies were used by the local citizens as a form of referendums, where decisions were made through direct democracy, and became the basis for law. The vast majority of Balisca's political decisions were made independently of Central Authority, through a system of radical libertarian self-governance at the communal and cantonal levels. Networks of "free councils" acted as institutions of participatory democracy, where issues would be discussed and dealt with directly.
The revolution had far reaching effects in Balisca's economic structure with the expanded power of workers and their unions, ultimately leading to the development of Balisca's current form of market socialism, and influenced ideologies such as agorism and accelerationism. In addition, the Revolution hastened the process of indigenous decolonization which had begun with the 1883 Confederal Convention. Most significantly, the Revolution has major international repercussions, especially regarding Baliscan relations with emerging leftist movements across the world, and served as the precursor to similar social movements in Latin America and other developing regions.
The era of economic growth that followed this revolutionary fervor raised Balisca to become the fasted growing economy in Latin America, and one of the fastest growing in the world. While this time was viewed as a time of liberation, social progress and decentralization, it also marked a period of benevolent communal cooperation and intervention.
Great Depression and WWII[edit | edit source]
However, this period of growth and prosperity encountered a shift as the 1930s ushered in the Great Depression. Despite the global economic turmoil, Balisca was able to to navigate this challenging time with a degree of resilience, experiencing a steady of exogenous growth.
Like many other countries, Balisca had introduced the gold standard in the nineteenth century, meaning that it was generally possible to exchange bank notes for gold For much of the previous period, the country had operated a currency board, in which a body known as the caja de conversión was charged with maintaining the value of the sol in gold. The worldwide decline after 1929 affected Balisca's economy a bit later than other countries, which proved resilient.
The depression was relatively mild: unemployment peaked under 5%, the fall in production was at most 20% below the 1929 output; there was no immediate banking crisis. However the depression exacerbated several underlying social and economic issues that lasted longer in Balisca than in most other countries. Conditions worsened in 1931 bringing hardships and a more somber mood. Unemployment rose, and hours of work were cut; however the price of food sharply declined, offsetting some of the hardship.
The confederation's decentralized economic model, which granted workers control over production, proved to be both an advantage and a challenge during the depression. While the cooperative system provided a buffer against some of the worst effects of the global recession, it also required careful management and adaptation to changing circumstances. Balisca's commitment to individual freedom and economic equality remained steadfast, as the nation sought innovative solutions to sustain its growth trajectory.
In response to the economic downturn, the cantons and regions adopted a series of measures coordinated at the confederal level to support their industries and workforce. The government was empowered to introduce sweeping targeted policies to stimulate demand for domestically produced goods, thus bolstering the manufacturing sector. Collaborative efforts between worker-owned cooperatives and the government helped stabilize wages and maintain jobs, contributing to a sense of economic security and social cohesion.
The country continued its investments in infrastructure, technology, and education, albeit at a more gradual pace. While the rapid expansion of railways, roads, and telegraph networks was tempered, the focus shifted towards ensuring their efficient operation and maintenance. The emphasis on education persisted, with a measured approach to technical and vocational training to sustain and expanded opportunities the skilled workforce needed for the evolving economic landscape.
Overall, the country's commitment to communal/cantonal autonomy and the decentralized industries remained unwavering. The cooperative framework allowed for adaptability, enabling various territories and sectors to weather their respective storms. The gradual development of hydroelectric infrastructure and railway networks persisted, contributing to the confederal's overall stability and preparedness. Amid the challenges of the era, the Baliscan railroad and shipping industries continued to make strides, albeit with a more measured momentum.
In 1933, the Instituto por la Reconstrución Industrial (IRI – Institute for Industrial Reconstruction) was established to subsidize failing companies and soon controlled important portions of the national economy via government-linked companies. The Baliscan economy's Gross National Product increased 4 percent; shipping production was increased, especially that of the Alessi motor company; and the aeronautical industry was developing. The 1934 elections saw increased confederal debate regarding the increasing aggression of the Axis powers, the failure of the League of Nations and potential intervention in the Spanish Civil War which saw the continuation of the prevailing of pro-internationalist diplomatic orientation. The confederal policy was neutrality, though it turned a blind eye to the Baliscan Mafia and Internationalist Brigades indirectly transporting munitions and fighters to the Republican forces.
By 1939, Balisca had welcomed around 200,000 Jews from Nazi Germany and German-occupied Europe that were not accepted into other American countries.
In the immediate aftermath of the German invasion of Poland, public support for remaining neutral rapidly dwindled. Calls for confederal re-armament gained substantial support following the defeat of Republican forces in the Spanish Civil War, as it appeared very likely that Europe was on the verge of being overtaken by fascists. This widespread anxiety amongst citizens and the military resulted in the calling of the 1939 Confederal Convention.
When Balisca refused the German and Italian demand that Balisca suspend trade relations with the Allies, Germany declared Baliscan ships would be at risk of being targeted for U-boat attacks in the Atlantic. The intensifying German and Italian attacks on British cargo ships was already threatening to sever shipping lanes with the United Kingdom and was rapidly eroding what little public opposition remained to rearmament. The tipping point was the German sinking of the Baliscan tanker Jimena on 2 November 1939 by the battlecruiser Graf Spee, which prior to the encounter had been threatening British ships near Baliscan territory. The outpouring of anger that followed forced the Confederal Council into action, and it adopted a declaration of war against Germany on 12 November, officially entering World War II. Following the Declaration by United Nations, Balisca declared war on Japan and Italy.
By the end of the war, over 600,000 Baliscans had served in the armed forces, which fought primarily in the European theatre and the North African campaign, but also participated in the efforts to liberated the Philippines post-1944. Baliscan forces played a significant role in securing shipping routes during the Battle of the Atlantic, gaining an Allied foothold in North Africa through Operation Torch, and the later the Liberation of France through Operation Dragoon and the Italian Campaign.
Social revolution and internationalism[edit | edit source]
By the beginning of the 1960s, Balisca was one of the few firmly democratic countries in Latin America. Despite it's ideological left-wing tilt, Balisca’s reputation as one of the more reliably stable and tolerant democracies in Latin America made it an attractive destination for migrants, and the country with deepened ties with the Global South in a new push for international solidarity. With decolonization and ethnic strife rapidly gaining pace around the world, Balisca opened its doors to another influx of migrants not seen since the Great Migration wave almost a century earlier. Among the new migrants were hundreds of thousands of Palestinians forcibly displaced from their homeland, along with large numbers from Lebanon and Jordan, and most notably political refugees arriving from other countries in Latin America fleeing right-wing dictatorships and their oppression.
In the 1950s and 1960s the country enjoyed prolonged economic boom, which was accompanied by a dramatic rise in the standard of living of Baliscans. It has been calculated that the Baliscan economy experienced an average rate of growth of GDP of 5.8% per year between 1951–63, and 5.0% per year between 1964–73. Baliscan rates of growth were almost identical to those seen in Europe, and among the OEEC countries only Japan had been doing better. Between 1955 and 1971, around 16 million people are estimated to have been involved in intra-regional migrations in Balisca, uprooting entire communities. Emigration was especially directed to the factories of the so-called "industrial triangle", a region encompassed between the major manufacturer centers of Concepción and Castejón and the seaport of Alessandria.
Balisca went on to develop the first high-speed rail network in Latin America in 1969, and the system was rapidly expanded to cope with the rising rate of urbanization occurring at the time, leading to thousands of kilometers of railways being upgraded to expand this network. Rapid transit systems were completed in to connect the main urban areas, while dams and power plants were built all over Balisca, often without regard for geological and environmental conditions. Strong urban growth led to rapid urban sprawl and verticalization.
The cordial relations enjoyed with the United States since WWII suffered significantly with the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion, and worsened further with the Cuban Missile Crisis. Nuclear brinkmanship from both sides prompted significant opposition in Balisca, and influenced Balisca's re-embrace of a non-aligned internationalist diplomacy.
Balisca had long been locked in territorial disputes with Argentina, with the latter rejecting Baliscan sovereignty over Islas Malvinas. Balisca had inherited the islands following the defeat of Spanish forces during the Baliscan War of Independence. In 1971 the Argentine Navy announced it would close the Mar de Hoces to Baliscan ships, effectively blocking incoming shipping to the country from the Pacific. This was a significant escalation of long standing tensions between the two countries, and surprised the Baliscan military. Tensions continued to escalate, resulting in Argentina's invasion in 197x. Baliscan airspace and territorial waters were simultaneously violated by Argentine forces in highly coordinated, multi-pronged attacks, which rapidly overwhelmed Baliscan forces.
The onset of the crisis coincided with the election of accelerationist Otávia Brito to the premiership. Under her leadership, the government encouraged and (later assisted) in took the initiative to grow their own food in any available piece of land. Urban gardens sprang up throughout the country on roof-tops, patios, and unused parking lots in raised beds as well as "squatting" on empty lots. These efforts were furthered by the Secretariat of Local Development and Modernization's efforts to teach permaculture, a sustainable agricultural system, and supporting communal farming through agricultural cooperatives, fostering a sense of communalism of community engagement and capacity building. The economic depression of this "Special Period" was at its most severe between 1974 and 1976. However, food insecurity improved significantly thanks to assistance from the Soviet Union, the Philippines and members of the Comintern, whom together transported over? tonnes of food and other materials to Balisca during the this period. The outbreak of war and the failure of the United States to condemn the Argentine invasion triggered an increase in of anti-Americanism across the country, and effectively froze any plans for deepening relations.
Changes during the Special Period included an unprecedented level of responsibility and cooperation at the confederal level by the communes and regions, and internationally, the diplomatic realignment of the country towards the Soviet Union. This period radically transformed Baliscan society and the economy, as it necessitated the revival of rural Balisca, hastened the shift to organic agriculture, curtailed meat production and consumption, stunted the growth of car ownership in the country as fuel was prioritized for diesel cargo trains and electricity, overhauled industry, health, and diets nationwide.
The South Atlantic War also prompted a significant reevaluation of Baliscan military policy, with the centralized structure of the armed forces blamed for inefficiency and the failure to precipitate the conflict. The Baliscan psyche was severely affected, with leaders alleging that Balisca was not effectively asserting itself on the international stage. It's around this time that Balisca accelerated its moves to decouple from it's cozy position with the Western world to a more non-Aligned status. In 197x the Baliscan government led by Brito accepted international calls for a ceasefire, and accepted offers of mediation by Mexico and Siculia.
Recent[edit | edit source]
During the tenure of Cristiano Sandoval, the Confederal Council ratified the Ecology Initiative 2004, strengthened the Southern Confederation, loosened citizenship and immigration laws, withdrew combat troops present in the Afghanistan military intervention and ended Balisca's participation in the American-led War on Drugs. Additionally, he oversaw a significant warming of relations with Argentina, the United States and Siculia. His administration redoubled Baliscan efforts to achieve reform of the UNSC, Under his tenure Balisca expanded its ties to Africa, signed the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, and entered Balisca into the Paris Agreement. Additionally, he oversaw the establishment of the first Baliscan military bases in Karasem and Zambezi, while establishing Balisca as a major contributor to United Nations peacekeeping operations.
Sandoval was replaced by Andrea Palacios in 2019 following her victory in the 2018 Baliscan premiership election. Her election was largely viewed as a strategic vote against the right-wing populist rhetoric of her primary opponent Josuè Subirà, following a scandal that forced original frontrunner Elija Castañares to withdraw. It marked the rejection of the Latin American shift to the right in Balisca. Palacios' tenure was plagued by congressional setbacks and gridlock, and by the end of her first year in office her approval rating had fallen to 33%. Her reformist oriented program caused significant fighting between her liberal Reformist Bloc and the more anti-establishment Cosmopolitan Collective, resulting in significant portions of her program never being enacted. She held office through the first waves of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting COVID-19 recession starting in 2020, during which her proactive response gathered widespread praise.
Palacios avoided becoming embroiled in the crisis surrounding the West Pacific's detention of the Baliscan duo, instead delegating the task to Deputy Prime Minister Zavier Bilal. This ultimately resulted in his invocation of Article 14 of the Baliscan Basic Law against the government of the West Pacific. His response to the crisis was widely praised by the Baliscan public, leading to significant rises in his approval ratings. However Bilal and several other ministers later broke with Palacios and her government's official position, aligning himself with the Indignados movement. After an online petition posted in June had attracted nearly 4 million signatures, mass demonstrations began on 11 July.
The movement was initially motivated by the death of Silvestre Santmartí, increasing cost of living, and economic inequality; it asserted that the Baliscan government was no longer working for the well being of the public. The protesters successfully pushed for the rolling back of the market liberalization reforms, deeper bureaucratic and constitutional reform, climate justice, national wage increases, among other things. On 13 July, a list of 50 demands was made public and went viral on social media, becoming de facto a structuring basis for the movement, covering a wide range of eclectic topics, mostly related to democracy, and social and fiscal justice.
Violence sporadically occurred predominantly between anti-statist protesters, including socialists, social ecologists and accelerationists; and pro-reformist, pro-statist, and right-wing activists. In Castejón, protests progressively became more violent and multifaceted, ultimately leading the metropolitan council to impose a state of emergency to focus on combating the growing unrest. SecGen Palacios made a televised address on 27 July announcing her resignation from political office, but the movement continued to grow. It called for a transition towards political decentralization away from Castejón, and participatory and grassroots democracy became its unique revendication. On the same day, anarchists utilizing fireworks and improvised weapons in Castejón's Capitoline Hill forced the local Mossos d'Esquadra to retreat.
Deputy Secretary General Zavier Bilal assumed the duties as SecGen immediately after Andrea Palacios' resignation. Sizeable portions of the Baliscan public, especially from the right wing, and some members of the international community alike called for the next confederal elections to be moved ahead; which ultimately occurred in October. As a result of the elections, the neoliberal Reformist Bloc lost all of it's seats, while the number moderate and conservative delegates elected was significantly reduced, winning elections in only 23 commune districts (out of 736), and the electorate rallying around anti-capitalist, anti-statist and accelerationist candidates. It was under Bilal's government that the referendum to approve the new Constitution was held on 23 July 2022, which pass with the support of 66% of the electorate.
Under Bilal's leadership, Balisca has shifted to the forefront of international efforts supporting eco-socialism, social justice, alter-globalization, and global justice, signaling Balisca's "acceleration" towards a postnationalist and cosmopolitan society. It has additionally cultivated closer ties with countries such as the Soviet Union, Indonesia and Karasem. This policy has been criticized for straining relations with countries that Balisca has typically had cordial ties, but praised for the establishment of COCO and it's advocacy for alter-globalization and opposition to neo-nationalism.
