The Second Altian Republic

The Second Altian Republic was established during the Wars of May following widespread civil unrest resulting from the inequities and failures of the Patrician Republic. Eventually encompassing the borders of the former Kingdom of Altia, the Second Altian Republic's borders would drastically shift and change during the course of the Wars of May. Extending the vote to all citizens of legal age, the Second Altian Republic would mark an unprecedented step towards liberalism, both for its degree of progressiveness and the grand scale. While the Wars of May and ensuing foreign conflicts would ravage the Altian people, the unification of Altia and the conclusion of hostilities with foreign powers would see Altia as among the most powerful nations in the world.

History
See: The Patrician Republic

See: The Second Altian Republic during the Wars of May 



The second Altian Republic would be founded during the Revolution that would later be known as "The Wars of May." Initially comprising the old capital, Altia, as well as the surrounding regions, the Second Altian Republic and its seminal revolution would be fought on the premise of a liberal, constitutionally legitimated democracy with universal suffrage. While the Patrician Republic would ostensibly seek to establish all these things in the years leading to war, the political reality would see the maintenance of a conservative status quo applied in favor of the Nobility. Wasteful subsidies, restricted civil liberties and widespread corruption and graft would all help to foment renewed revolution. The dismissal of progressive-friendly election results in 351 coupled with the death of Charles III, the Duke of Brecourt and potential mediatory figure, would result in massive protests and bloody repression by government forces. On 15 May, the calls for the Patrician government to march on the capital would result in an armed uprising and claims of a new republic.

The Wars of May - The Provisional Period
While managing to consolidate lands in the south and around the capital, the wars of revolution would not initially go well for the Second Republic. The Provisional government would struggle to assemble the manpower and organization necessary to conduct a war that, in the end, was intended to re-incorprate the entirety of the formerly Patrician Republic. The Patrician advance on the capital in 352 would be only be halted at the Battle of Trantridge, in Auvergne, well within the vicinity of the Revolutionary capital. The reversal would see a brief period of success for the Revolutionaries, and several regions would split off from the Patrician government in favor of the new Second Altian Republic.

The following years would see relatively static battlelines. The opening years of the Wars of May would expose the relative weakness of the de-centralized Patrician Republic whilst concurrently revealing the dramatic challenges facing the provisional government. Minor offensives would be conducted throughout 353-355, while the government would attempt with moderate success to retain the lands acquired up to that point. In spite of the daunting tasks facing them, the revolutionaries would struggle hard to guarantee the success of their democractic experiment. A new constitution would be drafted and approved in 356 while elections open to previously disenfranchised voters would be held. Moreover, the disorganized and feeble Revolutionary armies would be reorganized and retrained.

In 356, the Patrician General (and Consul,) Ferdinand Rafale, would commence a grand offensive again directed towards  the siezure the capital, Altia. In spite of the entry of The Kingdom of Etruria on the side of the Republicans, many of the provinces and districts that had been acquired by the Revolutionary government would be reconquered and reincorporated into the Patrician Republic. By the end of the year following a military coup, Ferdinand would declare the Patrician Republic null and claim himself Emperor of a newly established Altian Empire with himself at its head.

See: The Battle of Etonfeld 

Continuing his offensives towards the capital, Ferdinand would march into the heartland of the Second Altian Republic. Although harassed by insurgents throughout Auvergne and Aure,  by 359, the Republican capital would be well within the Emperor's grasp. Only the Army of Aure, led by Andrew Xavier would seperate Ferdinand from his goal of capturing the Revolutionary seat of power. In spite of this, the Revolutionary government would remain in the capital. A cat-and mouse game between Imperial and republican forces would take place over the following months. The Imperial Forces would seek a decisive engagement while the Revolutionaries would attempt to keep Ferdinand's forces away from the capital.

On December 2, 359, the Army of Aure and Emperor Ferdinands Imperial Army would meet just outside the village of Etonfeld, near Avranches. In spite of republican setbacks in the days preceding the battle, the course of fighting would see a spectacular victory for the Second Altian Republic. While Ferdinand and his armyw ould remain intact, his designs on the capital would be rendered impractical at the time. By 360, the Imperial army had withdrawn from the capital, and returned back to Patrician bases in the north.

Revolutionary Offensives - 360 and beyond
Following the triumph at Etonfeld (and the victory at the Gulf of Bayonne not long after) the momentum of the war would invariably shift in favor of the Republicans. After much diplomatic haggling, the Kingdom of Ulsino would join the conflict in June, 360, thus opening a front in the Altian Empire's western border. Meanwhile,w ith dominance of the seas attained, Altian troops would begin flow into Etruria by 361, thus reopening a decisive front on the Empire's eastern border. New campaigns would erupt throughout the outskirts of the Altian Empire, and Republican armies would begin a series offensives directed towards defeating the New Altian Empire and reunification of the two states.

27 April, 365 would mark the start of Operation Minerva, a massive joint campaign between allied nations and service branches that would ultimately drive towards the Imperial capital of Ancona. In spite of pockets of intensive fighting and resistance, Operation Minerva would ultimately see mass-surrender of Imperial forces and the capitulation of local imperial governments. With the aid of insurgent forces throughout the Imperial provinces, by November of the following year, the Imperial capital, Ancona would fall to the allied armies and the majority of Imperial holdings would be incorporated into the Republic.

On 10 August, 367, Ferdinand Rafale would be captured by SSI agents near his ancestral home in Ferraio while attempting to rejoin the remainder of his forces near the border with Hohenstauffe. Remaining imperial and Patrician resistance would rapidly dissipate and in spite of calls for a continued insurgency against the Republican forces, no such resistance would ever materialize. For all practical intents and purposes, the war would be over.

The Peace of Clairvaux and the War's aftermath
On 3 September, 367, the last great pocket of Patrician resistance led by Henri d'Este, Ferdinand Rafale's second-in-command, would surrender. The Republican terms of surrender would prove remarkably forgiving in spite of the blood shed over the course of the war. A general amnesty would be decreed with the exception of war criminals and massive funds from the republican government would be injected to begin reconstruction of the provinces ravaged by the war. The terms of peace would be signed in Clairvaux to celebration and fanfare throughout the Republic.

On 15 September, 357, the war would officially be declared over.

For many at the outbreak of hostilities in 351, the conflict would accordingly be viewed as an extension of the "Patrician" Revolution, whose concluding peace would establish the Patrician Republic. Such views would shift and change during later years of the war, when the unique factors and consequences of the Wars of May would be viewed as a new and independently prosecuted war of liberty. As a war of unification (the Peace of Clairvaux would see the reincorporation of the Kingdom of Etruria as much as the Patrician provinces,) the Wars of May would represent an extraordinary step in Altian nationhood. While fought as an ideological war, the concluding peace and unification of a people would make the legacy of the Wars of May one greater than its immediate causes.

Economy
As one of the most industrialized and technologically advanced nations on the planet, the Second Altian Republic presides over a remarkably diversified and robust economy. Technological strides in the prior decades, especially in the south, would  make the Second Altian Republic a major exporter of various goods, from textiles to farm machinery. While the early half of the century would see primarily the production and export of simple consumer goods, by the middle century complex machinery, weapons and equipment would all have their origins in Altia's impressive foundries. The mastery of steam technology to power this industrial infrastructure and enhance shipping would all make the Second Altian Republic a commercial powerhouse. Moreover, with its vast abundance of natural resources, particularly coal in some of the southernmost provinces, the Altian Republic would be able to nurture its own economic rise unimpeded by a deficit in natural resources.



Still, the Second Altian Republic would ultimately grow beyond its function as the great exporter to the world. Financial institutions, especially in the capital (whose 'non-aligned' status relative to the power of the various nobles prior to the Wars of May would give it a unique position) would provide a growing engine for growth. While the Kingdom of Etruria would dominate the banking scene for the first half of the century, by 350, the capital city of Altia would be a powerful center of trade and finance. The Altian stock market would facilitate the public trade of company stocks and derivatives, further enhancing the economic prestige of the Second Altian Republic.

All this would lead to the Second Altian Republic being a remarkably liberal state. After years of debate and haggling, the Second Republic's laws have grown remarkably free of tariffs and other obstacles to the markets. While Altian producers have more than occasionally felt the consequences of such actions, the Altian consumer has invariably grown to become among the wealthiest in the world. Moreover, Altia's economic clout has been such that bilateral agreements to reduce tariffs and quotas have benefited the Republic beyond the costs of free trade. Of course, limitations to the ultimate powers of the invisible hand have been instituted. Numerous bureaucracies exist (some superfluously) to regulate business standards whilst unions have cropped up throughout the Republic.

Military
See: Military of the Second Altian Republic 

See: Military Ranks of the Second Altian Republic 

The military of the Second Altian Republic can be divided into two major subcategories, being the Altian Ground Forces and the National Naval Service. WIth a stated mission:  "To defend the Republic, its people and its liberties from menace within and without and to impartially uphold the constitution of the Second Altian Republic," the military of the Second Republic would immediately be tested upon the opening days of the Wars of May. The conclusion of the First, 'Patrician' Revolution would see the centralized Royal Army parred down in both scope and ability in favor of the private armies of the nobility. It would thus be this force - the remnants of the Patrician Republic's regular army - that would eventually become the revolutionary and therefore republican army.

Ground Forces


The Ground Forces of the Second Republic constitute the majority of the armed forces' personnel. While later years would see reforms towards a purely professional army, the necessity of war would initially see a conscripted force. For several decades during and following the conclusion of conflict all males would owe the Republic two years mandatory training - euphemistically referred to as 'National Service.' Meanwhile, all citizens between the ages of 18 - 40 would be liable for the draft, with officer commissions available via graduation from the National Academy of Military Sciences in Altia, Officer Candidate school or battlefield commission. From enlistment or commission, soldiers are further funneled into either the regular army, composed of infantry, cavalry, artillery or support service, or the reserve component, made up of similarly organized National Guard units.

With experience and further training, soldiers may qualify for entry into one of the specialized schools and therefore elite units of the Altian ground forces. Whether the Tirailleurs, Grenadier Guards or Guard Cavalry, entry and qualification to train is rigorous and extraordinarily difficult. Particularly gifted/ambitious soldiers may even qualify for vetting and potential intro into the SSI - The Special Service of the Interior, the Second Republic's equivalent of covert operations during the period of the Wars of May. Referred to as 'Gendarmes,' the SSI are some of the most deadly and intelligent agents to be fielded during and after the Wars of May.

National Naval Service
The National Naval Service is similar to the ground forces in its recruitment standards and practices, most of which would accordingly be altered in the decades following the conclusion of the war. While enlistment may be conducted anywhere (as with the Ground Forces,) commission into the Republican Navy must be conducted at the National Academy of Maritime and Naval Science located in the port city of St. Malo.



Enlistees or officers are accordingly attached to one of three subdivisions within the National Naval Service - the Republican Navy, the Republican Corps of Marines and finally the Republican Fleet Auxiliary. The Republican Navy is the premier surface-warfare component of the National Naval Service and receives the most money and attention between the three branches. The advent of steam and Altia's technological edge have provided the Republican Navy with formidable naval capabilities. This has allowed the Second Republic relatvie dominance of the seas whilst facilitating the projection of power far from Altia's immediate borders.All this is supported by the Republican Fleet Auxiliary. While perhaps less glamorous than the Republican Navy, the Fleet Auxiliary is an indispensible component of the Naval Service, being the logistical resource used to maintain and resupply the steams hips with vital fuel resources.

Both branches are supported by the Republican Corps of Marines. Although a bit of an antiquarian presence on the powerful steam ships of the era, the Republican Corps of Marines serve to defend against and conduct boarding operations. While this immediate role has diminished with the changing face of warfare, the Corps of Marines' effectiveness in combat has seen them functioning as sea-borne infantry, occasionally even being attached to the Ground Forces during joint operations.

Culture and Ideological Movements
As one of the largest and most diverse of the nations in the Wars of May, a conflict prosecuted on a mainly ideological/political basis, the Second Altian Republic not surprisingly possesses a vast diversity of values, ideas and political visions. While much of this stems from Altia's history at the time of the Wars of May and the residue of the first, 'Patrician' Revolution, Altia's technological and industrial successes would also influence the ideological landscape of the nation. With a vast common culture and identity, a storied, occasionally troubled history and a universal confidence in the destiny of the Altian people, the Second Altian Republic would be one of ideas.

Linguistically speaking there exist multitudes of dialects, accents and variations of the Altian language within the borders of the Second Altian Republic. One of the major successes of the prior, Patrician Republic in this regard would be the mandate of a 'Received Pronunciation.' Starting about 315, the government of the First Republic would establish a curriculum to standardize language and pronunciation based on that spoken in and around the capital of Altia. While the curriculum would not be sufficient to wipe out the local dialects entirely, all citizens of the Republic would at least possess a standardized method of communication. Still, whether in Chemnitz in the north or Aure in the south, most Altians still possess features of their local dialects, being able to switch between the 'Received Pronunciation' and their native variation.



Republicanism
To one degree or another, most within the borders of the Altian Republic consider themselves republican. The belief in a government that is appointed through means other than heredity, ideally through the democratic principles, is a pervasive one. Whether in favor of a constitutional monarchy or a modern government without any of the flourishes of kings and queens, government legitimated by the people would be a commonly, though, not yet universally accepted precept by the Wars of May.

Variations of course, do exist. The method of determining leadership has occasionally been debated, however, the most popular maintains the exercise of free and fair elections to determine positions of leadership. The Revolutionary government and indeed the Second Altian Republic would extend the determining electorate to all adult individuals with citizenship to the Republic. This ideal, of course, is not shared by all. There exist some who believe that the extension of voting rights is dangerously progressive whilst others view the still extant restrictions to be excessive. Moreover, others, constitutional monarchists, believe in the tempering and impartial authority of a monarch. The definitions of 'democracy' and 'republicanism' are both largely debated within the boundaries of the Second Altian Republic, even if they are ideas that are popularly espoused.

Liberalism
Liberalism is one among several branches of thought shaping the Second Altian Republic. At the time of the Wars of May, liberalism would be a broad ideology entailing limited to no restrictions on trade and commerce, the observation of individual rights and freedoms (extending to religious, ethnic and other such features) and egalitarianism within society. Certainly, there exist a variety of 'liberalisms' with some espousing worker's rights and economic equality while others are focused more intently on civil liberties. In any case, the liberal mindset holds little in the past to be truly sacred save for the lessons of abortive failures and ideas killed off before their time. While there exist multitudes of definitions for just what a 'liberal' during the Wars of May believes, certainly a confidence in human progress and improvement rather than sacred or rigid structures is a common theme.

Conservative Elements
While the Wars of May is often thought of as a liberal, republican revolution, the vast majority of those living in the Second Republic at the time would be fairly centralist in mindset. Conservative elements would persist throughout the Second Altian Republic, and while some of these would, in fact, assume a counterrevolutionary function, many would fight loyally and effectively on the side of the Revolution.

Monarchism
Although the House of Liege would be driven from Altia with the conclusion of the First Altian Republic, the Revolutionary fervor that deposed them and the reality that followed would be insufficient to eliminate the residue of their proud legacy of three centuries. Like its ideological counterpart, republicanism, monarchism in the Second Altian Republic exists in a diverse and sometimes contradictory variety of beliefs, varying between the moderately liberal to the radically reactionary. In any case, monarchists believe in the re-institution of the House of Liege, whether in as a constitutionallyr egulated institution beholden to the people, or as absolute rulers as they were before the war.

Naturally, the prospective monarch to be championed by a given monarchist has much to do with his or her place on the political spectrum. Extreme reactionaries, for example, support the re-establishment of Henri de Montroche, whose legitimate line of succession and conservative views call for a return to the old days. More liberal monarchists, with the death of Charles the IV, meanwhile, would be more likely to support Charles VI, the liberal (but adopted) nephew of Charles the IV. In any case, the sole identifying feature of monarchists in the Second Altian Republic are the confidence in monarchy to steer, or at the very least, compliment statecraft and policy.

Restorationists
Similar and yet unique from their monarchist counterparts, restorationists do not believe in the legitimacy of the Second Altian Revolution. Believing that political rather than military action is the appropriate method of change, Restorationists believe that the old government should be re-established, albeit with the reforms that instigated the fighting in May 351. The beginning of the Wars of May would see many Altians, both within and beyond the borders of the Revolutionary Republic subscribing to this view, and many would serve both sides of the conflict. That said, the restorationist sentiment would be shared across political spectrums. Rather than a question of political alignment, the restorationist question is one of the legitimacy of the warring governments and the 'right to violence.' Liberals and conservatives alike, especially in the provinces further from the capital would share a restorationist mindset. How much it would influence their decision-making, however, would usually be limited by geographic and personal allegiances. That said, events throughout the war would do much to influence these ideologies. The establishment of a 'New Altian Empire' and the dismissal of the old Patrician government by Ferdinand Rafale, for example, would prove the impossibility of a restoration by either the Revolutionaries or Patrician forces.

Nationalism
For centuries, the Altian people, in spite of their regional variations, would exist within the boundaries of a single national entity. The First Altian Revolution, the conflict that saw the ejection of Altian monarchs from its borders, would also see the dismemberment of the Altian nation. Rather than a single state to contain a people, the Altian people would be divided, occasionally against their will, into three (and with the Wars of May, four) distinct states: The First 'Patrician' Republic, the Second Altian Republic, The Kingdom of Etruria and the Kingdom of Ulsino. While the division would initially be viewed as one of political necessity in light of mutually exclusive ideas, the yearning for a unified nation would have credence throughout all four of the states.

That said, the Wars of May are viewed by Altian Nationalists as a war of reunification. Of course, just what implication this actually has is open to debate. Many nationalists believe that, being a single people, the concluding peace should be set on generous terms so as to foster common allegiance in the years following the war. Still others espouse the belief that the Altian people are indeed one, but in an abstract, and not urgent sense - immediate political realities must take precedence, even if that means the imposition of a harsh peace. The nationalist sentiment is perhaps the largest of the aforementioned ideological strands, and one whose (often implicit) influence is inescapable throughout the Wars of May.