Location: USSR

Overview • People • Government • Economy • Trend • Analysis

The Republic of Oldham is a huge, safe nation, remarkable for its devotion to social welfare. Its hard-nosed, cynical population of 584 million are ruled with an iron fist by the dictatorship government, which ensures that no-one outside the party gets too rich. In their personal lives, however, citizens are relatively unoppressed; it remains to be seen whether this is because the government genuinely cares about its people, or if it hasn't gotten around to stamping out civil rights yet.

It is difficult to tell where the omnipresent, socially-minded government stops and the rest of society begins, but it juggles the competing demands of Education, Healthcare, and Social Welfare. It meets every day to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Leningrad. The average income tax rate is 77%, and even higher for the wealthy. Private enterprise is illegal, but for those in the know there is a slick and highly efficient black market in Arms Manufacturing.

Torture is commonly used to extract information from suspected criminals, the nation's new foreign policy of 'very disproportionate retribution' has its neighbors on edge, the government is attempting to impose a new national language on the public, and crooks and people with too many kids are being kicked out of the country. Crime is totally unknown, thanks to the all-pervasive police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Oldham's national animal is the Owl, which is also the nation's favorite main course, and its currency is the Government Voucher.

Oldham is ranked 99th in USSR and 87,407th in the world for Shortest Average Lifespan, scoring -20 on the Bus Surprisal Index.

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NationStates by Max Barry, author of and