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The People's Republic of Thuzbekistan, commonly called Thuzbekistan, is a Democratic Federal Republic in The Western Isles. It is surrounded by the Eterna Sea and just South-east of San Jimenez and East of Ostehaar. Thuzbekistan has three provinces. It has a population of 24,600,000 people and a GDPpc of 15,600. It's major industries lie in the energy, mining, manufacturing, and ship building.

Thuzbekistan attempts to be a large naval power in the Eterna sea and will use that power as it sees fit. Whether it be protecting merchant ships, performing patrols for pirates, or drilling for the possible wars it may face, Thuzbekistan's navy is the first thought of its populace in terms of government power. It is also dedicated to helping the socialist cause and international revolution, aiding leftist groups in any manner it can.

Etymology

The first mention of "Thuzbekistan" was made by the fascist Magistrate in 1937, but it had orignally come from the word Thuzbek, which was the name of the Republic which preceded the fascist dictatorship. Thuzbek is mostly a Turvinian pronunciation of Thuzlan, the name of the empire that attempted to conquer the Turvinian Clans from the early 16th century and on into the 19th, finally taking it from Noronica in 1885. Thuzbekistan, however, was made by the fascist dictator to give the Thuzbeks a stronger reference to their Islamic faith than before. The People's Republic of Thuzbekistan chose to keep it for that reason as well, as the name had been more popular among the poor and middle classes than the "Thuzbek Republic" had been.

The standard way to refer to a citizen of Thuzbekistan is as a "Thuzbek."

History

Thuzbekistan is a nation of extremes. Throughout its 1,000 year history, it has been a land occupied by both tribal herders in Turvin and fierce warlords in Thuzla. Much of its early history is marred by ethnic wars of conquest and annihilation, survival, and economy. Throughout its first few centuries, the forces that would later build the Turvinian Republic and the Magistry of Thuzla were carried by the constant threat of war. In Turvin, the coastal clans near Ashluv and Bashlon not only had to worry about the more inland clans, but also the Magarati hangates. In Thuzla, the constant fighting would turn the mountainous lands into a series of opposing strongholds with the center of that country a constant site of bloodshed for many years. Though both nations would soon unite their respective peoples under one banner (Turvin in the weak Repulic and Thuzla in the strongman regime of the Magistry), both would fight not only each other, but foreign powers as well. As early as 1700, Noronican planners eyed Turvin for its strategic location in the Eterna Sea. The Colonial Wars from 1735 between the Empire of Thuzla and the Empire of Noronica would eventually be the founding struggles of Thuzbekistan. Throughout this time period, Islam was busy taking root throughout the Empire of Thuzla and slowly trickling into Turvin, transforming both nation's cultures and society as a whole. Only the Noronican influence stemmed the flow of Islam into Turvin with ramifications that last to this day.

After the end of the Colonial Wars in 1885, the nation was ruled by the Republic of Thuzbek, an autocracy formed as the result of a compromise between Turvinian nationalists and leaders and the conquering Thuzlan Empire, though some Thuzlans still refer to this as the Empire. It was weak and suffered of strikes and internal instability as the Magistrate attempted to force the population into submission. Though the Council put up as much a fight as it could, the Magistrate was usually the victor in these political squabbles. However, this would not be enough for Veerso Blashinki, who staged a coup in 1937 and established the Magistry of Thuzbekistan. Throughout his reign from 1937-52, Blashinki started the Oster-Thuzbek war, carried out a genocide of non-Thuzbek citizens and communists, and forced Islam on the whole of the nation. While his regime was also the cause of many programs which still exist today, Blashinki's reign ultimately came to a violent end in 1952 when Communists violently revolted with the aid of Ostehaar in 1951. Though it took nearly a year of fighting in which massacres, poison gas, and civilian deaths were common, the Communists overcame the Magistry in 1952.

In 1953, Deniz Emirhan was elected the first Prime Minister of Thuzbekistan by the provisional government. He immediately set to work establishing the government and signing the laws that ultimately created the parliament as it is today. Though this temporary dictatorship which established the government cast the foreboding signs of the Magistry as Emirhan consolidated his power, the Parliament was eventually given the full power to legislate, though the Prime Minister still has unchecked power over the courts. Throughout the next decades, Thuzbekistan would focus on creating a system that could provide for its citizens and government. Despite this inward focus, it was heavily involved in many communist wars and uprisings throughout the Cold War era, in which it also fought a cold war with Ostehaar. Famines, economic depressions and crashes, and slow, inefficient bureaucracy were the hallmarks of Thuzbekistan in this era. Most of this was period lay under the control of International Socialist Party, there were brief intervals of Islamic Socialist ruling as well. This era ended in 1994 with the dissolution of the UCCR.

When the UCCR fell, the Islamic Socialist Party regained power and their Prime Minister Emin Vedat set about an ambitious program of reforms to the economic, military, and social systems of the nation which ultimately stabilized it and brought the nation into the modern world. It revived its rivalry with Ostehaar in the early 2000's during this period with its military reforms and activities. In 2018, it once again attempted to revert its former ally Orsandia, which resulted in sanctions and an ongoing economic crisis which is only just beginning to stabilize.

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Geography

Thuzbekistan is made up of two large islands Which are connected by a small landbridge. The largest of the two is known as Thuzla and the smaller is known as Turvin. On Thuzla, a gently sloping volcanic mountain dominates the landscape. It is believed by Geologists that the volcano is responsible for the islands' creation. At its base, the island then slopes into a fertile and lightly forested region. Turvin, however, is more rugged and rocky with small, rocky mountains dotting the land bridge which connects the two islands. There are only 2 large rivers in Thuzbekistan, though, and both flood in the spring due to snow. The Marla River runs East to West down the volcanic mountain and then slopes south towards the sea, ensuring the fertility of the surrounding area with its tributaries. The second is the Ashlun River system, which is a collection of small rivers which meet about 8 kilometers from the southern coast of Turvin before dumping into the sea.

The islands feature long winters, but also short, intense Summers. Most of the precipitation comes to the island in the form of snow on the mountaintops, which floods down in Spring and Summer. Besides this, the islands are dry for most of the year and hosts clear skies most of the time.

Before 1984, the Thuzbek government and people cared little for the environment. Over fishing, air pollution, and badly managed trash from its rapidly growing cities floated in its waters. However, in 1984, international and public pressure forced the government to enact environmentalist policies. In 1992, the government enacted laws to stop the overfishing being done by rural fisherman and state businesses. Now, the Thuzbek government is attempting to re advertise the nation as a beautiful tourist resort.

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Demographics

Population
Thuzbekistan features a racially and ethnically diverse population as a result of its central location in the Eterna Sea. Though 84 percent are muslim, there are many religious minorities.

Government

The Thuzbek Government is a Federal Republic with an enforced 2 Party System in which the "Vanguard Party" holds a majority and the "Opposition party" is the conglomerate of minority parties meant to balance and ensure a diversity of views is presented while also ensuring that the socialists do not lose power regardless of public opinion. The parties hold sessions in the Unicameral Parliament in the capital city of Ashluv. The Parties are run by Party Chairmen, which act as the bosses of the party as a whole. The parties also both elect their own Prime Ministers. The Vanguard Prime Minister is the Head of State and Government with the Deputy Prime Minister, which is elected by the Opposition Party, filling a mostly advisory role. The Prime Minister leads the Executive branch of the government. While the Judiciary also falls under this branch and technically a department of the Executive, it is generally considered to be independent and lead by an American-Inspired Chief Justice.

The government has a total budget of 214.905 Billion, just over half the Total GDP of the country. It spends lavishly on large Healthcare programs, welfare systems, and education. The military receives 23 Billion every year. To fund these programs, the population is taxed heavily. The average tax rate in Thuzbekistan is about 55 percent and 95 percent for the top earners of the nation.

Politics in Thuzbekistan

Politics in Thuzbekistan is dominated by the "Vanguard Party" and the "Opposition Party". Each party elects a chairman at the beginning of the year. The chairman then controls the party with the role of the Vanguard essentially being to keep to keep the members in line while the Opposition chairman works to keep hostile minorities in order, such as Nazis and Anarchists. Both parties then elect their own Prime minister, or the Parties Representative in the Executive Branch. Only the Vanguard may elect the Prime Minister, however, with the Opposition's pick always becoming Deputy Prime Minister. The only time an Opposition pick has been Prime Minister was in 1984 when the Prime minister died in office and was replaced for the remainder of his 5 year term. However, the Vanguard Party quickly elected a new one to take over the role and the Deputy Prime Minister was dismissed.

The Vanguard party, which controls the 100 member parliament by law, is made up of three socialist parties which vary little in beliefs. All of them believe in the traditional Marxist approach, but believe that his methods cannot always be applied to modern day economics. While a few look to the USSR for inspiration, most members of these parties look to leaders in the Islamic world. Some even point to the First Caliph of the Islamic Empire as the source of inspiration for the Guaranteed Minimum Income. Despite their Islamic leanings, though, the Socialist Parties of the Vanguard are stoutly secular. Nearly every Vanguard chairman since 1978 has been an atheist or Deist of some sort and is always from within the ranks of the party elite.

The "Opposition Party", on the other hand, is extremely diverse. It has held everything from Nazis to Anarcho-Communists in its ranks. While it is only allowed to have 40 seats of the hundred available, it is used as a marker of how the populace is feeling. In 1958, for example, Nazis were elected en masse, controlling 33 of the 40 seats. The Government responded to this by finally addressing many of the racial and ethnic issues which had arisen from Nazi Rule in from 1937-1953. However, it is most often a divided party with too many disagreements to ever work together even if they were allowed a majority. Chairmen elected by the party have been as diverse as the parties they control. For years, a socialist might reign only to lose to a Capitalist the next year. However, these chairmen must be approved by the Prime Minister, who is most often completely loyal to the Vanguard party.

Parties

Elections

The People's Republic of Thuzbekistan is a Representative Democracy with a 100 member parliament. Its members are elected directly by the populace, which is divided into electoral zones based on population density, where the Urban centers are kept separate from rural areas as well as being given more representatives. The Vanguard Party controls 60 of the seats, most of them being in the city centers and a few in the rural areas. The Opposition controls the other 40 and are almost entirely in rural areas of the nation. Every Candidate running for office in each party's seats must be approved by the reigning Chairmen, who is elected by the Parties themselves.

Foreign Relations and Military

Diplomacy is handled by the State Department of the Executive branch. Throughout its history, the People's Republic has maintained a steadfast devotion to the extension of the Revolution. However, it has sacrificed this stated goal in the name of economic interest and trade a multitude of times.

The Thuzbek military is largely a Maritime force. Almost all of its 11.5 Billion is dumped into Naval assets, training, and operations. The Small army is mostly made for internal security via National Guard units which is backed up by a Army-like police force funded by local governments and federal funds. There is no separate air force, however, and all air assets are confined to the Army and the Navy.

Economy

The Thuzbek economy is almost 100 percent state owned and operated. While small, family businesses, and farms are operated outside of the state's control, the concept of private property has been abolished. In its place are a multitude of state programs that divvy up housing plots, industrial land, and other basic resources to build and plan cities. These operations are coordinated in a federal system of worker's councils, which plan and distribute resources throughout the nation. Its largest industries are in the Infrastructure, Mining, and Transportation sectors. In infrastructure, the nation boasts many high level rail systems that dot the landscape, a necessary development with the rise of the mining, manufacturing, and refinement sectors. Road construction is also a part of it as Thuzbekistan strives to connect every rural village with reliable access to Distribution centers. The Thuzbek Private sector is exceedingly small, but largely untaxed. In many parts of the nation, these small businesses, usually with a license, are mostly small tourist shops, craftsmen, and manual dye makers. While the business itself is untaxed (mostly due to the fact that private property is abolished, thus making its existence difficult to tax), the income gained from the business is taxed all by itself. Anyone making above the GMI (guaranteed minimum income) are taxed at a gradual rate until it hits 55 percent at 75,000. It becomes 95 Percent after 125,000.

The Federal Worker's Council System

In the People's Republic, almost all transactions are controlled or made by the state. Resources are distributed based on need, projections on agricultural output and needs, and other issues are made by the state as well. This is done through the Federal Worker's Council System. The System, as its called by the populace, is a federal system of Worker's Councils which manage the engines of the economy. While officially there are only three levels (National, Provincial, and Local), Turvin has an unofficial level known as the North-South Level. It consists of two councils just under the Worker's Council of Turvin. One is based in Bashlon, the other in Carzil.

In the System, information is collected at the local level, compiled, then sent up to the Provincial levels, then up to the National level. At the national level, the Worker's Council attempts to allocate resources, project economic output, and move labor where its needed. In the early years of the system (1954-1965) it was hardly effective. Wildly drastic shortages or surpluses would appear in everything from food supplies to toothbrushes. At one point in 1961, a clerical error resulted in a million more shoes being made than were needed. In that same year, the Great Famine of 1961 began and ended, resulting in 100,000 deaths, most of them under the age of 15 or over the age of 40. In 1965, the entire system was completely redone and was modeled after the Principles of Council Communism, a more libertarian approach to the leftist ideology. The bureaucracy was streamlined, more power was given to local councils, and the National Government began to take more of an oversight role. While this prevented further famines and overproduction, quality became a severe issue and a small black market quickly began to form.

Without the regulation, local councils had become competitors in how well they made certain products in order to win contracts or grants from the national government which would raise their constituents quality of life at the cost of their neighbors. In 1974, the National government under the International Socialist Party of Thuzbekistan rectified the situation, taking direct control of the System once more. Under its own version of the five year plan, it reorganized the system and the economy by organizing regional sectors and further streamlining the bureaucracy once more. This time the system stuck and stability was finally reached. Since this time as well as since the digitization of the system by Bashlon Software Collective in 2009, the economy was on a slow, but steady rate of growth. That ended in 2018, when the heavily export reliant economy was sanctioned by a multitude of countries for the nation's involvement in the Orsandian Civil War. While most sanctions were lifted with the end of the conflict, others remained. The sanctions led to a massive recession which showed the weaknesses of the Federal Worker's Council System in administering the welfare systems of the nation. Since then, politicians have been back and forth on how to handle the issue.

Sectors and Industries

Thuzbekistan's economy is almost wholly reliant on mining and manufacturing. Despite rather large agricultural, service, and other industries, the nation primarily exports its refined or manufactured products. It also has a large shipping and ship building industry in the nation, which is the focus of Baslov, Thuzla.

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Infrastructure

Thuzbek infrastructure varies in quality and consistency throughout the nation. Despite cities being relatively well maintained, only large highways receive adequate attention outside of them. On the backroads of Thuzbekistan, most are still dirt or gravel roads. However, smaller highways are paved, though they are often littered with potholes. Thus, the largest method of transporting freight is by rail, which was originally started in 1851, but was modernized and completed by Vancouvian rail companies in 1909 and again in 1967. Since then, Thuzbek Rail Collective has managed the lines.

Another form of transport for both passenger and freight is air travel. Well developed airports dot Thuzbekistan. The largest are the Ashluvian International Airport, the Baslov International Airport, and the Bashlon Regional Airport. Each airport is managed by an individual collective, which reports to the local Council. However, to better coordinate air travel and air collectives, the Thuzbek National Air Service Collective was established in 1974. It reports directly to the National Worker's Council in Ashluv.

Docks and seaports are also a large part of the infrastructure in Thuzbekistan. Though it isn't the largest, shipbuilding and shipping in general marks a key aspect of both Thuzbek national pride and its economy. As factories churn out goods for the rest of the Isles, Thuzbekistan ships its products across the region. This makes the docks some of the busiest places in a Thuzbek City. In Baslov, at least 400-500 ships come in and out a day. To service this many ships, docks around Thuzbekistan are well equipped with efficient loading and unloading equipment and trained crews. These docks are also supervised directly by the military, providing security and acting as customs agents when necessary.

Energy

Thuzbekistan's energy systems are as old and outdated as its rural roads. In many towns and cities, rolling blackouts are common during repairs to the lines. These lines lead back to ancient coal power plants which require tons of coal a day to operate and usually burn in an unregulated fashion, coating most things around the plants in a layer of dust. The main power plants are in northern Turvin, near Turvin Ghada, and outside of Baslov, Thuzla. There is an additional power plant that feeds most of rural Thuzla, but is primarily meant for the military infrastructure around mount Narshov. There is also a large dam on the Ashlun River near Carzil that is in need of repairs. Solar and wind power sources, while subsidized and researched, provide less than five percent of all power in Thuzbekistan.

Despite multiple reform programs in the last decade, energy is the single largest sector in the Thuzbek economy and infrastructure earmarked for critical repairs on a daily basis. Its aging equipment, lack of qualified workers, and general unwillingness by the Thuzbek government to give it the resources it needs are all compounding the issue.

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