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by Leskya. . 449 reads.

World History | .arkivoj

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Introduction

Following the world conflicts, climate disasters, and social unrest of the 21st and 22nd centuries, much of the population of Earth was forced underground under the Katastrophestaat system. At the beginning of the 23rd century, the underground population began to resurface, and efforts to recolonise the surface were often met with resistance from overground populations. The early decades of the Palingenetic Project saw a period of unprecedented territorial gain and relative stability and prosperity brought about by mass economic reindustrialisation pushed by the Project's directors, an era known as the Pax Dirigere. However, overextension and resource wars pushed the new system into crisis that threatened its existence. The frontier territories and unincorporated land became rife with armed resistance, often carried out by the overground populations pushed out by the Project. Widespread psychological damage present in both underground and overground populations, and consequently a rising occurrence of suicide and mental disorders put a strain on institutional capabilities offered by the Project. The constant need for infrastructure reconstruction and repair drained resources. The internal civil disorder became widespread, with the Directorate's government becoming increasingly distrusted and disliked by the population for its policies of rationing and liberal use of lethal force. Civil and military authorities dissolved in the face of anti-authority uprisings, depleted domestic resources and an inability to continue expanding and scavenge for new sources.

The collapse of the Directorate gave way for the establishment of new, although significantly smaller in scale, affinity group-based organisations. The Desert Confederation of Free Peoples (Esperanto: Dezerta Konfederacio de Liberaj Popoloj), better known simply as the Desertists (Esperanto: Dezertistoj), came to prominence in the Directorate and outlying territories in the late-23rd and early-24th century. The group's powerful anti-Directorate messages combined with a non-invasive system of mutual aid granted it influence over large swaths of land, particularly in territories south of the Project ("terra nullius"). Although initially an informal organisation, it quickly adapted new frameworks to expand its ideals on a mass scale, beyond solely members of the Desertists; the lands it held the most influence over became known as Leskya.

    The early 21st century was largely defined by three events: the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Centre; the 2008 economic recession; and the emergent Liberal Communist ideology of late-stage Capitalism. The increasingly globalised economy gave rise to wealth never before imagined, but the previously consistently rising standard in the quality soon stagnated with every financial downturn. Personal and national debts soared, and global wealth inequality soared. The 2019 pandemic of COVID-19 made social ills glaringly obvious, as global elites maintained their high status while unemployment upsurged, worsened by the rapid automation of most labour-intensive industries. Worldwide, social unrest became the new norm.

    The contentious 2020 United States Presidential election ended with the Republican Party's stronghold over all three branches of government. The Supreme Court's membership was packed by conservative right-wing judges, appointed by President Donald Trump, and approved by a gerrymandered Republican-majority Congress. Democratic Party leadership blamed the electorate for a low turn-out, and pointed to Russian interference in the 2016 election, pushing for the results of the election to be dismissed as undemocratic; public protests against police brutality and incompetence of the healthcare system in the face of a pandemic were shut down by a mobilised National Guard. Using the mass surveillance state's capabilities, protesters were persecuted and arrested for petty crimes by a militarised and reactionary police force, setting precedence against the right to free assembly and the First Amendment, and a permanent turn of the presidential office towards authoritarian strongmanship.

    Flash floods plagued Europe and America throughout the 2020s. With the climate crisis only worsening, sea levels would rise by 2 feet within a decade. Low-lying coastal towns in impoverished nations were abandoned in favour of higher grounds, while the developed world constructed evergrowing dams and canals. The Pacific Islands Forum formally petitioned the United Nations to establish a climate refugee programme and help the countries evacuate their residents to other regions. Approximately 30% of the populations of Fiji, Cook Islands, Samoa, Tonga, and Micronesia were relocated to Australia and New Zealand; In response, nationalist politics grew in popularity in both nations, with the NZ First Party gaining an unprecedented 20 seats in the 2024 election.

    Russian forces officially intervened in the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict in 2021, citing a request from the Azerbaijani government as the justification for the total military occupation of much of the Caucasus region. President Putin and the State Duma would later go on to nationalise the vast Azerbaijani oil fields, while using the Spetsnaz forces to infiltrate and destroy all militants fighting against Russian presence in the region. State propaganda from both Russia and the US painted insurrectionists as terrorists and the occupation as a just war, winning over the hearts and minds of the First World citizens. By 2022, Russia managed to consolidate and integrate much of the Caucasus into the Federation. The Eurasianist ideology which unofficially guided Russian geopolitics would become the dominating worldview in Russia, with Russians growing to perceive themselves as the next global world leaders - reactionary Orthodox Christians began referring to the Putin administration as the New Third Rome.

    2021 also saw the dissolution of many of the global institutions established over the prior decades. Frustrated by the perceived lack of involvement, and in the name of American sovereignty, President Trump announced that the US will be leaving the NATO alliance. A few months later, the US announced it will not participate in G7 of that year; instead, the country joined the BRICS (now BRICSUS) association of nations. Beginning with the Trump-Bolsonaro meeting of 2022, a policy of "America First investment" was developed by the Secretary of State Howard Buffett, which focused the American economy around the Americas, akin to abandoned Monroe Doctrine.

    However, China itself took the opportunity presented by a falling global hegemon in order to consolidate its regional control. The ASEAN Army was established in 2023, with the first pan-Asia exercises occurring in early 2024. The Korean Republic, countries of Southeast Asia became the first permanent members of the new alliance - which quickly became known in Europe and America as the Eastern Polity. Following a severing of diplomatic ties with the United States, and the sudden death of Emperor Naruhito, the Japanese public took to the streets in riots over the debt crisis and growing generalised social anxiety caused by an ageing populace and looming economic collapse. The newly-formed Republic of Japan reluctantly joined the Eastern Polity, and quickly became another propaganda showpiece for the pan-Asian government in Nanjing.

    The last of Borneo's rainforests were cut down in 2024. Greenpeace called for an end to mass forestry, but all petitions were denounced by the World Trade Organisation.

    The 2024 Tsunami caused absolute destruction in most of the remaining Pacific islands. When the governments of Australia and New Zealand refused to take in additional refugees, the Eastern Polity established the Mass Rescue Organisation, which sought to permanently evacuate and integrate the islands' populace into the Eastern Polity. The United Nations commended the alliance's efforts; many of the sanctions placed on the Eastern Polity's members would be lifted in order to aid in the nation's efforts economically.

    The Union-State alliance was expanded, with Belarus being officially annexed as a constituent republic of the Russian Federation in January 2025.

    The Eastern Polity officially declared war on the Philippines over the conflicts over the South China Sea waters in June 2025. President Pence condemned the "Asiatic aggression" and offered military aid to the Philippines. In defiance of the United Nations, America imposes sanctions on the Eastern Polity.

    In 2026, the European Union experienced its final expansion with the ascension of Israel, Ukraine, Turkey, Serbia, and North Macedonia. The dissolution of NATO created a movement of pan-nationalist rhetoric across Europe. The European Defence Union formalised its structure, creating the second multinational military in the world. The Comprehensive Integration Agreement of 2028 paved the path for greater European integration in the form of a federalised system. The President of the European Union gave the infamous "Europe Alone" speech surrounded by the leaders of the European Union member states, in 2027.

    By 2028, the total number of refugees in Europe rose to 6 million. This number increased rapidly, with refugees coming from the Middle East and America to escape the desolate climate, war, and political persecution. By 2032, the total number would climb to 12 million.

Leskya

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