Meanwealth of Gasconade
 | This article refers to a micronation or element of micronationalism which is defunct and no longer exists. You can help make the article reflect that or ask on the talk page for further information. |
Meanwealth of Gasconade | |
|---|---|
 Seal
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| Motto: "By God, Valor, and Labor" | |
| Status | Defunct |
| Capital | Spurhoff |
| Official languages | English, Anglish, Bauwer |
| Ethnic groups (February, 2022) | 89% White, 11% Asian |
| Religion (February, 2022) | 89% Christian, 11% Unsure |
| Demonym(s) | Gasconader Gasconadian |
| Government | Bauwersjteit |
• Folkalder | Joshua Stoddard |
| Establishment | |
• Established | 27 September 2020 |
• Ozark Union Day | 2 February 2022 |
• Dissolution of Gasconade | 22 March 2022 |
| Population | |
• 2022 estimate | 9 |
| Currency | U.S. dollar (de facto) (USD) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| Date format | dd/mm/yyyy |
| Driving side | right |
| IMSO 1 code | GSC |
| Part of a series on |
| Gasconade |
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| General |
| Politics |
| Other |
The Meanwealth of Gasconade, commonly referred to as Gasconade (/ɡæskəneɪd/), was a county level government of Ethosia located on land in the Missouri portion of the Ozark Mountains. It was apart of the Ozark Sector
Gasconade was ruled by Joshua Stoddard under a sort of soft despotism. The Meanwealth fell under classification 6 on the Boodlesmythe-Tallini Classification, making it a 6th world nation.
Internationally, Gasconade was historically apart of the Haston Sector, and the Micronational Assembly Sector, but after its dissolution, all foreign affairs ceased.
Etymology
The name Gasconade came from the nearby Gasconade River, its tributaries, and watershed. Before the name Gasconade was chosen, the State was referred to as the State of Ozark, named such after the geographical region it was in. The name Gasconade was derived from "Gascon", an inhabitant of the French region of Gascony. The people of that province were noted for their boastfulness. It was applied by the early French to the Indians living on its banks who bragged about their exploits. The name means to boast or brag, and thus the river received its name. The waters of the river are boisterous and boastful and the name is also descriptive
History
Early Days
On September 27, 2020, Joshua Stoddard established the State of Ozark. He wrote a Constitution called the Articles of the Interim State. It was called such because it was designed to be temporary.
On October 28, the Folkalder, with the advice of the State Cabinet, changed the name of the State of Ozark to the State of Gasconade. Four other names were proposed.
Late 2020 - 2021
On 14 December 2020, Gasconade entered into a loose confederation with Ethosia and Vanceonia, this was in response to perceived attacks on the decedents of the former micronation Haston. The nations kept their sovereignty, while joining to promote trade and power projection. The confederation adopted the name Confederation of Hastonian Nations.
On 1 January 2021, the State of Gasconade became a state of the Ethosian Federation, while apart of Ethosia there was little activity. After roughly a month of Ethosian statehood, on February 2, Gasconade filed the Peaceful Secession Act, which would have the State peacefully secede from Ethosia, and continue friendly activities with them.
After secession, there was a brief period of greater activity within the State of Gasconade, after March however, that steeply declined. Along with that the Confederation of Haston soon fell into inactivity as well. But, in May Gasconade experienced more activity, and opened up relations with other micronations, and on May the 5th, the State of Gasconade recognized the Dominion of West Canada and their claim to Vancouver Island.
Again, activity did not stay with the micronation, and was dormant from late June to September 2021. The Chancellor of the State, Joshua Stoddard, announced in the previous months that he was leaving the micronational community, and it appeared especially so after he resigned from his role as Prime Minister of Wynnland. These fears were not to be, as Gasconade started to bounce back in late September, officially celebrating it first birthday on 27 September 2021.
During the latter months of 2021, Gasconade really shaped into its own unique culture. The first words of Bauwer were being invented, and laws and regulations were passed that established Gasconade as the market-socialist, anti-Marxist, nationalistic, Christian, traditionalist, and environmental micronation it was known for.
2022
The Meanwealth of Gasconade held its first Senate election on 4 January 2022, cementing the Folks Front as the leading party of the realm. Interest from foreign nations manifested itself in a total population of 12 at its peak. During this time, Gascoande also passed the Ozark Union Act, which perpetually unified Gasconade with the Republic of Ethosia.
Black January and Gasconade
Overall, it appeared as though Gasconade survived Black January quite well, until a series of events, starting in late January, manifested itself in the near-collapse of Gasconade in early February. Citizens awoke to find the Gasconadian Discord server deleted, and Folkalder Joshua Stoddard missing. For 11 days, from 5 February to 16 February, Gasconade was gone, this did not last as Folkalder Stoddard came back on 16 February as though nothing had happened. No details as to why the so-called Black February happened were ever released.
Last days
After Black February had subsided, Folkalder Stoddard reassembled the Senate and promulgated the Anglish Act, 2022, which officially established English, Bauwer, and most importantly Anglish as the official languages of Gasconade. The constitution of Gasconade, called the "Highlaw of Gasconade", was ratified by the Folkmoot. But it was not to be, as the Folkalder of Gasconade dissolved the state on 22 March 2022.
Politics and Government
The government, known locally as the leedward, of the Meanwealth of Gasconade was considered a soft despotism, or a presidential authoritarian democracy. It was characterized by a strong leader, the Folkalder, who is both the Head of State and Head of Government. There was also an elected legislature, the Folkmoot, which acts not only as an advisory board to the Folkalder, but also possesses some power to keep him in check. Judicial matters were handled by the Folkmoot.
Law and Order
The Meanwealth of Gasconade had no official police force, and an unused judiciary. Because Gasconade was so small, and very rural, crime was scant. While untested, it was thought that the militia of Gasconade could be used as a gendarmerie, that is, a military with law enforcement duties.
Foreign Relations
As Gasconade was a local-government within the Republic of Ethosia, it doesn't maintain any foreign relations. Before the union with Ethosia, Gasconade had relations, formal and informal, with 5 other micronations.
Below is a table showing the various relations Gasconade had, on 1 February 2022.
| Micronation | Begin | Status |
|---|---|---|
 Ausveria |
21 October 2021 | Formal |
 Mensenberg |
1 November 2021 | Formal |
 Bepistan |
2 November 2021 | Formal |
 Canvia |
31 October 2021 | Informal |
 State of Faltree |
13 October 2021 | Defunct |
Militia
Gasconade had no standing army. There were provisions in place to raise an irregular army, with ranks and positions able to accommodate 10 volunteers. There was no limit or regulation on when the militia can be formed, just whenever the Folkalder, and/or the Folkmoot, decided to.
Other
The Shires of Gasconade were political entities subordinate to the Meanwealth. They existed mainly for administrative purposes rather than federal purposes.
There were several political parties within Gasconade, the Bauwer National Front was the most popular. It had majority control over the Folkmoot, and the Folkalder was apart of it.
Geography
The Gasconadian Social State sat on 9 acres of land in the Ozark Mountains. The land was split in half, the southern half was made up mostly of fields, with some other features including a wet-weather stream; and the northern half was marked by thick new-growth woods and a deep hollow, containing a pond.
Landscape
The land the State sits on was completely within the Gasconade River watershed. The nation was bounded to the north and the south by hollows, both of which contain wet-weather streams that feed into the Gasconade River. In the middle of the two hollows was a spur that originates half-a-mile to the west, ending roughly an eighth-of-a-mile to the east outside of the property. The State was not water independent, depending on water from the United States, however there were talks of digging a well.
Flora
Several species of trees, including apple, persimmon, walnut, dogwood, cedar, and juniper, among others, were found in the State, along with blackberries, lilies, pokeweed, and many many more. However, many types of invasive plants have been found, including Common Teasel, Thistle, Johnson Grass, and Chinese bushclover. Efforts were made to eradicate these noxious plants.
Fauna
The land Gasconade sat on, because of its range of environments and location, was home to lots of fauna, both wild and introduced. Some wild fauna in Gasconade includes deer, turkeys, coyotes, snakes, frogs, and foxes, to name a few. There are efforts to eradicate some of the local predator populations because of a few of the introduced fauna, which includes chickens, dogs, and cats.
Farming
The Meanwealth of Gasconade had a small farming operation. Crops grown include corn, beans, squash, tomatoes, potatoes, and asparagus, among others. Chickens were introduced, not only to cut down on the grasshopper population, but also for their meat and eggs.
Economy
With a total budget of $0 per year, Gasconade had no economy to speak of. Several plans were made, and continue to be made, that would expand workers rights, access to markets, and economic equality county-wide. Its parent nation, Ethosia, did however have many plans for economic ventures.
Culture and Media
The culture of Gasconade was one deeply rooted in traditionalism and ecology, and closely related to other Anglo, and German derived cultures, especially that of the Southern U.S. This was reflected in the dialect of Gasconade, the agrarian lifestyle of its citizenry, among other things. Gasconade was noted for its deep commitment to the Anglo-German culture of the Ozarks, and its conlang of Bauwer.
Gasconadian English
| Gasconader English | |
|---|---|
| Gasconader, Gasconadian | |
| Native to | Meanwealth of Gasconade |
Native speakers | 2 (2021) Thousands of speakers of sister dialects in Appalachia, and the Ozarks. |
| Latin | |
| Official status | |
Official language in |  Meanwealth of Gasconade |
The dialect spoken in Gasconade was similar to the rest of the Ozark's and Appalachia, with a-prefixing and dropping end-of-word g's (a-goin instead of going), double nouns occur often (rifle gun, hound dog), and a Southern vowel chain shift.
Bauwer
| Bauwer | |
|---|---|
| Bauwer | |
| Pronunciation | (/baʊwər/) |
| Native to | Meanwealth of Gasconade |
Native speakers | L2: 1 (2021) |
Indo-European
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| Latin | |
| Official status | |
Official language in | Meanwealth of Gasconade |
Bauwer is a constructed language meant to resemble Anglic and Frisian languages. Its grammar and syntax is based on English, whereas most vocabulary (aside from specific loan words like 'sjteit' meaning state) is of Germanic origin. Below is a section of the Swadesh list for Bauwer.
| English | Bauwer |
|---|---|
| I | Itsj |
| You | Dauw |
| He | Hai |
| We | Wai |
| The | Die, din |
| You (plural) | Jai |
| One | An |
| Two | Twei |
| Three | Drai |
| Four | Faiwer |
| Five | Faif |
Symbolism
- Main article: National symbols of Gasconade
The banner of the State was a a dark blue saltire fimbriated in white, atop a dark green banner.
The Great Seal of the State was two white fasces overlapping diagonally upon a blue field, a green circle with the words in white “GASCONADIAN SOCIAL STATE” surrounding the inner field.
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Flag of the State
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Great Seal of the State
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Military flag of Gasconade
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