Glorious Dictatorial Republic of Andersonia
Glorious Dictatorial Republic of Andersonia | |||||||||||
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Flag | |||||||||||
Motto: Advance to Greatness | |||||||||||
Anthem: For Our Republic | |||||||||||
![]() Internet, Actros (fictional) | |||||||||||
Capital and largest city | Saviso | ||||||||||
Official languages | English | ||||||||||
Demonym(s) | Andersonian | ||||||||||
Government | Totalitarian | ||||||||||
• Glorious Dictator-for-Life | Daniel Anderson | ||||||||||
• Deputy Dictator-for-Life | Jesse Coles | ||||||||||
Legislature | GDR Government | ||||||||||
Establishment | 4 November 2008 | ||||||||||
Population | |||||||||||
• (actual) 11,731,408,633 (November 2010, virtual) census | 3 | ||||||||||
Currency | GDR Simoleon (§) | ||||||||||
Time zone | GMT+12 GMT+13 (DST) | ||||||||||
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Andersonia was a member of the Totalitarian Union of Nations and the World Assembly. |
The Glorious Dictatorial Republic (GDR) was an internet micronation founded by Glorious Dictator-for-Life (now Siroccan Premier) Daniel Anderson in November 2008. It was created shortly after the creation of Anderson's Bebo profile (which hosted the nation), which in turn was created after the death of one of Anderson's friends two days before.
Due to the foundation of the Federal Commonwealth of Sirocco on 4 November 2010, the GDR was dissolved a day prior.
History
Early months
The death of one of Daniel Anderson's friends in early November 2008 spurred him to create a Bebo page to pay tribute to her. Dates vary from between 4 November 2008 to 20 November 2008 as to when the GDR was actually founded, however 4 November is the commonly accepted date. During this time the GDR existed online in a very basic sense, without any of the amenities (or population) it would later acquire.
Golden Age
It was during this time that the GDR encountered many battles with dissidents and subversives, including a string of unpleasant names for which 'GDR' could stand for and a Facebook group set up with the intention of mocking the Republic. Within the Nations community it continued to grow and flex its muscles, yet it did not manage to surpass more well-known nations, such as the then-superpower of the community Jimsonia, despite the endeavours of the Totalitarian Union of Nations.
In July 2009, the GDR began one of its most notorious projects, and one that to this day it remains famous for: the Irritation Projekt. This was originally a list of things that irritated Anderson, and was itself inspired by a similar list created by future Siroccan Minister of Health and Education Chanelle Gibson. The list was abandoned and thus never completed, temporarily terminating the Projekt. However in May 2010 it was restarted, this time as a list of enemies and threats to the state. When completed it contained 251 names (none of which were micronational), but was confused as a "kill list" instead of being a threat record. The list was completed on 15 September 2010, and despite now being owned by the Siroccan government, will not be updated to include micronational threats.
By May 2010, the Bebo community was shrinking, causing many nations to dissolve, including a number of Andersonia's allies. As the chart-toppers left, many smaller nations rose to the top. Andersonia was for some time the second-most populated nation in the community before finally topping out on 30 May 2010 with a (virtual) population of 9,191,958,809. This was to be the biggest success for the nation, along with registering in at least the top five for other measurements such as military size.
Decline and dissolution
Andersonia's topping of the charts was the definitive point in Andersonia's history, and from mid-late June the nation began to decline in activity. It is believed that by July activity had ceased completely, and this was to be the way it would stay until the revival for the finish of the GDR in November 2010.
It was decided on 20 September 2010 to dissolve the GDR due to the planning for the Federal Commonwealth of Sirocco. The GDR was officially dissolved under the GDR Dissolution Act 2010 at 11:03am on 3 November 2010. It had left its period of inactivity and engaged in its last actions the previous night. Anderson had stated that "I am deeply sorry to see the GDR's demise, but it is in the best interests of both it and Sirocco. Things must change, and it it's the GDR's time to go."
The GDR and micronationalism
Anderson was not aware of the concept of micronationalism until early to mid-2010 when he became aware of Sealand and the Hutt River Province. He decided after much consideration to form his own micronation, but he was confronted with the decision of whether or not to make the GDR this micronation or to dissolve it. He chose the latter on the afternoon of 20 September 2010.
Even after becoming aware of micronationalism, Anderson was not very interested in claiming land for the GDR. His view of the GDR was that it was, and should remain, an internet micronation. To claim land and set it up as a real nation was simply not worth the bother and that the GDR should be succeeded by a new nation.
Actrosian Andersonia
- See main article: Actros
In December 2008, the GDR discovered a map of a fictious planet, and after some discussion over how it could be used, was claimed in March 2009. The concept of claiming physical land was not known at this time, and thus borders on this planet (named Actros) were drawn up. While the small population of just three was that of the real GDR, on Actros the Bebo population of several billion was the correct figure. Most happenings in the GDR were actually Actrosian, such as wars and events and even the military size (over five billion in November 2010) was Actrosian.
It was on Actros that the romanticised idea of the GDR being founded in a revolution in early 1946 (the so-called 59 Year Gap) was created. This view created the story that the GDR was 59 years older than it actually was (a foundation date of 1946 would have meant the GDR was founded in 2005, three years earlier than the correct year of 1949/2008) and thus allowed for the concreting of government and of the GDR itself.
Little was known about Actros until early-mid 2009, when it was revealed the population of Actros was some 15-16 billion, spread between approximately fifty nations. In order to accommodate this, it was said that Actros was around three times the size of Earth (with 28 large time zones) and much more advanced, however it was both geographically and socially alike to Earth. The 59 Year Gap was retired to use within the Totalitarian Union of Nations and a new date scheme for Actros introduced, this one being 882 years ahead of the Gregorian Calendar (later revised to 880 years), giving allowance for the technological superiority and also putting the timeframe of the GDR between 2888 and 2890. This new timeframe altered the romanticised story, changing the revolution date from 1946 to 2866 (which oddly enough was equal to 2008).
Actros was considered the true home of the GDR for the rest of its existence. It is not known what has happened in Actros in the time since the GDR was dissolved, although some believe the Totalitarian Party rule ended in November 2890.