History of New Pulaskia
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The history of New Pulaskia refers to the history of the Democratic Union of New Pulaskia and its lands. This does not include the pre-independence history of New Pulaskia. Since foundation in September 2021, it has grown to 22 members and a new flourishing height.
Foundation and First Republic Era
Zackstovia
In mid-to-late April 2021 (sometime around April 16), the nation of Zackblachia was founded in Bryant, Arkansas. Named for its founder and leader, Zack Black, this new micronation, claiming territory within the Bryant area, soon grew to a larger size, with over 5 people joining it (all boys), including Ayden T, who would create the Autonomous Region of Overbrook within the nation, by then renamed Zackstovia. Nearby, the new nation of Jaelandia sprang up, led by Queen Jae L, with around 10 people becoming citizens (mostly girls). These two leaders and nations were already opposed to each other, and things quickly came to war.
Jaelandian War
At the outbreak of the Jaelandian War, the back end of the Bryant Elementary 4-5th grade playground turned into a war zone. Only days after the war began, the Zackstovian Army was fully formed and began raids on Jaelandia’s capital and base, a dome shaped set of blue monkey bars. At first, skirmishes were small, mostly limited to the north of the playground, but as battles grew larger, pressure increased and the war spread. Jaelandia captured the region surrounding the northern fence separating two playgrounds, followed by the Stump. As tensions mounted and peace talks to end war failed, Zackstovia collapsed into small states. The Nation of the Table, the Republic of Angria, the Republic of Overbrook, and the Armstrong Clan were born as this occured, and though Zackstovia remained in existence, it was greatly diminished. These nations, however, were still united in their cause of defeating Jaelandia, after a final peace attempt was shattered as Jaelandian troops attacked diplomats.
Late War Stage
As the war dragged on, more and more people were pulled into it. Huge setbacks were faced by the Zackstovian alliance’s troops. Attempted defenses failed, overrun by large, organized Jaelandian armies. Initial territory of the Republic of Overbrook (soon the Beiyang Republic) was captured by Jaelandian forces following their defeat at the First Battle of Triangle Tower, where Overbrook forces pushed them back, with their forces retreating into the well defended areas in the southern fields of the playground to continue fighting on a more organized front. By April 26, the United Provinces of Nordlandia had emerged from the Beiyang government, growing ever larger and continuing the fight along with its allies. During this time, a micronational conference was held between the Zackstovian allies, preceding the 2022 conference between Pulaskia, Aglesia and Xaidia, and though the results of this conference were undocumented, it is known that Jaelandians were not in attendance and that it was likely held to determine what would occur postwar. A lull in the fighting soon turned to almost complete peace, with Jae’s forces retreating back to the Yellow Fort and Zackstovian forces capturing the Jaelandian capital. An official peace treaty was never signed, and the war would end by May 28. Jaelandia, along with Angria, Zackstovia, Nordlandia, the Nation of the Table, and the Armstrong Clan, all mostly fell apart, becoming defunct.
New Republic Era
After 2 and a half months of almost total inactivity and some slow growth, one of the former 4 original members of Nordlandia, Levyn S, brought up the subject of Nordlandia once more. President Tucker began to revitalize the country, updating the Google Sites page that he had founded the previous year, remaking national symbols, many now lost to time, and officially declaring Provinstadt (North Little Rock) as the capital. September 1 was made to be the new Independence Day, changed from April 26, and a Constitution was drafted on October 3. This Constitution would define elections of a President and Prime Minister each semester, equal rights and say in affairs by the people, establishment of a sort of electoral college system, and government branches. This Constitution was repealed on October 4, however, and the process of writing a new one began. The new Consitution defined a Congress made up of a Senate and House of Representatives, choosing of Senators and Representatives, and impeachment. An email from this date also shows that Nordlandia was establishing foreign relations with a resurgent Zackstovia (the nation would slowly fade once more later on, and Pulaskia has no current relations with Zackstovia). Though it was a period of development, it was a period that soon ended in stagnation. The nation ultimately almost disappeared for about 2 months as winter set in.
Union Era
A New Union
By late January 2022, a new nation was being formed. Though Nordlandia had, in name, survived, it was replaced with a new country. Its name: New Pulaskia. A new Constitution was put into writing (though it wouldn’t be completed for some time) on January 25, and an Independence Day was declared to be on January 2. Increased membership began, and population increased. The Constitution received approval sometime in the spring, and was completed by February, though minor edits continued to be made. This time also saw the last official contact with Zackstovia’s leader, Zack Black. Soon, the first elections occurred, bringing in Stephanie J as Vice President, Maddox T as Treasurer, and Ayden T as president. They were sworn in on March 18, 2022. This period of growth and revitalization continued after, and it looked on a bright future. But the Golden Age was only soon to come.
A Golden Age
In April 2022, new growth came to the nation. The foundation of the Pulaskian Navy, made up of two boats out of the naval base at Royal (now Port Royal), came with new additions to the nation, notably, Kahlan H and Joseph C by April 1. The new National Police Force (NPF) and Pulaskian Supreme Court were formed and placed under Kahlan, and by Tuesday, April 5, Joseph would found the NMSA (National Military and Science Administration, now the NSA). Alongside them came Brayden A and the formation of the Pulaskian Army and New Pulaskia’s Microwiki page. The Constitution was edited and rewritten to work more smoothly, and this growth would continue on into May. As the Constitution was improved, This golden age also came with a crisis. An attempted coup to overthrow the President when he was out for a week with COVID-19 (which failed and led to an inconclusive court case in which both Joseph and Kahlan attempted to claim the other guilty), the country saw continuous growth, hitting ten people and continuing to grow throughout April and May. As tensions grew between government officers, the President made a compromise that led to the creation of the Autonomous Province of Josentia in May, which would be able to make its own laws free of the central government, and abolished the representatives system, setting the precedent for consolidation of executive power and the Presidential Council becoming Pulaskia’s major legislative body.
Elections and Coup
While New Pulaskia grew and flourished, elections approached over the horizon. In May 2022, elections began. By May 16, voting began, and candidates for positions were registered. It was a tense time, as Joseph C’s extremist Spaghetti Party planned, if Joseph won president, to instate an oligarchical system and rule of the elite, with a proposed rule of “three kings”, for each branch of government. Luckily for the nation, Joseph failed to get President, with the Liberal Conservative Party taking a victory with Ayden T claiming the office of President as well as that of Minister of Media, Kahlan H becoming Vice President over Joseph, as well as head of the Pulaskian Medical Association, and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, leaving Joseph to become Treasurer and Head of the NMSA. Some of these moves spurred protests, namely the President taking the title of Minister of Media, as it was believed he would hold too much power, though these concerns were dismissed. Around this time, Xadia (now Xaidia) and Aglezia (now Aglesia), two micronations in the same area, would come into contact with New Pulaskia, and both Supreme Dictator/Emperor of Aglezia, Gavin M, and President of Xadia, Rebecca D, would reach out and establish diplomatic ties in an unofficial “Triple Alliance”. Pulaskia was also embroiled in a vaguely remembered war during this time, which concluded with an unofficial peace against a long-forgotten micronation. This would end main government action as the summer set in, but in early July, Maddox T, former Treasurer, launched a coup to reinstate himself as Treasurer, capturing Ayden T at his summer residence in Port Royal. This would later be reversed, and Joseph C would be returned to his position. Also during this time, Ayden T would contact both Kahlan H and Joseph. Though neither would respond, he would suggest, for the first time, the Narcotics Act to ban smoking and drugs on July 11, and would inform Joseph of the coup on the 12th.
New Horizons Era
M.P. Movement and Xaidian Alliance
In September, New Pulaskia began to be revitalized. Amidst the country’s first anniversary, tensions began to rise between Pulaskia and their Xadian allies. This nearly resulted in a coup, which was prepared to be enacted by Kahlan H and Rebecca D, though it was narrowly avoided. Soon after, President Ayden T and Treasurer Joseph C would enact the Military Preparedness Movement (or Militarist Movement) without full Council approval, beginning the draft of soldiers into the Army, namely Maddox T and his arsenal of NERF weapons, as a measure to protect the country. Xaidian anti-Expansionists were against this, and confusion racked the government. Ultimately what diffused tensions between Xadia and New Pulaskia would be the Xadian-Pulaskian Alliance Treaty between both nations on September 9, which sealed a full, official alliance between the two nations.
Currency and (Official) Independence
After this occured, a round of currency battles began. They had been slowly starting before, but by this point they were really taking off. These were debates over the name, value, and look of the currency, which had been talked about since the year before. Some suggestions were ‘galleon’, ‘gallon’, ‘conkidant’, ‘conquidant’, and, the one that would, unofficially, succeed, the Pulaskian Dollar. On September 9, the Pulaskian Times, the official newspaper of New Pulaskia, was first published. On the 22 of September, the Aglesian leader Gavin McManigal showed some stones to Head of the NMSA, Joseph C. Ayden T would take them for safekeeping and send photos for studying, but the stones, labeled under names of “celestite” and “carbonite” (though it had the properties of a shiny green and purple rock), would later be stolen or lost. Meanwhile, as the currency battles continued, they got much worse. The Treasurer attempted to override the process of naming the currency, and the Constitution, still a work in progress, was pulled out to defend the naming of the currency, stating the Council should decide upon the official name of the currency. At the same time, commerce was opening up, with the opening of Crumpler’s Candies (later Joe’s Treats, a sweets shop) and the Pulaskian Wax Makers (a small wax sculpture shop), with Joseph C declaring a start of currency conversion to Pulaskian Dollars and a “de-Americanization”. The Declaration of Independence was written and would be signed and made official on the 6th of October. The Constitution was also edited, a process which would continue for around 2 months.
Government Exclusion Act and Union Proposals
The signing of the Declaration of Independence also caused some tension, culminating in the brief resignation of Kahlan H for reasons still not fully known. This left Rebecca D to step in, requesting to be appointed the new, temporary Vice President. Ayden T would call for a vote to see who should become the new temporary VP, but even more controversy arose when Kahlan reconsidered and cancelled her resignation. Ayden gave the go-ahead, informing officers of Kahlan’s return, but Rebecca then demanded a ‘vote of approval’, accepted by Ayden as fair enough, which Kahlan won. This again caused a seesaw effect, with Rebecca not only resigning, but (not for long) disbanding Xadia and its alliance. Chaos grew, apologies flew, and newspapers were covering up what really happened, resulting in the first publishing of the Pulaskian Gazette on October 7 to tell the full story that the Times didn’t. Apologies eventually got to Rebecca, and tensions were somewhat soothed with Rebecca returning to the community and reestablishing Xaidia. However, in the wake of this chaos, Joseph C had proposed the Government Exclusion Act, to keep foreigners out of the government, a part of the reason Rebecca temporarily disbanded Xaidia. Rebecca, meanwhile, would propose a Union of Xadia and New Pulaskia, though ceremonies planned for October 10 were postponed for a vote on the unification. These would be voted on, and tensions rose as the vote dragged on. Commerce also continued to grow. A new company, Eagle Arrows, sprang up, devoted to teaching the art of archery, though it would soon shut down to lack of business, signaling a decline in commerce. Meanwhile, voting was continuing, and tensions were getting higher. At the same time, a nationwide sporting event was proposed and funded by the NMSA. It would, however, soon disappear from the Pulaskian consciousness.
Aglesian-Pulaskian Tensions
As a whole week of voting concluded, tensions grew. The Pulaskian Gazette reported, Friday, Oct 14, that a huge 83.3% of voters voted for the Government Exclusion Act, while it was a 50/50 split between anti-Unionists and pro-Unionists, and Councul meetings called for to determine a decision. At the same time, the Times reported on this, as well as a new Pulaskian Pumpkin Patch briefly and the Minister of Media approving the publishing of the Gazette, as the MoM began to lose power. On the same day, October 14, the Aglesians invited the Pulaskian and Xaidian leaders to an Inter-Micronational Conference. It was a cause of much excitement, as it was the first one in the area since 2021. However, unbeknownst to them, it would only cause more chaos. Things began a bit strangely, with Emperor Mcmanigal denying requests for Kahlan and Joseph to attend, and Ayden emailing Kahlan before the conference stating that the Aglesian use of “asset” instead of “ally” when referring to Pulaskia worried him. It conference proper started off quite peacefully on October 17, with discussions of a non-aggression treaty, but quickly turned darker. Gavin Mcmangial, leader of Aglesia, said he had been sent to assassinate Rebecca and Ayden by Kahlan Higgins and attempted to capture them. Though this last fact would be proven false by testimony of Gavin, it caused great disturbance in Aglesian-Pulaskian bonds and caused Kahlan to speak out against Ayden, who claimed it a realistic possibility that Kahlan may betray the government but also stating he trusted her fully. The TESO (Travel, Electricity, and Safety Organization) was created to protect citizens in case of war, which was becoming ever more likely, and the region’s nations were being pushed to the brink of war, with the president attempting to stop the population to fight for their country and enlistment stations opened on the 18. Military drafting began, and Pulaskian Military plan 002 was drawn up for a possible war.
The Union Vote
Pulaskian-Aglesian tensions would soon die down, with fears over war seen as misplaced, and Emperor Mcmanigal claiming a doppelgänger “Greay” had taken his place for 2 weeks. The Presidential Council, which had been debating on how to break the voting ties, voted on the Exclusion Act and Union among themselves. The results came out with a favor of the Exclusion Act becoming law and the union to fail. This caused a large argument between Pulaskian and Xaidian leaders, resulting in broken resolve for both and near broken friendships once again. However, by the time the dust had settled, they were friends again and on the same page. They reasoned with the court and Council. The Pulaskians had had their vote, but the Xaidian people had not. And so, Xaidians voted, and, of course, the union came through, allowing Xaidia to unofficially join Pulaskia as the Unintegrated Autonomous Province of Xaidia, which, just like Josentia, had freedom in law-making and was essentially still a separate country. At the same time, the Gazette was reporting on both of these, allowed by the Ministry of Media (whose power began to decline rapidly). Meanwhile, in the TESO, Rebecca Davis took the position of Head of TESO. Soon after, Joseph would suggest opening a pharmacy for basic medicinal remedies such as teas for economic growth and to not have to spend thousands of dollars on healthcare in the US, though this was never implemented. Around this same time there was a dog attack which took place in Saline Province which resulted in damages to Pulaskian land in what is now the Embassy to the Kingdom of Alexaland. Meanwhile, on 27 October, Aglesia was reported to have called off attacks on Xaidia which had started shortly after the United Micronations Conference, though Gavin would once again attempt to assassinate Rebecca by poisoning her food. A few days later, President Tucker fell ill along with Rebecca as flu swept the nation, which even caused a statement by the PMA telling citizens to report symptoms of sickness, while a reported duel was held between Joseph and Gavin for the title of (Central Arkansas) Micronational Supreme Dueler. It is not known if it happened, as no possible eyewitnesses have any recollection of it. At the same time, just a few days later, Kahlan H, the stand-in for Rebecca and Ayden both, would meet with Gavin to discuss a stronger alliance, which would produce some results, namely a (supposed) agreement with Emperor Mcmanigal to keep him from attacking Pulaskia and an exchange of unicorns. This agreement of non-aggression did not include Xaidia, however, which led to Kahlan stating that New Pulaskia would stand with Xaidia over any others in case of war.
Era of Chaos
“Civil War”
By the time Ayden and Rebecca had returned from their sickness, there were rumors spreading that Brayden A, Minister of Armed Services (now M. of Defence) at the time, was using the nation’s resources to start a civil war. First spread by Joseph on November 3, the chaos sown would only grow. The same day, Dia B, a newer citizen, stated that Joseph was actually the one revolting, with support of Gavin M and Aglesia (seemingly breaking the recent non-aggression agreement), the military, and possibly Brayden. She said he had asked her to join the revolt, in return for positions, riches and power, though she refused, telling him she "lived for this land". The statement turned public opinion against Joseph following this. The Times for the next day, November 4, reported that Brayden had revolted to take control with support of Joseph, the Treasurer (though he claimed to be spying) and Gavin McManigal (who said he had no knowledge of such a rebellion). The civil war also birthed a new nation, Saidlund, under the control of dictator Elliott S, who was on the side of the rebels but did not officially enter hostilities yet. Kahlan H was also briefly accused of being in league with the rebels. As the Times stated, the Xaidians were not targeted or attacked, as this was not the rebels’ intentions, which were likely to overthrow the government. Just after the publishing of the Times for that week, Saidlund declared war at 10:13 AM on Friday Nov 4. This was a true war. Meanwhile, on the other side, Joseph C said the military was primed to look as if they were on the rebels’ side, but would turn on the rebels with just a single command known as Order 69. This, however, was met with skepticism. Eventually, the chaos died down and a court case was proposed, with Joseph claiming there was evidence of Brayden’s betrayal and siding with Elliott, just as the civil war was revealed to be fake. The war was just a rumor, started to fuel chaos, and possibly a prelude or experiment for either a larger rebellion or to see how the government would react in such a case. The court case was still being called for to reveal the full truth, and this came with the naming of Dia Bird as Chief of Police, with Kahlan as Deputy Police Chief and Rebecca as Chief of Investigative services after a long slog of petitioning Kahlan to give up her position as Chief of Police. There was also a small incident where Joseph attempted to force Ayden to take Brayden into custody of the NPSS (Secret Service) or for Brayden to face death or exile, though it was narrowly avoided with Ayden forcing Joseph to back off.
Referendums and Voting
The court case was continually postponed, the date being moved farther away. On November 4, a tornado tore core areas of the nation apart, almost striking the President’s temporary residence (though he was not there, thankfully), and left many important officials cowering in rooms and shelters. Shortly thereafter, the Constitution of New Pulaskia, an old document around since early 2022, was finally completed and signed by Ayden T. Following the “civil war”, it was passed through Kahlan Higgins, who read through and signed. It took a backseat as a vote began on 10 November to keep or abolish the Autonomous Province of Josentia. The reason being was stated as “not being useful to the nation” and “being created to appease Joseph Crumpler”, as well as being one of the nation’s smallest provinces at the time. The Pulaskian national anthem also went through a referendum, which would be (slowly) voted on. Reasons for this were stated as the current anthem not being memorable or central to Pulaskian citizens, with no lyrics for the anthem. A flag change referendum was also proposed, but never executed. The court case was finally cancelled after the date set for the 11 was abandoned, with the charges, now stating that Brayden had assault Emperor Mcmanigal of Aglesia, being unofficially dropped. As voting dragged on, it was finally progressing. By the end of the Josentia vote, 75% of voters voted for its abolition, with those people stating it was “unnecessary to the national function” and “it could be a place for refugees and schools”. It would be fully abolished after voting ended. National anthem voting was more tense and filled with excitement, though it would not conclude until later. However, as of the first week of voting, “Pulaskia, Land of Peace and Justice!” and “It’s Pulaskia!” were clearly on top compared to the other 4 submissions. Meanwhile, Rebecca had also received the Constitution (which she read and signed) following the unresponsive week after it was sent to Joseph. On the 28, the Xaidian-Aglesian-Pulaskian Non-Aggression Treaty was finally released for signing to the Xaidian and Aglesian leaders, while the same day, Gavin M made a “prophecy”, referring to himself as the new oracle and stating that the world would burn at the hands of a “man of small stature”, and that the only way to end his rampage was to destroy his flag. Though ominous, it was soon dismissed. Voting would continue into December, and on December 1 a new logo for the Spaghetti Party was created and approved by Joseph C, and work on the Pulaskian Dollar continued.
Constitutional Era
Constitution and Aftermath
Following his return, Joseph’s silence on his Constitution signing and anthem voting was revealed to be flu (originally thought to be pneumonia by Joseph), causing chaos and quarantine advisory from the PMA, but after his return, a great event would occur. On December 1, after a long wait, Joseph C became the last signature on the Constitution to fully ratify it (though Dia Bird would sign that day as well, technically becoming the last signature). It was a day of rejoicing and delight for all in New Pulaskia as they celebrated this momentous occasion, and just a few days later, Joseph himself was back to celebrate with them. On the 5th, the Gazette officially ceased publication despite not having been publishing for weeks, and stated it would only publish from then on during special occasions. Meanwhile, as voting on the anthems concluded, it left one winner on top. “Pulaskia, Land of Peace and Justice” came out on top, just beating out “It’s Pulaskia!” for the title of national anthem, and was announced publicly on the 9, though it was not implemented until much later as a tune needed to be decided on. Meanwhile, the creator of Pulaskia LoPaJ, Ayden Tucker, was angrily confronted by supporters of “It’s Pulaskia!”, who all said he had rigged the vote, though they quickly found this had not happened. They quickly made amends, and they did have LoPaJ as their second pick for anthem. As all this died down, and as some peace returned to Pulaskia, event after event was approaching. First: the Bryant Middle School Winter Dance of 2022. It was an exciting time, and leaders of Xaidia, Aglesia, and Pulaskia were planning to attend. Rebecca D, Ayden T, Kahlan H, Dia B and Joseph C attended, though this came with controversy as there was much fighting and claims of manipulation and blackmail by one or the other side. Chaos and friendships were being both created and broken by this planned attendance, and tensions (for the first time in weeks) were growing. Meanwhile, in a break from all of this, the first edition of Pulaskian News (Pulaskian TV) was released. The original idea was created by Ayden T, but he had no time make it, so Dia B became the official producer with Ayden as an assistant, though this early Pulaskian TV would fall out of production after the first report. Around this time, a case of blackmail by the President of Pulaskia directed at the Vice President, using personal emails to stop talk about other personal matters, went largely ignored, but it began a long period of separation between the two (and Rebecca D, who mostly took Ayden's side). The accusations mostly went unnoticed or unacknowledged by others within Pulaskia, however. The dance itself then came on December 16, a momentous occasion, with the Times reporting it as a "rousing success". Then came a true time of calm. Despite the report of theft by Joseph C (reporting a stolen notebook taken by Rebecca and Kahlan, though they were alleviated as they did not intend to keep it), this time was... unusually calm. The next large thing to happen was the release of a report on national anthem music, which came in the Times reporting it was "in the works", along with the second crossword featured there, which signaled a rebirth within the newspaper industry of Pulaskia.
Tensions and Taxes
Around New Year’s, the President would once more fall sick, though he would recover by January 5. The same day, a false alarm “rebellion” took place, with a video made by Rebecca D containing the lyrics “never going to be president now” and “that’s one less thing to worry about”. This caused the President to believe Rebecca and Kahlan H (who was also involved) were rebelling. Despite the police force and Army being mobilized, Joseph C being temporarily given emergency powers, and Kahlan being told she would not be allowed to run if she rebelled, the temporary Presidency was returned to Kahlan as it was revealed that Kahlan and Rebecca were just joking, narrowly avoiding war. On January 10, the Xaidian-Aglesian-Pulaskian Alliance Treaty was resent to Rebecca and Gavin M to request their signatures. Gavin stated he would sign it if Ayden got out of his hair, though would later state he wanted a physical copy to sign. This would not be realized before Xaidia fully integrated into New Pulaskia. He would also announce that Kahlan would be ruling Aglesia temporarily that day. By January 13, funds from taxes were trickling in, as the Treasury placed them in their “vault”, and things were looking up for the nation’s future. And though progress would continue, events came into play just days later that few could have foreseen, that would rip Pulaskia apart over the coming months, while the Liberal-Conservative Party would see a split, with some members breaking off to form the Anti-LGBT Sect of the Liberal-Conservative Party (now the Conservative Party) around the same time.
Era of Oppression
Oppression and Elections
Sometime before January 20 (the precise date is unknown), events would unfold at Bryant Middle School that would, inevitably, affect Pulaskia in some way or another, thus beginning the Era of Oppression. This era overlaps with the Era of Change as it would officially end in May. The point of this era’s start is easy to pinpoint: assigned seating arrangements, put into place following repeated threats for assigned seating by the BMS principal. Resistance grew up immediately, with anger simmering over the arrangement and students stating they would petition or just outright revolt against the arrangement. Students were now split across the lunchroom, and the Pulaskian government would encourage protest from students by abandoning school breakfast and lunch if possible. On January 23, the Student Council would convene for its monthly meeting. They would show overwhelming support for repealing the assigned seating arrangements, including organizer Cameryn P, and stated they would begin preparing a petition for repeal. Following all this, freezing cold weather would strike, keeping schools out for half of a week, though planning for a Presidential Council meeting was being conducted already during this time. Meanwhile, on February 8, election preparations were once more beginning, with Lily B and Joseph C both stating they’d be running for President alongside Ayden. Joseph would also run for Vice President and Treasurer, against Kahlan and Rebecca respectively. Joseph, Kahlan, Rebecca, Ayden and others would run for several other positions as well, with fears that these elections would devastate national unity and fragment the country politically. Around the same time, a dodgeball tournament was being planned for the school, seen somewhat as an appeasement attempt by the principal, with consideration made for a Pulaskian team, though its success in this field was negated by students mostly being forced to remain inside during their entire lunch periods on most days starting around the 14, as well as gendered separation during any short time spent outside. This, of course, caused much outrage, especially with the attempts to schedule a Council meeting for the month, and despite the subsequent creation of a Google Doc to finally move forward with the meeting, it was still slow to be prepared.
Council Meets, Tensions Grow
About the same time, the move to phase two of the elections, campaigning, would begin, while attempts were unsuccessfully made to conduct a census on the 16, as attempts for a Council meeting continued, dragging on, and plans came out of the N.M.S.A. for a video gaming tournament that, sadly, would never come to be. Little activity would come during late February, with preparations for the Council meeting and elections continuing. However, on March 6, a Council meeting was finally held, with sweeping changes passing. Though only a fraction of the Council was in attendance, it was just enough to conduct business, with Xaidia fully integrated as an Autonomous Province with lawmaking freedom, while the Ministry of Media was dissolved, Ministry of Finance and Budget was absorbed into the Treasury, Ministry of Education and Labor was split into Education and Labor & Entertainment, and the Ministry of Admissions was absorbed into the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Especially important was the portion of the meeting that discussed the Aglesian question, with attendees providing evidence for the crimes of Emperor of Aglesia, Gavin M. Later statements given stated that, should Gavin attempt to kidnap or assassinate Pulaskians again, he would be arrested and/or war would be declared, with suspicion of a possible plot by Gavin rising and a court case planned to address the issue, though all of the Gavin talk was kept under wraps. Gavin himself would suggest that Aglesia may be planning an attack on Pulaskia, though Ayden’s attempts to draw him into saying something directly were unsuccessful.
Era of Change
Rebellions and Breakaway
As April began, tornadoes would strike the region, forcing Pulaskians to take cover, though these tornadoes luckily did not strike in Pulaskia. Meanwhile, another incident with Aglesia took place on the 4th, with Gavin using Ayden’s email to attempt to drive a wedge between Xaidia and the rest of Pulaskia, saying that Pulaskia was mobilizing troops against the province, though these attempts failed and Gavin later stating he was not planning an attack. Meanwhile, as the Pulaskian population grew, elections for Student Council began for 2023-24, with several Pulaskians running and winning, with hopes for better representation within the school high. A gaming section would also appear during this time in the Times, and attempts to educate new citizens on Pulaskia and its history began, though they would soon sadly fall apart. Not long after during Easter, excavations began in Sardis on land owned by a relative of Ayden T for old artifacts presumed to be from a time period between 1950 and 2000, supported by the NMSA who wanted to sent more people to help excavate (they were also given full control of the site). At the exact same time, revolts a revolt in the area were taking place, known as the Cannon Rebellion. The rebels were defeated narrowly at the First Battle of Nancy Pond, in which the Army and some local militia forces, using water balloons and NERF weapons, nearly lost, but a last minute betrayal of the rebels by commander Maddox T saved the day. Another huge development took place about the same time, however, bringing some hope, as the Student Council announced, on behalf of the principal and to the jeering of students, that assigned seats would selectively repealed for students who had completed an English program, though even the few who had completed said program were unhappy, as many of their friends were separated from them, and many in separated areas continued to rebel by swearing at the principal and switch seats, something the Pulaskian government continued limited support of as rebellion and protest against the arrangement continued. Some began to see the Student Council as constantly remaining in the dark about what was going on within the school, and saw the President essentially reduced to a figurehead and the Council itself not able to truly communicate with the principal, though hope for change remained. Around the same time, VP Kahlan H was scheduled to speak at the Saline County Courthouse against banning “controversial books”, though it’s unknown if she ever did, and the Times took a more local micronational news approach at this time as well, focusing on Pulaskia and its neighbors. Not long after this, though, the Sardis dig site was attacked and mostly destroyed by a second rebel attack that defeated Pulaskian forces and halted attempts to reinforce the area, with most artifacts being trashed and only a few metal pieces and artifacts still in the ground remaining. The NMSA took a proactive stance on this matter, with Head of NMSA Joseph C requesting that troops be sent to protect the dig site, in what would soon become the elite Task Force Alpha, and the President pledged to reopen the dig site with more precautionary measures. Around the same time, the NMSA brought on more members to assist in the task of growing the nation through science and to study the dig site. And then, on April 27, a momentous occasion. A new nation was declared by Brayden A, at the time the Minister of War, named Kalossia. Kalossia would quickly seek an alliance with Pulaskia, and relations were good, with Pulaskia stating that they would defend Kalossia in case of a seemingly imminent Aglesian invasion or attempt at annexation, with the Pulaskian government creating a secret plan to deal with Gavin in case he invaded Kalossia, involving invading Aglesia, arresting Gavin using the police force, or using Princess Grace H of Aglesia to dissuade him from going to war, though these plans luckily never had to be put in place.
Elections and The Fall
As all this went on, elections continued. As May began, Rebecca D would create a new political party that she would run with, the Justice Party, concerned mostly with animal rights. And as elections continued, something else happened, that would fundamentally change Pulaskia forever. At 2:13 PM, on May 2, the first recorded instance of what is now known as The Fall began. Emails between students, between Pulaskians, were now blocked. Initially, chaos reigned. The government believed, at first, that this blocking was accidental, or that Gmail was receiving an update. They were wrong. Gmail would not return, and the government was scrambling. With election voting having just commenced, the government acted quickly to create a Google Doc to allow for voting and communication between the government and population. The blocking of emails was one of the last hurrahs of the Era of Oppression during this time, with the school stating that they would be putting a new communication system in place, and the Pulaskian government stating that it would be just another way to control students. The government made their stance clear about their views on the events, and stated that, although resistance was by now weak, and students mostly complacent, they would resist in any way possible. Following all this, by May 19 the government was functioning well enough to publish election results. Ayden T and Kahlan H were re-elected to the positions of President and Vice President respectively. Rebecca D retook the Ministry of Commerce and took the Ministry of Education and Labor, Kahlan would take Head of PMA and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dia B took the Ministry of Education, and relatively new citizen Houston R took Head of NSA. Other positions were tied between two candidates, but ties were broken soon after, with Maddox T taking the Treasury, Cynthia A as Minister of Agriculture, and Joseph C taking the Ministry of War. Following these tiebreakers, the nation settled into another typical summer lull, ending the Eras of Change and Oppression and finally beginning an Era of Peace.
Era of Peace
Decline and Rebirth
Pulaskia would soon fall once more into a summer lull. In September, the country looked to be back on track, although the legacy of The Fall remained. The NMSA was requesting funds for further digging in Sardis and to create a Pulaskian forge, and Council meeting was planned to discuss it, while Rebecca D would come down with an unknown disease and Kahlan H would come down with COVID, with the PMA instructing Pulaskians to tell someone if they felt ill to stop further outbreaks. Things were looking as if they would simply go back to the way they had been before. However, a decline would end up setting in over the next few months, with little occurring throughout the rest of September, October and November, with the exception of two events. The first was Treasurer Maddox T being appointed to the position of Head of the Pulaskian Air Force (PAF) in October, and the second, on November 25 at 1:00 PM CST, was the Pulaskian annexation of Fort Lazer, a small, wooden fort mostly built by Maddox and US citizen Mitchell M and maintained by Maddox, Ayden and Mitchell together, as well as two campers in what would become the newly declared Calhoun Territory, taking them from under the rule of Mitchell, who was stated to have ruled them with “an iron fist”, crushing a protest to end his unquestioned rule over the fort. A brief spark of interest was shown in December, with the Times restarting publication and planning to restart the crossword and add new advertisement spaces. The time would see Joseph C, who had seen his influence waning, criticize the appointment of Maddox, calling it favoritism as he attempted to hang onto military power and influence, stating that Maddox was attempting to take over Pulaskia, and that he had only lost the Treasury to him because he had to fight Rebecca for many positions. Around the same time, preparations for a 2024 Pulaskian Census were being made, though things would settle into another lull soon after, with President Ayden T anticipating that Pulaskia would die out after the next election, and planning to not try much of anything to stop it. In late February, things were changing in Pulaskia. A 2024 Census was began to fully compile language, religious and other data for MicroWiki. The decline of the nation that was progressing in the fall and winter months suddenly was reversed, as new citizens began to enter the nation, with the pace of new arrivals increasing rapidly in mid-to-late February as registration for election candidacy began. A Council meeting was being prepared by the time, with a major issue being a bill proposed by Joseph C to limit candidates in the rapidly approaching elections to being able to run for just three positions. Around the same time, the NMSA’s military power was quickly evaporating, with the organization being renamed the National Science Administration (NSA). As March rolled in, election campaigning began, with great competition arising once more between Rebecca D and Joseph, and citizen application continued to flow in as well. Joseph was accused of conspiracy to overthrow the government, though he denied these claims, stating that he was simply launching a peaceful protest to have his proposal, by this time known as the Three Position Act, passed. Business in Pulaskia also appeared to be growing, with Joseph’s Crumpler’s Candies shop reopening around this time and reporting a net profit of $10 USD ($20 NPD). Meanwhile, Leo L, a newer citizen of Pulaskia, would announce that he would be running for President, though his candidacy was soon rescinded in favor of another new citizen, Sophia B, with Leo taking charge of Spiky Polling, which was endorsed as the 2024 Election’s polling company.
Meetings, Chaos, and Treaties
On March 6 and 7, two meeting between Ayden T and Gavin M took place, with relatively new citizen Kingston M attending as well. These meetings concerned the Country Talk Google Doc, the hub for communication between the micronations post-Fall, and namely the removal of all Kalossians, whom had been mostly inactive, and a requirement of a B average being required to be on the Doc. However, the second meeting concerned Kalossian representation and resulted in President of Kalossia Brayden A being reinstated on the Doc. Soon after, on the 9, the Bryant Junior High held its spring dance, serving as a social event for many micronationalists, with several important micronationalists in attendance: Ayden, Brayden, Sophia, Rebecca, Gavin, Kahlan, Dia B, and relatively new citizen Addie H, though many notable faces were missing, namely Joseph, Kingston, and Secretary of State candidate Keller H. Not long after, on March 12, the Council would finally meet for the first time in a year, with President Ayden, Joseph, and Kingston (Presidential Advisor) in attendance. Major discussions were held; claims of revolts were dismissed, the Census was stated as near finished, citizen admission processes were prepared to be diversified against Kahlan Higgins’ full control of them, changes to the national flag’s green stripe were approved and provincial flag designs approved as well, election qualifications were created (3.7 GPA or higher), the Five Position Act (formerly the Three Position Act) was approved; the Ministry of Defense officially became the Ministry of War, Kahlan H and relatively new citizen Addie H were approved to serve as co-Ministers of Foreign Affairs should they be victorious in elections, with the same for Kingston and Joseph should Joseph win Head of NSA. The Government Exclusion Act, petitioned to be removed by Gavin M, Emperor of Aglesia, so that he could run in elections, was kept in place as well. The time also saw many new political parties arise, namely the Freedom Party, led by Sophia, which called for heavy government reforms and removal of corruption, and seemed to be polling at around 25% support for Sophia and her party. Two other parties would also arise, the Cheerio (Monarchist) Party, led by new citizen Taylor B, which called for expansion, war, and monarchy, and the Mussolini Party, led by another newcomer, Matthew M, which called for destruction of enemies in the case of war. As voting continued to approach rapidly, Sophia and Leo were recruited by Ayden to assist in streamlining a new Google Form for voting. Sophia continued to campaign heavily, with the slow and quite outdated citizen application process being one of her main issues for the elections, promising to speed them up. Sophia had also attracted controversy however, after, on March 26, she had formed the Secret Society of Pulaskia (SSoP), with Kalossian President Brayden A, Ayden, and Joseph joining. The controversy had arisen as the result of rumors, with some stating it was a cult, others claiming it was a rebellion, and Sophia herself stating the truth of the Society having been created as a reform group for citizens to express their needs, though few records were left of the society following its disbanding and the deletion of a Doc which had been used for communication in the Society. Sophia would end up turning against Joseph, who had been the one to first claim it was a cult, and going against him, though Ayden and Kingston M would both state that the Society should have been public knowledge to avoid controversy. On April 3, the Council would meet once more to discuss some new issues, with much more of the actual Council in attendance. Ayden, Rebecca, Kahlan, and Kingston were in attendance, with Ayden begrudgingly permitting Addie H and a Taylor B to fill in for Dia B and Joseph C respectively. The Ministers present at the meeting reported great progress in their fields, while unanimous approval was given both for the acceptance of Aglesian refugee Alex M, as well as the reintegration of Kalossia, which had been agreed upon not long before by Ayden and Brayden for reasons unknown, with Brayden granted control of Kalos City, within the area of Bryant he resided in. However, the Council would soon rush to other matters. One was a proposition to crack down on bribery, which had been used to enter Pulaskia due to the slow admissions process and due to Kahlan H attempting to keep others out to stop them from running for positions that she wanted to win. The second was a proposal by Rebecca D, to crack down on any racist or sexist activity. The third, and most important, was a proposition by Kahlan that would strip foreign leaders of citizenship, and, crucially, voting rights, essentially extending the Government Exclusion Act. Though the vote was unanimous, both Kingston and Ayden would express regret for their votes, and Dia, who had been represented by Addie, stated that she actually would support foreign leaders maintaining citizenship, making Addie’s vote invalid. As a result of the decision, however, Gavin M, the one most affected by the decision, drafted a declaration, supported by several other Pulaskians stating that the government was controlled by Rebecca and Kahlan and simply existed to benefit them and punish those they didn’t like, threatening to revolt or secede should Kahlan’s proposal pass. The President, attempting to hold the country together, would veto the act, though stated he had only vetoed part when speaking with Kahlan and that he had vetoed all of it when speaking with Gavin. Ayden would also plan a meeting of a “People’s Council”, which would bring the Presidential Council and the group led by Gavin as one to discuss their grievances over the decisions made, though the meeting would sadly never occur. Meanwhile, as voting began, on April 6, in Port Royal in Garland Territory, Ayden T would sign the Pulaskian-Hakoian Alliance Treaty with King Cambrin A of the new nation of Hakoi, securing good relations with the young country, even as it transitioned into a democratic republic, with plans drawn up to construct a small official embassy for the nation in Port Royal, as it was commonly visited by Cambrin, and to internationalize Fort Lazer, since many people of various nations used it (including Hakoians), though both decisions had to pass the Council first. Pulaskia also refused to sign any alliance treaty with the nearby Republic of Europea, standing in solidarity with Hakoi against them due to past occurrences in which European citizens had been aggressive and expansionist towards Pulaskians and Hakoians alike. Around the same time, calls of corruption aimed at Rebecca D, mainly due to her holding of power within the Autonomous Province of Xaidia, and other cries of corruption and manipulation were aimed at Ayden, who had been pressured to strip Leo of access to the voting Form after controversy arose when Leo was looking through votes, and Joseph, who had let new citizen Devin M into the nation as a NSA worker even though he hadn’t yet been granted citizenship and even though Joseph did not have the power to grant Devin acceptance, nor did he follow the procedures for acceptance. As voting neared a close, President Ayden T would take off for a week to go on a cruise, officially stating that he would be leaving Kahlan in charge from 12:00 AM on April 26 until 12:00 PM on May 4, while having Kingston report back on Pulaskian and other matters, though the President stated that things would “continue on as normal”, stating that he would have the power to hand the temporary presidential powers to Maddox T, the Treasurer, and that Kahlan would be heavily restricted in what she could do with her week of power. The week proceeded quite calmly. Strangely calm, in fact. But, on May 3, something would happen that would change Pulaskia forever.
Civil War
Elections and War
May 3 was at first, just a normal day. The Times would release the election results that morning, with Ayden T having won the Presidency and Capital Representative, Kahlan H winning the Vice Presidency and Head of PMA, Keller H winning Secretary of State and one of the Saline Representative positions, Rebecca D winning the Treasury, M. of Education, and Xaidian Governorship and Representative position, Leo L winning the Ministries of Commerce and Labor & Entertainment, Kingston M taking the M. of Foreign Affairs, Head of NSA, Head of TESO, and the second Saline Representative position, Addie H winning the M. of Agriculture, Taylor B taking the M. of Defense, and Sophia B taking Governorship of Saline Province as well as a third Representative position, with those newly elected being sworn in during the following week. However, something else happened that day. That very Friday, a new name would appear in the Country Talk Google Doc: New Libertas. Unbeknownst to Ayden, still on vacation at the time, and many others, it would be the start of Pulaskia’s greatest war since Jaelandia. The Pulaskian Civil War’s start is regarded by national historians as being on May 4, when a single message would change everything within the nation. “We, the People’s Republic of Pulaskia, declare war on the territory of Xaidia for corrupting New Pulaskia”. The new Republic, soon officially known as New Libertas, had gone to war for many reasons. Joseph, the President of War, stated that he had previously warned that rebellion and war would occur should corruption not be removed from Pulaskia, while Sophia, President of Peace, would tell Ayden that nothing bad would happen to Pulaskia as long as the rest of the nation didn’t get involved in the invasion of Xaidia, though Ayden refused to back down, instead stating that a declaration on one province was a declaration on the whole nation, and demanding that New Libertas back down instead. The same day, a long call was held between leaders of the two nations. Though peace attempts were made, with both Sophia and Ayden wishing for peaceful negotiations, Ayden was unwilling to adhere to demands for him to remove Rebecca and Kahlan from office, as well as disband Xaidia and fork over control of several positions to Joseph and Sophia. Despite their threats of war, the demands, though they were not yet compiled, were rejected by Ayden, and a declaration of war was drafted and soon implemented, with Aglesia siding with New Libertas. A draft plan was rapidly created and slowly implemented for Pulaskia, attempting to grow the small army, which only just matched the size of New Libertas’ population. Over the next week, in interviews with Joseph and Sophia, both stated they wished to end things with diplomacy and to restore democracy, though several pointed out that Joseph had previously been quite corrupt, having stated he wanted positions in the NSA and Ministry of Defense without being elected to them. In an interview with Sophia, she continued to state that she only wanted peace, though she continued to push for Xaidia to be disbanded and stripped of provincial status due to the small population of the province, as well as for New Libertas to gain provincial status and for pardoning of the rebels for any wartime actions, stating she loved Pulaskia and did not want to fight agains the nation. On the 7th, the first battle of the war, the Battle of Pencilton, took place, with both sides clashing in a small skirmish at Bryant Junior High, with the battle ending in a stalemate followed by retreat, and both sides claiming victory. Around the same time, one New Libertan demand was being given the go ahead: court cases for those who had previously committed crimes were being prepared, namely for Rebecca, Joseph, Gavin and Kahlan, who had the most charges against them.