East Germany

The German Democratic Republic is a socialist country in Central or Eastern Europe. It is currently headed by a council referred to as the Council of Commissars, of whom the chancellor is the commissar Alexis Alscher. It is known first and foremost on the international stage for its highly interventionist policies, but also its rapidly growing industrial and military complexes. It is widely seen as a dangerous wild card that is not satisfied with acting as a mere vassal state to the Soviet Union.

Post-WWII
The origins of the GDR are rooted in the harsh partitioning of the German nation, which saw its territories split not only between four zones of occupation, but also annexed by neighboring nations in some areas. In addition to these measures, the nation was largely devastated by widespread campaigns of destruction undertaken by the Western and Eastern Allies, but also due to the widespread sack and pillage of both goods but also industry and machinery. Whole factories laid stripped bare, towns in ruins, millions of Germans forcefully relocated from their Eastern territories now annexed by foreigners with nothing to welcome them.

Reconstruction was painstakingly slowed by further demands, quotas, and other interferences from the Kremlin, and local industry was artificially made dependent on Russian imports of components, specialized technology, and other necessities, with many advanced fields, especially military, strictly forbidden under the post-war Stalin leadership. Despite all these hardships and handicaps, East Germany managed to rebuild and strengthen its economy at a rate greater than any other minor members of the Warsaw Pact as the Cold War intensified between East and West.

The 60s would prove a most trying time fo the barely recovering state as two major events struck one after the other. in 1962 the Cold War broke out into open warfare in central Europe and the far east Asia, seeing intense fighting within both Germanies, among other locations. Considerable damage was once again inflicted on both the infrastructure and the people, but thankfully, the war did not come close to matching its predecessor whether in size nor time, and ended without much being truly accomplished on either side. Many historians see the conflict as largely meaningless in the greater picture, serving no purpose but to sow destruction.

Barely had the war ended with the minor compensation of a reunified Berlin that the second blow struck in the form of the Great Impact. In 1965, several asteroids made landfall on Earth, dispersed between many countries. One of these asteroids hit in the vicinity of the town of Daubitz in eastern Saxony, near the Polish border. This caused not only further destruction in the local area, but also a great deal of contention with Poland over jurisdiction and handling of the matter.

Post Impact
A relative period of stability followed for the next two decades during which much rebuilding was once more necessary. In light of the less than stellar outcome of the 1962 war, Soviet policies relaxed slightly to allow members of the Warsaw Pact more local capability in arming and defending themselves, which was not fully taken advantage and many industries still relied on foreign imports as local initiative was initially very timid and limited, only expanding later. Meanwhile, the apparition of unknown flora and fauna began to be noted around the Daubitz crash site, but were in large parts allowed to spread uncontrolled due to a lack of care, awareness, or willingness to invest funding on the matter. It is also suspected that he desire to harvest or weaponize these new alien specimen contributed to the general laissez-faire attitude. This situation changed when increasing reports of specimen attacking humans began to pile up and frequent military outings began in the area.

The second half of the 80s saw an increasing period of internal turmoil within most Warsaw Pact nations, including the GDR, where oppressive regimes and poor worker conditions created unrest, which was further exacerbated by the harshness of quotas, but also purposeful agitation covertly enacted by Western agents in an attempt to weaken their rivals. The victory of the Communist party in Austria in 1984 is generally seen as the tipping point that caused the Western agencies to drastically increase their activities.

Following the Soviet occupation of Austria in 1990 due to local outbreaks, tension peaked in 1991 with an armed coup where pro-West agents, defectors, and various rebel groups joined forces to try to overthrow the governments, making use of agents in strategic positions within the military. Bloody combat ensued in and around Berlin as large-scale fighting took place between Traitors and Loyalists. The Loyalists elements were led by Alexis Alscher, then a major in the MSS, also known as the Stasi. Despite being significantly outnumbered at the beginning of the conflict, the Loyalist forces were able to inflict severe blows and casualties to the attacking formations and to hold out until reinforcements arrived through a combination of great ruthlessness, initiative, skill, and the use of newly developed wargear.

In the aftermath of the power vacuum left by the Putsch, the Krelim nominated Alexis to oversee the crisis thanks in part to her achievements during the battle, but also due to her extremely zealous and proactive demeanor as well as her open disdain for the West. Soon afterwards, large-scale operations and purges were undertaken to weed out the remnants of the various traitorous groups and saboteurs, but also foreign spies and agitators, which were hunted down with extreme prejudice and ruthlessness.

This period was one of contrast, however. While these very same purges were ongoing, the Council of Commissars assembled by Alscher to act as ministers and advisors enacted a drastic and ambitious serie of reforms which at first revolved on improving workers' conditions through measures including but not limited to the reduction of quotas, the enforcement of stricter workplace safety regulations, and large-scale efforts at improving access to food and entertainment. At the same time, major reforms also began in the education and healthcare systems, in the infrastructures, and several emergency committees were formed to see to the modernization of the East German military and the revitalization of its defense complex.

1992 remained a busy year. Between all the measures taken above, a massive consortium was created under the name of OstMetall which quickly absorbed all metalworks industries and had much say in all defense matters. License-production of modern T-80s an MiG-29s began while military efforts were directed to the Charlie Site Reclamation Initiative, seeing much of the military diverted from frontline duties to take care of the Alien biosphere which was by now growing completely out of control in Eastern Saxony and Polish upper Silesia. At great expenditures of forces, the encroachment of the Charlie Site was purged and cleansed, pushed back by several tens of kilometers.

Meanwhile, the Polish government found itself either unwilling or unable to take care of the issue from its side of the border, and partially due to this crisis and the fact that Silesia had been largely left to decay since WWII, it was agreed within the Warsaw Pact to return ownershp of Silesia to Germany, as it had been annexed by Poland after WWII. At the same time, tensions in Czechoslovakia also reached a tipping point as Nationalist radicals took over the Temelin nuclear plan, threatening to blow it up and cause an accident as bad if not worse than Chernobyl if the Husàk regime did not abdicate. With Soviet cooperation, the GDR organized an airborne taskforce insertion overnight to retake the plant and secure it from bombs.

This was not to be the end of the Czechoslovak crisis. As 1993 hit and the Commissars' reforms were starting to show great benefits, resulting in the elimination of internal currency within the GDR and a golden age for worker conditions and industrial and economical boom, another crisis hit. Barely had internal order started to stabilize up north did a civil war between Nationalist and Communist factions break out in Czechoslovakia following an attack by Nationalist radicals on the seat of government. The possibility had been studied and planned for by German-Soviet analysts since the Temelin incident, and they were ready. A German-Soviet task force rolled down from prepared positions in Saxony and Upper Silesia, spearheaded by great amounts of tanks and rolling through Prague and Ostrava within a week.

Due to the murder of the government officials by Nationalists, the country came under De Facto occupation and Martial Law was immediately decreed. With the Soviets embroiled in internal troubles within the Politburo, occupation was managed by the Council of Commissars, who proceeded to enact a serie of reforms similar to those enacted within East Germany in the previous years. Much resources were invested in the reconstruction of infrastructure and the revitalization of industry, while many of the Husàk regime's repressive measures were abolished, allowing the Czech people free assembly and uncensored press for the first time in years.

A semblance of stability came once more as the Charlie Site Reclamation Initiative managed to purge and reclaim much of the overtaken ground and to created a permanent, garrisoned perimeter around the crash site, making it the most tightly secured Impact Site in the world at the time in 1995. Trouble in Europe was however yet not over as yet another streak of civil wars tore asunder Yugoslavia into its many constituent states. With its resources stretched to the limits, East Germany found itself hard-pressed, but when the news of large-scale crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing came to light, Alscher's government threatened further military intervention as the old cold war rivalry was causing NATO and WP to try to cuck one another. In the end, a joint task force of German-Italian forces, supported by Turkey and Hungary, was sent to Yugoslavia to put an end to the war crimes.

Five years after the Czechoslovak civil war, a referendum was put forth where the people were allowed to vote for the future of their nation. They were to choose between instating a Communist regime headed by survivors of the Husàk regime, a Nationalist government headed by some of the most vocal moderates of the cause, or to conserve the status quo. The election period was a strange one, where the Communist and Nationalist candidates worked to copiously slander and discredit one another due to their mutual hatred, but the German government remained silent, making virtually no campaign to speak of. Due to the unpopularity of both parties, seen as oppressors an terrorists by large respectively, the referendum ended with a preservation of the status quo winning with 49% of the ballot. The Czechoslovak area was thus administratively divided between the Länder -or States- of Bohemia, Moravia and Slovakia in what was derisively coined as the 'Anchluss of Czechoslovakia' in the West.

The following years and the turn of the century saw a significantly more powerful GDR with easily doubled territory and population becoming a major regional player with a still increasingly strong and diversified industry and an equally potent military, equipped with modern machines and kits, highly trained, highly drilled, an highly experienced. More and more local designs were produced and developed, which analysts liken to the 1930s revitalization, for better or worse...

Council of Commissars
The Council is an assembly of highly trained specialists each representing an area of concern and heading an office called a Commissariat. Loosely based on the post-revolution assembly of same name led by Vladimir Lenin, Commissars have a role similar to that of ministers within a democratic country, with the difference that they are not elected. The Council routinely assembles to discuss matters needing scrutiny and votes upon decrees to resolve these matters and any others. The Chancellor of the Council holds an executive veto while an uneven amount of chairs ensures there can be no draws.

Within their areas of jurisdiction, Commissars have very little restrictions and can tackle the issues that concern them in however ways they see fit, as long as they respect the broad terms that were mandated to them by the Council itself. While headed by experts in their fields, each Commissariat employs a large number of people, ranging from the simple bureaucrats to highly qualified specialists or analysts who work on the ground, or form committees. Although each Commissariat has an area of jurisdiction, two or more must often collaborate as there are many issues that will concern more than one office.
 * Commissariat of Global Affairs
 * Commissariat of Food and Lodging
 * Commissariat of Labor
 * Commissariat of Infrastructure
 * Commissariat of Economy
 * Commissariat of Education and Healthcare
 * Commissariat of Armed Forces
 * Commissariat of Research
 * Commissariat of Justice and Order

State Representatives
While the Council of Commissars is made up of non-elected individuals nominated for their skills and personal traits, each Länder, or state, in the GDR does elect a representative from within its local population. While they lack true executive or legislative power, these representative are valued as they are close to their people and can register grievances and complaints that are otherwise going unheard from the employees of the Commissariats. Regular meetings between the elected representatives and the Council of Commissars take place to get feedback from the population, and Representatives have a direct line to contact the Commissars in case of emergencies of any kind or other matters of great importance.

Ideology
While nominally considered Communistic, East Germany follows a different brand of Socialism that differs from Marxist Communism on several important points. It is more strongly focused on the needs of the people, as opposed to the needs of the Bureau, which is the crux of everything else. It also features rather heavily nationalistic and meritocratic tenets. In the tradition of subsets of Socialism being named after the main thinker who propagates them, such as Stalinism or Trotskyism, this new form of thinking has been unofficially dubbed Alscherism, though Commissar Alscher herself has never acknowledged the term officially. Core tenets of it can be described as follow:

Class Synergy:

The concept of class synergy is directly opposed to that of class struggle or class warfare. A core tenet of all Marxist forms of communism is the stated end goal of a pseudo-anarchist stateless, classless society as the final state of communism. However the absence of any form of central planning or accountability would result in disorganization and fragmentation of the workers and means of productions as well as the virtual destruction of the nation's ability to defend itself, complete large-scale projects and remain a leader in sciences. With that in mind, the existence of a powerful state that works in synergy with the workers rather than in opposition is not only preferable to anarcho-socialism, but vital to the long-term survival of any socialist society against outside threats and stagnation.

Absolute Responsibility:

The concept of absolute responsibility stands both to keep leadership in check and to oppose undesirable capitalist traits. It states that every man or woman is to be held personally and fully accountable for their actions, as opposed to the tendency of circular blame shifting and bribery witnessed elsewhere. At the same time, the concept glorifies the shouldering of responsibilities as both every worker's duty to the collectivity and as a source of prestige and pride. It is an essential part of the meritocratic society as it actively encourages harsh accountability to peers and advancement by acclamation.

Revolution by Admiration:

This concept is directly opposed to the Trotskyite ideas of World Revolution and Permanent Revolution, which favors the destabilization of all capitalist governments through maneuvering and rebellions. Instead, the idea of revolution by admiration takes lessons of the failures of 40s-80s communism which saw mass exodus and fleeing from the East to the West. Its purpose is to inspire socialization of capitalist countries not by violence and overthrowing, but by displaying superior quality of life and accomplishments than their capitalist rivals and therefore inspiring the average citizen to long for the superiority of the socialist ways either by emigrating or by pushing socialist agendas in democratic countries.

Foreign Relations
East Germany attempts to keep good relations with its neighbors, though this task has been made significantly more arduous by the events of the 90s which makes it seen on the international scene as a dangerous nation. Some nations within the Warsaw Pact and is neighbors have a threatened or fearful disposition towards the GDR while the Soviet Union is mixed on the ascendancy of a rival on the international scene. Perhaps because of this internal tension within the Pact, the GDR has also attempted to establish good relations with Western nations. It has particularly made efforts to align with West Germany commercially and has made a show of its defense of human rights both within and abroad.

Economy
As with most members of the Warsaw Pact, East Germany is a Centrally Planned economy. Unlike other member states however, the first Three-Years Plan began in 1991 eliminated the use of internal currency and replaced it with a system of periodic allocations that cover most aspects of society, especially those involving consumption of goods or entertainment. Many essential services, such as healthcare, education and public transit, have been made free altogether for citizens of the GDR. Supplementing these allocations, extra reward systems exist to encourage productivity among workers and innovative thinking among managers and designers, which include notably vacations on cruises aboard the State' seagoing liners or airships.

Infrastructure and Energy
The post-reform East Germany is taking increasingly important measures to modify its infrastructure network and its energy grid. These measures are widely seen as environmental measures, but the Council has stated that the environmental benefits are secondary to the practical and tangible benefits intended for the citizens. The use of automobiles is passively discouraged through the repurposing of automobile-producing factories to other needs and the continuous investments in funds and resources into various public transit methods. In practice, automobiles are not prohibited in any way, but their acquisition is to be made more difficult by scarcities and policies while increases in spending are supposed to make using public transit preferable in the first place. Automobiles are most seen in use by businesses and law enforcement.

The afore-mentioned investments in public transit have primarily went to the creation and expansion of train and tramway lines, connecting new areas with new lines and adding more frequent schedules for busy lines. Urban transit and inter-urban transit are both equally touched by these measures. The dominant type of propulsion for public transit is largely Alternative Current electric engines and locomotives, which have become an important sector of the industry. The reduction of automobiles on the streets, combined with the mass employment of electric public transit has made the streets much less crowded, but also much more quiet, as electric engines emit much less noise than internal combustion engines.

Similarly, East Germany's current Five-years plan involve large-scale construction of nuclear plants to replace older, less efficient and more polluting thermal plants firing coal, oil or gas. Among other types, East Germany boasts the construction of several Fast-Neutron reactors, which are claimed to create much less radioactive waste than other nuclear plants of similar outputs. Once the transition period completes, the GDR's energy network will become primarily reliant on nuclear energy. These effects combined with the reduction of internal combustion vehicles are predicted to have a significant positive impact on the quality of the air within the GDR in the next years.

Industry
The Industry of East Germany has greatly diversified over the past two decades. Its overall strategy seeks to achieve a balance between heavy industry and agriculture, as opposed to the Russian and Chinese strategies that heavily favor one or the other, respectively.

The most important industry within the GDR is that of metalworks. The mining and steelmaking complexes are particularly large and productive, with the giant consortium OstMetall having recently started establishing subsidiaries abroad, notably in South Africa. Steelmaking itself is a particularly important industry, but other minerals of great importance locally include Uranium, Copper, Tin, Lithium and Magnesium. From this vast metalworking complex based primarily in Saxony, Bohemia and Silesia stem many subsequent transformation fields. Tooling, machinery and heavy vehicles are all derivatives which constitute an important part of both the internal market, but also the export market. Among others, East Germany chiefly exports trains, trucks, heavy vehicles, and all sorts of machinery, including components thereof.

Another major industry is that of petrochemicals. Based primarily in the northern states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommen, Bradenburg and Saxony-Anhalt, East Germany features both a pharmaceutical industry that seek to create large quantities of medicine to make it more readily available for the citizen and a petroleum industry. The Petroleum facilities include newly constructed refineries to process crude oil imported from foreign nations, but also large-scale production facilities for synthetic rubber and aramids. These pharmaceuticals and derived rubber products also make up important exports.

Also of note is the agricultural industry. The GDR seeks to be a pioneer in large-scale greenhouse cultures and aquaculture, featuring important fisheries along its comparatively short coastline. As a result, any and all dumping in the waters by factories is very strictly monitored and the dumping of toxic waste is prohibited. Large-scale greenhouse cultures are used to grow crops that would normally not grow in cold European climates, such as chocolate, coffee, or exotic fruits. Hybrid urbanization techniques are also employed to feed industrial CO2 emissions into cultures that benefit from these emissions, such as tomato farms. In more old-fashioned open-air farms, the bocage method is strongly favored, in part thanks to the fact that it increases diversity, decreases the need for pesticides, and renders cultures more resistant to droughts.

Finally, East Germany has recently become a player on the stages of Aerospace and Defense, boasting local production of aircrafts, rocketry components, and military equipment of all grades.

Science and Technology
While very capable industrially, East Germany lags behind most notably in the fields of information technology and computers, often requiring outside assistance in these fields as well as associated software. This lag creates a bottleneck, as all modern technologies require computers in some form, and preferably most light, compact and efficient versions.

Despite these failings, the GDR manages to stay ahead in a few domains. Chiefly among these are the metallurgical domain and its associated material sciences, due in no small part to its industry. Also of significance are aerospace engines. Owing to that same mastery of materials, East German engines boast great durability, reliability and fuel efficiency, although at a relatively high expense compared to their other products. Finally, sensor technology, notably in infrared and large radars, also manages to remain up to date with Western standards.

Tourism
Tourism in East Germany is a peculiar affair. Due to the lack of internal currency, foreign tourists wanting to travel do business directly with agencies created for this endeavor, paying only a single one-time upfront fee and seeing their entire expenses paid for, for the duration of the trip. They benefit from the free transit and healthcare as if they were a citizen and receive allocations to cover all their needs in food and basic needs. Packages are discussed upfront, which afford pre-determined amounts of outings to various venues and items such as apparel or other goods, as per the desires of the tourists.

One of the most important attractions is the Volkfest. Inspired by the Bavarian Oktoberfest and taking place in early April, as per the coming of Spring, the Volkfest is a large festival spanning many days. As its theme is the people, the various cultures that make up the GDR are celebrated. Various large tents offer food, drinks, music and various arts of traditional German culture, but also Polish and Czech. Migrant communities also often host smaller gatherings of similar purpose and function, making the Volkfest a multi-cultural yearly event. Heavy police presence is on site to prevent any form of hostilities between ethnic groups, while various games and competitions take place, including horse-riding, marksmanship, and various athletic challenges. Alcohol is fairly plentiful, and a large amusement park is available as the Volkfest takes place on the outskirt of Erfurt, capital of the state of Thuringia.

Military
The National Volksarmee mostly comes under the purview of the Commissariat of Armed Forces, which oversee training, deployment and procurement, however, a small amount of military formations are under the control of the Commissariat of Order and Jutice, where they serve as military police, counter-terrorism units, and in other roles under the general umbrella of national security.

As of the turn of the millennium, the NVA is estimated to number around 250'000 members, with the majority being in the ground forces, which is by far the strongest branch. The land forces boast formidable numbers of tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and self-propelled artillery of various types, and is considered to be highly focused on offensive, mobile warfare. Its air forces are consequent, but considered insufficient to properly cover its ground forces fully, and it focuses exclusively on air superiority weapon platforms. The maritime branch is the smallest, though it has seen serious restructuring in recent years and has received its first bluewater capital ships.

There is no de facto conscription in East Germany. Upon completing basic education and reaching legal age, all citizen are given the choice between military service and community service. Citizens must serve for one year regardless of their choice. Citizens choosing community service will work in non-profit organisations of one of two types: either social organizations that take care of the elderly or the disabled, or public organizations that take care of the infrastructure or environment.