Nation/Satanic Socialist States

Satanic Socialist States (SSS), officially known as the Anarchistic Confederacy of Satanic Socialist States, is located in Western Esquarium between the Northern Sea and Central Ocean. It is a large nation that officially refuses to recognize that it is a nation, calling such a designation "Nationalist lies". It is an aristocratic republic currently ruled by the newly-elected President Naamah Dagon. It is highly democratic for all those who are not currently disenfranchised, and elections are held every 2 years. SSS is a huge nation, and refuses to recognize that it has any borders.

The country was known as Vyrnarrh before 1926. Vyrnarrh was formed in 45 BC after the unification of several Zoroastrian tribes. Vyrnarrh quickly expanded to encompass almost all of the surrounding territory. In the early 1000's the country converted to Islam, and almost all those who refused to convert were executed. Today Zoroastrians make up less than .1% of the population. This began a long and bloody history of political violence in SSS. Over time the populace of Vyrnarrh became less and less religious, and Sharia law and other Islamic laws were relaxed throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. By 1900 revolution had broken out and in 1926 the king and all Islamic government officials were guillotined. Thus began the first Great Terror and SSS was born in blood.

While SSS was for a long time one of the world's poorest states, under the monarch it became an economic powerhouse under the new system of free market socialism. Today it is one of the most prosperous countries in the world, consistently ranking high in GDP and HDI. The many inhabitants of SSS tend to be somewhat elitist about their economic success, considering less successful nations to be primitive and backwards. The nation is known as the Demonic Tiger due to its massive wealth.

Culturally, SSS is very elitist and aristocratic. Other nations are looked down upon and often ridiculed by the citizenry. Almost one half of the country is currently disenfranchised as part of the eugenics program that forbids those with average and below average intelligence from voting. The syncretic and communistic Promethean Party has not fallen out of power since 1926 and dominates the political landscape. The country is incredibly individualistic and collectivistic. The economy is collectivized and subsidized, while socially those who do not think for themselves or are followers are ostracised. Students in the schools can even be failed if they constantly agree with their teachers.

SSS pursues a highly interventionist foreign policy and maintains a strong military. It is a common belief among the citizens that the nation is a sort of modern Prometheus, bringing light and fire to a crippled mankind. To this end the country frequently violates international law in pursuit of its goals.

History

Prehistory

Little is known of the prehistory of SSS. It is known from genetic analysis that ethnic Vyrnarrhians are most closely related to Persians and Teutonic Anglo-Saxons. It is suspected that early Persians and Teutons arrived sometime in the early stages of man's prehistory. Human fossils suggest that they fought for a time, but it is highly suspected that they must have unified at some point. It is unknown how the language of English came to be in Vyrnarrh, but many have theorized that the country came into contact with Britain in the 16th century.

Pre-unification

Before unification, Vyrnarrh was composed of many primitive tribes living in the area that was to become Vyrnarrh. Most tribes followed Zoroastrianism. In 45 BCE, a charismatic leader emerged from the Nikaet tribe and conquered the surrounding areas. Sadly, this leader's name has been lost to history. The new area was declared "Vyrnarrh", which is believed to be onomatopoetic.

Vyrnarrh

In BCE 45 Vyrnarrh was united into a single kingdom under the leader. It quickly conquered the surrounding areas and was enlarged. The leader established himself as the first Shah, and Vyrnarrh became an absolute monarchy. At first the citizens were happy with their new Shah, but soon things took a turn for the worst, and many of the citizens were converting to Islam. In 1011, to please the populace the Shah at that time declared that Islam was the new state religion. A terror was unleashed. Around this time stoning became popular among the populace and almost a million Zoroastrians were stoned for not joining Islam. This continued for almost twenty years, and numerous religious rebellions were put down by the Shah. After the terror was over things would remain calm for almost 1,000 years, with religion and religious inspired laws degenerating consistently during this time.

1926 Revolution

Around the beginning of the 20th century, civil unrest began. Much of the population was dissatisfied with the shah. Much of the population was now secular, and many wanted a secular republic. In 1897 a revolutionary organization was formed: the Promethean Front (PF). Influenced by Nietzsche, the Marquis de Sade, Bakunin, Kropotkin, Marx and Striner, the organization's goals were a society of better men, to be created through proletarian revolution and eugenics. At the time, what is now SSS was ruled by a shah under an absolute monarchy. The regime was highly oppressive and similar to that of the tsar in Russia, although it was Islamic, not Christian. The PF immediately took to the goal of revolution. In 1900 they assassinated the shah.

After the shah's death, the regime began a vicious crackdown on all dissent. They began a program of starvation aimed at the urban proletariat. This only created sympathy for the PF. Several thousand workers signed up for the PF. Soon the PF outnumbered the shah's troops. The PF launched into a campaign of armed revolt in 1911. At first things seemed to be in favor of the PF, but the outnumbered shah's troops were better armed and drove the PF underground.

In 1913 the regime tried to enforce Sharia laws that had been nothing more than legal symbols for decades. The largely secular urban workers erupted into a flurry of anti-Islamic violence. Mosques were burned and Imams lynched. At the heart of the violence was the PF, which, being a Satanic organization, aggressively opposed Islam. The PF unleashed a wave of violence that killed over 20,000 Moslems.

The enraged government unleashed the secret police and retaliated by killing around 10,000 workers. The defeated proletariat went back to work. The PF once again went into hiding.

In 1914 World War I broke out. The government supported the Central Powers, while the majority of the populace and the PF supported the Allies. The PF earned the support of the allies and fought in the war for the Allies. At the end of the war the shah abdicated, creating the first republic. The PF became the Promethean Party (PP). Elections were held, and an Islamist party won by rigging the votes. The PP, aligned with the newly formed Republican Party (RP), revolted. They took to the mountains and waged guerilla warfare with the backing of the former Allies for seven years.

In 1926 the rebels marched on the capital, hauled out all members of the government, and guillotined them. The PP and RP formed the government and began the Great Terror.

Great Terror

In 1926, after the Promethean Party (PP) and the Republican Party (RP) became the government, the Great Terror was declared. The aims of the Terror were the destruction of Islam and monarchism. The first victims were former government members, all of whom were guillotined as soon as the revolutionaries took the capital. Imams were the main targets. Over 50,000 Islamic religious leaders were killed. Next to go were the reactionary rural peasants. Soon the guillotine became known as the "Revolutionary Razor" (after the French Revolution, during which it was called the "National Razor").

The other major targets were ordinary Moslems, of whom over 500,000 were killed. Conversions were forced, and most became either Satanists, Pagans or atheists. Anyone caught displaying faith could be killed. Despite this open violation of religious freedom, freedom of speech and of the press were still respected and protected. Many prominent revolutionaries criticized what they considered the excess of the Terror.

Another prominent target of the Terror were the minority Catholics. As many as 10,000 priests were killed. Class enemies were also targeted, with many of the rich being forced to flee the country to save their heads.

Soon the RP withdrew support for the terror and it came to an end, although not without huge casualties. (Over 600,000 people were killed.)

Current opinions of the Terror are mixed among citizens, with 51% believing it to have been justified. The PP still celebrates the Terror, while the RP is more or less neutral.

Remainder of the 20th Century

Theophanes Drakon remained incredibly popular after the Revolution and was the nation's first president. After the RP withdrew support for the Terror, Drakon called another election. This time the PP got a majority government. A War of Promethean Expansion was launched and soon the entire island fell under Vyrnarrhian control. In 1937 Drakon dissolved Vyrnarrh and created the Anarchistic Confederacy Satanic Socialist States.

The new government attempted to create ties with potential allies. When Lenin died, despite differences in opinion over World War I, Drakon wrote an admiring eulogy. After Trotsky was expelled from the Soviet Union, Drakon offered him refuge in SSS. Trotsky declined, believing himself safer in Mexico. Drakon sent several of his top guards to help defend Trotsky. Drakon and Trotsky wrote letters back and forth and became close friends. It is even said that Drakon wept after learning of Trotsky's death.

Another major priority of the government was, now that the Terror had been successful and almost all enemies of the revolution were dead, the pacifying and liberalizing society. In 1941 Drakon signed into law a bill banning capital punishment for all crimes except serial killing, although the law only applied to citizens of SSS. Drakon instituted a free market socialist economy, and the economy grew rapidly.

In 1939, World War II broke out, and SSS was quick to support the Allies. SSS troops fought on all fronts and were an essential part of the war effort. After Hitler was defeated, Drakon put forward a proposal to kill all SS officers and their families, but it was quickly rejected by the Allies. SSS would have no part in the Nuremberg Trials, which it regarded as too soft on the Axis war criminals.

After the War, SSS's closest ally became Israel, and it is unlikely that Israel would have survived the wars of extermination waged against it had it not been for the support of SSS. At first SSS leaned towards the Soviet Union, but later as the Soviet Union moved closer to the Arabs, SSS became closer to NATO during the Cold War, although it never joined.

In 1953, at age 72, Drakon resigned and retired from politics. He became a hero and to this day he is regarded as the founder and father of SSS. He would become a political commentator and pundit until his death in 1974, at age 93. The following presidents would continue Drakon's policies.

The start of the Vietnam War caused a huge break between NATO and SSS. SSS strongly supported Ho Chi Minh, while the US had declared war on him. SSS sent troops to fight for the Viet Cong and became crucial to the defeat of American troops. This caused a huge diplomatic strain between Pandæmonium and Washington. After this, SSS also sponsored Che Guevara's attempts to export communist revolution. After Che was killed by the CIA, SSS added the CIA to its list of international terrorist organizations.

During the late 70's, SSS remained close to Israel, but also pursued closer ties with China (after Mao's death). SSS supported the PRC's claim to Taiwan. SSS donated several artillery guns to the PRC so that it could fire upon Taiwan. To this day SSS retains, close ties with China. Mao, however, remained unpopular with SSS, and his replacement by a more reasonable leader was welcomed. Chen Duxiu and Sun Yat-sen are considered heroes in SSS to this day. In particular, Sun Yet-sen is revered by the Republican Party. Chen's thought has been one of the main influences on the Promethean Party.

In the 1980's SSS once again became even closer to Israel. SSS actively supported Israel during the Lebanon War and the First Intifada. SSS also declared support for the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan on the basis of fighting Islam. When the Iran-Iraq war broke out, SSS supported Iraq. The Iran-Contra affair caused huge tension between SSS and America.

Internally, the Promethean Party started to lose much of its popularity. In the 1982 election, the PP lost its majority and was forced into a coalition government with the RP. In 1988 the PP lost its status as the largest party in Congress. The RP joined into a PP-RP government coalition, although the PP still remained in control due to holding the presidency. Many internal reforms, such as the creation of a welfare state, were enacted under the coalition government.

In the 1990's the country stayed out of foreign affairs during the coalition governments. In the late 90s the PP started to regain its popularity. In 1995 the PP once again became the dominant party, and the RP lost much of its former influence.

With the outbreak of the Esquarian Cold War, SSS has grown relations with Namor and other democratic countries in fighting the theocrats in the Esquarian Union and the fascist Triumvirate.

21st Century

With the Promethean Party returned to power, the economy began to grow, although more slowly. In recent years SSS has developed significantly. The country has embraced new technology, and much of the economy is now reliant on robotics. In 2003 the nation launched its first moon mission and has also begun building space stations all on its own. Other nations have expressed fears that SSS is working on a space weapon, which SSS neither confirms nor denies.

The economy had grown stagnant after the creation of the space station, but in 2014 a new President was elected: Naamah Dagon. In a mere few months, Dagon has gotten the economy on track and is currently dominating the polls. The nation now is better off than ever before, and some say it is on its way to becoming a regional superpower.

Geography

SSS is a medium-sized country, that has unfortunately lost much of its environmental beauty due to massive industrialization. SSS consists of a single massive Island, part of which is Vyrnarrh, and the rest of which was conquered after the 1926 Revolution. The center of the Island is highly mountainous, especially in the North. The coast is covered in lowlands, while much of the South is also lowland.

The lowlands are quite forested, mostly with deciduous trees, although some boreal areas due exist in the North. About 37% of the nation is forested. Around 10% if the Island is put aside for agriculture. Agriculture is almost exclusively located in the southern lowlands. 12% of the Island is marsh, swamp, lakes or rivers and the remaining 41% is Alpine.

Most (about 50%) of the population is located in the South, with about 25% percent living on the Northern Coast and another 25% living in mountainous towns.

Climate

SSS has a temperate and mild climate that varies from region to region. The Northern and Central Mountains are quite cold, and only go up to a maximum of 10 °C. The Mountainous region can go as low as -25 °C during the Winter and are renowned for their almost year-round Winters. In the Southern Lowlands it rarely goes below freezing and summers can go up to around 30 °C. These areas generally go down to about 2 °C during the long summers. In the very Southernmost areas temperatures do not go below 10 °C. The Lowland areas in the North are the most mild and seasonally variable reaching as low as -10 °C during the Winter and as high as 20 °C in the Summer. In these areas Winter and Summer take up around equal time.

Biodiversity

Despite environmental damage done through industrialization, SSS remains biologically diverse. SSS is said to be home to as many as 45,000 different species at the bare minimum. Most of the wildlife in SSS inhabits the Southern Lowlands, such as the sika deer (Cervus nippon mandarinus), although there are many species that have adapted to the harsh conditions of the mountains, such as the raven (Corvus corax). Some species do live along the Northern Coast and forested mountains, such as the musk deer (Moschus moschiferus) and tiger (Panthera tigris altaica). One of the most biodiverse areas of SSS are the lakes and swamps, which include such species as the crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) (only in the Southernmost parts), the catfish (Ictalurus furcatus), the sheatfish (Silurus glanis) and the sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus).

The national animal of SSS is the daemonic goat (Capra pan), which is protected. Killing a daemonic goat carries a minimum sentence of 25 years, even if by accident. To kill and eat a daemonic goat can result in lifetime imprisonment.

Administrative Divisions

Government and Politics

SSS is a republic based on the principle of universal aristocracy (where everyone must become a aristocrat; one of the best). SSS is highly decentralized and anarchist, although succession is prohibited. The government is extremely democratic for all those that have voting rights, and the country is often mistaken for an anarchist communist system. SSS still has a state, which mostly preoccupies itself with the nation's eugenics program.

Some now see SSS's eugenics program as antiquated and pseudoscientific. There have been attempts to abolish this program, but all have failed so far.