Kaiserreich

Kaiserreich is a heavily militaristic, autocratic, unitarian monarchy that split from Fourth Reich following death of its founder, Hakenkreuz, and the conflict between two factions in Reich's leadership – those that wished to retain the nazist regime of Germanic Party (hailing mainly from Party itself) and those more moderated, that hoped that after the vanquishing of all foes, the Reich will undergo liberalization (to a level). Leader of this group was admiral Hermann Kastner, highest ranked officer of Kriegsmarine and fleet commander with many achievements.
Today the Kaiserreich remains a part of Ancien Regime, with its political system based heavily on pre-IWW imperialistic German Reich, with many Prussian remnants that make it into one of the most militarized states in known Galaxy and one of three countries to wage eternal war for control over Sector 17.

Structure

Unlike first German Empire, Kaiserreich is much more centralized and unitarian state, with Kaiser possesing nigh absolute power over all of his subjects in a way that can be described roughly as hereditary military dictatorship. The basis of his rule are navy, army and police. There is no formal secret police, but with extensive 'normal' police force that also deals with public disobedience.
The Kaiserreich territory is separated into many provinces, that are ruled by governors appointed by the Kaiser (or his ministry of internal affairs, with emperor himself choosing from the list of potential governors). Most of them, however, is of local heritage, if only for them to be well aware of problems of their new governorship. However, to achieve such level, they need to have at least several years of military service, even not on a front, with a civilian treated as more or less equal by 'society' only if he is an reserve officer.
The parliament exists, too. It is called Reichstag (identical to diet of Holy Roman Empire ) but it has an extremely limited power. It is divided in two parts, first populated by representative of Kaiserreich's population chosen in elections (not falsified and even with political parties), with its power limited to suggestions (not to mention being a probe of citizen's views and beliefs), with real power lying in the upper part, populated by 'important' people chosen by Kaiserreich, who remain in it until death. With most of the 'real' power hiding there, no matter the changes in the popular views, the Kaiser will remain in power.

Public Agenda

Partially surviving and not getting swallowed by either Holy Roman Empire or Fourth Reich, partially achieving victory and being the one who swallows countries in Sector 17.

History

The history of Kaiserreich begun in 2374, at the moment of death of the Hakenkreuz, a half-mythical demagogue and genocidal racist that founded the Fourth Reich. His death meant an end to a long-term internal schism between two factions in the Germanic Party (and Reich as a whole). It can be roughly compared to difference between those that fully accepted Hakenkreuz racism and extremist policies, and those that considered some of them abominable, and the rest only temporary to avoid the defeat in the Unification Wars.
Finally the war was sparked. Radicals were lead by Gunther Neumann, head of Germanic Party, while his opponents ralied around admiral Hermann Kastner, supreme commander of Kriegsmarine. The war ended finally around 2391, when both sides came to conclusion that the stalemate will continue to the moment of eventual extinction of all population of Sector 17. While admiral Kastner remain undefeated in space, he was but a single admiral, with the rest regularly succumbing to numerically superior germanics (as they were called), whose ground forces managed to held most of the heavily industrialized planets at an advent of German Civil War.
1/3 of the sector managed to secede, forming Kaiserreich, with liberal reforms of kaiser Hermann I Kastner ending with his death, and with his children reverting certain democratic reforms and establishing a fullblown autocratic monarchy that Kaiserreich is today.
Kaiser Hermann left also one more legacy, that remained much longer than the attempts of introducing democracy. The faith. It is unknown how he managed to cling to his faith during relentless purges of Christianity by Germanic Party, but the mental sculpture (especially of former prisoners that he allowed to leave prison camps, their minds requiring often extensive sculpts to let them live normally) lead to resurgence of protestantism, in a lutheran way.
In hopes of gaining some support against the growing strenght of Fourth Reich, his descendants allowed a delegation of local Church to attend a New Jerusalem Council, in the end trading away most of their control over their own religious hierarchy for military support. The First Neocrusade (that they supported with all their might) ended up with humiliating defeat of Fourth Reich and broke its spine. With control of around 1/3 of the Sector rather than eventual reconquest of lost provinces a stalemate occured.
The attempts of kaisers to retake control of religious hierarchy in the name of 'national unity' (or, to be honest, their own autocratic tendencies) led to increasing division between local clergy and Neocatholic Church. Its ultimate secession was caused officially by lack of acceptance of idea of aliens being able to be saved, in fact however it was a schism many years in the making.
Overtime the local Church was changed into one of many instruments used by Kaisers to hold their position, beginning their conflict against Holy Roman Empire, fully establishing the political division of Sector 17 as known today, with all sides of the conflict being so close to equality (not to mention with the third participant always backstabbing when one side begins to win over the second), this war can be as well called perpetual. With truces signed only to catch a breath before another offensive.

Demography and Population

Demography

General Description

Kaiserreich's population of twenty billion inhabitants lives in a mix of megacities and smaller towns. Nobility exists, most of it heavily militarized (it's pretty much expected from them to serve in the military). The population's approach to cybernetic implants varies heavily, making it a matter of personal choice.

Humans and Variants

97% of the Kaiserreich population are humans, overwhelming majority of them caucasian. The remaining 3% are a variety of assimilated Variants, a significant drop from 11% during the country's inception. The reason for that is the rather negative outlook on Variants, making many of them emigrate during the past centuries (though they aren't 'officially' discriminated).

Transhumans and Aliens

Kaiserreich refuses to cooperate (or even tolerate) both transhumans and aliens alike. It's culture sees the former as a perversion of human form, while the latter are simply insidious and 'alien'. They are not allowed to visit the Kaiser's worlds, and trying to do so would probably end with blood.

Population

Gender and Relationships

Kaiserreich is about as conservative as the early 20th Century German Empire. Which means that it's very, very conservative when compared to 21st Century, but still on the more progressive side when compared to current Mankind as a whole (there are many countries that are far, FAR more conservative that Kaiserreich).

Gender Roles

Military is seen as a strictly male domain, which due to military's importance throughout the society lowers down the women' position immensely. They are many jobs that they can hold, however, and they are also allowed to attend schools. Most of them ends their public education when they are around 16 years old, nobility and wealthy commoners continuing their education via private tutors. Universities are almost entirely men-dominated, though sufficiently dedicated women succeed in attending and finishing the studies.

Relationships

Heterosexual secular marriages, with divorces existing though typically favouring the husbands. Homosexuality essentially gone through the mentalsculpt treatments, but they are not mandatory (however the public pressure makes most of those who are outed as homosexuals to apply for them).

Personal Liberties

Slavery

No. Kaiserreich considers the slavery as an abominable practise, though it doesn't fight against it even remotely as intensively as the Res Publica Christiana and Alliance for the Preservation of Democracy member states. Their approach is typically similar to the one offered by the Ancien Régime - they do not support it, but they barely care enough to suppress it outside of their borders, as long as they can't take any political benefits from that.

Drugs

'Traditional drugs' like alcohol and cigarettes are allowed, however anything beyond that is actively suppressed as subversive to the machine of State and a risk to its manpower.

Weaponry

Overwhelming majority of the population knows how to operate weapons. Most of them also owns guns, as possession of handguns and rifles is actually heavily supported. Only machine guns and anti-tank weaponry are forbidden.

Military

Navy

Deutsche Reichsmarine is somehow in the middle between two extremes of Kriegsmarine and Kaiserliche Flotte. While relatively unitary compared to forces of Holy Roman Empire (thus suffering from lower ammount of logistic problems but also being more predictable) it is also less tactically stagnant than Fourth Reich Kriegsmarine, with lower ammount of its officers being advanced due to ideological zealotry than their skills.
On the other hand, it is also more stagnant than forces of HRE, while having more logistical problems than Fourth Reich, for example due to lower ammount of control over imperial economy leading to more armaments corporation and so on. Due to ammount of manpower and general militarization of society it still fares rather good, but is nowhere need the firepower level needed to 'liberate' the rest of the Sector 17.

Ground Forces

Deutsche Heer is a potent power, especially in terms of nigh unlimited manpower (with pretty much every citizen undergoing military training as a part of the Landwehr). It, however, is visibly weaker than forces of Wehrmacht (while slightly better than Kaiserliche Armee), managing to win battles mainly on strategic level, with space blockades allowing to overwhelm cut out armies with concentrated manpower, with even elite formations of Waffen SS finally defeated.
While quantity is high, the regular forces of the Deutsche Heer also possess a decent level of quality, which, when supported by masses of reservists allows it a decent level of operational freedom – with enough infantry to hold the font line, the mechanized and armored formations can launch surprising raids or encirclement attempts).
It also possess two elite formations. First are the so called Gardecorps – considered the most loyal forces of the Kaiser, in most cases remaining in the back of the frontline to act in case of military coup or any signs of disloyalty, also sometimes used as an elite tank/mechanized formations. Second are Stosstruppen, masterfully trained heavy infantry , that can be used either as a fast moving, airborne reinforcements or spearhead of an assault on a heavily defended lines.

Religion

Kaiserreich is a predominantly Christian country, though its' German Evangelic Church is not a member of the Catholic Church. It is essentially a branch of the State, the Church deeply embedded into its structures and to a point governed by it (the kaiser is, after all, the Church official head).
Because of the belief that the Church equals the State (and vice versa) and the authoritarian nature of the Kaiserreich, it's hard to establish statistics that do not carry the risk of being manipulated or falsified. All inhabitants of the Kaiserreich are part of the German Evangelic Church. However it is hard to say how many honestly believe in it, as the secularism runs deep in the imperial culture.

Agriculture & Industry

Economy in Kaiserreich can be described as state capitalism, with private property existing, but ultimately limited in freedom due to governmental control over the economy, focused especially in industry. While even in military, there are many corporations, they are all autonomous organizations belonging to the imperial ministry of economy.
While small business are allowed to thrive, from the certain point of growth they are expected to delegate a growing ammount of shares to the government, slowly changing it from private business into a private/public company. This causes the generally low level of economic growth, but also relatively rare economic crisis, granting the Kaiser a safe and reliable economy to support the ongoing wars.

Gott mit uns.

Kaiserreich

Capital: Kaiserturm, on New Berlin
Official Languages: German
Religion: German Evangelic Church
Government: Absolute Monarchy
Faction: Conservative Bloc
Membership: Standard/Secondary Power
Current ruler: Kaiser Hermann IV Kastner
Population: Approx. 20 000 000 000.
Currency: Deutsches Kaisermark

Founding Date

2391

Type

Geopolitical, Empire

Alternative Names

German Empire, Deutsches Kaiserreich, Deutscher Reich, Imperial Germany.

Demonym

German.