Cradle
Cradle is a nation occupying a single large island southeast of the Hestian Republic. Once a monarchy under elvish rule, a series of violent coups and a civil war has shifted the country into a fascist dictatorship.
History
Grand Cradle
Cradle has been occupied since well before the Fall. Elves first found the island centuries ago and established the Shining Throne there. Although humans attempted to establish a country on the island, their attempts were stifled by the ruling monarchy and humans were incorporated as second-class citizens into the kingdom.By 185 AF, humans had managed to become regular citizens in the kingdom, though at the local level, they were still treated as lesser by the elves. Elves found themselves in an unstable situation due to their much lower reproductive success compared to humans and found themselves to be in the minority.
The end of the second century AF was a turbulent time for Grand Cradle. A faction in favor of reforming Grand Cradle's government vied for power with conservatives who sought to prevent reforms from taking place. Some liberals aimed to limit the power of the Shining Throne and establish a republic; however, these reforms failed after the 930th Sovereign dismissed the liberal government in 196. A series of fifteen coups between 197 and 216 were carried out to varying levels of success.
In 220 AF, popular uprisings led to the overthrow of the 930th Sovereign and the establishment of the June Government. Two distinct factors led to the uprisings: urban riots and a liberal movement within the middle classes and the military that was concerned with the ultra-conservative government of the monarchy. The 930th Sovereign's replacement, the 931st Sovereign, abdicated due to increasing political pressure, and the short-lived First Cradlese Republic was proclaimed. After the restoration of the Shining Throne in January 222, riots again broke out against the monarchy. Although the monarchy managed to survive the riots, the government had been exposed as corrupt and astonishingly weak.
Cradle remained neutral during the First Hestian-Haveni War. Following the end of the war, the military united with the lower classes in hopes of removing the corrupt central government, but this movement was unsuccessful. The year 241 saw a military coup establish the Holy Sovereign as leader of Grand Cradle; as a result, Grand Cradle transitioned to a government by military dictatorship. Support for the Holy regime faded quickly, and he resigned in June 250. He was replaced by the Alabaster Sovereign who in turn was replaced by the Ember Sovereign. The restored 931st Sovereign gave into popular demands for the establishment of a republic in 255 and called for municipal elections the following spring.
At the same time, humans began to organize into their own quasi-military organizations. The Cradlese Guard was established under the Guard Founder in 236 AF as an organization to promote human conditions in Grand Cradle and quickly expanded in scope and power under the Guard Leader. After the Great Collapse of 260, the Cradlese Guard prepared to take advantage of the economic disaster to gain support for the organization. They promised to strengthen the economy and provide jobs to the hundreds of thousands that lost their jobs in the Great Collapse. Despite outbreaks of violence connected to the Cradlese Guard, they manage to take a number of seats in the fledgling parliament after the election of 264.
Cradlese Civil War
Despite the success of the elections at establishing a government, violence continued on the streets of Cradlese cities. Fearing the growing power of the Cradlese Guard in the parliament, the elvish Cradle Action, a powerful monarchist organization, attempted to assassinate both the Guard Founder and the Guard Leader. While the attempt on the Guard Founder was successful, the Guard Leader survived with only minor injuries. The attempted assassin was captured and tortured by the Cradlese Guard and was made to confess.As the Cradlese Guard was highly popular in the human lower classes, riots immediately broke out at the news of the attempted assassination and the role of the monarchists. The 931st Sovereign was killed following the storming of the palace, but their children managed to escape with the most valuable parts of the royal treasury. The fates of the royal children are unknown, but many believe that they were either killed by revolutionaries or died in exile.
Cradle
Demography and Population
The vast majority of Cradle's population lies on the main island. Of the nearly five million people in the country, almost all of them live on the main island of Cradle. Only about 3% of the population lives on the outlying islands, mostly as colonists in Cradle's Blood and Earth campaign.
While the population in Grand Cradle featured a mix of humans and elves with a 5:1 ratio, the modern Cradle has enacted a series of laws and programs aimed at significantly reducing the elvish population in the country. Most of the elves within the country have either fled the country or disappeared.
While the population in Grand Cradle featured a mix of humans and elves with a 5:1 ratio, the modern Cradle has enacted a series of laws and programs aimed at significantly reducing the elvish population in the country. Most of the elves within the country have either fled the country or disappeared.
Territories
Cradle controls one main island, also called Cradle, with a number of smaller, outlying islands within its sphere of influence. The island of Cradle is approximately 60,146 square miles in size and constitutes 95% of the controlled territory of the country.
Under the leadership of the Guard Leader, Cradle has been expanding its sphere of influence as part of its Blood and Earth campaign. Although there has not been any outright warfare between Cradle and the neighboring countries, tensions in the area have been strained due to Cradle's growing militarism.
Under the leadership of the Guard Leader, Cradle has been expanding its sphere of influence as part of its Blood and Earth campaign. Although there has not been any outright warfare between Cradle and the neighboring countries, tensions in the area have been strained due to Cradle's growing militarism.
Agriculture & Industry
Cradle is a major grower and exporter of the valuable ash tree. As the elves had little use for the tree, it was only after the overthrow of the monarchy that the government began a large-scale harvest of the old forests. Although there was a crash in ash tree populations in the early 280s, an aggressive replanting of the tree has seen a resurgence in ash tree populations.
Although Cradle had an agrarian economy up until the late 250s, the Cradle Guard has pushed for a widespread industrialization of the nation in order to match the industrialization levels of countries such as Last Light, Haven, and the Hestian Republic. This has been termed as the Great Leap Forward.
Since the Great Leap Forward, Cradle has been a major leader of synthetic materials, particularly in the field of textiles. The Cradle Guard has invested heavily in the textile industry, and Cradlese fabrics are held in high demand. Recent research in Cradle has led to a type of fabric that is both light and capable of blocking both blades and bullets, but this fabric is incredibly rare and used only in the clothing of the Guard Leader.
Although Cradle had an agrarian economy up until the late 250s, the Cradle Guard has pushed for a widespread industrialization of the nation in order to match the industrialization levels of countries such as Last Light, Haven, and the Hestian Republic. This has been termed as the Great Leap Forward.
Since the Great Leap Forward, Cradle has been a major leader of synthetic materials, particularly in the field of textiles. The Cradle Guard has invested heavily in the textile industry, and Cradlese fabrics are held in high demand. Recent research in Cradle has led to a type of fabric that is both light and capable of blocking both blades and bullets, but this fabric is incredibly rare and used only in the clothing of the Guard Leader.
Education
After the rise of the Cradle Guard to power, all elvish teachers, professors, and officials from the education system. Each teacher had to join the Guard's Teachers' League and take an oath of loyalty and obedience to the Guard Leader. Any teacher who failed to show sufficient conformity to the ideals of the Guard are often reported by students or other teachers and dismissed. A lack of funding for teacher salaries has led to many teachers leaving the profession, and the resulting shortage of teachers has caused the average class size to increase by nearly 50%.
The goal of the education system in Cradle is aimed at creating the next generation of party elites and military leaders. Books deemed unacceptable to the party were removed from school libraries and destroyed in large-scale book burnings. Students chosen to be future members of the party elite are moved to specialized schools at the age of 12, and future military leaders are trained at schools called Order Castles.
The curriculum of Cradle's primary and secondary schools changed following the rise of the Guard. It focused on population policy, racial biology, culture, geography, and physical fitness, and the curriculum of most subjects was changed to focus on race. Physical education took on a militaristic character, and most students were trained as soldiers by the time they graduated secondary school. Education in physics began to focus on subjects with military applications.
Universities became the sites of power struggles between the education ministry, university boards, and the Cradlese Students' League. Despite pressure from the League and various ministries, most professors did not change the content of their lectures or syllabus, especially in areas with former high levels of human-elf commingling. Enrollment in medical schools had risen significantly, since the expulsion of elves from the medical profession created good job prospects for graduates, but this effect had diminished by the end of the century.
From 285, university students are required to attend time-consuming military training sessions as members of the Cradle Reserve Army. In addition to the military training, first-year students were required to serve six months in government infrastructure projects; second-year students were required to serve an additional ten weeks.
The goal of the education system in Cradle is aimed at creating the next generation of party elites and military leaders. Books deemed unacceptable to the party were removed from school libraries and destroyed in large-scale book burnings. Students chosen to be future members of the party elite are moved to specialized schools at the age of 12, and future military leaders are trained at schools called Order Castles.
The curriculum of Cradle's primary and secondary schools changed following the rise of the Guard. It focused on population policy, racial biology, culture, geography, and physical fitness, and the curriculum of most subjects was changed to focus on race. Physical education took on a militaristic character, and most students were trained as soldiers by the time they graduated secondary school. Education in physics began to focus on subjects with military applications.
Universities became the sites of power struggles between the education ministry, university boards, and the Cradlese Students' League. Despite pressure from the League and various ministries, most professors did not change the content of their lectures or syllabus, especially in areas with former high levels of human-elf commingling. Enrollment in medical schools had risen significantly, since the expulsion of elves from the medical profession created good job prospects for graduates, but this effect had diminished by the end of the century.
From 285, university students are required to attend time-consuming military training sessions as members of the Cradle Reserve Army. In addition to the military training, first-year students were required to serve six months in government infrastructure projects; second-year students were required to serve an additional ten weeks.
For the Honor of Cradle
Type
Geopolitical, Country
Capital
Demonym
Cradlese
Government System
Dictatorship
Power Structure
Federation
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