Weekly Flag Challenge: Discussion & Entries

Alright here is my entry @The Professor
I admit that it did get a lot more wordy than I had wanted it to be but...well it is what it is.

The Eternal Kingdom of Albion (Francland)
&

The Restored Kingdom of Albion (Britain)

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“In 1066, the House of Godwin, simply a notable house of England, took the throne, when Edward the Confessor passed to the next realm and bequeathed onto his brother-in-law his throne. King Harold the Unyielding was crowned in a time of turmoil, with not one, but two foreign armies marching onto the shores of his kingdom. Riding into battle at Hastings in a successful surprise attack, though his brothers would fall, King Harold would heroically snatch victory from the jaws of defeat by having a third of his forces feign retreat before moving back into battle to flank the Norman army. With the death of Duke William the Bastard, the Harold saw many of the invaders swear fealty to him in exchange for amnesty, and his renewed forces would then spend the remainder of the year, and it successor, crushing any bandits and remnants of both the Norgeman and Norman forces that would not bend the knee. And so began the glorious reign of the Godwins…”

- History of the Realm, written 1539​

“As much as the many Anglophiles around the world may not want to admit it, there is more than a trove of findings to suggest that King Harold II did not actually order his men to feign retreat and return later in the battle. Rather, by the accounts we’ve found, and the physical evidence, what it is far, far more likely that those men really did retreat and abandon their king to die; however, one amongst them, who King Harold would grant a title and lands to, took control the group and inspired them enough to go back into the battle, saving Harold at the last minute…”

- Prof. Ælfric Windsor, University of Southern Katherinia​

“King Ulf I of England’s reign is essentially surmised by a simple phrase: when the cat's away the mice will play. The invasion of Wales was seen by Ulf as a necessity for honoring his father Harold the Unyielding, who had defeated Gruffydd ap Llywelyn, the first uniter of Wales, before his own kingship. Since that time, Idwal ap Gruffydd had reunited Wales and had made it clear that he would ensure its unity and independence. Gruffydd’s wife had married Harold II and was thus Ulf’s mother, making Idwal ap Gruffydd his half-brother, but Ulf was determined to prove himself worthy of his father’s throne.

But while the campaign in Wales slowed down to a crawl, Ulf’s twin brother Harold, ruling as regent, would begin consolidating his own powerbase and creating a strong alliance with the Scots through careful agreements that ensured Northumbria’s protection from Scottish raids. While Ulf would successfully subjugate Wales through a partition and vassalage to England, his death from sickness soon afterward meant that Harold was the real winner. Assuming the throne as Harold III, his actions, both with the Scots and his policy of stern but fair treatment of his Welsh vassals, cemented English power, and that of the House of Godwin.”

- GODWIN, 2002 Documentary​

“If there is a king whose story is well known, it’s that of Edmund the Invincible. Almost any child born in an English speaking territory can recite the nursery rhyme of ‘Great King Eddie’:

‘Danes from the East,
Welsh from the West;
That was Eddie’s test!

And he threw them,
Threw them to the Sea!
Great King Eddie!

French from the South,
Rebels from the North;
Eddie’s men march forth!’

And he threw them,
Them to the Sea
Great King Eddie!’​

Indeed, his repulsion of Danish and French forces (killing their monarchs in battle as well), along with the suppression of a peasant revolt, the total conquest of the rebellious Welsh, and the eventual formalization of the Witenaġemot would earn him a nearly mythic place in the annals of history. Adding to his tale of course, is that of Edmund’s throne, the so-called Throne of Crowns, due to the story telling us that Edmund ordered the crowns, coronets, medallions, and all other headpieces and symbols of state made from precious metals that he had claimed in his years of battle, be melted down and used to create a throne for him and his heirs to rule from. Thus Edmund’s fame is truly topped only by his descendant Wulfnoth II, or the Dread Wolf, as the Scandinavians would call him…”

- Glory!: Albionic History, by Wilma Yldling​

“At its height in 1736, the Kingdom of Albion, formally the Kingdom of England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Normandy, France, Occitaine, Aquitaine, Holland, Norgeland, Danland, Sleswick, and Saxony, was a formidable power that dominated European affairs for centuries, growing ever-more as its enemies foolishly challenged it. Whenever a region would fall, ultimately, the war was never won, as soon enough an army from the Kingdom’s other regions, rallying in Britain, would counter-attack and reclaim what was lost. Ultimately, the British Isles were the heart of the Kingdom, hence why the primary language of Albion was English, and the Isles well told impenetrability served as a center point for their strategies. Even its name came from the Isles, being an ancient name for them that was repurposed as a poetic name for the regions under the rule of the House of Godwin, later becoming the commonly used name for the kingdom in total…

…The fall of Albion would come not with a long conquest, but with a series of unfortunate events. With the death of King Harold IV, his sons Wulfnoth, Æthelweard, and Canute would dispute the line of succession. However, before blows could be delivered by any of them, a fire in the palace would see all Canute perish, while Wulfnoth, returning from a brief stay in the colonies, would die in a storm, leaving Æthelweard as king for a period of six months before the death of his wife in childbirth to their third stillborn child, along with the passing of his mother Julia of Firenze, would drive him to suicide. With the House of Godwin essentially extinguished, numerous claimants to the throne would crawl from the woodwork, and the collapse of Albion would begin…

...The current lands of Albion are torn between two countries, each calling themselves the “Kingdom of Albion,” although one utilizes the term “the Restored Kingdom of Albion” and the other “the Eternal Kingdom of Albion”. Most refer to the first as Britain, and the second as Francland. Unlike its two sibling nations, the Noble Republic of the North Sea does not attempt to claim any mantle of succession to the Old Kingdom.

…King Artur XI, of the House of Staller (which claims descent from Eadnoth the Constable, steward to Edward the Confessor) is the current monarch of Britain, and is, in effect, an autocrat with absolute authority, his Witenaġemot being an entirely appointed cabinet of scholars, nobles, and generals to whom he will delegate tasks to. In contrast, Francland has no actual monarch, recognizing the House of Godwin as the only family fit to rule all of Albion and, with said family now extinct aside from a handful of offshoot branches with tenuous claims muddied by generations of foreign blood. And so, the Francland government recognizes “Jesus Christ our Saviour as our King Spiritual, and Harold the Fourth, last ruler of the House of Godwin, as our King Temporal, from now into eternity, no man standing capable of succeeding him as rightful sovereign.” When it comes to the actual ruling of the country, the Francish Witenaġemot is a meritocratic council of nobles whose members may be removed through plebiscite, and who grant the approval of law to the People’s Assembly, a gathering of representatives from the Kingdom’s administrative regions…

…While war is unlikely, much contention remains between Britain and Francland, their governments refusing to recognize the other and both claiming each other’s territory. That King Artur XI sits in the Throne of Crowns in the traditional capital of London, and controls the ever important Albionic citadel that was British Isles, lends Britain more legitimacy in the eyes of some, but Francland’s size, possession of numerous artifacts, major cities, its alliance with the North Sea, and its greater influence and power on the global stage mean that most political scientists would deem it the successor state.”

- Examination of Politics in the Modern Era, 1894 Katherinian textbook​

“The flag of the Restored Kingdom of Albion is taken from one of the primary battle flags and royal banners of Old Albion, based on the arms used by Edward the Confessor on his currency. The earliest use of the banner was in the early 1400s, but it fell out of use by the late-1600s, replaced by the more commonly known banner of Old Albion. The Restored Kingdom added the wyvern of Wessex to represent their claim the traditional heartland of Albion…
...The flag of the Eternal Kingdom of Albion takes the original flag of its predecessor state and places a red border around it. The Old Albionic flag utilizes a cross for Christianity, the blue and gold of the previous flag derived from the attributed arms of Edward the Confessor, based on arms used in his currency, and places this cross on white to represent peace and glory throughout the realm. The Eternal Kingdom’s use of red comes from the traditional color of the monarchy, the border representing the Old Kingdom of Albion as a whole, which they lay claim to.”

- The Little Book of Flags, 1902​

 
Er, there's only one official challenge, created by the previous challenge's winner. The Professor posted his for the week on this page; it's the quoted block of text

You're right. Wrong thread. Sorry.

Mind you, you are allowed to make suggestions for future challenges (I had a few in my first post), but it's very unlikely that they will be adopted. I think that the challenge suggestions have only been used once by a winner.

I have no idea where you had this stored, but thanks a ton !

You're welcome a ton!

They're thumbnails. On our wiki, you can click any thumbnail to enlarge it. And keep clicking until you get to the source file. (Same principle as on Wikipedia and so on.)

I've experimented with larger thumbnails, but the more leeway I gave them, the more horrible it started to look. The tables started feeling overwhelming and adding unintentionally to the length of the whole page.

Maybe try making them just a little bit bigger and seeing if the table flow still works? I feel like the images should be the main focus of the showcase.

I've thought about that, but it would be too much of a hassle to move everything and to rework the table in order to include the voting threads and whatnot.

Understandable. You've already put a lot of work into these.

I'm afraid I'm not going to change that.

I don't think that dividing by year would be quite as confusing as you think, but it's a minor point.
 
Empire of Northern France & Confederation of Southern France
Empire du nord de la France & Confédération de Sud de la France
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Top flag: northern France, bottom flag: southern France
No empire lasts for ever, not even the one built by Napoléon I. After Napoléon III was defeated, the empire his uncle built shook itself to pieces. Decades later, most of petty states that formed after the collapse met in Paris to discuss the creation a new empire. The northern states agreed to a plan tried to recreate the old empire as close as possible, even electing Napoléon V as the emperor. The southern states thought that the new government should be more of spiritual successor rather than trying to recreation of everything the old empire was.
Soon after the meeting in Paris, the Empire of Northern France claimed the southern states as part of the empire even though they voted against the plan created. In response. the southern states formed the Confederation of Southern France. Originally, the confederation was only created as protection from the empire, but after time the confederation began to take the form of the spiritual successor the southern states thought should have been created. After one year of stalemated fighting, a peace was formed with both nation claiming the other.
 
Royal State of Ethiopia
&
People's Federation of Ethiopia

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In TTL, horrible droughts and famines along with general incompetence and heavy-handed repression from the Ethiopian central government lead to a complete collapse. In the end, two competing nations rise from the ruins of the second-most populous African nation.

It is thought that the new ethnically-based districts created in the 90-s sowed the seeds of Ethiopia's destruction. The Oromo people, the largest ethnic group in Ethiopia went through a phase of political consolidation and with no representation on the central government, became an "opposition in the streets". Eventually they were joined by the Amhara people, the second largest ethnic group. This was an unlikely alliance if there ever was one, because the Amhara people had a much stronger cultural, linguistic and religious affinity with the government. However, the Amhara people regarded the central government as unfairly dominated by politicians from smaller ethnic groups.

Thus, when the cycle of droughts, famines, protests and crackdowns finally ended in a complete rebellion, both the Oromo and the Amhara met in the streets of Addis Ababa as the central government fell.

However, the former revolutionaries became adversaries almost before the night was over. It was obvious from the start that both groups had completely different ideas about the future of Ethiopia. The Oromo argued for the devolution of more power, in order to stop the central government dominance. The Amhara considered the creation of ethnically-based federation the main mistake done by the previous government and stated that a unitary Ethiopian state is the only way forward.

The civil war that followed was short and inconclusive, ending in a cease-fire with both sides controlling mainly the same amount of territory as before. But where the amount of combat deaths was low, the acts of ethnic cleansing from both sides ended in a catastrophic amount of casualties, as hundreds of thousands of people either fled or were caught in forced population transfers.

In the end, the situation has mostly stabilized. Although neither of the successor states has recognized the other, the cease-fire lines have become de-facto borders and neither state seems to be eager for the continuation of armed conflict. Both have instead turned their attention to creating the sort of Ethiopian state they envisioned before.

The Royal State of Ethiopia (official capital Addis Ababa (divided), de-facto capital Gondar) has established a completely unitary state. Tribal affiliations are officially ignored, as are any languages other than Amharic and any religions other than Ethiopian Orthodox Church. The Amhara have restored the Solomonic dynasty under the monarch Kwestantions III (Zera Yacob Amha Selassie) to create a unifying figure for the new state. However, the monarch is no more than a figurehead and the nominally parliamentary monarchy is in effect a single-party state.

The flag of the Royal State is a throwback to the oldest Ethiopian flag - the three pennants colored red, yellow and green. One of the few non-rectangular flags in the world, the oriflamme-shaped banner features a Conquering Lion of Judah (representing the restored monarchy) in the center of a red field, framed with yellow and green, the traditional Ethiopian colors.

The People's Federation of Ethiopia (official capital Addis Ababa (divided), de-facto capital Dire Dawa) has brought the devolution of power to the maximum. Every officially recognized tribe in the Federation has complete control over their own affairs, with only the military and foreign affairs as common. In practice, this has unfortunately left most people other than the Oromo worse off, as the Oromo interests dominate all parts of the economy and trade, but no fiscal transfers from the central government exist. The nominal federation is no more than a loose affiliation of tribes, dominated by the largest of them.

The flag of the People's Federation in contrast features a new, American-influenced design that is meant to represent the future. The old Ethiopian emblem of yellow pentagram with shining rays on blue, symbolizing the different people united in freedom and diversity is moved to the canton and framed by two stripes of yellow and red.
 
WFC 172 19th century Moldavia schism.jpg


Historical background
At the dawn of the 19th century, Moldavia was entering an era of growing opposition to Ottoman overlordship. The Russian Empire was contemplating taking the region from the Ottomans, in order to further expand its borders in a southwest direction. However, a tougher situation during the Napoleonic Wars forced Russia to focus its military westward. The government of Wallachia, sensing a grand opportunity in Russia being too preoccupied, decided to act quicker. Though it took a fair amount of expense and military commitment, Wallachia led a successful rebellion against the Ottomans in the early years of the new century. Aside from their own territory, they gradually ejected the Ottomans out of southern Moldavia as well, then mopped up the rest in the north or allowed them safe passage back to Ottoman territory.

By that point, Russia had regained its footing, but was forced to compensate for missing a window of opportunity. On the surface, it came in support of Wallachia at the signing of an armistice treaty with the Ottomans in Bucurest. But beneath that veneer of support, it wanted something in return. It threatened Wallachia with invasion if they'd attempt a direct annexation of Moldavia, and the creation of a larger monarchical union between the two lands. After careful consideration, the Wallachian government and Moldavian provisional government agreed. Nevertheless, being the clever clogs that they were, they decided to instead grant Moldavia independence and keep it closely allied with Wallachia. Just so Russia wouldn't get any ideas.

The Principality of Moldavia was reborn ! Now completely independent, rather than an Ottoman vassal, for the first time in centuries. The good news was only exacerbated with a discovery that occured during that momentous time. The House of Drăculești was thought to have gone largely extinct in the 17th century, but a descendant of their's resurfaced in an aristocratic family from abroad. Moving to Moldavia after being cordially invited to be crowned prince of the principality, the newcomer quickly became well-liked by his new subjects.

However, these optimistic times were short-lived. By the early 1820s, a progressive-minded grouping of Moldavian intelligentsia, townsmen and young aristocrats took an interest in the social and political changes that had swept Europe and the world in recent times. The principality needed modernisation, and not just in terms of commerce and industry. A form of slavery was still being practiced in this corner of the world, an unpleasant remnant of past times. Something the progressives in both Wallachia and Moldavia wanted to end, once and for all. Surprisingly, Moldavia's eagerness was even greater than Wallachia's. Unfortunately, political disagreements between the traditional monarchists, backing the prince and his road map for abolition, and the enlightenment-and-nationalism influenced aristocrats, intelligentsia and townsmen, would soon drive a wedge between both groups. The long and arduous process of getting the shameful practice abolished exacerbated the amount of time in which more radical ideas could spread against the more outspoken abolitionist faction. They now also maintained that the abolishment of serfdom needs to be carried out at the same time. While the disputes over the exact details were slight at first, they grew pettier with time. Finally, a more radical wing of the progressives faction formed, and they were in support of far deeper reforms to Moldavia than just abolitionism...

In the late 1820s, spontaneous clashes broke out between important members of the various factions. Before one could really make heads or tails of the situation, street fighting broke out, several army regiments rebelled against the principality's government, joining the more radical abolitionists or the outright radicals and things got more complicated from there... Many of the radical-minded members of the aristocracy joined in, sensing career opportunities if this revolution goes the right way. To cut a long story short, after two weeks of fighting, the radicals took control of much of the south (including the capital), and shortly afterward proclaimed the Popular Republic of Moldavia. The prince was already gone for a week and a half, having hidden in the north of the country until things calm down. But, contrary to his expectations, things would not calm down anytime soon - the Moldavian Civil War would last for three more years...

Now it is some fifty years later and the principality of Moldavia, refounded in the 1800s/1810s, is no more. In its place stand the Popular Republic of Moldavia in the south (a democratic, but quite oligarchical/aristocratic republic) and the Sovereign Principality of Moldavia in the north (a rump remnant of the principality, still claiming its entire former territory, but now more pragmatic about it). The Principality of Wallachia, Moldavia's natural ally and once potential annexer, is in a somewhat unenviable position. For the time being, it is forced to walk a tight rope, courting both of the successor states to the Principality of Moldavia. It cannot risk losing their favour, due to crucial strategic interests in the future. Either way, unification efforts have become stuck. Most Wallachian leaders would already liked to have seen Moldavia uniting with Wallachia and forming a stronger-together Romania, that could potentially face both the Ottomans and Russia, if need be. The emergence of a Moldavian republic has thrown a spanner in the works of this bold plan. How could the Wallachian monarchy comfortably reabsorb their now-republican Moldavian brethren, short of conquest ? The government does not want to harm and alienate a very close ally. At the same time, the Sovereign Principality of Moldavia, while getting the same guarantees and support from Wallachia as their southern rivals, is furious over the situation. For now, there is clear deadlock. Both the republic and the rump principality insist they are the rightful successor of the original principality. Could a solution be found one day ? Will this timeline see the emergence of a united Romania, whether monarchical or republican ? Only time will tell...

Flag situation
Because the radicals that founded the Popular Republic kept the principality's traditional charge - an aurochs head - on their flag, the Sovereign Principality was forced to modify their flag to exclude the aurochs, in order to prevent potential confusion. The founders of the republic removed several smaller charges that traditionally accompany the aurochs charge, these smaller ones being borrowed from the coat of arms of the House of Drăculești. Instead, they emphasised the floral charges surrounding the head, and added a Phrygian cap to their flag, a symbol of republican revolution. Outraged over this, the refounded princely family retalliated by giving extra focus to these omitted charges on the new flag for their unfortunate, rump principality. They included them as part of a newer version of their House's original coat of arms, this newer version being clearly visible at the centre of the flag.
 
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Not long to go!
I'll post the poll sometime tomorrow afternoon (GMT) so get your last minute entries in.
We already have some very nice ones :cool:.
 
Latest challenge announced. Good luck!
HerrWasser said:
Flag Challenge #173: Freedom is Slavery

Design a flag for a totalitarian, 1984-esque, one-party state of the dystopia. It can arise from a form of communism,
fascism, or some other ideology that existed somewhere in history or in some alternate timeline. A detailed history
of your totalitarian experiment is recommended, although it is not required.

P.S. You are free to create a flag for a pre-existing dystopia, as long as it has no official flag already.

Submissions Open: Now
Submissions Close: 17th September, 2017
Voting Closes: 24th September, 2017
 
United Svetskiy Scholarland of Russia
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ITTL, an alternate USSR forms under a form of militant atheism rather than communism, leading to a russia completely focused on closing itself off from the rest of the world and exploiting everything and everyone they can for the sake of technological dominance over every other nation on earth.

The people are given no elections. No voice. No liberty. Nor do they need such things. Having common man influence the nation is only going to lead it to ruin, as western deals, the media and religion only corrupt them to the point of degeneracy. The people will be educated, no matter what it takes or what they say. Religion is a lie, faith is what stopped our nation from being its most efficient, its needless doctrines and laws kept humanity in the dark for generations for the benefit of the despots. Now, we will bring a long overdue golden age that will never end. We will protect Russia and the world from the incorrect and backwards views of the west.

This USSR flag features a blank black background with a solid blue circle behind a black box. The black represents the nothingness of space, as the ideology of this USSR teaches that there is no god above humanity and nature. This circle represents the earth and how Russia is above it, figuratively and, by inevitably inventing space travel, literally. The box contains the elemental symbol of earth, or at least a stylized version of it. this represents Russia protecting its people and the rest of the world from whatever they can, letting them thrive and reach their full potential.
 
The Novist Khanate
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Brief Timeline
A wider Civil War in the Russian Empire leads to defeat of the Bolsheviks but an unstable republican government.
Roman (von Ungern-)Sternberg founds the pan-national Nova or Novist Party in response to growing Russian Nationalism.
A Nationalist coup provokes a Novist countercoup and militarist government under President Roman Sternberg
Novist Party slowly gains control of all state apparatus.
President Sternberg adopts title of Khan originally a pejorative by his opponents.
Foundation Wars establish the Khanate.

Ideology
Originally a blend of Orthodox Christian and Buddhist ideals.
Primary goal is to establish a global Eden populated by "Angelic Man" and all other goals are subordinated to this. Angelic Man is held to be the original humanity before the fall of the first civilisation in Eden - purported to be near the Aral Sea.
It is held that the Fall split humanity into 4 Quarter Races:
* Aryans - who further split into ancestral Europeans and Indo-Persians
* Adomites - who split into Semites and Africans
* Altaics - who split into Native Americans and the Turko-Mongols
* Asiatics - who split into Orientals and Aborigines
Historical empires are said to owe their success to due to a mixing of subtypes that brought them close to 1 or more Quarter Racial types.
The State thus licenses and authorises all progeny to promote hybridisation in furtherance of Angelic Man, hybrids being favoured in all aspects of the State.
Only Novist Party members are allowed in governance and must undergo regular physical, mental, and spiritual testing to prove their fitness.

The Flag
The flag features the Novist Sun device in gold on black.
The symbol is a merger of various European and Asian sun symbols such as the Slavic Suncross and Indian Svastika.
 
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The Republic of Mankind Ascendant
Die Republik der
Übermenchheit
Reipublicae Homines Excultus


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"In 1889 Friedrich Nietzsche suffered a collapse. Having faced several before and ultimately perishing after more in 1902, this fact is often glossed over by historians. However, we who have studied Nietzsche note that it was following this that his writings saw a shift in their tone. Will to Power and The Ascension were far more aggressive and revolutionary than the others before it, and far more political, The Ascension outright outlining how a state could be created that would ensure the creation of the overman, and Will to Power critiquing modern political systems as a primary fault for mankind's lack of progress. As economic turmoil weakened the German state, Nietzche's new writings fed the discontentment, and grew in popularity before simmering back down, though various Neitzschean groups would come to mark the political sphere, drawing disillusioned Marxists as well. And of course, the trend would only rise further with the failure of the Reich to secure victory in the Great War..."

- Nietzsche: Study of a Madman by Mark J. Stuart, 2003 documentary
"We shall rise! We shall throw off the slave morality that yokes us, we shall rise above nations, above faith, above ideology. We shall form new morals and beliefs based upon our own will to power! The pursuit of glory shall be our quest, and ambition shall be our guide! And on this day we will end the foolish human order that keeps us restrained, that attempts to smother us as a mass, that attempts to drive us all to nihilistic mayhem by refusing to know the death of God before it is too late! We shall build a new order for us, mankind ascendant, we overmen! We shall build a global nation that will determine its own existence, that shall end the long night and discover purpose without divine presence. We will forge this nation, forge ourselves, into something greater than any mortal has ever known! Our hammers of will shall take iron and blood and shall beat it against an anvil of comprehension, crafting a blade of revolution that will cut away the last of the slave states!"

- The Forge Speech, Herman Müller, 1933
"Life in the Republic of Mankind Ascendant, or simply 'the Republic', as its inhabitants know it, is an enigmatic place. No outsiders, 'slaves' and 'untermensch' as they call us, are allowed in unless one can prove devotion to the cause of revolution and belief in Nietzchean Ascensionism, a task that no spy has successfully done, and thus our only knowledge comes from defectors and the few aerial missions that have not been shot down. These things we do know: their indoctrination of the youth is total, educating that they, the overmen, Homo excultus, are a mentally evolved species that has come above humanity, that while physically the same, they are superior in nearly all ways, given that their moral system has meant that science is pushed further through inhumane testing, supposedly resulting in a healthier and stronger people. Enlistment in the military is required, but as the military regime physically monitors and officially owns all forms of business, be that legal, medical, recreational, or even artistic, it is better to say that all citizens are part of the military, or that the military is itself the state. Regardless of profession, however, all citizens learn combat skills to a degree most nations would rule as elite, and defectors have claimed that all citizens pass one final test in the execution of a traitor, or a voluntary suicider who they are told is a traitor. This test acts as a form of graduation, and graduates are normally in the age range of sixteen to nineteen depending on natural abilities. It is at that point that education in other fields is opened, the trainees picking hobbies those studies will align with to focus on for their free time. Due to this, obedience is high, and even most defectors are advanced in age, when their zealotry begins to fade. Children betraying or even executing parents that stray beyond the demarcation of cynical and traitorous, and even occasionally the inverse, is not unknown, especially if the state wishes to test their loyalty as proof that the parent or child did not influence them. Given that the state's purpose is to ensure the ascension of all, monitoring of each and every citizen is constant, with cameras and listening devices in every home and vehicle, though their laws are few beyond the 'absolute moral truths' that their 'overman perspective' creates, namely the illegalization of murder, theft, permanent injury, and treason to the state, both politically and ideologically. However various acts of assault, rape, and harassment, are entirely legal, even to children. Some, of course, would note that such things would permanently harm a child, at least psychologically, but the ascensionists believe that, while a child is given more protections, sparing children from all harm would only weaken them and hinder their development of their own morality, values, and purpose. This is, of course, one of many cases where the regime has taken its own radical applications of Nietzchean ideology on topics and concept the man himself never wrote of. Most nations, especially Forrenzist ones that possess morality police, would find the Republic a disgusting place as the aforementioned laws create a place where sadomasochism, pornography (including of minors), blood sport, and drug abuse are rampant, and envy and jealousy are almost encouraged as all attempt to gain as much personal power as they can, without endangering the state. Mental analysis of defectors have found nearly all to have developed into sociopaths, and even decades after leaving, sociopathic tendencies remain."

- The Forge is Hell, by Amber O'Connor, 2011
"A river of fiery will shall carve the path of truth in the long night of nihilism. It's guiding star is the hammer, blade, and anvil, representing the self-driven rebirth of mankind as the overmen."

- Department of Artistic Endeavors, official statement on the meaning of the Republic's flag​
 
fascist korea flag.png


The entity calling itself the "State of Korea" was forged in nuclear fire. When the United States deployed atomic weapons against its enemies for the second time in under a decade, this time to hold back the threat of Communist China, much of the region was devastated, not just by the bombs themselves, but by the fallout, and by Chinese reprisals using conventional weapons. President Truman attempted to relieve General MacArthur from command in retaliation for the destruction he had caused, but MacArthur concluded that the President had been corrupted by Communist influences, and responded by going rogue.

With the American and South Korean armies disorganized and damaged by the escalation of the war, MacArthur was able to seize control for himself. Acting with the cooperation of Syngman Rhee, he ordered a purge of suspected Communist sympathizers in the South Korean government. Those who disobeyed his orders--Americans and UN troops alike--were detained on suspicion of treason and, in many cases, shot.

Thus began the fall of Korea into dictatorship.

Macarthur and Rhee ruthlessly stamped out any inkling of leftist thought within their new state, using the remnants of the South Korean secret police as well as the most fanatical anti-Communists in the UN forces. It became immediately apparent that the State of Korea was as iron-fisted and tyrannical as any nation in the Communist Bloc, if not more so. Horrified, the UN immediately began drawing up plans to liberate the peninsula from Macarthur and Rhee's control, with the US reluctantly deciding to help bring its prodigal son to heel...

(Yes, I know this is ASB in every possible sense. But I came up with the idea of doing a fascist Korean flag and didn't want it to just be DPRK 2.0, so I had to figure out a timeline where South Korea became totalitarian--and conveniently, both Douglas MacArthur and Syngman Rhee really, really hated Communists.)
 
The Republic of Mankind Ascendant
Die Republik der
Übermenchheit
Reipublicae Homines Excultus

"In 1889 Friedrich Nietzsche suffered a collapse. Having faced several before and ultimately perishing after more in 1902, this fact is often glossed over by historians. However, we who have studied Nietzsche note that it was following this that his writings saw a shift in their tone. Will to Power and The Ascension were far more aggressive and revolutionary than the others before it, and far more political, The Ascension outright outlining how a state could be created that would ensure the creation of the overman, and Will to Power critiquing modern political systems as a primary fault for mankind's lack of progress. As economic turmoil weakened the German state, Nietzche's new writings fed the discontentment, and grew in popularity before simmering back down, though various Neitzschean groups would come to mark the political sphere, drawing disillusioned Marxists as well. And of course, the trend would only rise further with the failure of the Reich to secure victory in the Great War..."

- Nietzsche: Study of a Madman by Mark J. Stuart, 2003 documentary
"We shall rise! We shall throw off the slave morality that yokes us, we shall rise above nations, above faith, above ideology. We shall form new morals and beliefs based upon our own will to power! The pursuit of glory shall be our quest, and ambition shall be our guide! And on this day we will end the foolish human order that keeps us restrained, that attempts to smother us as a mass, that attempts to drive us all to nihilistic mayhem by refusing to know the death of God before it is too late! We shall build a new order for us, mankind ascendant, we overmen! We shall build a global nation that will determine its own existence, that shall end the long night and discover purpose without divine presence. We will forge this nation, forge ourselves, into something greater than any mortal has ever known! Our hammers of will shall take iron and blood and shall beat it against an anvil of comprehension, crafting a blade of revolution that will cut away the last of the slave states!"

- The Forge Speech, Herman Müller, 1933
"Life in the Republic of Mankind Ascendant, or simply 'the Republic', as its inhabitants know it, is an enigmatic place. No outsiders, 'slaves' and 'untermensch' as they call us, are allowed in unless one can prove devotion to the cause of revolution and belief in Nietzchean Ascensionism, a task that no spy has successfully done, and thus our only knowledge comes from defectors and the few aerial missions that have not been shot down. These things we do know: their indoctrination of the youth is total, educating that they, the overmen, Homo excultus, are a mentally evolved species that has come above humanity, that while physically the same, they are superior in nearly all ways, given that their moral system has meant that science is pushed further through inhumane testing, supposedly resulting in a healthier and stronger people. Enlistment in the military is required, but as the military regime physically monitors and officially owns all forms of business, be that legal, medical, recreational, or even artistic, it is better to say that all citizens are part of the military, or that the military is itself the state. Regardless of profession, however, all citizens learn combat skills to a degree most nations would rule as elite, and defectors have claimed that all citizens pass one final test in the execution of a traitor, or a voluntary suicider who they are told is a traitor. This test acts as a form of graduation, and graduates are normally in the age range of sixteen to nineteen depending on natural abilities. It is at that point that education in other fields is opened, the trainees picking hobbies those studies will align with to focus on for their free time. Due to this, obedience is high, and even most defectors are advanced in age, when their zealotry begins to fade. Children betraying or even executing parents that stray beyond the demarcation of cynical and traitorous, and even occasionally the inverse, is not unknown, especially if the state wishes to test their loyalty as proof that the parent or child did not influence them. Given that the state's purpose is to ensure the ascension of all, monitoring of each and every citizen is constant, with cameras and listening devices in every home and vehicle, though their laws are few beyond the 'absolute moral truths' that their 'overman perspective' creates, namely the illegalization of murder, theft, permanent injury, and treason to the state, both politically and ideologically. However various acts of assault, rape, and harassment, are entirely legal, even to children. Some, of course, would note that such things would permanently harm a child, at least psychologically, but the ascensionists believe that, while a child is given more protections, sparing children from all harm would only weaken them and hinder their development of their own morality, values, and purpose. This is, of course, one of many cases where the regime has taken its own radical applications of Nietzchean ideology on topics and concept the man himself never wrote of. Most nations, especially Forrenzist ones that possess morality police, would find the Republic a disgusting place as the aforementioned laws create a place where sadomasochism, pornography (including of minors), blood sport, and drug abuse are rampant, and envy and jealousy are almost encouraged as all attempt to gain as much personal power as they can, without endangering the state. Mental analysis of defectors have found nearly all to have developed into sociopaths, and even decades after leaving, sociopathic tendencies remain."

- The Forge is Hell, by Amber O'Connor, 2011
"A river of fiery will shall carve the path of truth in the long night of nihilism. It's guiding star is the hammer, blade, and anvil, representing the self-driven rebirth of mankind as the overmen."

- Department of Artistic Endeavors, official statement on the meaning of the Republic's flag​
This reminds me of that weird thread about "dirigism" that popped up a few months ago and was parodied by RVBOmally.
 
This reminds me of that weird thread about "dirigism" that popped up a few months ago and was parodied by RVBOmally.

Interesting, I'll have to see if I can find that. I actually sort of reversed engineered the ideology of this state from something I was thinking of putting into my TL.
 
Thiudiska Rikijan

The 19th century saw the rise of Pan-Germanicism across Europe. Among Pan-Germanicists, there was a growing interest in studying the Proto-Germanic language in an attempt at reviving it, which was accomplished by the turn of the century through comparative linguistics, helped along with funding from wealthy Pan-Germanicists. With the revival of the Proto-Germanic language, called Thiudiska ("Thedish", from the old Germanic word for people or nation), many followers of the greater Pan-Germanic movement across Europe formed communities where Thiudiska was the lone language spoken. The goal being to develop it as a language suitable for daily use, such as in newspapers, books, government etc. A comparison can be made with the revival of Hebrew in OTL and the early Israeli community in Palestine formed by Zionists.

These early Thiudiska communities laid the groundwork for the Grautatheodalandan (Greater Germanic Nation), and the Thiudiska people today simply refer to their nation as Theodalandan (could be transliterated as "Thedeland", similar to the names of many Germanic nations e.g. Deutschland). Esotericism based on Germanic myth, legend, and archaeology was common among Pan-Germanic groups, and they readily used ancient Germanic symbols for themselves, some even revived old Germanic spiritual practice. The role of myths and esoteries in nationbuilding was well noted.

In the 1920's, the political party now called Thiudiska Fulkijoniz (Thedish Folks-Assembly) took political power. In the coming decades it plunged Europe into the depths of the most brutal war ever experienced by humanity, but in the end, after the atom bombings of Milan and Istanbul, it had fulfilled its purpose of uniting all Germanic peoples under one nation. In the present day it controls nearly all of Central Europe, the Low Countries, Northern France, the Baltic, all of Scandinavia (plus Finland), Britain, and large swathes of Eastern Europe.

In the present day, all the languages aside from Thiudiska within the Rikijan have died out as spoken languages. There are assumed to be a few hidden communities which still use the old languages from before Thiudiska was made the language of all the land and the people, though such communities are thoroughly illegal and it's common for everyone within such communities to be executed summarily upon discovery. It is illegal to preserve non-Germanic languages in any way, and the Rikijan has attempted to erase any knowledge or sign of them ever having existed within its borders. The Old Germanic languages are still allowed to exist in academia and to be spoken at homes. But the state has made sure that no one can survive and thrive without speaking Thiudiska as their main language. Though the Old Germanic languages are essentially dead.

The flag of the Thiudiska Rikijan is rather old school as modern flags go, being basically the same as the flag of the old Thiudiska Fulkijoniz party. The design and elements represent the vision of a truly Pan-Germanic society. The central element is the Dragon's Eye symbol, a symbol of deep significance within the modern Pan-Germanic mythology. It was historically a symbol used as a protective talisman against dragons, and of course, tales of dragons and dragonslayers are prominent in Germanic culture. Here the symbol is reinterpreted as representing the party's protection of all the Thiudiskijan, since the party considers the dragon to have historically stood in for any existential threat to the people, therefore the party has now taken up the mantle of supreme protector against any metaphorical dragons. The shape also represents the political administration of the Rikijan, since there's no fixed capital. The highest body of the government, the Rikijazthingan, does not meet in one capital city, but in fact moves from designated city to designated city (we won't recognize the name of these cities because every toponym has been Germanicized) and is headed by the Theudanaz, the supreme elected ruler of all the Rikijan. The party members in the Rikijazthingan who elect the Theudanaz are in turn elected by local Thingo, who represent particular regions and form the local government. The local Thingan are comprised of party representatives elected by the people. The Dragon's Eye symbol can be seen to represent how power is ensconced in the center (where the three arms meet) and radiates out (into the triangle) where the party can overlook more local concerns.

The symbol in the top-left canton is called the lightning-sun, and is taken from an ancient Germanic artifact. It represents the socio-mythological system of the party, which was meant to replace every non-Germanic religion which kept the Thiudiska apart from their true destiny of uniting and becoming the premier race on the planet. The party didn't want to create a new form of myth and superstition, but create a system of myth based in Germanic thought that'll serve as the societal glue keeping the Rikijan together. The party has also created something akin to State Shinto in which the position of the party and the Theudanaz is all that keeps the Thiudiska together and strong. Not only is this symbol essentially considered holy and revered, it represents the soul and might of the Germanic people, the essence that makes them what they are. The Rikijan also uses this symbol for the military.

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Thiudiska Rikijan

The 19th century saw the rise of Pan-Germanicism across Europe. Among Pan-Germanicists, there was a growing interest in studying the Proto-Germanic language in an attempt at reviving it, which was accomplished by the turn of the century through comparative linguistics, helped along with funding from wealthy Pan-Germanicists. With the revival of the Proto-Germanic language, called Thiudiska ("Thedish", from the old Germanic word for people or nation), many followers of the greater Pan-Germanic movement across Europe formed communities where Thiudiska was the lone language spoken. The goal being to develop it as a language suitable for daily use, such as in newspapers, books, government etc. A comparison can be made with the revival of Hebrew in OTL and the early Israeli community in Palestine formed by Zionists.

A fascinating flag with an equally fascinating story, well done!
 
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