The Republic of the Northern Caucasus
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Map of the Republic of Montana (Green) in the Caucasus region (White) Abkhazia is shown in olive green
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Flag of the Republic of Montana
Capital: Vedeno
Offivial Languages: Chechen, Kabardian, Ossetic, Ingush, Balkar, Abkhaz
Unofficial Languages: German, Dagestani, English, Turkish
Official Currency: Montani Dollar (.6 USD)
Government: Federal Constitutional Republic
The Republic of the Northern Caucasus, unofficially the Republic of Montana, is a Federal Republic in the Northern Caucasus region. It is comprised of many ethnic groups, including Chechens, Ossetians, Kabardians, Ingushetians, Balkars, and Abkhazians. It has had a tumultuous history, going from a secession movement, to a German puppet, to being invaded by Belaist Russia and the Great Abkhaz Betrayal, to a Communist Dictatorship, to the modern Republic, and now to the Abkhaz conflict.
HISTORY:
The Northern Caucasus region spent much of its history with infighting between its many ethnicities,
before being subsumed by the Russian Empire in the nineteenth century. In the following decades, every so often one of them nations would revolt, only to be brutally crushed. In the early twentieth century though, several politicians from across the many ethnic groups and nations formed the Union of the Peoples of the Northern Caucasus, which advocated a peaceful split from Russia. When Russia collapsed into civil war in early 1917, it was the perfect opportunity.
The Mountainous Republic of the Northern Caucasus was declared on the 5th of August, 1917. Its constitution established a Federal Republic system, but it was mostly run by the military in its early years. Germany quickly recognized the young nation, and sent troops to aid it, as well as many of the other separatist movements in the oil-rich Caucasus at the time. The Mountainous Republic's forces won a key victory against the forces of Anton Denikin of the White Movement, and the Bolsheviks were forced to recognize the independence of the Caucasian states in the treaty of Vilnius*.
The young Republic had many problems plaguing it. For one, the Germans had refused to withdraw their troops from the country, and there were several outbursts of violence in response. For another, although a (reasonably) fair election for the legislature had been held, the president, Tapa Tchermoeff, refused to step down. Luckily, a bloody civil war was avoided, when the Germans withdrew their forces in 1921, and President Tchermoeff agreed to respect the wishes of the parliement.
As the rest of the Caucasus countries fell increasingly under either German or Turkish influence, so too did the Mountainous Republic. The Republic joined Mitteleuropa in 1925, signed a trade agreement with Germany, giving German corporations the rights to dig for oil, and many of the people even started speaking German as a lingua franca. Tchermoeff drew the line at joining with any German military alliances or pacts, seeing how well that had worked out in the Great war. Unfortunately, that also meant that the Mountainous republic was less defended than other nations.
As Russia began to turn towards Belaism, Germany grew concerned more and more with the Caucasus region. After the Annexation of the Don Free State, President Tchermoeff finally agreed to join the Allies, an act that angered much of the parliement, especially the Abkhazian delegates, who did not like the German warships in their harbors, and grew paranoid of a German invasion. This would also be Tchermoeff's last major decision, as he died a few weeks later.
When war was finally declared in 1940, the Mountainous Republic of the Northern Caucasus had no commander in chief, and several of its constituents were threatening to secede. Abkhazia took advantage of the situation, and declared its independence, and immedialtely allied with Belaist Russia.
This was known as "The Great Abkaz Betrayal"
Abkhazia invaded the Kuban Republic, the State of Georgia, and the Mountainous Republic, all with the support of Belaist Russia
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Map of the Caucasus region after "The Great Abkhaz Betrayal" 1941
As Russia collapsed in the late 40s, a Communist resurgence began, and as the Neo-Bolsheviks gained ground in the far east, the partisans in the Caucasus managed to break the Russo-Abkhaz hegemony over the former Mountainous Republic. Inspired by the Neo-Bolshevik movement, the Federation of the Peoples of the Mountains was established. Although it at first attempted to be a Libertarian Socialist state, it quickly became an authoritarian one.
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The flag of the Montana Socialist Republic (1948-1979)
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Map of the Montana Socialist Republic, showing the "Special administration zones" of Abkhazia and South Ossetia
The Montana Socialist Republic punished Abkhazia for its betrayal, forcibly relocating all Abkhazians into the Special Administration Zone of Abkhazia. Abkhaz speakers were treated as second class citizens, and were used as cheap labor by the regime. The Regime was not exactly friendly to its citizens either, insisting on trying to break down ethnic differences to "strengthen the Montani identity" It soon became a pariah state, and its dictator became increasingly paranoid about American or German invasion. it cut off all oil shipments to America and Germany.
In 1979, however, the longstanding dictator died. A short, but violent, civil war began, ending with the establishment of the American-backed Republic of Montana. In 1984, Dagestan held a referendum on independence, which passed. However, Abkhazia has held four such referendums, and all have been ruled invalid by the Montani courts.
in 2010, the Abkhazians rebelled against the Republic of Montana. The war has been bloody, and long lasting, due to the United States backing of the Montani government, and the German backing of Abkhazia. Currently, the Montana Republic is winning, and the rebels have been forced back to the strip of land surrounding Sukhumi.
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Flag of the Abkhazian Liberation Army
Despite all of this, the Republic of Montana has been rebuilt, largely with american aid, and is considered to be the most Democratic state in the Caucasus.
*treaty of Vilnius=Treaty of Brest-Litovsk