My entry for the first
Sufficient Velocity Map of the Fortnight contest.
Theme: "Make a map of a place or country going through a renaissance or golden age."
Acadia’s Golden Revolution: 1903 – 1912
Acadia’s defeat in the 3rd Pan-American War was a devastating blow. The Burning Alliance’s victory over the Atlantic Powers marked the end of an era, and the beginning of a new, uncertain future. Acadia wasn’t the most harshly punished of the defeated. The New Netherlands were occupied as a fraternal realm by the Northerners. Florida lost considerable land to both the United Nations and Virginia. Imperial Britain lost Scotland to rebels, and Acadia to forced independence. In addition to restoring the pre-1807 borders between Acadia and the North, the Northerners demanded that the Empire cut all ties with Acadia, including travel and trade. The Incendiaries were tired of British meddling in American affairs, and planned to severe the Imperial toehold once and for all. To enforce the Treaty of Portland, the Northerners would occupy Acadia’s largest ports, as well as the old capital of Port-Royal. A dark cloud fell over the country, as Northern fire brigadiers began patrolling the streets of Saint John’s. The
Finger of God lurked in the city's harbor, with its gunnery officers ready to give the order if the citizenry felt keen to resist.
Despite this adversity, despite the Incendiaries breathing down Acadia’s neck, the newborn republic found serenity in the face of danger. While losing the protection and support of the Empire was frightening, like a young man leaving his father, Acadia’s independence empowered the nation to strive for greatness. The period immediately following the 3rd Pan-American War is now known as the Golden Revolution in Acadia, a time of great progress and experimentation. A time where calamity felt right around the corner, yet nothing seemed impossible.
Items of Interest
Sir Avery Toloure: Following their victory in Acadia’s first republican election in 1906, the Eutopians recruited Sir Avery Toloure as Minister of Telesophy. Sir Avery was a renown telesoph, with recordings of his lectures and interviews being sold across the continent. During the war, he was enlisted as a telesophic operator, and was quickly promoted to telesophic company captain after his management talents matched his telesophy. Like other Eutopian ministers, Sir Avery presented ambitious projects to undertake. The establishment of not one, or two, but six sixteen-hour telesophy studios. The creation of a nationwide “aural academy” to educate the populace in both the natural and humanist philosophies. The building of huge modern antennas to reach the most remote corners of the country. The mass purchase of receiver sets to distribute to needy families. It was a lot to ask, but it was a time when much was given. Telesoph receiver ownership jumped from 32% of households to 79% of households over the course of the Golden Revolution. Workers, students and parents had the benefit of informative lectures and soothing music to dull the monotony of the working day. Businesses and entrepreneurs could use breaks in programming to play their own advert recordings, creating fertile new markets. Even the occupying fire brigadiers would get jealous, occasionally turning on a purloined receiver in hopes of getting news from back home.
Director Claude Eastman: Acadia’s animation market was both cursed and blessed by the peace deal. For the last decade, most animatrons and animatronic tapes were imported from Britain. While many entertaining reels were available to viewers, both in the traditional booths and new theaters, it did mean that domestic animators had a great difficulty building a reputation. While the embargo with Britain did reduce the supply of tape and animation equipment, it also meant that Acadians were looking for entertainment from native animators, who made do with the materials available. Of note was Claude Eastman, a key player in the Golden Realism animation movement. Like other Golden Realists, Eastman used the camera to capture the profound joys and emotions of everyday life. Eastman’s masterpiece,
A Walk in Cailloux, displayed the simple joys of men and women enjoying each other’s company in the damaged town. Praised for contrasting the horrors of war with Acadian resilience, the tape became a national symbol. Eastman’s work would go on to earn an international reputation, with numerous copies being smuggled into Britain through Scotland and France. Eastman founded the First Animation Company in Surcy, which would become the heart of the Acadian animation industry for the next three decades.
The First Republican Railway: A key item of business for the Eutopian government was to repair the railstock damaged by Northerner shelling during the war. However, the Eutopians were never people for half measures. Rather than restore the outdated railstock, it would be torn out entirely, making way for larger grades that were the standard in both Canada and the United Nations. The new rails supported heavier trains, allowing for more goods to be carried in a single shipment. While some grumbled when their rail access was cut off for weeks to allow for new rail, the end result was a smoother, hardier rail system, allowing more people to tour the country and for the transport costs of goods to be reduced.
Dualistic patrons at Bonvoir’s Restaurant: The Golden Revolution was a time of expanding freedoms for minority populations. While immigrants, homophiles and Anglicans began to feel less hardship, the most dramatic improvements were for the dualistic people of the republic. While the British government first legally acknowledged the existence of dualistic identity in 1873, most dualistic people in the Empire still faced persecution from both their neighbors and government officials. In 1889 Acadia officially prohibited denial of service by emergency personnel, and extended this prohibition to all public facing members of government-supported enterprises in 1894. However, this motion often did not have support from municipalities, making it difficult to enforce. However, the Golden Revolution saw a wide increase in support for dualistic rights. On June 15th, 1904, Clare Lamothe, a dualistic woman, was asked to give up her seat to another woman on a Cobequid municipal trolley. While the trolley operator tried to apologize after realizing what he had done, the casual act of bigotry enraged the other trolley patrons, most of which stormed off the car in protest. A two-day long boycott of the municipal trolley system highlighted the failure of the government and served as an embarrassment for the city council. In response to the incident, the city council officially updated their courtesy memorandums to denounce such acts. Other cities followed suit, and in 1909 the Eutopian government passed the National Courtesy Act, prohibiting all forms of public and workplace discrimination of the basis of sex or perceived sex.
Cailloux prior to being rebuilt: Cailloux was one of the greatest tragedies for Acadia during the great war. While Acadians soldiers fought in every theater of the war, the Northerners decided not to commit to an invasion of Acadia. Most of their attacks were limited to raids on British fortifications and shelling of railways to head off a potential invasion by the British across the Acadian border. However, in the last phase of the war, to help guarantee a quick peace settlement, the Northerners decided to make a show of force. On September 9th of 1902, the
Finger of God sailed into Cailloux harbor, accompanied by a full flotilla. From dawn to dusk the warships bombarded the town with ruthless efficiency, using a mixture of explosive and naphtha shells to cause mass panic and devastation. By the time the ships sailed out in the evening, hundreds had been killed, and the town lay in smoldering ruins. After the war, there was a public debate of what to do with the town. Some suggested that it be turned into a national monument, to immortalize the lives that had been lost in the war. However, in 1906 the new Eutopian Chancellor Gabriel Gourgeon declared that “We shall honor our beloved dead by living the lives they have ought to have lived. We will not build a graveyard in soil fertile for a garden.” The reconstruction of Cailloux began in 1908, and by 1912 the town had a population comparable to its prewar numbers.
