Kalopia

[Polites]

Slavery in Kalopia
Kalopia moves to slave-based economy


Kalopian slaves in a textile factory

June 4194 - Since the infamous slaving company Eilomax established de facto control over the majority of the territory of Kalopia in 4190 and legalized slavery and human trafficking in areas under its control, stateless Kalopia has been gradually moving towards a slave based economy. Although most workers in Kalopia are not slaves, a recent deal arranged between Eilomax and the Rapa Pile pirates has greatly increased the company's supply of unfree laborers. Eilomax quickly moved to implement slave labor in all industries it controls, and companies employing Eilomax-provided slave labor have seen their profits skyrocket, growing local GDP and creating further incentives towards further implementation of slave labor throughout Kalopia. Moreover, the cheap labor provided by contracting Eilomax-owned slaves has attracted a large number of international investors from throughout Majatra and Terra, turning Kalopia into an economic hub, as had been the dream of the founding fathers of the anarcho-capitalist regime but perhaps not by the instruments they had in mind. But the gradual implementation of slave labor has not been without violent opposition, as the recent horrific attacks in the Istalian capital claimed by a Kalopian anarcho-syndicalist group have shown.


Revolutionary Front militants clash with Eilomax security forces

The Workers' Revolutionary Front for the Liberation of Wantuni is but one of the many groups militantly opposed to Kalopia's anarcho-capitalist project and to the adoption of slavery under the aegis of Eilomax and its ilk. But while the array of Kalopian, Tukaric, or Majatran nationalists, Ahmadists, and communists that forms the constellation of forces opposed to the stateless regime in Kalopia generally restrict their activities to Kalopia itself, the Revolutionary Front has captured the headlines with its terrorist attack in Romula that left 212 dead and countless other injured. Interestingly the Kalopian group chose not Helios, the headquarters of Eilomax, or Parnakleida, governed under the Autonomous Community of Enist Wantunian Branch by the Istalian oil giant, but Romula, the capital of Istalia, a nation seen by anti-globalization groups of all stripes as the face of capitalist oppression throughout Majatra.

Apart from the symbolism sought by the Revolutionary Front, the attack also aims to draw attention to the close involvement of Istalian companies in Kalopian affairs, which have taken advantage of the complete lack of regulations to establish profitable branches and franchises throughout the area commonly referred to as Kalopia. And indeed many international observers, left and right of the political spectrum, have noted that the Istalian companies have become complicit in Kalopian slavery, by trading with subsidiaries of Eilomax and occasionally even contracting Eilomax slaves.


Eilomax CEO Ahmed Raptis has condemned the terrorist attacks

Eilomax itself has officially condemned the terrorist attack in Romula, painting it as an attack on Kalopia's stateless liberty and on the economic freedoms of Kalopians and Istalians, and even announced it would be willing to cooperate with Istalian authorities in apprehending the planners of the attack in Romula. Although the Istalian foreign ministry has so far disavowed any recognition for the Kalopian slave company let alone full-fledged cooperation, given that Eilomax is the closest thing Kalopia has to a functioning government, Istalia may have no choice but to cooperate with the slavers in trying to prevent future terrorist attacks on its own soil.

[Polites]

Istalian expansion in Kalopia
Kalopian situation deterriorates


Dovanian slaves demanding their release

October 4198 - The unofficial cooperation between Eilomax and Istalian companies has drawn strong criticism, even threatening the ruling coalition in Istalia while highlighting the profitable relationship that has been established between Eilomax and Istalian companies, as well as the fact that the latter had been turning a blind eye to slavery. Now Istalia has decided to expand Istalian laws to territories under the control of Istalian companies and has reached an official agreement with Eilomax, whereby the latter would allow the Istalian armed forces to hunt down the Revolutionary Front in areas under its control while direct economic links have been banned. In spite of the end to Kalopian-Istalian economic cooperation, this arrangement is very much to the advantage of Eilomax, which can now use Istalian armed forces to remove what has so far been the greatest threat to its rule, the militant anarcho-syndicalist Revolutionary Front. However the fact that many of the Front's members originate as escaped slaves places Istalia in the awkward position of indirectly helping Eilomax crush its growing servile rebellion. Regardless the Kalopian slave company now feels confident enough to project its newfound power to other nations. In a recently leaked secret agreement with the Royalist side in the Rutanian civil war Eilomax agreed to send several hundred of its security forces, recently freed from their role in crushing servile dissent, to assist the royalists, in exchange for some yet undisclosed economic benefits.

[Polites]

Twelve Years of Slavery
Kalopia witnesses the impact of a slave economy



Slaves on an Eilomax farm


March 4202 - It has been 12 years since the re-establishment of slavery in Kalopia under the Eilomax company, and during that time the effects of the practice on the Kalopian and wider Majatran economy have become more visible. In spite of strong international criticism of the practice, slavery appears to have had some positive economic effects on Kalopia. Considered by Eilomax and other slave-holding companies as both persons and property, slaves have been found to be more productive than free laborers, while the lack of strikes and demands for wage increases has produced a disciplined labor force, employed particularly in dangerous or physically demanding industries, and ultimately driving down the cost of production. However, in spite of the obvious economic advantages provided by unfree labor, the overall impact of slavery has been negative. The import of the cheap labor provided by slaves largely drove wages down for the native-born workforce, while the low earning power of slaves has also led to a large loss in potential profit. Slavery also had another unexpected effect by drastically reducing trade as a result of diversification. Since the cost of maintaining slaves remains constant, industries employing slave labor have an incentive to diversify what they produce to guard against sudden drops in the price of an individual product, meaning that slave-based businesses prefer to produce almost anything they need as opposed to buying products from elsewhere. Slave-owning industries have thus become as self-sufficient as possible.

In spite of these difficulties industries such as textiles, farming, mining, lumbering, ironmongering, and public works projects like building railroads, highways, and waterways are thriving. Coupled with the effects of zero taxation and lack of regulations, which have turned Kalopia into a tax haven for legal and illegal economic activities throughout Majatra, this means that the major players in Kalopia, including both Eilomax and Istalian and Kazulian companies, have little incentive to move away from the economic system established by the Inhabitants of Wantuni, in spite of the negative impact of slavery and the fact that transfer mispricing and tax avoidance have lead to a drastic decline in the GDP of the entire continent.

Due to these issues and the creeping annexation of territories in Kalopia by both Istalia and Kazulia, a number of militias, trade unions, companies, and local authorities have banded together under the banner of the Kalopian Loyalist Party, aiming to re-establish a state in Kalopia and defend the nation's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Although the new party has cooperated with Eilomax in coordinating security and attempting to create a unified legal framework for the entire nation, the two parties have experienced a fallout after the Loyalists announced their intention to put an end to slavery and the slave trade, which would consequently make Eilomax largely irrelevant. However the company did back the Loyalist project of adopting a draft constitution and the establishment of elected executive and legislative institutions, meaning that Kalopia may have a functioning government in the near future. What impact this would have on the extraterritorial possessions of Istalia and Kazulia and on the wider Majatran economic scene remains to be seen.


Agricultural slaves clash with Eilomax security forces

[Axxell]

15,000 more troops in the Protectorate - Disorders in central Majatra increase even more while Metzists and Anarchists seek increasing support in Kalopia-Wantuni

[Polites]

Revolution Sweeps Kalopia
Metzist-Anarchist alliance takes power


Aniketos Xanthopoulos proclaiming the victory of the Metzist-Anarchist alliance

September 4207 - The effects of the financial crisis in Kalopia continue to manifest themselves, as the social crisis resulting from the collapse of most Kalopian financial institutions coupled with the negative impact of more than a decade of slavery have led to social unrest and a rise in revolutionary activity. In addition to the Workers' Revolutionary Front, which had been fighting against Eilomax for years, a new force has joined the socialist revolution. Subscribing to Vanguard Communism, the League of Communist Vanguards of Kalopia-Wantuni has joined hands with the Revolutionary Front in its struggle to overthrow the weak Union of Kalopia-Wantuni and install a socialist regime. Led by young and charismatic Aniketos Xanthopoulos, who experienced the effects of the crisis first hand after losing his job from one of the Kalopian subsidiaries of Hasan Grand Holding, the League has gained unprecedented power that far outweighs its actual popularity among average Kalopians.

In September 4205 the League launched a full-scale revolution, with its militants occupying government offices and other public buildings, and in July 4206 the League's militants occupied the capital of the Union, Eleopolis. Together the two revolutionary movements have joined forces to overthrow the weak republic governing Kalopia and initiate the transformation of the state into a socialist regime, joining Deltaria in promoting socialism as the way out of the crisis, blamed by the League on the capitalist system itself. The new government was quick to implement the nationalization of most industries and introduce workers' self-management in all economic branches, and announced a draft constitution aiming to replace the Union of Kalopia-Wantuni with a socialist republic. In the meantime Ahmed Raptis, the former head of state of the Union and the leading force behind Eilomax, has fled to the Istalian Protectorate in Mossavi, requesting political asylum and asking for Istalian military intervention against the "terrorist government" that has now taken power in Eleopolis. It is yet unknown whether the Istalian troops in the protectorate would be willing to support the former slaveholder's bid for military intervention, but as chaos continues and Kalopia has become a hotbed of revolutionary activity, Istalia may have reason to oppose the rising red tide in the Majatran nation.

[Polites]

Rise of Red Armies
Socialist government establishes new militias


The Free Insurgent Army consists of freed slaves

March 4208 - As the Metzist-Anarchist socialist revolution and its conflict with Eilomax forces and religious militias continues, the League of Communist Vanguards has been busy establishing its authority by recruiting former slaves and women in specialized militias with the goal of gaining the loyalty of these two marginalized groups. The continuing practice of slavery, even though outlawed, has provided the League with a large pool of potential recruits. In a decision adopted this month the Vanguard government authorized the formation of the Free Insurgent Army, recruited exclusively from current and former slaves, through which the League aims to use the anger of the slaves against their masters to its advantage. Not long after its formation the Insurgent Army has engaged in particularly violent acts of retribution against individuals and businesses known to have owned slaves, and a number of human rights violations have been reported.


The Red Amazon Army, the League's all-female militia

The rise of religious militancy opposed to the socialist revolution, as well as the traditionally patriarchal society of Kalopia has also provided the League with another potential source of loyal soldiers. The Red Amazon Army was founded by the League by the same act that established the Free Insurgent Army. Inspired by Jalalist Badara's Amazonian Guard, the Red Amazon Army is as an all-female unit with the role of defending women from sexual violence, a common feature in the civil war now engulfing Kalopia, and confronting traditional gender expectations.

These new militias have been established in parallel to the Red Vanguard Forces, the main military unit of the League of Communist Vanguards, and increasingly one of the main players in the Kalopian political and military landscape. The Red Vanguard Forces group together the various socialist and anarchist militias that have sprung up in the months since the start of the revolution, as well as the conventional military forces of the former Union of Kalopia that have since pledged their allegiance to the so-called Vanguard Revolution, in addition to some dozens of foreign volunteers that have taken the banner of Jalal for the young socialist revolution in Kalopia. With the growing military capabilities of the League, the Communist organization may soon surpass the older Workers' Revolutionary Front, its erstwhile ally, and replace it to become the ruling force of the entire Kalopian nation.


The Red Vanguard Forces, the main army of the League

[Polites]

Union of Revolutionary Socialist Vanguardships Established
Victory for the workers and oppressed in Kalopia-Wantuni



The establishment of the Union of Kalopian Revolutionary Socialist Vanguardships

January 4209 - The struggle of the September Revolution, started in September 4205, is now triumphant. The close cooperation between progressive revolutionary forces of all tendencies has resulted in the total destruction of the libertarian individualist soulless system of the Union of Kalopia-Wantuni. Its bourgeois "elections" and "parliamentary politics" has been replaced with direct democracy, and following the guidance of Royal Chairman of the Socialist Sultanates of Al'Badara, His Highest Vanguard, Jalal Al-e-Ahmad, the entire political, economic, social, and spiritual system of Kalopia is now the property of the masses. With the Proclamation of Victory for the workers and peasants of Kalopia-Wantuni in their struggle against capitalist oppression and Istalian imperialism bill, Kalopia has been reorganized as a free federation of vanguardships, communes, people's committees, and trade unions, and all matters are now decided locally by the people themselves, unmediated by corrupt representatives or nobles or landowners. In order to coordinate the victorious revolutionary forces, the Vanguards have established the Command Council of Revolutionary Socialist Vanguardships, taking over all powers and responsibilities assigned to the state and functioning in parallel with the local democratic pillar in order to deliver victory to the laboring masses of Kalopia. In the spirit of proletarian internationalism and solidarity with oppressed peoples throughout Terra, the Command Council of Revolutionary Socialist Vanguardships has announced its intention to collaborate closely with the toilers and oppressed masses of all other Majatran nations, particularly Jelbania's Red Claw Movement and the Soviet Socialist Republic of Deltaria, in order to form a united front against Istalian imperialism and fight for the final victory of Socialism against Capitalism and Neo-Feudalism.


Industries such as this are now under the direct ownership of the masses

But the most important achievement of the September Revolution is the fact that the entire economy is now fully in the hands of the masses, reversing the disastrous effects of centuries of capitalist oppression that culminated in the recent crisis of capitalism and its egregious manifestation as legal slavery. With the Conquest of the economic, agricultural, industrial, and educational system by the toiling masses of the Union of Kalopian Revolutionary Socialist Vanguardships act all major industries have been socialized and placed under the democratic control of the people, with most all property placed under community ownership and a third of production transferred to direct management by workers' councils. The Vanguards are also encouraging co-operatives, collective farming, and a popular revolutionary community economy, functioning in parallel with communally-owned socialized property in order to bring about a democratic and revolutionary economic system and thus achieve a perfect democracy.


Masses celebrating the creation of the Union of Vanguardships

[Axxell]

Istalia will continue to defend freedom and democracy!

[Polites]

Chairman of the National Congress condemns Imperialism
Kalopia vows to retake illegal colonies


Chairman Xanthopoulos condemning Istalian imperialism

March 4215 - The September Revolution has succeeded in breaking the shackles of slavery, capitalism, and neo-feudalism. Representative "democracy" has been abolished, the oppressive power of the capitalist state has been crushed, and now all communities of Kalopia govern themselves, organized in Vanguardships and ruling themselves through direct mass democracy, without the intermediation of elected "representatives" and unelected bankers, constitutional courts, NGOs, or other pseudo-democratic intermediaries giving the masses the illusion of democratic choice.

But not all Kalopians are free from imperialism and capitalism. In this day and age, centuries after the last colony in the Third World has gained its freedom and self-determination, there are now two colonies on the continent of Majatra. Taking advantage of the oppression of the Kalopian people, held in chains by the tyranny of Eilomax and their ilk, the two foremost representatives of the modern imperialist capitalism, Istalia and Kazulia, have invaded, occupied, and colonized sovereign territory of the Kalopian nation and established two protectorates in the very heart of Majatra. Not in Dovani or Temania, where the monopoly capitalism of the First World has subjugated the peasants and workers for centuries in their pursuit of markets and raw materials, but in the very midst of the most civilized continent, where ENIST Energia Istaliana and Hasan Grand Holding, with the backing of the Istalian and Kazulian states, have established their own little colonial outposts.


The Red Vanguard Forces demanding the surrender of the "protectorates"

And until now the Istalian and Kazulian imperialists could hold on to their little colonial possessions without fear of the masses turning against them and overrunning their petty outposts. But starting this year the imperialists will have to deal with not one, but four free and democratic nations, united under the banner of the Majatran Revolutionary Socialist Federation, the largest and most powerful state on Terra. The Istalian and Kazulian colonies will then have to contend with the united might of the Deltarian, Jakanian, Jelbanian, and Kalopian workers and peasants, fighting under the banner of the united armed forces of the Majatran Revolutionary Socialist Federation. The capitalist tyrants in Romula and Skalm had better prepare themselves for the rising tide of mass anger and revolution, for today we hold Eleopolis, tomorrow Helios!

[Captain-Socialist]

League of Social Democratic Vanguards Established

Alpyurek Boran, founder of the League of Social Democratic Vanguards and a member of the Turjak minority, proclaims himself a champion of orthodox Metzism against the "revisionist opportunism, adventurism and terrorism" of the League of Vanguard Communists.

We, the undersigned, declare,

1) That the declaration by the opportunist League of Communist Vanguards of the imminent collapse of capitalism is premature and that this reckless misevaluation can only lead to disaster
2) That Central Majatra lacks the level of historical development necessary for socialism, having not yet fully matured beyond feudalism, tribalism and autocracy to the stage of bourgeois democracy.
3) That the League of Communist Vanguards have established a dictatorship not of the proletariat, but a dictatorship over the proletariat, the proletarian movement being suppressed and stifled in it's development by the military adventurism and opportunism of the League of Communist Vanguards.
4) That instead of standing by the noble tradition of Unity and Brotherhood in Central Majatra the League of Communist Vanguards have adopted a policy of Kalopian national chaunvisism disguised as secularism, which deliberately oppresses Majatrans.
5) That it is necessary to oppose within the working class movement for socialism and democracy the incorrect line of the revisionist adventurism of the League of Communist Vanguards with whatever means are open to the working class movement insofar as the constitution allows

Therefore, we declare that with upmost necessity that a League of Social Democratic Vanguards be formed to promote the true interests of the working class, and to promote Metzism against revisionist adventurism, opportunism and terrorism.