Die Republik - Online Edition - News from the Republic of Ostmark

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62 JAHRE!
62 YEARS!
THE REPUBLIC OF OSTMARK CELEBRATES ITS 62TH ANNIVERSARY!

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WIEN (Ostmark) - Hundreds of soldiers and tens of vehicles of the Landwehr marched in Republikplatz accompained by traditional ostmarkian military music this morning to celebrate the 62th anniversary of the Republik Ostmark, established in June 1959 after the abdication of King Ludwig IV. Chancellor Walter Eidman presided the grand parade in Wien and praised the efforts and dedication of the women and men of the Territorial Defense Force "To protect and defend the integrity and sovereignty of the republic and the rights and values of the Constitution" said the Kanzler during a speech "Our Republic" he continued "Is a shining diamond of freedom and democratic values in a world where neither freedom, nor democracy, are that common or granted".

"Our values are not amendable" said Eidman "Our strenght, our dedication and our tenacy allowed our Republic, Ostmark our dear fatherland, to continue to exist and survive the countless challenges of history. Our strenght also allowed us to free ourselves from the chains of totalitarism and oppression, from which we recollected by re-establishing our old democratic republic, for which today we are celebrating its birthday. Long live the Republic of Ostmark!" he concluded.

Many foreign heads of states and government have been invited to the celebration: Chancellor Rheinfeld of the Kingdom of @Eiffelland , President José Constanza of the Republic of @San Jose , President Walter Langley of @The Federation , President Hulm of the Republic of @Remion , First Minister Louis du Pont of the @Holy Frankish Empire , the representatives of the State of @Touzen amongst many other representatives as a testament to the good will of Chancellor Eidman to pursue a policy of international cooperation in the interest of global peace and development.

 

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*Kanzler Walter Eidman fades in on the screen. He is sitting behind his desk at the Palast der Republik in Wien.*

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"Dear Citizens,

Many questions have been left unanswered since the fall of the regime, but it is now time to redirect our efforts and energies to a more productive spirit of cooperation and national reconciliation, and exorcize the demons of our past to project this country towards a bright future of peace, freedom, democracy and prosperity.

As an old friend always used to tell me: revenge is a fool's game. Harted, anger and resentment will only consume our souls in times when we will all be required to put into display our strong spirit and freedom-powered initiative. This new Ostmark, our new Ostmark, is a preciuos little diamond we are all required to defend and to protect against pitfalls from within, and from without, like a child who needs guidance and teaching, and needs and has the right to be defended against those who wish to cause him any harm.

I will continue to be everyone's Chancellor and i will do all my best to mark a strong line between the past and the future. Our new Ostmark sees neither oppressors nor oppressed, it sees no dictators, it sees no repression, but only genuine and positive initiative in the renewed democratic spirit of national cooperation to bring about the moral and material and cultural progress of the nation.

Our Republic will emerge as a beacon of hope and freedom in a world full of uncertainty and violence, and I have therefor decided to open the borders of the Republic to aslyum seekers from Pannonia. This decision comes into effect from this moment onward. In cooperation with the Ostmarkian Red Cross and the authorities of the Federal Republic of Pannonia, we seek to open humanitarian corridors so that the innocent victims of war may be given a chance to start a new life in peace and democracy here in Ostmark, our dear Fatherland.

Fellow Ostmarkians,

It is only up to us to make the best of our new democratic nation, but i have faith and confidence in the immense strenght and spirit of our people, who have overcome many other unprecedented challenges in their recent history. The time has now come for us to show Europe that Ostmark will not turn a blind eye infront of the suffering of the poor.

We will rise from the ruins.
Germania will rise from the ruins."

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ALMOST 500 MISSING AFTER WILHELMSTADT'S FREIKORPSFEST
Staatspolizei sources "They will come back, one day"

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WILHELMSTADT (Ostmark) - Vice Mayor Ernst Hofmann has no explanation for the disappearance of half of the town's population, including Mayor Alexander Jung "All i remember is that we were dancing and drinking in the Festhalle, during the celebration of the local freikorpsfest." said Vice Mayor Hofmann "When i woke up in the alley behind the town hall later in the morning, i walked into my office. It took me about three hours to realize that the building was empty. Nobody had showed up to work that day and i said: fine, that's normal after a Freikorpsfest. So i left the town hall and walked to Mayor Jung's house. He was not home. I've tried to reach him on the phone, to no avail. So i kept walking and walking across the half-deserted town and met some of our citizens who were also wondering where their relatives and friends went. It was so freaky and surreal".

Staatspolizei sources confirm that almost 500 individuals, half of Wilhelmstadt's population, have simply disappeared "We have no idea where they went, nobody remembers anything from last night. Even those who managed to walk back to home, provided it was their home, have no explanation for this unprecedented situation." said a spokesperson of Wilhelmstadt's State Police constabulary "But they will come back, one day.." he added.

From Wien, Search and Rescue teams of the Fire Brigade have been dispatched to the remote mountain community of Wilhelmstadt to search nearby woods and mountain paths "We found some traces such as beer bottles, underwears, car keys, Freikorps hats.. a cow.. but where the people went is a complete mistery. Our rescue dogs are following trails in all directions. We are also searching the area with a helicopter, so far with no results". Wilhelmstadt's Staatspolizei exhorted all citizens to call 112 if they notice a large group of supposedly drunk individuals dressed with 18th-19th century line infantry uniforms

 

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OSTMARK, 9 MONTHS LATER
A new positive sentiment and confidence in the future is fueling Ostmark's economic miracle

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By Alexander Besselman

WIEN (Ostmark) - The streets of Wien, the capital of the Republic of Ostmark, are bustling with busy commuters and businessmen who clog the city centre as they attempt to reach their workplaces in the financial district near Republikplatz. Infront of the Palast der Republik, flocks of young men and women are walking up the stairs of the stock exchange where billions of OstMarks in stocks and futures are traded on a daily basis, confirming the confidence of the markets in the successful economic transition that has almost reached its final stage. The new Ostmark that has emerged from the fall of the National-Syndicalist regime and the reform of the central planned economic system has so far shined both in growth and stability, offering new opportunities for Ostmarkian workers and foreign investors alike.

The overall climate of political and economic stability has triggered what Ostmarkian financial analysts have recently described as "a miracle", considering the extremely negative rating of the country's economy in the past decade, which was often labeled as a "failed sate" by economists and analysts across Europe. Far from being a failed state, Ostmark's skilled and educated workforce has successfully readapted to a free market economy, in which skills and knowledge are a guarantee to success also, but not only, thanks to the moderate approach to privatizations adopted by Chancellor Walter Eidman and the parliamentary majority held by the Social Democratic Party of Ostmark. Eidman has more tha once vowed to implement "A system in which private economic initiative does not conflict with the rights of the workers and the right to live a honourable existence."

"So far, this approach has produced positive and tangible effects" says Frank Meyer, economics professor at Wien's State University "Thousands of Ostmarkians are selling their old OMW-19 for scrap, and buying new cars manufactured by OMW-Darner in the production facilities of Wien, thus adding orders and therfor profit for Ostmarkische Motoren Werke which is considered as a company of strategic industrial and national interest" he added "While it is true that Ostmark's GDP per capita is way far from the average of countries like the Kingdom of Eiffelland or The Federation, there seems to be a fair distribution of wealth which guarantees basic services and also allows consumers to inject more money into the economy, contributing to economic growth and development in a loop that so far has been fueling itself for the past six months".

Professor Meyer also highlighted the social and political "pacification" after the troubled months that followed the collapse of the regime. "Initially" said the Professor "Uncertainty initially served as a catalyst for political instability and economic stagnation, but i believe the policy of 'forget and forgive' promoted by the Eidman administration in regards to the former National-Syndicalist nomenklatura has succesfully allowed Ostmark to finally leave its past behind and focus on the present and the future. As of today, Ostmark is indeed one of the most politically, economically and socially stable and peaceful countries of Germania and possibly of Europe" he concluded.

 

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A DEFENSIVE ALLIANCE WITH EIFFELLAND?
Eidman might unveil his Pan-Germanian agenda in Fonda

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An Ostmarkian police officer (left) shakes hands with an Eiffellander police officer (right) at the border crossing in Tuchersfeld, Ostmark

EDITORIAL
By Alexander Besselman

WIEN (Ostmark) - In the past days political forces have discussed the possibility of a mutual defense treaty between the Kingdom of Eiffelland and the Republic of Ostmark, which has been seen by political analysts as an attempt to find new tools to guarantee and safeguard the stability of Germania after the disaster that followed the Pannonian Crisis. But could a defensive alliance between our two nations become an effective deterrent against further escalations? According to historian and writer Professor Franz Gruber, author of the book Alte Kameraden: A 600 years old friendship, an alliance would "Not only cement the centuries old friendship between our nations, but also send a message to the rest of Germania and Europe: We are mature enough to stick togheter and form a common front".

"Eiffelland and Ostmark are essentially peaceful nations" continued the professor "And both countries are highly regarded on the international stage for their pragmatism, their moderation when it comes to foreign policy, aswell as their high regards for human rights, democratic values and individual freedoms. It is therefor natural for these countries to forge new bonds in this particular age of instability, so that they may effectively assist each other in case another crisis affects them directly".

Kanzler Walter Eidman has more than once criticized the international community for its lack of strenght, or even will, to prevent disputes from escalating into fully blown armed conflicts. More than once his appeals to Germanian nations have gone unheard by the majority of the international community, relegating Ostmark to its status as a minor peripheral actor in a region, Germania, where military and economic strenght is the real game-changer "A union of forces between Eiffelland and Ostmark, but i also think of the Second Republic of Remion, Vrijport and even the Holy Frankish Empire, could effectively create a status quo that not many would dare to challenge" said Professor Gruber.

Eidman is currently attending the 1st Forum of the Crisis of Rights and modern Democracies in Fonda, Second Republic of Remion, where he will take the chance to meet many foreign leaders, most of which come from Germania, and may even attempt to push his Pan-Germanian agenda in the face of recent threats received by the Tarusan Empire, despite the State Intelligence Service has often dismissed them as "Warnings to Eiffelland rather than real threats against Ostmark itself".

 

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MEET THE MOUNTAIN TROOPS OF THE TERRITORIAL DEFENSE FORCE
The Alpenjäger vow to defend Ostmark "Till the last bullet, and beyond"

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By Heinrich Obenaus

WILHELMSTADT AM SEE (Ostmark) - Near the mountain village of Wilhelmstadt am See, a remote mountain community in the heart of the north-eastern Ostmarkian alps, a platoon of the Alpenjäger, Ostmark's elite mountain troops, spend most of their days patrolling the border between Ostmark and the Tarusan Empire. What they do is constantly watch across the border to spot unusual movement of troops, or even illegal crossings, with the help of night vision goggles and heat detectors "Most of the times we spot wild animals, and we leave them alone. But each time we receive a report we carefully investigate the situation." said Unteroffizier Rudolf Klingemann.

Klingemann and his men are expert mountain climbers and they know the sorrounding peaks and forests "Like the back of our hands" he said. We wanted to ask them how they feel about a possible Tarusan invasion and they've answered without the slightest hesitation "We will defend our homeland till the last bullet, and beyond. We will never surrender these peaks to anyone. Our ancestors defended this mountain for over six hundred years, and we will continue to do so as far as humanely possible" said one of the soldiers "We have nowhere to run to" adds a female recruit "This is where we make our last stand, should the Tarusans decide to attack. But if they think they can simply walk in and hoist their flag on this peak, they are dead wrong".

Klingemann nodded in approval "Nothing is more dangerous than a man who literally has nothing else to lose. Some compare this peak to a cage, and we are the tigers. It is not wise to walk into a tiger's cage, because you give the tiger no other option but to fight for survival, even if the risk is to face certain death. Our honor is loyalty, to Ostmark, to this mountain, to all the people who count on us to defend our freedom against any enemy. These mountains will be the graveyard of the Tarusan Empire."

 

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OSTMARKIAN RED CROSS DISMANTLES KISPEST CAMP "OUR MISSION IS OVER"
Ostmark's Red Cross volunteers leave Kispest after months of efforts to help the civilian population.

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By Alexander Besselman

WIEN (Ostmark) - Hundreds Ostmarkian Red Cross workers have returned to Ostmark after several months in Kispest, where nurses, doctors, engineers and mediators have assisted the local population to cope with the Pannonian crisis and the civil war that led to the dissolution of the Pannonian State "We worked in interest of the civilian population and constantly cooperated with local authorities to ensure first aid aswell as the distribution of food for the displaced" said a spokesperson of the Ostmarkisches Rotes Kreuz.

The Ostmarkian Red Cross was the only humanitarian organization allowed to operate in the former capital of Pannonia with the protection and approval of local authorities "We distributed tens of thousands of rations, blankets, medicines, and provided medical care for thousands of pannonian citizens aswell as internally displaced individuals who seeked help and refuge during the siege. Our proactive stance allowed us to save the life of many people and reaffirmed our organization's neutrality and solidarity in one of the most difficult operations we have ever faced" added the spokesperson.

Among other services, the Ostmarkian Red Cross provided a 24/7 ambulance service for the city of Kispest, in coordination with local healthcare authorities and hospitals "We have done everything in our power to help and assist anyone in need. Our mission is over, but we will always remember our experience here in this city" concluded the spokesperson.

 

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NATIONALRAT APPROVES FREIKORPS REARMAMENT
For first time since 1871, the National Assembly has ordered the rearmament of the Ostmarkian Free Corps.

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By Heinrich Obenaus

WIEN (Ostmark) - With 83 votes against 17, the National Assembly has officially approved the rearmament of the Freikorps and tasked the Oberkommando of the Landwehr to begin the distribution of light weapons, uniforms, training manuals and the creation of a chain of command in an unprecedented move that has sparked perplexities in the political world but confirms Chancellor Eidman's worries related the ever-lasting international escalation in former Pannonia. The rearmament will, for the first time since the One Day War in 1871, transform local Free Corps associations into armed combat units, ready to intervene in their respective towns, villages and municipalities in case of attack to form a temporary line of defense against the enemy until regular army units of the Landwehr are dispatched to the area.

The rearmament of the Freikorps will introduce four mandatory training sessions per month where recruits will be trained to enact guerrilla and basic infantry tactics aswell as the use of light weapons such as assault rifles, hand grenades but also RPG launchers and heavy machine guns. "Free Corps battalions will be added to the Landwehr's chain of command and will be allowed a certain degree of autonomy if they operate behind enemy lines or until a regular army unit of the Territorial Defense Force is dispatched to reinforce the frontline. In all cases Freikorps commanders will act and operate in coordination with the Oberkommando of the Territorial Defense Force" said a spokesperson of the Landwehr.

The decision has sparked protests of anti-war and pacifist associations who blamed the government and the national assembly of "Stirring up tensions and fueling the escalation". Kanzler Walter Eidman has then replied by stating that "Ostmark cannot and must not entirely rely on its southern neighbor to guarantee its territorial integrity and sovereignty. The Free Corps were originally created with the specific task of empowering and equipping local communities with properly trained military units that can effectively defend their homes and properties in case of attack" said the Chancellor "My administration will always promote peace and cooperation with all the nations of Europe in accordance with the values expressed in the Constitution, but we also want to be ready and prepared for the other case too." he concluded.

 

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INTERVIEW WITH CHANCELLOR WALTER EIDMAN
On the second phase of the Pannonian Crisis and the future of the relationships between Ostmark and Tarusa

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By Alexander Besselman

Alexander Besselman: Good morning Kanzler, in the past hours we have all witnessed a recrudescence of the Pannonian crisis, with the countries formerly involved in the creation or support of Pannonian break-away States now facing a direct confrontation on the field. What is your opinion and how will the Ostmarkian government react, if there will be any reaction at all?

Chancellor Walter Eidman: Good morning herr Besselman. We could have easily joined the efforts of many other nations in providing "Peacekeeping" forces Pannonia, in Becs-Altstadt for example, and attempt to increase our influence in the region or even gain direct administration of an area predominantly inhabited by Germanian nationals but instead we have - wisely i must say - kept a safety distance from what i have always considered as a hopeless and dangerous powder keg. Yes Ostmark does recognize all the political entities that have emerged from the collapse of the Pannonian State but i'm sure that, with hindsight, many pannonians today miss Prime Minister Kovacs and i also believe that Prime Minister Kovacs himself - again, with hindsight - would have taken a completely different course of action given the outcome and the consequences that Germania, and his former nation out of all the nations involved, is facing today. There is only one political actor that has acted in the sole interest of the civilian population in Pannonia and that is Ostmark with the deployment of a Red Cross aid and relief mission in Kispest. Pannonians were in distress and Ostmark, as usual, has heard the cry of the innocents and reacted accordingly. We sent doctors, engineers, and tons of aid in the form of food, medicines, but also humanitarian corridors, field hospitals and field schools for pupils while others have deployed military forces for personal interests and rarely in the interest of the territories they have occupied. This is the reason why said foreign forces are now facing each other, ready to bring Germania on the brink of disaster. It has never been about peace in Pannonia, but the dismemberment of Pannonia by the use of force. Ostmark will not join in efforts to murder Pannonia even further.

Alexander Besselman: Your words sound pretty much as "Don't say I didn't warn you. What did I tell you? You just had to do it anyway didn't you?"

Chancellor Walter Eidman: Yes. But it's the truth. I told Kovacs, i told the Zarans, i told the Bourdignians, i told the Tarusans, the Eiffellanders, the Frankians, the Remionese - i told everyone: stand back, sit down, let's enforce a true peace in Pannonia by forming a peacekeeping force under the authority of the European Forum and let the new administrations, or force them if necessary, sit around a table and settle their hostilities on paper rather than on the battle field. Has anyone ever listened to Ostmark anyway?

Alexander Besselman: Clearly not.

Chancellor Walter Eidman: Exactly. So what would you do if you were the chancellor today? I know there are some groups that protested over Ostmark's lack of initiative. Basically what they blame me about is that our nation hasn't done anything other than sending in a convoy of food and blankets, but what the hell do interventionists expect me to do exactly? To mobilize the army and call in the reserves? Declare war on the Holy Frankish Empire, or even Tarusa, and for what? If Ostmark's sovereignty and independence were at stake, that's one thing.. but sending our soldiers to die or have the inhabitants of Wien run to the nearest bomb shelter over a nation, Pannonia, that is ultimately responsible for its own destruction and dissolution.. well that's never gonna happen, not now and not as long as i will be the Chancellor.

Alexander Besselman: Speaking of mobilizations, what do you think of the presence of Tarusan troops not far from the borders of Ostmark? Do you think the Pannonian crisis will eventually reach northern Germania and evolve into an open conflict between Ostmark and the Tarusan Tsardom?

Chancellor Walter Eidman: Has anyone ever noticed the fact that slavic and germanian forces respectively in Tarusa and Ostmark have been staring at each other for 500 years now? And when was the last time Ostmarkians and Tarusans went to war? As far as i recall it was the late second half of the 15th century. We are talking about ancient wars we barely have any informations and sources about and what we know is that all the sources depict each other as the bad guys. Sometimes i wonder if the progress we often brag about is a real progress or if we outrightly ignore that we still think with a medieval mindset sometimes. Are Tarusans and Ostmarkians really willing to freeze and die in the Alps over hostilities that are buried in the late middle ages and have no real reason to exist today? Or over a partially-recognized kingdom or whatsoever republic in former Pannonia?

Alexander Besselman: Do you believe that, against all Odds, Ostmark and Tarusa would bury their recent hostilities and even see a new phase in bilateral relations, this time characterized by forms of economic cooperation?

Chancellor Walter Eidman: Ostmark is a stable - the most politically and economically stable, i'd dare to say - Germanian nation, with a skilled workforce, an emerging heavy industry and a booming economy if compared to the last decade. Tarusa is extremely rich in resources that need to be refined and these resources are just over the border and can easily reach the Gothic Sea and the rest of Germania. Let's bury the crossbows and pikes and find ways, even in the forms of trade and economic cooperation agreements, to put into good use our national resources and have the profit translate itself into a real and tangible improvement of the quality of life for our citizens.

Alexander Besselman: Thank you for your time Chancellor Eidman, it's been a pleasure.

Chancellor Walter Eidman: The pleasure is mine Herr Besselman, have a nice day.

 

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THREE YEARS AGO, THE BIRTH OF THE VOLKSREPUBLIK
The rise and fall of Horst Grasser and the People's Republic of Ostmark.

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By Alexander Besselman and Heinrich Obenaus

WIEN (Ostmark) - "The new government took office today in the capital and unanimously made the following decisions: to proclaim the establishment of the Volksrepublik Ostmark; to adopt National-Syndicalism as the guiding ideology of the government and all state institutions of the Volksrepublik. People of Ostmark, the Days of Sorrow are over!". By reciting this formula on the 12th of October 2018 during a plenary session of the National Assembly, the newly elected chancellor Horst Paul Grasser, leader of the National-Syndikalistische Volkspartei, established the People's Republic of Ostmark leading to the rise of the National-Syndicalist single-party state and a profound transformation of Ostmarkian society. The rise of Horst Paul Grasser as the Weiser Führer, Wise Leader, has been widely covered by analysts and historians as the peak of a collective hysteria and uncontrollable anger and resentment against the austerity measures adopted by the government led by Chancellor Franz Kohler (2014-2018), who would later die after a summary judgement by a court nominated by Horst Grasser himself, which sentenced him to death by firing squad during a spectacular public execution in Volksrepublikplatz, Wien.


Buried under the ruins of an economic default, an unprecedented industrial and economic crisis and unemployment rates over 35%, Ostmarkians flocked under the red Hammer and Sword of National-Syndicalism which they considered as "the last resort" to tackle the apocalyptic effects of the collapse of the national economy and the devastating outcome on the lives of ordinary citizens. Between 2014 and 2018, Ostmark had experienced what is now commonly known as the "Days of Sorrow", a prolonged lack of basic goods such as bottled water, bread and meat, endemic poverty and unemployment, lawlessness, quasi-anarchy and a complete collapse of the country's national institutions, including the Central Bank and public administration. Analysts and economists quickly dismissed Horst Grasser's initial successes as a "dead cat's bounce" and confirmed their opinion that Ostmark was, by all accounts, a failed state on the way to its total and irreversible collapse.

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A mass event for the first anniversary of the People's Republic of Ostmark, October 12th, 2019.​

Horst Grasser had by then outlawed all opposition political parties, expropriated private companies and properties, nationalized strategic industrial assets and reshaped Ostmarkian society according to the principles and values of the National-Syndicalist ideology, a syncretic theory between Marxism-Leninovism and Social-Nationalism that for over four years prior to his rise to power had represented an unicum in the European political spectrum "We must take from the left socialism without internationalism, and from the right nationalism without capitalism". The regime of Horst Grasser has been characterized bya systematic violation of individual freedoms, despite the constitution of the People's Republic of Ostmark guaranteed freedom of opinion, of speech and movement. Soon after his rise to power, Grasser ordered the construction of a nation-encircling network of concrete walls, barbed wires, guard towers known as "The Grasser Curtain" and nearly doubled the ranks of the armed forces, quickly renamed Volkswehr (People's Defense Force) shortly after his surge to the office of the chancellorship. Ostmarkians have then been exposed to an intense and never-ending anti-capitalist and anti-western propaganda in an attempt to forge an "Eastern Germanian" identity that, to some excent, is still perceived today by large part of the population.

By the use of the infamous Staatsicherheitsdienst (State Security Service) and the Volkspolizei (People's Police), Horst Grasser had managed to put under arrest and in some cases phisically eliminate thousands of dissidents and critics of the regime while instilling fanatic devotion and loyalty amongst the population, who worshipped him as a living god or as a messiah sent by a divinity during Ostmark's darkest days. His initial success in the economic and social politics fields granted him the popular support his totalitarian regime needed to justify the illiberal and tyrannical policies implemented by the National-Syndicalist People's Party.

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A parade of the People's Defense Force, July 2020​

With the collapse of the Socialist Bloc in mid 2020, cracks were beginning to show in the seemingly perfect narrative promoted by the National-Syndicalist regime. Hundred thousands citizens gathered in Volksrepublikplatz by the end of July 2020, demanding the regime to step down and to remove the repressive apparatus enforced by the Andrea Grasser's (Horst Grasser's sister) State Security Service. With the collapse of the Socialist Bloc the People's Republic of Ostmark found itself isolated and exposed, forcing Horst Grasser to enact unpopular economic measures to counter the loss of revenue of the proficuous trade deals with his former socialist allies.

Shortly after the "July Riots", which have been silenced and hidden from the public opinion for quite some time, Horst and Andrea Grasser committed suicide in the Palast der Volksrepublik. "I don't want to live in a world without National-Syndicalism" are, according to some sources, some of the last words of Volkskanzler Horst Grasser. Grasser was affected by a Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder triggered by the death of his wife Laura Grasser due to complications related to a severe form of diabetes and also a prolonged condition of poverty despite being employed, previous to his rise to power, as a senior welder at Ostmarkische Motoren Werke.

After Horst Grasser's death, former Vizekanzler Ludwig Bohmer, one of the three co-founders of the National-Syndicalist People's Party along with Horst Grasser and Karl Dietrich (who is currently the leader of the Nationale-Volkspartei), inherited the position of People's Chancellor and initiated a transition to a more democratic form of National-Syndicalism by renaming the party as the National-Democratic People's Party (National-Demokratische Volkspartei) and attempted to implement liberalizations of the national economy to tackle an upcoming economic crisis that threatened to devastate, once again, the centrally-planned economy of the small north-eastern Germania nation.

After his policies of "Democratization and Reconciliation" had been proven unsuccessful, a second round of popular upheavals and protest initiatives led to the failed December 18th 2020 Putsch led by hardline National-Syndicalist Voklswehr's officer Generalfeldmarshall Otto Von Wilhelmstadt and a group of disheartened armed forces officers just a few days earlier. Loyalist troops led by minister of agriculture Ludwig Krenz, who had barely escaped arrest by coupist forces, successfully curbed the putsch and liberated Interim Volkskanzler Ludwig Bohmer. By that time, in the evening of December 18th, over a hundred thousands people had gathered in the streets of Wien to demand free and fair elections and the end of the National-Syndicalist Regime. Later that night, Interim Volkskanzler Bohmer presented a motion "On the Dissolution of the National-Syndicalist State and the readoption of the 1959 Constitution". The motion passed by unanimity after a vote in the People's Assembly, leading to the immediate and quick dissolution the Volksrepublik Ostmark and the National-Syndicalist Regime and the re-establishment of the Republic of Ostmark.

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December 18th, 2020. After the arrest of Otto von Wilhelmstadt and the approval of the Bohmer motion on the Dissolution of the National-Syndicalist State, over a hundred thousands citizens gather infront of the Palast der Republik to celebrate the fall of the regime and the re-establishment of the Republic of Ostmark.​

 

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OSTMARKIAN NATIONAL ELECTRIC COMPANY INAUGURATES FIVE HYDROELECTRIC DAMS
Built with URTHAS funds received in January 2021, 40 hydroelectric turbine generators will provide electricity and power for the Autonomous Province of Wallia and the Mountain Communities of Wilhelmstadt and Ludwigstadt am See.

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By Alexander Besselman

WIEN (Ostmark) - The engineers of the Ostmarkischer Nationales Elektrizitätsunternehmen (Ostmarkian National Electric Company) have started all 40 turbine generators this morning after almost a year as part of the Eidman administration's plan to shut down all three coal power plants by the end of 2035. The hydroelectric turbine generators have been installed on all five pre-existing dams thanks to the 15 Billion OstMarks in funds received by the URTHAS earlier in January this year, allowing Ostmark to redirect its national budget on education, healthcare, social policies and economic reforms instead.

The five damns will provide energy and electricity for the Autonomous Province of Wallia, the Mountain Communities of Wilhelmstadt and Ludwigstadt am See aswell as a large part of the North-Eastern Ostmarkian Alps, in an area inhabited by almost 90.000 residents "This is a huge step forward in our strong commitment to transition from a coal and gas-powered economy, to a clean energy-powered economy" said Chancellor Walter Eidman during a press conference at the Palace of the Republic, in Wien "Our administration aims to diversify energy production by exploiting clean sources of energy, including solar energy. Works are underway to complete the construction of two solar power plants in the Province of Wien by the end of the second quarter of 2022" he concluded.

 

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OUR REPUBLIC: HARDENED BY HISTORY, FORGED IN A REVOLUTIONARY FIRE
Why Ostmark and its people are united by an indissoluble bond.

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EDITORIAL
By Heinrich Obenaus

WIEN (Ostmark) - If i were to describe Ostmark as an individual i'd picture her as a single mother who struggled for her entire life, facing many - too many - challenges to provide education, food, values, and most importantly love for her children. She deprived herself of food to feed her children, she lived a life in poverty and deprivation because she spared no energy and resources to provide us the best life a mother can wish for her sons and daughters. We, the sons and daughters of Ostmark, thanked her with total loyalty and with affection even when she seemed to have drifted off the path of motherly love.

We defended her when she was downtrodden and derided. We defended her when an abusive, alcoholic father hit her repeatedly. We defended her even when she harmed us. But we were and weare still ready to take up arms against anyone who dares to cause her any arm and, ultimately, we are all ready to sacrifice our lives to defend our nation, our homeland, our Republic.

Even tho we are attracted by exotic and foreign cultures, there is no way we would accept to trade Ostmark with any other place in the world, because the reality is that there is no other place like Ostmark in the entire universe. We know our nation has many flaws, we know it has great margins of improvement and we know we are not perfect. We often resort to violent revolutions, outbursts of collective hysteria, collective anger and resentment against those who govern us. But the thing is: we'd rather pick the wrong choice a million times and pay the consequences of our own choices, than let someone else dictate our fate and path as a people and an as independent nation.

We Ostmarkians are always free even when our freedoms are openly and clearly infringed. We are free because within our souls resides an unmatched strenght and resilience that will eventually emerge, violently, suddenly, to restore the balance and correct the mistakes made in the past. We have seen it happening many times in our recent history. Most of the times we project ourselves as a peaceful population of a few million individuals who live in a remote mountain regions of Northern Germania, but our history has proven that we are a people of revolutionary freedom fighters who are not afraid to take up arms and behead the tyrants who oppress us. It is irrelevant if said tyrants are kings, self-proclaimed Wise Leaders or corrupt politicians. Those who have pushed us to the limits have paid their arrogance with the highest price: their throne or their life. Or both.

And this, in the end, is the reason why despite all her flaws, with all the troubles she went through and the dark pages of her history and despite all the times we've fought and died and cried and suffered in this land, we will always love Ostmark as it is and we will always say, without the slightest doubt or hesitation that Ostmark is, and will always be, the most beautiful country in the world.

 

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NATIONALRAT APPROVES HISTORIC CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM
The reform approved by the SDPO and CDUO introduces the President of the Republic as a counterbalance to the powers of the National Assembly and the Chancellor of the Republic.

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By Heinrich Obenaus

WIEN (Ostmark) - With 72 votes against 28, the Nationalrat of the Republic of Ostmark has approved a new historic constitutional reform to counterbalance the powers of the National Assembly and the Chancellor of the Republic. For a long while political parties have discussed over a necessary counterbalance in the legislative and executive actions of the National Assembly and the Chancellor of the Republic, with the latter being both a Head of State and a Head of Government aswell as the leader of the majority political party or coalition with little or no third authorities capable of vetoing his decisions or the decisions approved by the majority of the National Assembly.

With the approval of the reform sponsored and written by Walter Eidman's Social Democratic Party of Ostmark in synergy with the Christian Democratic Union of Ostmark, the President of the Republic will assume the role of Head of State and will be tasked of verifying the constitutionality of the laws and decrees approved by the National Assembly, but also by the Chancellor of the Republic. "Today, more than ever before, it is necessary for our political system to redesign its counterbalances, so that power may never again fall into the hands of one or a few more individuals. This is also a necessary reform aimed at preventing a single political party to overthrow the democratic order currently in place, and to defend the hard-earned freedom of the Ostmarkian people" said Chancellor Walter Eidman.

The President will be elected by the National Assembly with a mandate of 7 years, and the candidate will be required to be at least 50 years old, have no criminal records, have no affiliation to a political party, and possibly be a prominent member of the civil society, with particular regards to those who have contributed to the social and moral progress of the nation. The National Assembly is expected to elect the first President of the Republic of Ostmark by the end of the year, right before the celebrations for the first Liberation Day since the fall of the National-Syndicalist regime.

 

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KARL ALBRECHT IS THE FIRST PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC
The Philosophy Professor is the first Head of State of Ostmark since the 1959 revolution.

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By Alexander Besselman

WIEN (Ostmark) - 77 years old philosophy professor Karl Albrecht has been elected by the National Assembly as the first President of the Republic of Ostmark and the first Head of State and Commander in Chief of the Territorial Defense Force since the fall of the monarchy after the 1959 revolution. A long round of applause erupted in the Palast der Republik in Wien, where Staatspräsident Karl Albrecht delivered his first speech to the members of the National Assembly and the nation. During his speech President Albrecht announced his commitment to "Defend the values and principles of the Constitution, and the nation, against all the enemies of the people and the Republic" and that "Never again Ostmark will fall under the yoke of a tyrant, domestic or foreign".

Karl Albrecht was born in 1944 in Ludwigstadt am See, in the Autonomous Province of Wallia, and he graduated in 1971 at Wien's State University where he taught philosophy and Ostmarkian literature between 1979 and 2018. In 2018, after the rise to power of Horst Grasser and the National-Syndikalistische Volkspartei, he refused to become a member of the party and recite the Oath of Loyalty required by all public servants, including professors and teachers of the education system. He was then fired and stripped of his titles and phd by National-Syndicalist authorities, and served a six months prison sentence for openly criticizing the regime and denouncing the violence and repression perpetraed by the Volkspolizei and the State Security Service, in spite of the Decree for National Salvation that banned all forms of dissent against the regime.

After the end of the dictatorship, Karl Albrecht campaigned against the destruction of the archives of the State Security Service to "Preserve the memory of the crimes and atrocities committed by the regime against its own people". He later expressed support for Chancellor Walter Eidman's Forgive&Forget reconciliation efforts and denounced radical political groups that seeked violent and physical revenge "The regime may have destroyed our lives, but we can still save our souls from the thirst of revenge and hatred that is dominating our society" he was quoted as saying on the night of the 18th of December, 2020, the night of the fall of the National-Syndicalist regime.

 

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*Kanzler Walter Eidman fades in on the screen. He is sitting behind his desk at the Palast der Republik in Wien.*

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Dear Citizens,

During this year Ostmark has undergone radical but positive changes. Against all odds, Ostmark's economy boasted an incredible growth which is estimated at over five percent of its GDP and fueled by the hard-working spirit of the Ostmarkian people and trust by our economic partners. All economic datas confirm that the prolonged stagnation and economic crisis, an heritage of our dark past, has been replaced by an astonishing growth that brought an immense improvement of the quality of life and availability of commodities for the workers and their families.

Against all odds our nation has rediscovered democracy, freedom, prosperity and peace. Against all odds, Ostmark has finally risen from the ruins. Most importantly Ostmark has found peace, a permanent peace, and strongly reaffirmed its liberal and democratic spirit. We have redicovered an immense strenght and resilience that is a signature trait of our people, the people of Ostmark, who categorically refused to give up to uncertainty and despair. We defended our choices and stood still in the face of threats and plots that seeked to undermine the progress and the hard-earned achievements of our society as a whole, and in the end we defeated tyranny and poverty.

With the recent election of the President of the Republic, Ostmark has put in place a new line of defense against those who seek to strip the Ostmarkian people of its constitutional rights and it hard-earned freedoms. By the use of its unshakable will to build an ever-more democratic society founded on the pinciples of freedom of speech, of expression and opinion, today our nation proudly and vocally stands among the democratic nations of Europe. We will continue to promote and defend our choices, our ideals, as far as humanely possible.

Therefor, my fellow Citizens, let us celebrate the end of 2021 as the year of our rebirth as a people and as a nation, and let us welcome this new year to come as the year in which we will consolidate our hard-earned achievements, our victory against the defeatism of those who wished us to fail and let us continue to show the world our commitment to build a better society and, hopefully and ultimately, a better Europe. I wish you and your families a happy new year.

Long live the Republic.
Long live Ostmark.

*Kanzler Walter Eidman fades off the screen*

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"WE CANNOT AFFORD ANOTHER PANNONIA" SAID STAATSPRÄSIDENT ALBRECHT
The President of the Republic has firmly condemned the recent escalations over Thuringau-Lethonia's missiles program and admonished the German community for its lack of cohesion and cooperation.

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By Heinrich Obenaus

WIEN (Ostmark) - In an official communique released this morning by the Staatsspräsidialamt of the Republic of Ostmark, the President of the Republic Karl Albrecht has firmly condemned the recent escalations in Germania and exhorted all parties involved to resort to internationally recognized institutions such as the European Forum "As the only acceptable instrument to reach a comprehensive and acceptable resolution over the recent escalations regarding Thuringau-Lethonia's military deployments in former Pannonia and the development of the national missile program".

The President of the Republic reaffirmed Ostmark's commitment to the peaceful resolution of international disputes and condemmned Germania's lack of cohesion and cooperation "That has led Germania to humanitarian disasters in the past and might to do so in the not so distant future unless German nations and other key regional players agree to settle their disputes by the means of diplomacy and bilateral agreements". "In any case" he added "It is my will and also the will of the Government presided by Kanzler Eidman to avoid any involvement in the ongoing crisis. Ostmark," he continued "Will stand as a bullwark of peace, democracy and stability and hopes to inspire all the peoples and governments of Germania and Europe to firmly reject war as an instrument to settle international disputes".

Kanzler Walter Eidman has also firmly denied unconfirmed rumors of plans to partially mobilize the reserves of the Landwehr in a statement released later in the afternoon by the Kanzleramt "Any decisions in regards to the current standing of the Armed Forces must be approved by the Nationalrat and most importantly ratified by the President of the Republic who is also the Commander in Chief of the Territorial Defense Force and all of its branches" said the Chancellor "In my last meeting with Staatsspräsident Albrecht we both agreed that Ostmark shall not get involved in the ongoing crisis. Also any sort of military involvement is absolutely out of question. I echo Staatsspräsident's Albrecht statement: Germania cannot afford another Pannonia" he concluded.

 

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THREE YEARS AFTER THE MASSACRE OF BOULON, OSTMARK IS READY TO DEPLOY ITS PEACKEEPING BATTALION IN BOURDIGNIE
In the morning of September 13th, 2019, thirteen Ostmarkian peacekeepers within the frameworks of the CONPROFOR initiative and dozens of civilians had perished in an ambush along a humanitarian corridor in Boulon.

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This photo, taken on the 13th of September 2019 in Boulon, is known as "Against all odds".
Upon the arrival of Ostmarkian peacekeepers of the CONPROFOR in Boulon, hundreds of civilians rushed to the scene in an attempt to take one of the busses out of the wartorn city.

By Heinrich Obenaus

WIEN (Ostmark) - Almost three years after the Massacre of Boulon, the Ostmarkian representative to the European Forum has announced the support for Resolution No. 2/2022 on the creation of a peacekeeping force under an EF mandate in Bourdignie. According to a spokesperson of the Oberkommando of the Landwehr the bulk of Ostmarkian forces likely to be deployed will be composed of elements of the 2. PzGren Div. (2nd Panzergrenadiers Division), formerly known as the 12th People's Grenadiers Division. Summing up a total of 180 personnel, the Pionierkompanie 3 (3rd Engineer Company) and the Versorgungskompanie 10 (10th Recon Company) have acquired on-field experience in peackeeping operations across Germania during the years of the regime of Horst Grasser, making it one of the most experienced peacekeeping forces of Europe.

Ostmarkian peacekeepers and mediators in the past have distinguished themselves for their relationship skills and successful cooperation efforts with local authorities in countries affected by civil strife, effectively supporting the local population by providing expertise and logistics for the construction and maintenance of electricity and water supply aswell as the delivery and distribution of first aid. Ostmarkian peacekeepers are highly regarded worldwide for their humanitarian effort also thanks for the cooperation with the Ostmarkian Red Cross. The latter was the only humanitarian organization allowed to operate in Kispest, the capital of former Pannonia, with the approval and support of local authorities. During the three months mission, the Ostmarkian Red Cross contributed to the construction of field hospitals and provided a 24/7 emergency medical service for the local population, in cooperation with local healthcare authorities.

The men and women of the Ostmarkian peacekeeping force in former Bourgogne have also paid one of the highest prices on the 13th of September, 2019, when a convoy of the CONPROFOR and the Ostmarkian Red Cross led by Unteroffizier Hans Fischer during an operation to establish a humanitarian corridor out of the city of Boulon, fell into an ambush resulting in the death of 13 Ostmarkian soldiers, 4 workers of the Ostmarkian Red Cross, and 221 civilians. The only survivor, Schutze Rudolf Messer who was driving a bus loaded up with refugees, had then been awarded the medal of the Order of the Hero of the Working Classes of the People's Republic of Ostmark for successfully bringing to safety over 70 civilians to the nearest CONPROFOR base despite being partially incapacitated by a severe gunshot wound to his shoulder. Unteroffizier Hans Fischer had been declared MIA about a week after the events. As of today, his body has yet to be found.

 

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DAYS OF SORROW: THE FALL OF OSTMARK
Writer and historian Franz Gruber has published the third volume of his series on the history of Ostmark. "Days of Sorrow: The fall of Ostmark" is the chronicle of the most devastating economic crisis and default of a national economy in modern history.

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By Alexander Besselman

WIEN (Ostmark) - When Wien's stock market crashed in March 2014, events unfolded so quickly that neither the population or the government presided by Chancellor Franz Kohler had time to realize what was going on. In less than two weeks international rating agencies declassed Ostmark's treasury bonds to "Junk" status igniting the default of the national economy and plunging Ostmark into a downspiral of recession, poverty and unemployment. The months that followed the default have been characterized by riots, protests, street violence, robberies and murders to a point that even the Staatspolizei had simply advised people to stay home due to the law enforcement's lack of funds and personnel to guarantee order and provide emergency response.

"It all happened so quickly that by the time we realized what was going on our country had basically ceased to exist. We simply ran out of money. Banks were empty, ATMs were out of service, with the Central Bank closed until further notice and incapable of printing new currency which in any case had lost its value and was not even worth the paper it was printed on" said Professor Gruber "In 2014 the suicide rate went up by almost 1000%. Hundreds of businessmen, workers, ordinary citizens, mothers and fathers, young men and women who had lost their jobs, had their houses and cars repossessed by the banks, which were also in default, had simply decided to put and end their lives. Many really had no other choice.. other than starvation and homelessness of course" he continued "Those who coped with the situation reverted to a quasi-subsistence economy, begging for food, standing in queue infront of the food banks, churches, charity organizations. Thousands left the city to move into the ruins of the industrial area where hundreds of families had moved to find some shelter, only to be physically and mentally abused by ruthless gangs of drug dealers adding the plight of heroine to the misery they were already experiencing. We call them 'The Days of Sorrow' but, in fact, it was pure anarchy and desperation for a at least four years".

Even today the 2014 economic default is a topic that Ostmarkians would rather not talk about. In a recent survey it was estimated that over 76% of the population has "Bad memories" of the years between 2014 and 2018 and that almost 32% have suffered symptoms of a Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as a direct consequence of the abysmal quality of life during the economic crisis "Including Horst Grasser, of course" said Professor Gruber "Horst Grasser did not use the situation to rise to power, contrary to popular beliief. He was also part of that overwhelming majority of struggling Ostmarkians. He simply decided to take the issue in his own hands and he has done that by asking the people to follow him in his anti-capitalist, anti-globalist crusade to 'restore the supremacy of the national working classes over the internationalist capitalist lobbies'. He was moved by a bloody thirst for revenge, not mere political power."

"The anger and frustration" he continued "that was cooking inside the broken hearts and souls of the Ostmarkian people manifested themselves in one of the most violent and brutal pogroms of modern history, with the difference that as opposed to historical pogroms, during which jewish communities became targets of angry crowds, this time the victims were landlords, factory owners, bankers, brokers, investment funds and insurance companies managers, white collars in general - all of them - were marked and perceived as enemies of the people, enemies of the working class, and those responsible for the ongoing situation. Chancellor Franz Kohler was of course the number one target of the National-Syndicalists, and they executed him publicly shortly after their victory".

After the National-Syndicalist victory in the October 2018 elections the newly formed Volkspolizei, Ostmark's infamous People's Police, reportedly arrested and imprisoned, often without a trial, thousands of prominent businessmen and their employees on the premises of "Purging Ostmarkian society of international loan sharks and anti-ostmarkian elements of the turbo-capitalist financial elites". We can only estimate the number of victims of said purges between 3000 and 6000, but the real numbers might aswell be higher "But real numbers will never be discovered due to the destruction of the archives of the State Security Service after the velvet revolution of December 2020 and the fall of the National-Syndicalist regime. So we can only make a rough estimate of that. I am confident that no less than 4000 have been arrested and imprisoned - hundreds have been probably physically eliminated".

As to why Ostmarkian society is refusing to reopen such a dark page of its history, even if for the sake of knowledge and understanding of those events, Professor Gruber has no doubts "There can be no forgiveness and the only way to move over and forget that past is to destroy its memories and traces. We choose to forget because we feel guilty for what we have done and we don't want to admit that we are all collectively responsible for it. It is a permanent stain and wound in the very fabric of our society and our history as a people and a nation that will never heal, i'm afraid" he concluded.