Dorvik

Dorvik, officially known as the Dorvish Republic (Dorvish: Dorvische Republik, Lorman: Dōrviskas Republīki) is a nation in the Northern most point of Artania. It is bordered to the south-east by Kirlawa and to the south-west by Aloria. It is the forty-third most populous nation on Terra with a population of 99,581,570, and an area of 893,400 km, resulting in a population density of 111.38 people / km. Dorvik is the farthest nation North on Artania. It has several major cities including: Haldor, Vinisk, Ussendorf, Oststadt and Fairfax.

Dorvik is a conglomeration of two people the Dorvish tribes from Dundorf and the proto-Dundorfian Lorman tribe. The two peoples lived in a state of relative constant war before the marriage of two royal families brought an end to the violence. The Kingdom of Dorvik was founded and lasted until 1920 when communist ferver in the nation grew to a head and a revolution saw the overthrow of the monarchy and the Dorvish Soviet Republic was founded. The Dorvish Soviet Republic was eventually beaten due to the efforts of Florian Aeschelman and the Dorvish Royalist Army. The monarchy lasted until 2000 when it was overthrown in a popular revolution which saw several successive governments fail in its wake, eventually the Free Republic of Dorvik was founded and it lasted.

The Dorvish economy is the worlds twenty-second largest economy and is considered to be one of the more consistent economies in the world. Dorvik has a powerful industrial sector combined with a powerful shipbuilding industry which produces some 20% of the worlds ships. Dorvik is one of the worlds leading military exporters and one of the worlds foremost diplomatically active nations with a powerful democracy. Dorvik is the founder and a member of the Artanian Union, and a number of economic organizations such as the Artanian Economic Council and the G13 or the Group of 13, the continental economic council of Artania.

History
Dorvish history begun with the Dorvi tribe in the heartland of Dorvik, they eventually went on and formed the Confederation of the Lormans, a feudalistic elective monarchy led by the Lorman High Commander. Alongside the Lormans was the Mothin Zsardom and the Dorvin Republic evolving. Tensions between the Lormans and the Mothins eventually lead to to the break out of the longest war in Dorvish history, the war resulted in peace for both nations and the eventual union between them.

The newly founded Kingdom of Dorvik went on to have relative peace until it set its sights upon the Dorvin Republic. In a daring naval invasion the Kingdom invaded the peaceful Dorvin Republic and suffered defeat after defeat at the hands of the proud and vastly disciplined Dorvin Legions alongside their dangerous Kosak cavalry. The Dorvin Republic at the time had fallen under the autocratic rule of the Vinisk family, an aristocrat business family that rose to prominence in the Dorvin Senate and eventually took on the title of "Prince", a title typically reserved for an elected dictator during times a great crisis. The Vinisk family saw this as an opportunity to increase their power and murdered the last of the Dargun-Kordaw family and placed themselves on the throne of the Kingdom.

Dorvik under the Vinisk family experienced both success and failure. The Kingdom fought constant succession movements since it cemented its power in the late 1300s. It was not until the discovery of the ideologies of Socialism and Communism did the people begun to truly revolt against the government. In the early 1900s the royal government fended off numerous socialist and communist revolutionaries as they struggled to hold onto power. The foundation of the Dorvish Soviet Socialist Republic was a confederation of the five regions in Dorvik being run by revolutionary socialist and communist parties. The regime descended into anarchy in its final months as the Communist Party of the Dorvish Soviet Socialist Republic failed to find leaders who were as charismatic as previous leaders.

The situation was further worsened because of the revival of the monarchist movement under the guise of the Dorvish Royalist Army which included monarchist army officers and the exiled Vinisk family. The Dorvish Royalist Army eventually captured the mainland capital of Haldor and moved to capture the island capital of Fairfax. It took the royalist 12 years to defeat the communists and restore the monarchy to power. The House of Vinisk was restored to the throne and eventually went on to hold power for another 51 years before King Sigimund III begun making poor political and economic decisions and the republicans of the nation saw it was their chance to finally overthrow the monarchy.

In 1998 Sigimund III permitted the nation to turn into a constitutional monarchy but continuing civil unrest and threats of execution forced his abdication and Sigimund III abdicated and allowed the nation to become a full Republic. In what is widely known as the Popular Revolution of 2000 the former Kingdom of Dorvik became the Free Republic of Dorvik and held its first fair and free elections. However Dorvik would go on to experience a brutal proletarian dictatorship only a few decades after freedom from monarchist rule.

Dorvik continued through the proletariat crisis and was eventually freed by liberal democratic parties, it did not last long as eventually a radical far-right fascist nationalist group rose up and took over Dorvik. Their rule lasted until the foundation of the Communist Party of Dorvik was founded on March 23rd, 2958 and swept elections and declared the republic free of fascist control. Many in Dorvik feared a return to the Dorvish Soviet Socialist Republic but Raymond Petrov had other ideas for the nation after the brutal communist uprisings in the country side and reformed the nation upon a non-ideological constitution and allowed a full parliamentarian democracy.

The Dorvish democracy lasted unmolested until the 3236 when the Dorvish People's Party arose and called for the re-creation of the Dorvish Reich, Dorvish for Empire. Throughout history the Kingdom of Dorvik had been referred too as the "Dorvish Reich" due to its autocratic nature and the often random claims that the King of Dorvik was an Emperor. The far-right national fascist state lasted for five years before relenting to pressures of civil unrest and the refusal of the military to adopt and enforce the policies of the government. The Social Democratic Party of Dorvik eventually forced the restoration of the parliamentarian democracy and the Dorvish People's Party was banned. Alongside the Dorvish Reich was the Red Civil War a brutal civil conflict which tore apart the Communist Party of Dorvik and saw the party entirely disband.

The Democratic Party of Dorvik went on to declare a second People's Republic of Dorvik which exists until this very day. The People's Republic of Dorvik is noted for its civil liberties and its powerful parliamentarian democracy. In recent years the republic has involved itself with the Artanian Union, a continental organization seeking cooperation and prosperity for the Artanian continent. The Dorvish Conservative Party has dominated recent elections and has been responsible for the defense of the nation against the vicious verbal attacks of Gaduridos, a former colony. The Dorvish government and nation passed the Gaduridos crisis relatively unscathed and proceeded to be a tremendous peace. In early 3337 the proposal by the Dorvish Conservative Party to remove the vestiges of the Communist rule were approved and finally in 3338 and 3339 the legislation was passed and the government became the Dorvish Federation.

In 3464 the House of Vinisk, led by Wilhelm von Vinisk, formed the Königliche Partei Dorvik with the intention of returning their family to the throne of Dorvik after over a thousand years of republicanism. There was a huge public outpouring of support for the monarchists following decades of internal political instability and external crises and in the elections of 3468 the party won a majority in the Dorvish Federal Assembly. The Vinisks and their allies in the Assembly moved swiftly and introduced legislation to restore the Vinisks to the throne of Dorvik with Wilhelm as monarch. On September 23rd, 3470, Wilhem was crowned King of Dorvik in Schloß Vinisk. In the late 3490s the Dorvish Social Nationalist Party was re-founded and made it it's campaign goal to have the monarchy end in Dorvik. The Dorvish elections of 3500 saw the DSNP elected to a super-majority in the Reichstag. Bojidar Maksimov, chairman of the party and Arndt Stuber, deputy chairman announced taht they would be re-writing the Dorvish constitution and restoring the Federation, as proposed by their goals.

The Federation was eventually restored in Dorvik and lasted until various movement undermined the Federation, which led to it's collapse. The Dorvish Federation collapsed, the disbanding of the Dorvish Social Nationalist Party had a large impact on the collapse of the Federation, the Social Nationalist remained the largest supporters of the Federation-style government. The party collapsed on March 11th, 3541 and with it the Federation entered it's death throes. In the years succeeding the collapse of the party the government was taken over by various groups competing for control, many institutions of the Dorvish government collapsed and the country descended into a recession due to the lack of vital government structures and works. The country was eventually taken over by a dictatorial regime known as the Dorvish Builders Corporation and turned Dorvik into a corporatocracy.

Government
Dorvik, officially the Dorvish Republic (Dundorfian: Dorvische Republik) or the Republic of Dorvik (Dundorfian: Republik der Dorvik), is a federal representative republic based out of Haldor, its capital. The President of the Dorvish Republic is the head of state and unlike the President of the Dorvish Federation is largely ceremonial. The President of the Dorvish Republic however, serves as the one of the chief foreign diplomats and is still the Supreme Commander-in-Chief (Dundorfian: Oberbefehlshaber) of the Armed Forces of Dorvik.

The State Chancellor of the Dorvish Republic is the primary official of the Dorvish Republics government, the State Chancellor is appointed by the State Council by a majority vote, the State Chancellor is an homage to the earlier government established in Dorvik in the late 18th century. The State Chancellor is responsible for the day to day management of the Dorvish state as well as the overall direction of the government of the Dorvish Republic, they are responsible for answering questions to the Dorvish people. The State Council is the unicameral legislature of the Dorvish Republic, it is an elected 495 deputy legislature that has total legislative initiative and legislative power. The State Council is chaired by the President of the State Council and is served by two Vice Presidents.

Political and elections
Dorvik has maintained a flourishing multi-party democracy almost uninterrupted since the popular revolution in 2000, the proud Dorvish tradition of democracy has rarely been broken in the modern era and throughout Dorvik's history has had a multitude of political parties and political ideologies. Political parties and elections in Dorvik are administered by the Federal Elections Council which is responsible for the legal matters and logistical matters surrounding elections and political parties.

Currently Dorvik has 3 active national political parties, they are the Democratic Party, the Dorvish Social Nationalist Party and the Liberal Party. The Liberal Party is the successor to the Dorvish Aristocrat Party and the Conservative-Liberal Party which restored the monarchy in Dorvik in 3576. The SNP is the largest political party in the Diet of the Kingdom of Dorvik and shares a coalition with the Democratic Party, the second largest party in the Reichstag. Elections are conducted through single member constituencies with the exception of the major cities in Dorvik. 241 single member constituencies exist, the 5 multi-member constituencies are Haldor, Oststadt, Fairfax, Autenburg and Ussendorf who between them elect 14 members to the Diet, each elect 3 except Haldor who elects 2.

Regional politics in Dorvik is considered to be very important, most national political parties maintain local branches within the regions of Dorvik but are not the sole competitors of seats in regional legislatures, political culture in Dorvik has lead to the development of many regional political parties and organizations such as the Miktarian People's Party or the Dorvan Democratic League. Political organizations also exist such as the Dorvish Monarchist Movement as well as the Internal Dorvish Revolutionary Organization, an left-wing ultra-nationalist group which has support throughout Dorvik but primarily in Mothar.

Elections for the Diet occur on the 5th of May, unless a special early election is passed in the Diet. Regional elections are held on the 3rd, with results typically being announced on the same day as the national election results. Elections are held every 6 years in Dorvik with special provisions made if an early election request is made.

Foreign relations
The Dorvish foreign policy is heavily dependent on the political party occupying the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is responsible for the development and execution of the Dorvish foreign policy. Dorvik has for the most part remained an isolationist leaning nation which was established by Raymond Petrov, the founder of the modern Dorvish state. The policy of "Dorvik first, Terra second" remains a popular policy within the Dorvish state despite the political ideologies of different parties occupying the foreign affairs ministry. In recent decades the Dorvish have grown to become a regional power and were responsible for the foundation of the Artanian Union, credited to a member of the Petrov family who founded the Democratic Party of Dorvik.

The Dorvish foreign policy is centered primarily around Artania and the institutions of the Artanian Union to develop regional peace, prosperity and security. Dorvik has been the biggest benefactor of the Artanian Union and the Artanian Union is housed in the Artanian Union Building in Schrudehofen, Kordusia. This has permitted Dorvik to take upon the mantle of being one of the leading nations of Artania as well as drive prosperity in Dorvik. Dorvish agencies such as the Dorvish Stability and Security Group are responsible for operations throughout the world in the area of state development, Dorvik is a member of numerous international organizations including being a founding member of the Council of Terran States an organization dedicated to peace and security throughout the world.

Military
The Armed Forces of Dorvish Republic also known as the Armed Forces of Dorvik are the unified defensive and offensive forces of the Dorvish Republic. The Armed Forces of Dorvik had it's foundation in the 2000 popular revolution which saw the old royalist military replaced. The Armed Forces of Dorvik are administratively controlled by the Dorvish Ministry of Defense while the day-to-day operation falls to the Supreme General Staff, which is situated in the Dorvish General Staff building formerly known as the Dorvish General Staff Headquarters. The President of the Dorvish Republic is considered the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Dorvik (Dundorfian: Oberbefehlshaber), a position given to him by state law.

The Dorvish Armed Forces is comprised of the Dorvish Landwehr (army), the Dorvish Marine (navy), the Dorvish Fliegertruppe (air force), the Dorvish Jäger (special forces) and the Dorvish Feldjäger (military police). The Dorvish Armed Forces is assisted by the Military Security Service, the military intelligence organization of the Dorvish military. Unlike other states throughout the world, the Dorvish prize themselves on their military and it remains one of the centerpieces of the state. The Dorvish military is widely regarded as one of the most power military's in the world. Annual spending of the Dorvish Armed Forces tops around 120b Dolgars a year, increasing whenever necessary and likewise decreasing.

Dorvik has conscription laws at the age of 18, however those who are required to enter into state service can either choose the Dorvish military or the Dorvish civil service, leading to uneven numbers of conscripts each year. Conscripts serve a term of 3 years and after which are given aid to find careers either through higher educational grants or careers within the Dorvish government or state itself.

Law enforcement
The Dorvish Police (Dundorfian: Dorvische Polizei) is the successor to the Dorvish Federal Police (Dundorfian: Dorvische Föderale Polizei). The Dorvish Police were reformed underneath Minister of Defense General-Field Marshal Bonifaz Voll, who worked closely with several other leading police officials in Dorvik to reform the police to bring them underneath a more civilian-like structure. General of the Police Maximilain Lehwess was General-Field Marshall Voll's point man on the reform, General Lehwess and several other politicians and police officials worked closely with the current police leadership and came up with the final structure of the Dorvish Police. The Dorvish Police were reformed officially on January 1st, 3870 as part of a celebration for the Dorvish Police.

The Dorvish Police lost much of their power in theory, the Dorvish Police were divided amongst the Lander, closely associated with the term "states" in Dorvik. The Dorvish Police are technically a state-wide force, they however are divided into different branches and much of the control has been given to the Lander when it comes to their police forces but in theory, the system remains highly centralized as is tradition in Dorvish government organizations. The head of the Dorvish Police is known as the Chief of Dorvish Police (Dundorfian: Chef der Dorvischen Polizei) and ranks as a Colonel-General of the Dorvish Police, known as Generaloberst in Dundorfian. This trend is similar to the Dorvish Federal Police but the new Dorvish Police is organized differently with the Chief of Dorvish Police responsible for all Dorvish Police.

The Dorvish Police are the largest department underneath the Dorvish Ministry of Internal Affairs, much of the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs is made up of police officials. The Chief of Dorvish Police is traditionally a State Secretary of the Interior, considered to be similar to a "Deputy Minister" in other parts of the world.

Economy
The Dorvish Economy is ranked 31st in the world of 58 countries with a total GDP of $256,555,842,323.60 LOD, with a per capita GDP of $2,574 LOD. The Dorvish Economy is reliant on it's industrial sector (which produces ships and heavy machinery), it's newly discovered oil industry which is handled by the state-owned and run Dorvish Oil Company and it's extensive fishing industry. The Dorvish Dolgar is the currency of the Dorvish Federation, it's current exchange rate against the Lodamun Dollar is estimated to be around .1829 DDO to 1 LOD. The Dorvish government is a semi-free market economy though under the Dorvish Conservative Party the increase in state ownership in several industries has increased namely in the oil and minerals sector.

The Dorvish economy has experienced various amounts of growth and expansion over the past decade and much of it is attributed to the investment of the government into various new ventures to capitalize on the natural resources in Dorvik which were never exposed. Dorvik has it's own stock exchange, the Dorvish Stock Exchange located in the central district of Haldor with the other being the Wasse Stock Exchange in Wasse am Kas.

Infrastructure
Dorvik has developed its infrastructure over the past 200 years and has become one of the leading Artanian nations in infrastructure as well as ranking in the top of Terran nations. Dorvik has an interstate highway called Interstate 1 which runs throughout mainland Dorvik while six superbridges link the mainland and the two islands together. Dorvik also boasts an extensive rail system which is maintained by the government alongside private owned companies, the rail system was spearheaded by a joint political venture of the Communist Party of Dorvik and various other political parties over the past 75 years.

Education
Education in Dorvik is overseen by the Ministry of Education and Culture which is responsible for the overall direction of public education in Dorvik. Education in Dorvik is compulsory but does not have to happen at school, this permits home schooling to exist. Home schooling is conducted by teachers in the school district of the student or by legally licensed teachers, sometimes being the parent of the student. Primary School is from grades 1 to 5, Middle School is from grades 6 to 8 and Secondary School is from grades 9 to 12. Prior to attending higher education all students are required to do a year at a preparatory school, this idea was created by Deputy Minister of Education Ludolf Gerstle in 3389 and implemented with success over the past couple of years. Gerstle's method roots out students who are otherwise unfit to attend higher education, some have criticized the method but the Ministry of Education has reported higher graduation and retention rates in higher education.

Kordusia has pioneered higher education since the creation of the State University of Kordusia the largest and most comprehensive public higher education program in the Federation. The University of Kordusia at its height was responsible for nearly 40% of all higher education in Dorvik and was widely considered the model of education for the entirety of Dorvik and some believe Artania. The State University of Kordusia still maintains a position of greater esteem and research in Dorvik, and Artania, and is considered the flagship university system of Dorvik. However, the educational reforms of 3580, each region of Dorvik boasts a University system. The University of Largonia, University of Mothar, Royal University of Dorvan and People's University of Miktar offer accessible higher education to students in each of their respective regions based on the model of the State University of Kordusia. Each of these new university systems however have sought to differentiate and establish themselves in Dorvik with a unique identity and at the forefront of academic research and education.

The military also gives its professional members the ability to be educated at higher education locations. The military education in Dorvik is opened to the professional soldiers of Dorvik while lower level institutions are opened to both professional and conscripted soldiers. Students who chose to serve in a branch of civil service attend school while completing their education in order to create a more well rounded and balanced Dorvish citizen.

Demographics
Dorvik is one the very few nations that can claim to be nominally one ethnicity. Nearly 85% of the population of Dorvik is Dorvish while the remaining 15% is divided up among Alorian, Kirlawan, Dundorfian, Kafuri, Hulstrian, Indralan, Luthorian, Darnussian, Davostani, Aldurian and Kanjorian. The most sizable concentrations of immigrants are Hulstrian, Dundorfian, Kanjorian, Alorian and Kirlawan. Hulstrians are found commonly on the east coast, namely in the city of Stersestadt, Miktar where the the Hulstrian Embassy is found. Dundorfians have integrated very much with the Dorvish society seeing as they have a common language. Dorvish Dundorfians are commonly found in the center of the nation and are called Middle Dorvish or Mittleren Dorvische in Dorvish. Alorians and Kirlawans find themselves along the border of their respective nations. In recent years the population of Dorvish Kanjorians has expanded for unknown reasons but it is noted that an expedition was launched by the Kanjorians in the late 1500s by the Kanjorians to explore Terra and many reside the very northern tip of Dorvik.

Culture
The Dorvish are a Artanian culture, derived from the Dorvi tribe which migrated north from Dundorf thus the Dorvish shared a common ancestral background with the Dundorfians as well as a similar language. The Dorvish are well known for their altruistic attitudes which have made them susceptible to nationalism, which is something that the Dorvish pride themselves on. The Dorvish firmly believe in their nation and have a respect for their neighbors. Though the Dorvish are divided into three "cultural" groups, they share a common background of being united under the Dorvish flag and most Dorvish citizens believe that those from Mothar and Dorvan are just as much Dorvish as mainlanders.

The Dorvish people are noted for their relatively secular religion known as Ordism which is the theological ideology of the Reformed Hosian Church of Dorvik which stress Order, Perseverance and Loyalty. The church has largely been a supporter of the Dorvish government and has always kept it's nose out of Dorvish politics. Members of the church's own hierarchy claim that the church is a political church due to the loyalty of the church's hierarchy to the government and their often far-ranging support of the Dorvish government. Competing with the Ordist church is the Selucian Patriarchal Church which 17% of the entire Dorvish population considers themselves members of.

The Dorvish are positively viewed in the world. A survey conducted stated that 62% of foreigners in foreign nations had a positive view of the nation, while 30% had an unfavorable view of the nation and 8% had a neutral view of the nation. The Dorvish pride themselves on being personable and likable to tourist and showing them the strength of character of the Dorvish state and nation. Dorvik has always been a land of ideological politics, the Dorvish are renown for their passion and sometimes fanatical support of their nation, its politics and its efforts throughout the world. In Dorvik men and women enjoy a relatively high level of gender equality.

Sports
Dorvik has a proud and long history of association football, known as soccer to some throughout the world. The Dorvik Premier League is the official football organization of Dorvik and is a large generator of revenue for the nation. The Dovish Premier League is operated and run by the Dorvish Football Association (Dorvish: Dorvischer Fußball-Bund). Throughout Dorvik nearly 20 major stadiums play host to various matches and smaller leagues in Dorvik.

Holidays
Dorvik follows many traditional Protestant and Catholic holidays while they have a few state sponsored holidays.


 * Independence Day - September 5th.
 * Armed Forces Day - September 6th.
 * Thanksgiving - Fourth Thursday in November.
 * Christmas Eve - December 24th.
 * Christmas Day - December 25th.
 * New Years Eve - December 31st.
 * New Years Day - January 1st.
 * Inauguration Day - January 20th after Presidental Election.
 * Easter - Last Sunday in April.

Symbolism
In Dorvik the eagle has been a popular symbol due to the Dundorfic belief in eagles and their importance. In Dorvik, that is no different. The Dorvish tribes which came from Dundorf had always used the eagle and according to Dorvish paganism the eagle was the symbol of god Þórmóðr who was the In Dorvik two items are used to symbolize the nation, the double headed eagle which became popular with the foundation of the Kingdom of Dorvik and the Dorvish white lion. The double headed eagle is a symbol of the two people coming together, the Lormans and the Mothins, to found the Kingdom of Dorvik. The Lormans had originally used a single headed eagle to represent their culture and people and it served as an inspiring symbol for the Lormans. The Mothin's made use of a red lion on most of their symbolic items such as flags and banners, the Mothin's however adapted the eagle after they had came into contact with the Lormans. Upon the foundation of the Kingdom of Dorvik, the two decided that the double headed eagle would represent both cultures in the monarchy. The white lion is a more universal symbol of both the Mothin and Lorman people, the Dorvish White Lion is found in all parts of Dorvik and is renown for it's ferocity and vicious nature. The white lion became symbolic of both people.