Socialist Atlantica

Socialist Atlantica, formally, The People's Socialist Republic of Atlantica, or sometimes simply referred to as 'Atlantica', is a nation on the European Continent of Planet Bob. Founded on the principles of social and economic justice, the PSRA has established the perfect welfare state.

Society
Atlantican society is very liberal. The government stays of out social issues for the most part, intervening only to protect the civil rights of its citizens. The country is comprised of dozens of ethnicities with no clear majority. Studies have found that the various ethnic groups earn near identical wages and enjoy the same quality of life. Although the country is home to many churches, including an ancient wonder - The Great Temple, most of its citizens declare themselves to be non religious and the government is officially secular with strong laws to protect the separation of church and state. Atlanticans are also very open about their sexuality, which often comes as a shock to many foreigners when they first arrive. Homosexuals and transgenders are protected from discrimination under the constitution and are free to live as they are.

Government
PSRA's government hasn't changed much since its initial founding. The country's national government is composed of five branches. It's executive branch is headed by a Premier. There is a Great Monument to Gavik, the first Premier and the man that united Socialist Atlantica into a single nation.

Economy
The PSRA is a socialist country. It allows plenty of room for free enterprise and entrepreneurship with a guiding hand of government regulation and a strong social security system for its citizens. Many of its key industries and services are nationalized. The people of Socialist Atlantica pays an above average tax rate to support such nationalization, but enjoy a happier, healthier and richer life because of it. The economic power of The PSRA is the back bone of the nation which allows for a strong military to defend itself. However, PSRA history is filled with examples where military spending was cut without hesitation to continue social programs and grow the economy.

Employment is kept high due to a complex and widespread infrastructure system that supports several factories, harbors and banks across the nation. The rights of organized labor and the working class are respected and promoted by the government and fellow citizens of the PSRA. The nation prospers with a "people before profits" mentality that improves quality of life as well as material wealth. To this end, the PSRA has established several economic wonders, including a Social Security System, an Interstate System and a strong Stock Market. Schools, clinics and hospitals are also abundant to serve the needs of the people.

The nation is rich in oil and prospers immensely from exporting it. It also boasts fertile crop land to grow and export sugar. It trades these resources for raw materials to sustain its growing infrastructure.

The nation is also very active in the international tech market, sending out representatives to purchase the most advanced technology available on a near daily basis.

Founding
Some time after the nations of Europe industrialized, the working classes of the continent began to realize that, although they were the ones who worked the most, they would never get to share in the extraordinary wealth generated by this new system. Several populist movements in several countries began to foment revolution. Although these groups differed in their methods (some were peaceful while others declared a guerrilla war on their governments), all shared the same goal of building a fairer nation. The period of turmoil that followed saw both legislative reforms enacted to protect the working classes and horrific acts of violence by the revolutionaries. Civil war broke out in a number of nations.

A network of industrial city-state communes spanning the entire continent emerged from the chaos. They were often more powerful than the governments of their host nations. A transitional parliament was formed and the communes collectively declared themselves a sovereign nation - The People's Socialist Republic of Atlantica.

Globalization and Militarization
Socialist Atlantica began as a peaceful state that rejected the ideas of militarism. It was spared from border and resource conflicts that often plague young nations, which enabled the country to grow without diverting valuable assets into defense. However, upon its rise to region-wide prominence and entrance into global politics, the nation realized that a strong military was necessary, not only for the country, but to stabilize its weaker allies as well. Starting with the infrastructure to create and defend against nuclear weapons, the nation began to invest heavily in defense weaponry. A Pentagon was constructed to coordinate the exponentially-growing military. The borders now bristle with missile batteries and anti-aircraft artillery. Many of the older citizens lament the turn towards militarization, but there seems to be no alternative as the nation becomes an increasingly prominent member of the international community. Socialist Atlantica first signed treaties to become a member nation of the United Blue Directorate, where the nation prospered immensely. However, upon the UBD's entrance into the PB-NpO War, Socialist Atlantica resigned from the alliance, as it could not commit the lives of it's soldiers in defense of the MCXA or NpO. Just after the alliance signed peace deals, Socialist Atlantica became a member nation of the Libertarian Socialist Federation, where it remains to this day. The alliance's egalitarian ideals resonated well with the people of Atlantica, leading the country to take an active roll in the alliance with tech deals and military aid.