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Description for Serbia

Conquered by the Turks 1389, Serbia did not regain independence until 1878, and established a monarchy in 1882. Geographically a land-locked state, Serbia had the Austro-Hungarian Empire on its borders in the north.

Serbia was an overwhelmingly rural society. It had few mineral or industrial resources and had less than 10,000 people employed in manufacturing. The economy relied heavily on the exports of food.

In 1903 a group of junior officers planned the assassination of the autocratic and unpopular King Alexander. The group stormed the royal palace and killed both the king and his wife, Queen Draga. Soon afterwards, Karadjordjevic was elected king by the Serbian parliament. All civilian male taxpayers elected the new National Assembly.

Serbian encouragement of Slav separatist movements in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia angered the government of Austria-Hungary. Serbia received close support and friendship from her “Slavic brothers” in Russia, but the two countries were unable to prevent the Austro-Hungarian Army from seizing Bosnia in 1908.

In May 1911, ten men in Serbia formed the Black Hand Secret Society. The main objective of the Black Hand was the creation, by means of violence, of a Greater Serbia. Its stated aim was: "To realize the national ideal, the unification of all Serbs. This organization prefers terrorist action to cultural activities; it will therefore remain secret."

Dragutin Dimitrijevic, who used the codename, Apis, established himself as the leader of the Black Hand. In 1911 he sent a member in a failed attempt to assassinate Austrian Emperor Franz Josef.

In 1912, during the Balkan War, Serbia, Greece, Bulgaria and Montenegro won a series of comprehensive military victories over Turkish forces. The following year, Bulgaria, disappointed by the terms of the Treaty of London, attacked Greek and Serbian forces. The subsequent peace treaty doubled the size of Serbia and gave Greece control over most of the Aegean coast.

Early 1914 finds Austria-Hungary warily eyeing Serbia. Will the Balkan nation cause unrest with the Austrian empires numerous slavic minorities? Will the Serbian friendship with Russia, and her failure to intervene in Bosnia continue to foster mistrust? And what of the Black Hand's desire to create a pan-slavic greater Serbia......
 
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Description for Romania

The HOI desription (pre-1914) is fine. I would add:


In 1914, she was primarily an agricultural nation, and its 7.5 million population was mainly concentrated in the fertile Wallachian Plains. When war broke our, Romania depended heavily on trade with Germany. Its other powerful neighbor, Austria-Hungary was viewed with some suspicion, and Romania viewed warily the perceived maltreatment of 3 million Romanians in Transylvania. All adult males spent time in the territorial reserve but the Romanian Army. contained less than 100,000 men
 
changed the Serb desc. with your suggestions
 
Description for Sapin

In 1898 Spain lost the Spanish-American War, and with it much of her colonial empire. Cuba, the main battleground, gained her independence; Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines were ceded to the USA (Treaty of Paris, 1898), the Spanish claim over the Marianas (except Guam) and Carolina Islands sold to Germany. Spain only held on to her African colonies.
Spain, having century-old outposts in Morocco, played a role in the Moroccan crises; the country hosted the Algericas Conference and gained three stretches of Moroccan territory as well as the northern part of the Spanish Sahara
In the 1890s Spain found itself in a political crisis. The Canovite System with government-controlled elections insuring the regular alternation of liberal and conservative cabinets ("dynastic politicians") showed signs of breaking up. The political movements denied fair competition voiced their demands for participation in the political process on equal terms or for another change of the constitution. The PSOE (Socialist Party) had been founded in 1879. The Basque Nationalist Party was founded in 1894, the Catalan Lliga Regionalista in 1901; the Republicans formed an electoral alliance in 1903 which turned into the Reformist Party in 1912.
King Alfonso XIII. (1902-1931) was not satisfied with the function of a figurehead and used the powers granted to the king by the constitution of 1876, by repeatedly forcing a government to resign etc. Spain saw a succession of short-lived cabinets. In 1906 an attempt to assassinate the king failed.
In 1914 Spain no longer was a major political power. The country did not feature in the various alliance systems that preceded World War I, while countries such as Italy, Bulgaria and Rumania were wooed by Europe's military powers as potential partners. Spanish Public opinion was split between the 2 alliances; the more conservative elements were Germanophiles, the leftist organizations Francophiles. Prime Minister Dato hoped to keep the country neutral in any conflict, as Spain had grown politically unstable and militarily weak. But storm clouds over Europe were looming…
 
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I would add one small thing to the Serbian description: A mention that the 1911 assassination either did not take place, was delayed, failed, or something along those lines. They way it is now, it gives me the sense that F.J. was shot in 1811, and Austria waited three years before responding, which obviously did not happen.

Other than that, I like them.

Steele
 
Re: Description for Sapin

Originally posted by jxa536
In 1898 Spain lost the Spanish-American War, and with it much of her colonial empire. Cuba, the main battleground, gained her independence; Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines were ceded to the USA (TREATY OF PARIS, 1898), the Spanish claim over the Marianas (except Guam) and Carolina Islands sold to Germany. Spain only held on to her African colonies. Spain no longer was a major political power. The country did not feature in the various alliance systems that preceded World War I, while countries such as Italy, Bulgaria and Rumania were wooed by Europe's military powers as potential partners.
Spain, having century-old outposts in Morocco, played a role in the Moroccan crises; the country hosted the ALGECIRAS Conference and gained three stretches of Moroccan territory - the RIF, IFNI and CAPE JUBY, as well as the northern part of the Spanish Sahara
In the 1890es Spain found itself in a political crisis. The Canovite System with government-controlled elections insuring the regular alternation of liberal and conservative cabinets ("dynastic politicians") showed signs of breaking up. The political movements denied fair competition voiced their demands for participation in the political process on equal terms or for another change of the constitution. The PSOE (Socialist Party) had been founded in 1879. The Basque Nationalist Party was founded in 1894, the Catalan Lliga Regionalista in 1901; the Republicans formed an electoral alliance in 1903 which turned into the Reformist Party in 1912.
King Alfonso XIII. (1902-1931) was not satisfied with the function of a figurehead and used the powers granted to the king by the constitution of 1876, by repeatedly forcing a government to resign etc. Spain saw a succession of short-lived cabinets. In 1906 an attempt to assassinate the king failed.
In 1914 Spain no longer was a major political power. The country did not feature in the various alliance systems that preceded World War I, while countries such as Italy, Bulgaria and Rumania were wooed by Europe's military powers as potential partners. Spanish Public opinion was split between the 2 alliances; the more conservative elements were Germanophiles, the leftist organizations Francophiles. Prime Minister Dato hoped to keep the country neutral in any conflict, as Spain had grown politically unstable and militarily weak. But storm clouds over Europe were looming…
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You should probably alter anything entirely in uppercase ('TREATY OF PARIS' to 'Treaty of Paris', for example) :)

You also mention that Spain is no longer a major political power on two occasions. No need to rub it in ;)
 
changes made
 
Originally posted by OFAB
You have Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia (?). Then don´t forget about Poland and Finland. Especially Finland.
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We don't have descriptions for Estonia, Finland or Poland. :)
 
I've got my books and such in my office, and I know they have some decent info. for write-ups on pre-war Finland and Poland, such as they were.

I'll complete them Monday?tuesday and post
 
Description for Poland

Poland lost her independence finally in 1795 after a series of partitions from her powerful neighbors Russia, Austria, and Prussia. Poland was briefly reconstituted as a French puppet during the Napoleonic wars, but was once again partitioned after the Congress of Vienna. Poland's location in the very center of Europe became especially significant in a period when both Prussia/Germany and Russia were intensely involved in European rivalries and alliances and modern nation states took form over the entire continent
The remainder of the 19th and early 20th centuries found Poland involved in numerous revolts for her independence, including armed conflicts in 1831, 1846 and 1864, all of which were violently suppressed. After the 1864 revolts, known as the January Uprising, all Poles in the Russian sector were assimilated into the empire.

By 1914, two factions took the lead in the struggle for Polish independence. Roman Dmowski, the main leader of the Polish nationalist movement, believed the best way to achieve a unified and independent Poland, was to support the Triple Entente against the Triple Alliance.

Jozef Pilsudski, a nationalist leader based in Galicia, disagreed and saw Russia as the main enemy. Pilsudski began building a private army that he hoped would enable Poland to fight for its independence from Russia.
Both factions looked with hope to the potential alliance conflicts that appeared almost imminent….
 
Description for Finland

1809, the Russia occupied Finland, and Sweden ceded the land, ending 3 centuries of Swedish rule. Russian nationalists in the 19th century strove to transform the Russian Empire's autonomous regions on the fringe like Finland into provinces Russian in character. In order to achieve this in 1898 a Russian was appointed governor of Finland and in 1899 a manifesto was published claiming the right of the Czarist government to rule without the consent of Finland's diet and senate. Another manifesto made Russian the main language in the country's administration. The Finnish population was divided in determined opponents, the Constitutionalists, and those who favored to comply with the policy in order to further weaken the continuing Swedish grip on society, the Compliants. The radical measures of the Russian administration however made the compliants' position untenable. When the Russians introduced a new conscription law in 1901, the Finns were determined to resist. The Russians soon found out, that Finnish soldiers were, for their cause, unreliable, and exempted Finns in return for the payment of extra levies (. Meanwhile, there were Finnish organizations actively resisting Russian rule. Russian Governor Nicolai Bobrikov was assassinated by one of their members in 1904. The Russian loss in the Russo-Japanese War and the Revolution of 1905 gave the Finns some reprieve. Russian pressure to intensify Russification ceased; the Czar complied with a Finnish proposal to reform the diet. A unicameral parliament was introduced, which foresaw Universal Suffrage, Finland thus being the first country in Europe to give women full voting rights. However, in 1908 the policy of Russification was taken up again, in 1910 Finland's autonomy was revoked by Russia's Duma. The Finns firmly opposed Russia's rule, and would be happy to cooperate with any nation or individual willing to help end it….


I couldn't help but end this with at least a hint of what was to come (Lenin) :D
 
Montenegro

The Congress of Berlin formally recognized Montenegro as a state in 1878. However, the heart of Montenegro, known as Old Montenegro in the area around the historical capital of Cetinje, had been the only part of the Balkans never to fully succumb to the Ottoman Empire. In 1516, Montenegro came under the rule of the prince-bishop (Vladika) of Cetinje, a position held from 1697 by the Petrovic family. Daniel I (1851-1860) secularized the country in 1852, separating the spiritual and secular powers of the Vladika. The reign of Nicholas I (1860 - 1918) saw the doubling of Montenegro's territory and international recognition of her independence (1878), the country's first constitution (1905), the ruler's elevation to the rank of King (1910), and further territorial gains following the Balkan Wars (1913). When Austria-Hungary annexed Bosnia and Herzegovina in October, 1908, and thereby annihilated the dreams of Montenegro and Serbia in a united empire, Montenegro protested along with Serbia and, encouraged by Russia, demanded from Austria the annulment of Article 29 of the Treaty of Berlin and the evacuation of Spizza. Ever since, the relations with their powerful neighbor have been deteriorating at a fast rate. The year is 1914, Montenegro is more powerful than it has ever been but it is still a tiny land, and there is talk of war. Could Montenegro defend itself, as it has done for centuries, or could this be its end.

Sorry, but I totally forgot about this description, and when I remembered it was exam time. So I put this together today. Might be too late I suppose, since the release is in 2-3 days.

Sorry
 
The Congress of Berlin formally recognized Montenegro as a state in 1878. However, the heart of Montenegro, known as Old Montenegro in the area around the historical capital of Cetinje, had been the only part of the Balkans never to fully succumb to the Ottoman Empire. In 1516, Montenegro came under the rule of the prince-bishop (Vladika) of Cetinje, a position held from 1697 by the Petrovic family. Daniel I (1851-1860) secularized the country in 1852, separating the spiritual and secular powers of the Vladika. The reign of Nicholas I (1860 - 1918) saw the doubling of Montenegro's territory and international recognition of her independence (1878), the country's first constitution (1905), the ruler's elevation to the rank of King (1910), and further territorial gains following the Balkan Wars (1913). When Austria-Hungary annexed Bosnia and Herzegovina in October, 1908, and thereby annihilated the dreams of Montenegro and Serbia in a united empire, Montenegro protested along with Serbia and, encouraged by Russia, demanded from Austria the annulment of Article 29 of the Treaty of Berlin and the evacuation of Spizza. Ever since, the relations with their powerful neighbor have been deteriorating at a fast rate. The year is 1914, Montenegro is more powerful than it has ever been but it is still a tiny land, and there is talk of war. Could Montenegro defend itself, as it has done for centuries, or could this be its end?
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I've put a question mark at the end, but apart from that, it's fine - relatively short, snappy and informative. :)

It'll definately be in, too.
 
UPDATE

As of 14:45 GMT on 14 December, we are lacking the following country descriptions:

Armenia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Belgium
Czechoslovakia
Egypt
Georgia
Hungary
India
Mexico
Revolutionary Mexico
Siam
Russian Federation (Siberia/Komuch/Kolchak)
Syria
Sanusia
Warlord China
Makhnovshchina
Ulster

Any volunteers?
(Or anybody to tell me I've missed a description that has, actually, been written?)
 
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Shoot guys-

I can handle many of these descriptions for the team, but not till Monday/Tuesday. Will that work, maybe for ver. 1.1?
 
StephenT said:
UPDATE

As of 14:45 GMT on 14 December, we are lacking the following country descriptions:

Armenia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Belgium
Czechoslovakia
Egypt
Georgia
Hungary
India
Mexico
Revolutionary Mexico
Siam
Russian Federation (Siberia/Komuch/Kolchak)
Syria
Sanusia
Warlord China
Makhnovshchina
Ulster

Any volunteers?
(Or anybody to tell me I've missed a description that has, actually, been written?)
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I am onto some: Russia-related and Makhnovshchina if nobody wants them by now... okay?

BTW, Russian Federation - what sort of description? Of Russian Federation formed as a democratic republic right? Because in Russia even in legal documents they mention this name referring to RSFSR... so obviously i can conclude from what their lawyers say - that Russian Federation should celebrate 85 years of its existence this year.
 
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