Federal Republic of Chicago (Yellowstone: 1936)

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Federal Republic of Chicago
Timeline: Yellowstone: 1936
OTL equivalent: Chicago metropolitan area
(Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin)

Flag Seal Location of Chicago Motto Urbs in Horto (Latin) ("City in a Garden")
Anthem	"I'll Fight For You"
Capital	Chicago
Largest city	Chicago
Other cities	Aurora, Bolingbrook, Gary, Kenosha, Naperville, Oak Lawn, Racine, Schaumburg, Waukegan
Language   official	English
others	Spanish, Polish, French
Religion   main	Christianity
others	Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism
Ethnic Groups   main	African Americans
others	Irish, Germans, Poles, Italians, English, Assyrians, Filipino
Demonym	Chicagoan
Government	Federal republic (de jure) Presidential dictatorship (de facto)
Legislature	Chicago Federal Council
President	Rahm Emanuel
Vice President	n/a
Area	28,120 km²
Population	10,055,638
Independence	from United States
declared	27 August 1936
recognized	30 August 1936
Currency	Chicagoan dollar (C$)
Time Zone	Central Standard Time (UTC-6)
Calling Code	+1
Internet TLD	.cg
Nominal GDP	C$341.348 billion (20xx) C$33,946 (per capita)

The Federal Republic of Chicago, or simply Chicago, is a major nation located in the American Midwest, established following the collapse of the United States government in the aftermath of the Yellowstone Eruption, which disrupted trade, communications, and electricity, and killed millions of civilians through the continental United States and Canada. An emergency government was set up by the city council of Chicago, and the local National Guard units deployed to restore order following the eruption. When order began to disintegrate throughout the rest of the nation, Chicago begin the largest city in the area, established itself as the head of the local metropolitan area, founded the Federal Republic of Chicago.

Located near the edge of the effected area, Chicago barely escaped the destruction and disorder the accompanied the volcanic winter that effected the regions beyond the Mississippi River. With millions of refugees flowing across the river and attempting to enter the city, already supplies already stretched thin, the city instituted a permanent state of martial law, and walled off the borders of the counties that made up Chicago's metropolitan area. Illegal immigration has since been punished by death, and criminals are either sent to work in labor camps or put to death immediately, all with the aim of preserving unity, security, order, and keeping the few supplies available to the city safe.

Whereas the cities along the East Coast serve as beacons of light and refugee for the survivors that emerged from the catastrophe of Yellowstone, Chicago stands as a beacon of hard-life and survival on the edge of the effected zones of the former United States of America. Militias march across the lands outside of the city kidnapping survivors, rape gangs roam the streets of ruined cities, and desperate travelers seeking asylum in Chicago fight to the death for food and water. As a result, though the nation brands itself a republic, the nation is in fact a presidential dictatorship, with a totalitarian government enforcing harsh laws and using fear and force to keep dissenters in line, all to keep the city safe. With the dangers that have overtaken much of the surrounding territories, Chicago's harsh government has somewhat been legitimized.

Military

Chicago maintains a large, technologically sophisticated military force known as the Chicago Defense force, which is dedicated to the protection of the state from external aggression, or precisely, from the waves of refugees entering from the west, and the thousands of militiamen attacking from the north out of the old states of Wisconsin and Michigan. The government's deserve to keep these forces from harming its tenuous grasp on power in the region and the need to secure much needed resources so close to the barrens to the west, have seen the government promote a "military-first" program to keep Chicago safe. Chicagoans are typically drafted by the military upon reaching 18 years of age. Both men and women serve for a period of about three years. After their mandatory three-year service, they are put into the reserves, and train for combat about every two to three years until they reach the age of 51.

The military does allow for conscientious objection to active military service, though it does come at the cost of many government benefits, such as free medical care, lowered rations, and increased hard labor back at home. Due to the military's enforcement of these conscription, Chicago possesses a major military force of some 270,450 active personnel, with the addition of 672,000 reservists. The government requires that at least 2.5-3% of the adult population be under arms at any given time to ensure that the nation has adequate protection against invasion, civil war, and national emergencies. A large special operations force also helps to ensure Chicago always has first-strike capabilities in the event of a major conflict. This preparedness has allowed Chicago to become one of the foremost military powers in post-Yellowstone North America.

The CSF is divided into an army, navy, air force, and spec-ops force, all of whom work together to coordinate Chicago's military efforts during wartime. The military has a $36.5 billion dollar expenditure which allows it to maintain a high-level of advanced military equipment, and helps sustain the long-time military training programs that are sponsored by the government. The military operates 36 satelittes, which provide information on the city's enemies and allies, and support intelligence operations on the field durign combat. A strong forward-defence strategy help the military to stay on edge and ensure that its personnel are always ready to fight with the latest combat information available to the nation's fighting forces. With the ever-present danger of a desperate assault by refugee and militia forces, the defense forces must remain vigilant at all times to protect against such a looming threat.