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| Capital | Samsun | ||||||
| Largest city | Samsun | ||||||
| Other cities | Kastamonu, Merzifon | ||||||
| Language | Turkish | ||||||
| Religion | Islam | ||||||
| Ethnic Group | Turkish | ||||||
| Demonym | Turks | ||||||
| Government | Military Junta | ||||||
| Legislature | Interim Governing Council | ||||||
| Established | 1984 | ||||||
| Currency | Lira | ||||||
The Interim Governmental Authority, commonly referred to as the IGA, was a post-Doomsday Turkish state based in the city of Samsun that was formed shortly after Doomsday. Its purpose was to provide a continuity of governance from the pre-Doomsday Republic of Turkey until a new Turkish state can be formed. It merged into the Sultanate of Turkey in 1998.
History[]
Pre-Doomsday[]
In ancient times, northern Turkey was inhabited by various civilizations, such as the Hittites and Persians, until the Greeks conquered the area during the rule of Alexander the Great. Following the fall of his empire, the region came under the control of the Kingdom of Pontus, which dominated the northern coast of Anatolia and the northern shores of the Black Sea. In the 40s BC, the Kingdom of Pontus fell to the Romans and the area remained under Roman, and then Byzantine, rule for twelve centuries until it was conquered by the Seljuk Turks in the AD 1200s. Eventually, the area came under the rule of the Ottoman Turks in beginning of the 15th century and continued that way until its incorporation into modern Turkey following the establishment of the Turkish Liberation Movement in Samsun on May 19, 1919 by Mustafa Kemal, which began the Turkish War of Independence.
Doomsday[]
The area of Northern Turkey that would become the IGA was largely spared of direct nuclear strikes, with the exception of the strike on Zonguldak. However, the sudden destruction of Turkish cities sent the government and military into chaos. Struggling to organize some kind of response, the Turkish government and local military and police forces quickly sought to bring order to the populace. However despite the absence of nuclear strikes, northern Turkey was directly in the path of nuclear fallout, which caused the majority of deaths in the area. While much of the fallout simply blew out over the sea, many areas of land were irradiated by the fallout from the strikes on the Turkish Straits and Ankara. Realizing the gravity of the situation, many military units refused to flee south due to radiation fears and stayed to establish a continuity-of-government (COG) presence in northern Turkey based in the city of Samsun.
Creation[]
Immediately after Doomsday, remnants of the Turkish government and military in the area established control over several northern provinces with their power base in Samsun. Through martial law, some resemblance of stability was maintained and government forces were able to secure control of a strip of territory stretching from Fatsa in the east to Eregli in the west to Amasya in the south. However due to the thinning of supply lines, the military held there in order to turn their attention to the growing issue of fallout and establish an interim government. Civilian and military leaders formed a new governing authority, as ordered by pre-Doomsday nuclear war plans, which would serve as an interim government until a new one could be formed. This new interim government was deemed the Interim Governmental Authority, or IGA. The IGA continued all laws and customs of the Republic of Turkey in order to preserve Turkish institutions. Dominated by military, specifically the army and navy, the IGA remained highly secular in the Kemalist tradition.
Survival[]
After the IGA was established in early 1984, the new government set about addressing the problem of the nuclear fallout. Many fell ill and thousands died of radiation poisoning. New filtration systems were hastily built for the water and the top soil across the region was discarded. As a result, little food was produced between Doomsday and the coming of winter. The first winter was hard and many died due to famine. However, the IGA set about instituting a radical food production program that could, in theory, solve the food problem for the next winter. Massive fishing occurred in the Black Sea, new farms were set up across northern Turkey, and personal gardens were created in every household. Other important resources, such as oil, gas, metals, and electricity, were also heavily rationed. The drop in population alleviated the pressure on these resources though. By 1986, the population had stabilized, new cases of radiation poisoning had subsided, and the region had stabilized.
In the months following Doomsday, much of the Turkish Black Sea and Straits fleets, lacking other substantial ports to dock at, came to Samsun, the heart of the IGA. These ships joined the IGA and, for a time, were the largest remaining Turkish naval fleet in existence. It was during this time that the navy became powerful within the IGA and gained greater clout. Using their fairly large fleet, the IGA explored much of the Black Sea basin and confirmed the destruction of the USSR in eastern Europe following Doomsday. The existence of many new survivor states was also discovered, though much of the Black Sea coast still laid barren.
Reunification[]
Contact with the Sultanate[]
In 1995, the Sultanate of Turkey was expanding northward into central Turkey. Their advance scouts were already pushing towards the Black Sea and reporting back to Konya with the news. In the spring of 1995, the Sultanate's scouts discovered the existence of the IGA and reported it back to Konya. Immediately, both sides rejoiced. There was some continuity of the Turkish state beyond their own respective borders. Great urgency was placed on establishing permanent diplomatic contact and deciding the state of each others' societies.
Hesitation[]
After the initial excitement wore off, the reality of the difference between the two states was realized. While the IGA was a Kemalist secular semi-democracy that continued the traditions of the Turkish Republic, the Sultanate had become a constitutional monarchy with worrying Islamic leanings and a diverse political landscape. The intense secularism in the IGA, as a result of its historical importance in the Turkish War of Independence, created tension between the states and seemed to endanger the desired unification of the states. Soon it was clear to both sides that many negotiations would need to take place for unification to take place.
Union Accords[]
Before and during the negotiations for unification began, there were great debates taking place within the leadership of the IGA. Many civilian leaders and moderate nationalists were willing to accept membership in a monarchical state, as long as certain conditions were met. However, hardline secularists and some members of the military fiercely opposed unification with such a state. Months of internal political disputes bogged down the negotiations and drug the later parts of the future Union Accords out for years. While many were willing to agree to security and economic arrangements with the Sultanate, as a fellow Turkish nation, political unification was difficult for many to accept. After months of negotiation, a multi-tiered unification process was developed as a partial compromise. The first stage of unification was security integration, which was carried out by the Military & Security Treaty. The treaty called for the unification of the Imperial and IGA militaries in a gradual process that would conclude by 2002. Afterwards, the IGA would retain a militia and police force. Several moderate IGA officers were even given prominent positions within the Imperial Military in order to increase support for unification within the IGA. The division of the unification process and the extended time period of integration allowed for the IGA to address their concerns about the nature of the Sultanate.
Next, the two nations sought to achieve economic integration. Thankfully the basics of their economic systems were very similar. As a result, the Joint Economic Pact was quickly concluded in 1996. This treaty created a free trade zone between the Sultanate and the IGA. Overall trade regulations would slowly be turned over to national control, by 2000, while the IGA would retain control internal trade regulation. In addition, 25 million TL in aid would be sent to the IGA immediately to use at their digression in their rebuilding efforts.
Finally, the most difficult issue facing the reunification process, political integration. The IGA still had concerns about the Sultanate's political makeup, which dragged negotiations on until 1998. Ultimately, a compromise was reached. Believing that they needed to help elect a secular government, while maintaining their autonomy, the moderates in the IGA proposed that all citizens of the IGA would be allowed full voting privileges within the Sultanate immediately following unification. In addition, several agreements on the continued secular status of the Sultanate were made, with support from Conservatives and Republicans within the Sultanate. Also, as an internal political argument, the threat posed by other states, primarily Greece and Kurdistan, and their presence on Turkish land was increasingly placed as a priority over internal governmental structure by some members of the opposition. Finally, in order to sidestep the opposition from the hardliners, moderates within the IGA forced a referendum on political unification, which the public strongly supported. After convincing the Sultanate to agree to the required terms and a successful referendum, the Republican Unification Treaty was signed and ratified by both parties. The IGA, now known as the Autonomous Republic of Samsun, would relinquish control over all external affairs and the Sultanate would control all inter-provincial, international, and diplomatic matters. The transition to full unification will last until 2004. However, there remains some simmering dissent from IGA hardliners who still reject the monarchy. These hardliners, after being disillusioned by the CHP, flocked to the increasingly powerful and authoritarian New Turkiye Party, the primary nationalist party, who may be convinced to dispose of the Sultanate at some point in the future and return Turkey to a republic.
Government[]
The Interim Government Authority is the continuation of the pre-Doomsday Republic of Turkey government. Most democratic institutions were suspended until 1992 when the state was deemed sufficiently stable to allow for such activities. Nonetheless, most of the government continued to be dominated by the Army and Navy until after reunification. Before 1992, the IGA was governed by the National Security Council, which allowed the military, and some civilian representatives, to rule the region unchallenged. After 1992, a parliamentary body was re-established, although with much diminished powers. After 1998, the IGA became an autonomous region of the Sultanate of Turkey and continued the its pre-unification governmental structures. Today, the Samsun Assembly, as it is known, is a fully democratic body with full governing powers over the Autonomous Republic of Samsun.
Military[]
Before unification, the government of the IGA was composed of the Army, Navy, and a small Air Force. The Army was composed officers who survived Doomsday and largely new recruits drawn from across northern Turkey. The Navy was composed of the surviving ships of the pre-Doomsday Turkish Straits and Black Sea fleets that docked in Samsun and other IGA ports following Doomsday. The Air Force is composed of a few remaining fighters, bombers, and miscellaneous other planes in northern Turkey.
Economy[]
The economy of the IGA was diverse, yet remained somewhat intact after Doomsday. The sudden drop in the population created a temporary labor shortage that was resolved by 1987. Also, most industry established pre-Doomsday remained intact, even if some of it went into disrepair. Much of this industry was revived in the late 1980s when the IGA began to trade with other states in the Black Sea basin, particularly around Samsun and the ruins of Zonguldak. The increase in trade also revived Samsun's position as the largest and busiest port on the Black Sea. The IGA exported the mined ores from the Zonguldak region along with citrus and Tobacco from Samsun, which provided the area with one of its few luxuries.
Agriculture in the IGA rebounded fairly quickly after Doomsday due to the drop in population, which meant less required consumption, and the fertility of the region. By 1988, the region was producing enough foodstuffs to begin exporting them to other communities throughout the Black Sea region. In addition, this allowed for the more rapid incorporation of refugees and an increase in birth rates.
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