New Rome (1983: Doomsday)

Free State of New Rome
Timeline: 1983: Doomsday
OTL equivalent: Rome, Italy

Coat of Arms Flag Coat of Arms
Capital	New Rome
Largest city	New Rome
Other cities	Old Rome
Language   official	Italian (de facto)
others	Spanish
Prime Minister	Merto Suazqo
Area	147 km²
Population	16,949 (Tuscan census 2010)
Independence	2002
Currency	barter, soon to be the Tuscan Lira

The Free State of New Rome is a micronation situated 250 kilometers north of the former city of Rome. It is mainly a small, struggling state with help needed from neighbors.

History

Pre-Doomsday

Before Doomsday, Rome was a historical landmark and by far one of the largest cities in Europe. It was also home to the hearth of the Catholic Religion: The Vatican. Being one of the most intriguing cities in the world, since what was once a vast empire that eventually collapsed to give way to Italy, it attracted many politicians, military leaders, and other notable members of the Italian government.

Doomsday and after

On Doomsday, Rome was hit by two 1 MT ballistic missiles, killing nearly 1,700,000 people. This also led to the destruction of the Vatican, which led to the Holy See being transfered to Rio de Janiero, Brazil. An evacuation was supposed to have been in place, but less then 10,000 people managed to succesfully escape and survive the immediate carnage that would be known as Doomsday.

Direct Aftermath and Years After

After Doomsday, less than 100,000 people survived within 250 square kilometers of Rome. Many thousands had fled to the Mediterranian or to Africa, with some going as far as South America. Those few who survived in the area were left to fend on thier own, leaving many to go hungry and even more to later die of starvation or radiation sickness. Villages formed around the Tiber River, with most of them being the makeshift campsites. However, fighting between townships for medicine and food caused a war which led to the deaths of nearly 50,000 people. The conditions became worse when people began to die from the radiation they received from the blast, and with few people to bury them, a vast area had essentially become a wasteland of ruin and corpses.

Formation of the Free State

After years of deteriorating conditions, many of the small communities began to form pacts to stop violence and to provide for the populace. Many began to think that a stronger government could further deal with the horribly fatal health conditions many faced, as well as hopefully grow and offer care to other struggling communities. Eventually, nearly every single survivor community came to the conclusion that the Italian government was all but dead. Rather than attempt to resurrect the destroyed nation, it was replaced with a federation of survivor communities known under the entity of the Free State of New Rome. The creation of the nation helped not only eased medical and economical problems, but gave the townships, city-states, and other various survivor communities a sense of nationality.

Resettlement of Rome

Since even the direct aftermath of Doomsday, there have been several unorganized survivors within the heart of destroyed Rome. Many of these eventually died of radiation or resorted to cannibalism, but those lucky few who survived would eventually manage to provide for themselves. With radiation levels much lower then 27 years ago, a small amount of "refugees" from the city of Rome eventually began to resettle deeper into the heart of Rome. The initial band of 23 people who had created "Romana Terca" or "Third Rome" had paved the way for others to begin resettlement. The camps initial success of a good harvest and no deaths attracted others to the material wealth that could be obtained within the ruins of the city. By the end of May 2010, there were over 300 "citizens" of Rome. While in many parts the city remains a crater of glass, other successful communities have managed to create a stable condition. The township was incorporated on June 3rd, becoming the 25th registered city-state in New Rome.

Present Day

Recently, the Italian Peninsula Alliance funded a project for the evacuation of the ill and others, restoration of electricity and running water, establishment of modern appliances, replacement of the barter system, agricultural and medical aid, creation of a solidified and protected border, the creation of an airstrip, and the creation of a fully-operational army. The project is to cost 19,000,000 Tuscan Lira (3,000,000 Australian Dollars) and will take up to 6 months for completion, and up to one year for full restoration. Apart from that, Tuscany plans to create an industrial presence in the area, since agriculture has been ruled out in New Rome due to radioactivity.

A poll taken on June 25th on whether or not to evacuate the state resulted in:

Evacuation: 7,410 (33%)

Remained: 16, 949 (67%)

The evacuated members brought a massive drop to the population, although this was beneficial since it relieved the extreme rationing on foods and makeshift medicine.

The only part of the project that has been completed was the paving of roads, and the munitions for the proposed army. A basic training course is set to be complete in 3 days, while several trainees are taking courses in Florence on aircraft piloting. The Tuscan lira has begun to be introduced, although most locals are not used to the concept of currency. Road re-construction is 19% complete. A small water treatment plant will be finished by August, and some pipes are already in place under the finished parts of the road. The airstrip is near completion, while several "factories" are being built. A hospital, with a potential staff of 3 doctors, 10 nurses, and up to 100 patients has begun to be built. The construction of a small dam has begun, with a maximum power output of 5,000,000 watts, is set to finish in 2011. Until then, five generators with a power output of 2,700 watts have become open for "sale" to the public. An embassy to San Marino, the main funder for the project, is being constructed, as well. Most of those who participated in the evacuation program have been sent to rural Tuscany or outer San Marino for assimilation into the population.

The main motive of this mass project is essentially being remodeled as an ally and military headquarters for the IPA, and a vantage point aimed at the border of Sicily.

Political parties

New Rome has no political parties, but rather controlled by a Prime Minister who is advised by a city council. The only thing close to political parties would be the different opinions many share on the city council. A growing population has come with an urge to have a further developed political system, but the Prime Minister himself once noted that such development will take away many of the freedoms the city-states share. The city council responded that the Prime Minister has shown a deteriorating mental condition, similar to several other leaders on the European continent, most notably King Christian II of Prussia. This has led many to believe mental illness is an effect of radiation sickness.

Economy

The economy of New Rome is primarily based around an subsistence agricultural based economy. With the extreme difficulty of growing food, it is one of the few post-Doomsday nations that must purchase foodstuffs from other communities and nations. Commercial business exists of things obtained from the interior of the city of Rome. The economy is beginning to shift towards heavy industry, since Tuscany is soon to expand on its agricultural and light-moderate industry.

Military

The cities main police force is a reorganized " Romana Poliza di Stato" or "Roman State Police", mainly supplied with whatever weapons could be found. While the country has no current military, many have been pushing for a true military to help solidify the rapidly growing borders of the micro-nation, keep both immigrants/political refugees from Sicily out, and to keep the nation safe from the remaining bands of raiders that occupy parts of the Italian Peninsula. The Italian Peninsula Alliance has recently funded a military outfit of 250 ground soldiers, one helicopter, one tank, and three buses.

Communications

After the cities' telecommunications were cut, many townships along the Tiber relied on a messenger system, although "messages" were never received from anywhere outside of Italy. This messanger system did help create jobs in the area, but many often died due to having to go through radiated areas to get to another surviving township. Nowadays, with New Rome beginning to "sprawl" into two city-states, communications are much more easy than before.

International relations

New Rome has only recently had contact with the Republic of Sicily and the Alpine Confederation. Its' hostile treatment by a Sicilian convoy of soldiers, including the rape and murder of several citizens, prompted a mass evacuation backed by the Italian Military Alliance It neighbors the Italian Republic of Tuscany (1983: Doomsday), whom is its main agricultural supplier. It is set to join the Italian Military Alliance after the alliance finishes repairing the nation.