Time: Arnland

Time Overview

The Skolkan Empire coalesced slowly during the late 14th and early 15th Centuries, expanding and contracting as circumstances permitted. In its heyday in the mid‐19th Century, it comprised all of what are now the countries of Arnland, Framland, Bothnia and Otso and had over lordship of Norway. Periodically, the Skolkan Empire attempted to extend its power into Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, but its influence was always tenuous and despite the expenditure of considerable effort and resources, never amounted to much.

Towards the end of the 19th Century it became more and more obvious that the cohesion amongst the Skolkan nations was rapidly degrading. Arnland felt that their contribution to the Skolkan Empire far exceeded the return. Consequently Arnish leaders raised their voices strongly for independence. These arguments were reinforced as Framland declared independence, and finally Arnland followed on 11 December 1917.

In the first years of independence Arnland kept the political structure inherited from Torrike. Alexander the First (Optimistic Alexander) was elected as the first king of Arnland. Arnland had a fairly strong economy based on agriculture, forestry and fisheries. Arnland was at that time self‐sufficient, and had good relations with Germany, Poland, Denmark and the Baltic countries. Fish and agricultural products that in former times were consumed in the Skolkan Empire (mainly Torrike) became important export articles, and Arnland’s main source of income. Alexander ruled for 13 years until the monarchy was abolished in 1931 after a communist state coup.

The global economic crisis in the 1930s had a dramatic effect on Arnland. The economy collapsed, and people lost confidence in the government. Arnland had also neglected the technological development that took place in the rest of Europe which also contributed to economic decay as Arnland no longer was able to compete on the European market.

During the Second World War (WWII), Arnland maintained her neutrality. After the war, Communist Party leader Lars Peterson, through a combination of ruthlessness, effective control of the State Security Services and strategic alliances, managed to preserve Arnland's territorial integrity. Arnland adhered to a strict communist philosophy. During this period, the governing elite enriched themselves at the cost of ordinary people. This resulted in increased poverty in the country as a whole. Anger and mistrust in the government ultimately led to the assassination of Lars Peterson 1 May 1991 and the subsequent violent fall of communism in Arnland in that same year.

Arnland reorganized itself into a multiparty democracy in 1992. Arns were extremely wary of creating a government structure that centralized power. Their fear of returning to a system where regional interests were ignored at the expense of the political elite caused them to create a Republic which balanced power across national and regional lines. Further, it placed the judicial power with the Presidency, the executive power with the Prime Minister and the Government and the legislative power with the Alltinget.

Arnland sought closer ties with the rest of Europe in order to improve economic conditions. It instituted a government structure that would facilitate Arnland's need for foreign investment in the nation's financial future. Arnland‘s efforts to overcome its historical isolation and underdevelopment saw it make initial strides in the areas of public infrastructure and public services as Arnland's fragile democratic structures were developing. During this transitional period from 1992‐1996, the center‐right Arnland Prosperity Party (APP) formed the government.

However, without the experienced structures and processes in place to provide proper oversight of these efforts, both legitimate and illegitimate business entities at the Län level exploited these opportunities and a system of corruption and organized crime took root. Government agencies did not have enough depth or span of control to oversee government spending and national government efficiency and effectiveness was perceived by the population to be non‐existent.

Unscrupulous investment companies, fronts for organized crime and defrauded investors all over Arnland used pyramid schemes in the early days of capitalism. In early 1996, during the run‐up to the elections, several of these pyramid schemes collapsed, leaving thousands of people bankrupt, disillusioned, and angry. Armed revolts broke out across the country, leading to the near‐total collapse of government authority. Arnland's already inadequate and antiquated infrastructure suffered tremendous damage, as people looted public works for building materials. Weapons depots all over the country were raided.

Torrike and Bothnia, vying for the role of conciliator in Arnland’s internal struggles, both made unsuccessful attempts to calm the situation (in an effort to increase their influence in the region). However, the Arns had no desire to cede any of their independence.

Organized Crime (OC) had infiltrated the political system on all levels and influenced political decision-making to their own advantage. Through a mixture of brute force, political status, and social leadership, the OC gangs imposed themselves as middlemen between the local community and bureaucrats and politicians at the national level. They granted privileges and protection and intervened in favor of their clients in return for their silence and collusion against local authorities and the police. With their political connections, the heads of the OC groups became power brokers in local and national political contexts, providing politicians with broad electoral support and in return receiving benefits for their constituency. Worryingly there was a general belief that someone can do a good job as a politician but have a disreputable private life. Also the system of ‘exchanges’ in which public officials provide support in return for certain privileges was intricately woven, and accepted, in the social system. At a lower level OC syndicates exploit local business enterprises (food processing and trade, gas stations, retailers, property market) to influence the daily life of Arns. Through this they can easily influence the political processes and voting results, by “suggesting people” for whom they need to vote.

Arns blamed the inability of the APP to start and successfully enforce the required political and economic reforms during the transition period and that manifested itself in a 1996 election victory for the Arnland Socialist Party (ASP); gaining control of the office of the Prime Minister (Kasper Bro), the Council of Ministers and the Alltinget. They were not successful in unseating the President, Sture Pallesson. The leader of the APP succeeded in gaining the Electoral College votes from the six Län and remained as the Head of State for a second term.

With change slow to take hold, people were forced to explore other possibilities to maintain the standard of life that they had been used to in the past. Corruption and illegal sources of income increasingly became an important part of the economy and Arns continued to see this as the easiest way to succeed. As the national economy decayed, Arnland’s six Län, each under the rule of a Landshövding (Governor) developed into semi‐autonomous regions that primarily took care of their own interests. The Län also competed with each other on a variety of social and economic and cultural issues as Arnland’s new democracy slowly took root.

The continued presence of poor national administration, and flaws in the electoral process as a result of manipulation by business and OC interests continued to block public confidence in the national government system. Progress on economic and political reforms suffered noticeably due to political infighting and a government structure that was not suited to allow change. Arns’ apathy with the political system and their distrust of the electoral process caused them to pay little attention to the election in 2000. With Sture Pallesson unavailable for re‐election and thus unmotivated to empower a successor his party, the APP focused on regaining control of the office of the Prime Minister’s and the legislature. While successful in doing so, forming a coalition government with the Arnland Republican Party (ARP), it lost control of the Presidency to the ASP (Kasper Bro). Arns once again ensured political stalemate by distributing the balance of power and this held true for the elections in 2004 as well.

In 2008, the Arnland Socialist Party (ASP ‐ Prime Minister Bror Jeppessen ) formed a minority government, passing government legislation based upon support from other parties on an issue by issue basis. This created a delicate balance of power in the Alltinget. The ASP pledged to fight crime and corruption, decrease the size and scope of government, and promote economic growth by exploring membership of the EU. The Arnland Prosperity Party regained control of the Presidency with Sture Pallesson returning to his previously held position. Corruption, regional influence and manipulation of the political and legal systems remained firmly rooted in the daily lives of Arns. The lack of a cohesive will, and the adherence to party and individual interests caused the executive and legislative branches of the government to struggle to bring about real reform in its efforts to demonstrate to the EU and other international organizations that it was ready to be taken seriously.

At the 2012 election the ASP, with a reduced percentage of the vote and decreased number of seats again formed a government but this time on a more formal coalition footing (with the Social Democratic Party and Arnland Communist Party) to gain an overall majority of one in the Alltinget. Corruption continues to permeate the Government who have failed to deliver on its previous terms pledges of fighting crime and corruption, reducing central government control or improving services on a national scale. Linked to this were allegations of possible vote rigging but as yet nothing has been proved. On the positive side the Government continued to explore its aspiration of EU membership following initial negotiations in 2010, though was unable to enter into a Stabilization and Association Agreement. This is an issue which is causing a significant rift between Prime Minister Bror Jeppessen and President Sture Pallesson who also secured a second and final term in 2012. All of this coupled with the increasingly powerful role of key Landshövding (Skåne, Jönköping and Kalmar) and the 2014 announcement of withdrawal from the SCO is further weakening central government and fueling growing social unrest over Arnland’s perceived increasing regional isolation.

Key Dates, Time Periods, or Events

• 1905 – Norway declared independence from the Skolkan Empire
• 1917 – Civil war within the Skolkan Empire. Arnland declared independence.
• 1919 – Military Intelligence & Security Service (MISS) established.
• 1920 – Skolkan Empire formally dissolved. Arnland, OtsoBothnia, and Torrike formed as separate countries.
• 1931 – Communist coup seized power and abolished the monarchy.
• 1947 – Atomic Energy Research Organization established.
• 1967 – Arnland and Torrike signed the Ringhals Bilateral Agreement to develop nuclear power plants and provide electricity to Torrike for 99 years.
• 1990 – Skolkan Cooperation Organization (SCO) founded by Torrike and Bothnia.
• 1991 - Communist Party leader Lars Peterson assassinated, followed by the violent fall of communism in Arnland.
• 1992 – Arnland reorganized itself into a multiparty democracy, established a Constitution, and held first general election.
• 1996 – Armed revolts failed to topple the government.
• 1997 – Skolkan Economic Community (SEC) Framework Agreement signed by SCO member states.
• 1998 – Baltic 21 agreement was adopted by the Baltic States and the European Commission.
• 2001 – Arnland joined SCO and SEC.
• 2005 – SCO Interbank established; Arnland was a founding member.
• 2009 – Arnland filed its application to become a member of the European Union (EU)
• 2014 – Arnish Prime Minister announced Arnland’s withdrawal from the SCO.

Routine, Cyclical Key Dates

Public Education

The education system is organized into five levels; preschool, primary, secondary, higher and postgraduate education. Children attend school from age six. Education is compulsory and universal through the first nine grades. Students may graduate after the ninth grade at age sixteen and may work with special permission or enter vocational and technical schools.

Kindergarten/Pre-school: Children aged six months to three years, enroll in nursery school. Children aged three to six enroll in kindergarten.

Primary and Secondary school: Primary and secondary education otherwise known as general schooling is easily divided into three phases or levels. They are younger school, middle school, and senior schools. Younger school comprises of grades 1 to 4. Grades 5 to 9 are usually referred to as middle school, while 10 to 11 are senior school.

Tertiary:

1. First Cycle Degree: Bachelor’s Degree (3‐4 years)
2. Second Cycle Degree: Master’s Degree (1‐2 years)
3. Third Cycle Degree: Doctoral degree (3‐4 years)

More details are in the Social Variable.

National and Religious Holidays

Arnland observes all Christian holidays, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day. National holidays include the following:

• April 30 – Walpurgis Night (End of the administrative year in the Middle Ages)
• May 01 – Labor Day
• Last Sunday in May – Mother’s Day
• Day before Summer Solstice – Midsummer Eve (Midsommarafton)
• Summer Solstice – Midsummer Day (Midsommardagen)
• 11 December – National Day

Harvest Cycles

The growing season lasts 240 days. See Physical Environment Variable for more information.

Elections

Presidential, Alltinget and Landsting elections in Arnland are held simultaneously every four years in November. The Presidential election is scheduled for the second Tuesday in November with the President being sworn in on Friday of the election week. Elections for the Alltinglet and Landsting follow on the third Thursday in the month with the Prime Minister and successful candidates taking office immediately thereafter.

Once entering the election year, the political process will adhere to the following timelines:

1. Electoral campaign – six months in advance
2. Registration of candidates – six months in advance
3. Risk assessment of poll centers – six months in advance
4. Observers – two months in advance (core team) and redeploy two months after Elections (core team)

More detail can be found in the Political Variable.

Military Training

All citizens between the ages of 18 and 30 are liable for National Service of 8 months, followed by a reserve commitment up until their 54th birthday. For more information, see Military Variable.

Government Planning

The Arnland government fiscal year is the calendar year.

Cultural Perception of Time

Arnland has only one time zone. The country observes Central European Time (CET), or UTC +1, as standard time. When Daylight Saving Time (DST) is in force, Arnland's clocks run on Central European Summer Time (CEST).

Western Perception of Time

Western time is based on scientific calculations and observations. From the sundial to the atomic clock, time relies on such measurements as the rotation of the earth to the number of oscillations of a particular atom. These are finite measurements of time which contrast drastically with the changeable calendar of the Sami. The Western concept of time is not a product of experiential learning but rather a shared careful observation made by a relative minority of the population. Without a watch or clock, most Westerners would be unable to offer what they would consider an accurate estimate of the time.