Cyberia's history dates back to before Europeans came to colonize it in the early 18th century. The native Malanje people exists in tribes and lived all over the Cyberian islands, but mostly on the mainland, and mostly in the areas now known as Mala, Belar, and western Mattimeo. Their society was based on a maternal heirarchy, and was heavily devoted to the development of their culture. Their tribes just began to develop technologies similar to the ancient Egyptians and Greeks when a major war started by Chieftain JO'nl in the 1600s wiped most of the population out. Reduced to a population of a few thousand people, they became a peaceful, agrarian (and fiercely independent) people.
The Europeans : Colonial Days (1723 - 1873)
As Europe became consumed in the zealous crusade to colonize the rest of the planet, it was only a matter of time before they discovered the island we now call Cyberia. An Englishman by the name of Joshua Cohen founded a colony he named Belaria (the reason for which was never recorded) in 1723 (which would be renamed Belar in 1776), with about 100 followers.
The early success of that colony to farm tobacco lead to huge profits, and, of course, more settlers. By 1728, more than 1250 people resided in Belaria City, and all were making money off the cash crop. In fact, a new settlement on the Western Coast was created, and named New Yorkshire, in that same year, as well as a colony called Menet (an insult to the French's word beret, supposedly meaning "anxious" but really having no meaning at all).
A clash between New Yorkshire townsmen and the Malanje people created the Anglo-Malanje War (1730-1731) which last five months and resulted in over a 100 people dying. The result? A peace treaty that recognized Malanje soverignty, established trade, and renamed the province from New Yorkshire to Mala.
As prosperity came to the island, the settlements of Bava (1738), Corli (1744), and Mattimeo (1769) were established. Mattimeo was formed, actually, after Bavans and Corlites clashed over the hilly plains of the region now known as Mattimeo. Bava's Governor Thomas Kerns suggested giving Mattimeo independence, and Corli agreed.
French people, as well as the Irish, Germans, and the Spanish, began to realize the wealth in this island, and became attracted to it, even if it was a British island. Many of them began to settle in areas that would later become the territory of Grinado (later renamed the province of Lasteria).
The American rebellion (1776-1783) that resulted in American independence sparked a development in the Cyberian political system. Lead by Jean Lockes of Belar, a band of pro-independence businessman began demanding some reforms in the way Great Britain governed the island. By 1823, Lockes' reformers succeed in getting an Advisory Board of 12 members (2 from each colony) established, and filling it with pro-reform politicians. The price was that each of the colonies had to become royal colonies governed by royal governors (with colonial assemblies elected by the people to assist the governors).
In 1831, the pro-reform factions united into a Whig Party, and the pro-traditonalists became the Tory Party, as they battled it out for control of the Advisory Board. However, the Whig focus on pragmatism caused a band or radicals to form the Republican Party to challenge the establishment more openly and fiercely.
It took the Republicans nearly 30 years, but in 1873, the british government agreed to a reform package that would create a federal parliamentary government for Cyberia in everything but name, called a "dominion" like Canada.
Cyberia's Dominion Days (1873 - 1946)
Two loose coalitions formed to seize power in the new Parliament: the Liberals and Conservatives. The Liberals, being of pro-reform and Whig descendance, easily held power for the first two Parliaments. However, a recession hit, and the Conservatives bounced into power, and held it for 10 years. By 1891, a depression based on collapsing agricultural prices damaged the economy and ruined Conservative credibility. The Liberals and Socialist swung into power, and the Liberals dominated Parliament until 1914. Their policies during this time were pro-business, pro-minimum wage, lesser government, and pro-patronage.
In 1914, Great Britain mandated elections to clear out any German sympathizers. Moderates in the two main parties decided to create a National Coalition, which was challenged in the 1914 general election by the New Democracy Party, which was easily defeated (and became the loyal opposition party). Despite the easy victory, and large popular support for the unity coalition, many people on the radicals ends of both parties weren't satisified. Right-wing zealots seized the name Conservative Party (which prevented the CP from reclaiming it until 1935), while a combination of Communists, Socialists, and other left-wing radicals crafted the Labor Party, formed in 1916.
The 1919, post-war election gave the moderate Liberals a majority of the seats in Parliament, with the Progressive Conservatives (the new name of the former Conservative Party)narrowly becoming the loyal opposition. However, this Liberal government failed to maintain credibility in political and economic reforms (the main areas that have aided the Liberal's hold on power in the past), and the government fell from 55 of 100 seats in the Parliament to 21 in the general election of 1921, while the CP took 51.
The Liberals then nearly collapsed as a party, as the Labor Party became a credible opposition party. When the Great Depression hit, the Labor Party was given its first shot at a majority government, and, with the aid of the Liberals and New Democrats, saved capitalism with many programs that echoed the New Deal programs of the US President Franklin Roosevelt.
During Millhouse's Government (1930-1946) of Laborites, with timid support from Liberals and New Democrats, the country transformed into a mix economy.
The Millhouse Laborites' greatest legacy was political freedom from Great Britain. Given a ~3 billion grant and autonomy, Cyberia was free at last!
Cyberia's Parliamentary Days (1946 - 1997)
Millhouse took Labor to a landslide of 54 of 100 seats in the Parliament, while the Conservatives managed 41 and the Alliance (of Liberals and New Democrats) took 5, in the elections of 1946.
Millhouse then retired from office, and the Conservatives subsequently were given 52 seats, against 39 Labor and 9 Liberal Democratic (a new party caused by the merger of Liberal and New Democratic parties) seats. The Conservatives were reelected in 1955 with 51 seats (Labor had 42 and the LDP had 7).
The popular appeal of Grant, a parliamentary leader of Mattimeo, as the head of the national LDP landed the LDP their first victory, with 35 seats (while the Conservatives had 34 and Labor had 32) in 1959. They were reelected (37 LDP, 33 Labor, 30 CP) in 1963.
Radical leftism swept the country in 1966, and gave Labor 40 seats, Conservatives 33 and LDP 27. However, in 1970, the Conservatives took over with 42 seats (while Labor had 28 seats, and LDP had 30) as a backlash against the New Left overtook popular sentiment.
Campaign scandals plagued the CP, who lost the next government to the Labor Party in 1974. However, a conservative tilt in the LDP, combined with a revolt against higher taxes lead the LDP to their third term in power in 1978.
By 1980, however, the party system was on the decline and the LDP fell apart. Subsequently, the 1981 general election gave the Conservatives (under Thomas Wilson) 44 seats, Labor 42, and the fragmented third-parties 14. The reelection campaign in 1983 gave the Conservatives 51 seats, Labor won 40, and other parties won 9. The Conservatives won a third term under Wilson in 1987 (again with 51), while the Labor Party took 42 seats, and others won 7 seats.
Simmons, Wilson's Deputy Prime Minister, took over the party leadership in 1991 when Wilson retired (due to mental fatigue and embarassing scandals involving an affair with Margaret Thatcher and nearly conquering an island known as Grinedo. Simmons remained Prime Minister for about 7 months before submitting to a general election, which handed Labor 53 seats, the newly formed Liberal Democrats Party 14, and the Conservatives the rest.
The Labor Party under Tillmann became a liberal populist party and began to gain mass popularity, due to continuing scandals in the Conservative Party. During the 1996 election, where Bava Governor Ken Kerns was running for the figure-head post of Governor General and the Labor Party was running for re-election, an assassin murdered Tillmann at a campaign rally.
Kerns took over as Prime Minister (as being the party leader), and declared martial law as the country collapsed into anarchy....
Cyberia - The Virtual Commonwealth (1997 - present)
One of the things Kerns did was to restore order by creating a provisional government, whereby a presidential election and elections to a Chamber of Ministers and General Assembly were set up. Consequently, he campaigned as a liberal populist and the Labor Party's nominee and won over 61% of the popular vote. He then set up a system and attracted a new class of politicians into Cyberia - via the Internet.
This part of our history is under construction, partly because it hasn't happened yet and partly because I haven't had time for it. To view an overview of what has happened in the Virtual Commonwealth Cyberia, look at our Calendar of Events.
