History of Rheinland
The history of Rheinland begins with the arrival of it's sleeper ship in Sirius in 2 A.S. Landing in the southern fringes of the sector, nearby the resource rich Walker Nebula, Rheinland was assured an abundancy in natural resources unlike any other house, although still devoid of fuel gases. It's imperial government attempted to secure gas fields in the nearby Crow Nebula by declaring war on the Gas Miners Guild in 589 A.S. Rheinland's push was unsuccessful however, and ended in the country descending into chaos at the dawn of 672 A.S., the date of the Popular Revolution.
The Federal Republic would be formally recognised in 673 A.S., and would slowly descend back into military dictatorship over the following years, until the Nomad War of 800 A.S. After the destruction of the infested Rheinland fleet that attacked Kusari, the house would finally begin rebuilding slowly, until being falling under the control of Chancellor Reinhardt in 813 A.S. only to be established under his boot as a fascist dictatorship.
Early history
Escape from Sol
Arrival in Sirius
New Berlin
Rheinland Empire
Rapid expansion
Interhouse relations
Eighty Years War (589-668 A.S.)
Popular Revolution (672 A.S.)
As was predicted, the war with the GMG left Rheinland with nothing. The fleet was destroyed, and the years of war-time economy and cutting costs have left the mining industry on the verge of complete bankruptcy. Dissent was forming in the larger cities of Planet New Berlin and Nuremberg. The standing heads of state quickly realised the implications the war has left on the economy, and began desperately searching for help. In 672 A.S. Liberty agrees to bail Rheinland out by providing a long term, low interest loan. This same year the market in Rheinland crashes completely as it's currency suffers catastrophic devaluation. With smaller companies and corporations alike declaring bankruptcy almost over night, and the mining industry attempting to survive by choking it's workers out of their money, the long coming revolution finally came.
On Von Rohe's Day, 672 A.S., Daumann mining stations in Dresden were seized and locked down by miners in a widespread general strike. The miners claimed that the imperial government had failed, and demanded it stand down and make way for a new people's state. Supplied by Bundschuh revolutionaries, the miners managed to hold out on the station for five weeks before word about the revolt was finally spread to the planet populations. Two months after the start of the uprising, workers sympathetic to the miners' cause lock down Daumann facilities on Planet New Berlin. A few days later the first riots take place on Hamburg and Stuttgart. With the industrial heart of the economy grinding to a halt, the government is finally forced to give in. The Bundschuh movement is publically recognised, and it's representatives are invited to meet with the imperialists. A period of tense negotiations follows, as the roots of a new, coalition government are formed.
