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The Death of an Empire


Ikhan
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 It has been 100 years... One hundred years since the first empire died. One hundred years since the Second Empire rose from her ashes, and at last, the Empire is united. However, as Austria expanded, her people continued to call for free elections. At first, this issue was mitigated by permitting voting for representatives to the Imperial Parliament in Vienna back in '73, however, as time passed, the calls of the people could no longer be ignored. Only five years ago, the rulers of the various constituent nations of the Austrian Empire were forced to abdicate in favor of elected officials, however, this was simply not enough. It is now the 5th of November, 2027, and as the people of the nation celebrate the reunification of the nation, the Kaiser, Franz-Josef II von Habsburg-Lorraine, prepares to give his last speech before abdicating his throne and taking up residence within Prague Castle in Bohemia. At approximately 5:00 PM CET, Kaiser Franz-Josef II walked up to a balcony overlooking what looked like an ocean of people, both citizens of Vienna and members of the press from around the world (and perhaps a few tourists as well). With much regret, he prepared to give the speech.
 "My fellow citizens of the Austrian Empire. Today, we look back on the past hundred years, to our success... and failure. As the last century came to a close, we granted you the right to vote for your leadership. However, we have now seen the truth. The monarchy, at least as we know it, has proven ineffective at dealing with the various threats that have come against us, whether it be Rokkenjima or the Insurrection in Ruthenia. For this, I... I have some announcements to make. First of all, I am officially announcing my abdication from the throne of the Austrian Empire. No more shall the Habsburg family hold absolute power over the state. Instead, we shall renounce our claim to the throne of Austria and only serve as ambassadors to our most trusted allies. It is with this that I am proud to announce the establishment of the Federation of Greater Austria, which will, at least for the time being, be led by Prime Minister Johan Pieck until proper elections can be held. Third and finally, I wish to simply pledge my undying support to the Federation of Greater Austria, and should the day come that we be forced to take up arms against any threat to our people, I would be proud to fall in the line of duty protecting the nation. That is all." Franz said as he looked out upon the crowd. Suddenly, someone in the crowd shouted "Gott rette den Kaiser! Es lebe die Föderation von Großösterreich!", prompting the rest of the crowd to do the same out of respect. Once they had finished, it was prepared for the Imperial flag to be lowered one last time, never to be raised again. As this went on, an orchestral version of the Imperial anthem was played in a somber fashion while some in the crowd sang the lyrics alongside it. And thus, as if it had happened in a flash, the Empire had come to an end, and the Federation was formed.

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