Day 1

Arcacia faired pretty well through it all, thanks to the gold reserve. There were a number of issues though. At the time, Arcacia's population was about a quarter what it is now and there was a great deal more farm land. An emergency measure was put in place by the government which guaranteed food rations. Landlords were warned not to gouge their tenants and banks were ordered to suspend mortgage payments.

Taking a leaf out of Australia's book, who had begun construction on the Sydney Harbour Bridge which was dubbed the "Iron Lung" of Sydney at the time, Arcacia began construction on the Trans-Arcacia Highway. A duel carriageway that spanned the nation and linked up with the Pacific Highway in Australia. The project created a huge amount of jobs and meant that thousands of Arcacians could afford to get by.

There were, of course, casualties. Though not as many as in other countries that were hit harder, the stories are nonetheless tragic. Some women, especially single women, were forced into prostitution. Some men, especially single, college educated men who could not get work on the Highway or in other sectors, took their own lives.

The government guaranteed protection for children and mothers. This led to a mini baby-boom as women rushed to get pregnant in order to take advantage of the payments. It was the birth of Arcacia's welfare system, which hadn't existed until then.

On the whole, though, Arcacia came through relatively unscathed. The Trans-Arcacia Highway and the demand for jobs in the agricultural sector that was prompted by the government returning land that had been purchased for development back to farmland, meant that most Arcacians were able to make ends meet. It wasn't luxurious, nor easy, but it was better than nothing.

Saint Vincent was a different story. Isolated and with a tiny population, life on the tiny island continued as though nothing was happening. The supply ships kept coming and the government had subsidised the rising prices of goods.

Meanwhile, Lycanthia was almost totally farmland. The population there was under 5,000 and almost all were farmers. Anglet was a walled village and the other major cities were hamlets. Life went on as normal for the most part, although some farming practices had to change to adapt to the new paradigm. The colony could no longer afford to import seed and the French government had cut the colony off from all funding in order to weather the storm at home. Lycanthia declared its independence as soon as they found this out. After the depression was over, Lycanthia sued France over the funding cut, but lost the case.

In 1929, Corraile was largely agricultural, with most residents being farmers. The port at Duvail (Modern-day Colganston) was also geared towards the exportation of agricultural produce, such as wheat, grain, dry rice and barley back to both the United Kingdom and Continental Europe. Farmers in West Corraile, near the Nova Scotian border, decided instead to sell their produce to neighbouring Canada, Lanaya and the United States.

With the sudden crash of the stock market in 1929 and the ensuing depression, exports crashed. The price of produce, such as a bushel of corn, dropped from 90 cents (without adjusting for inflation) to a mere 11 cents. Most farmers struggled to live, with barely any income to survive themselves. However, they were able to reduce their exports and basically live off whatever they grew. Meanwhile, the price of processed products, such as bread, soared dramatically, as bakeries faced resistance in purveying essential produce such as grain and sugar.

Meanwhile, Duvail essentially became a slum town. The port's activities fell sharply, putting port workers, labourers and sailors out of work. The government began on a massive pro-agricultural campaign to reverse the urbanisation of the country. New farmlands were opened up by removing forested area and the government mandated what crops had to be grown by the new farmers. The prices of these produce was also heavily regulated by the colonial government then, by ensuring a fixed price for staples such as corn, grain and wheat. Finally, the government restricted exports of produce to ensure the populace (121,339 in 1931) that there was enough food supplies to weather the economic disaster.

In 1933, Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party came to power in Germany. Worried about the possibility of a continental war in Europe, the colonial office encouraged the Corraile colonial government to set up an armed forces to aid the British Army should a war break out. The result was the Royal British Corraile Armed Contingent (RBCAC) and the Colonial Guard. How was this linked to the Great Depression? Thousands of ex-labourers and port workers enlisted in the force as the Colonial government had guaranteed a reasonable pay and job security.

Essentially, after it was all over in 1938, Corraile had built up its agricultural industry to be its strongest industry, surpassing the port and ensuring a form of successful economy until independence in 1970. but by then, it had a new challenge to face. War.

Awesome work there Kevin and Daniel - thanks for posting!
Day Two will be up shortly.

Sorry I didn't post, it's because it's still unclear in my head what is the history of Lanaya for the after great crisis.

don't worry - World wars is coming up next.

In 1930, Starfishland got a new president, Steve Mark. He did a lot of changes which changed the Starfishland constitution. He also built the first suspension bridge in Starfishland, Red Gate (1930-1932).
However that gold era didnt long. A major economy crash made Starfishland turned down. A significant problem came from a multinationals company which bankrupt.

During the 1920's, following WWI, the Tirnland was a mere province in Germany and Czechoslovakia. Few people were actually harmed by the global Depression, due to the Tirnland's wealth of Gold accumulated over the centuries. Some districts in the region were more closely tied to Germany suffered greater economic losses.

In 1929, the majority of the Illu'an population was either working in cities or farming. One of the main sources of income for cities was the lumber industry. Life in cities was generally prosperous, and the Pacific Exposition with Lower Columbia in 1926 boosted commerce.

With the stock market crash in 1929, Strathmore and Colbitz were hit particularly hard by the recession. The resulting unemployment resulted in many strikes. The most famous of which, the Strathmore Harbor strike of 1932, made Illu'a lose 1/3 of its shipping activity. Things remained in a general slump until the mid 1930s.

In 1935, construction on the Illu'an National Highway System started. The INHS called for paved roads between every town with military bases, and a grade separated road between the Port of Colbitz and the Port of Strathmore to transfer goods. Besides economic stimulus, one of the main reasons the INHS was implemented was to prepare Illu'a for a possible Japanese invasion.

By 1940, the Illu'an economy was stable with the economy based on agriculture, lumber, and defense.

During the 1930's Shushtrepistaz experienced an economic rise internally. most exports were slowed down, but created a new market to sell to Brenzaltan which in the 1928 removed trade sanctions

Prior to the Great Depression, Fornax (then including Xena and Raffore) was under the British rule, thriving as a major trading port and an agriculture centre, exporting rice and spices to countries in the Caroline region and to Europe. When the effects of the Great Depression were felt in Europe, shipping companies stop trading with Fornax, with a few redirecting its trade to Singapore. The income earned from trading dropped almost instantly within a fortnight. Rice trading then became Fornax's only major source of income, suppling to Southeast Asian countries.

The drought that hit Fornax for three years from 1934 dried up most of the water bodies in the country, reducing the rice production rate. This thus affects the rice trade deeply. Fornax then fell into a recession before recouping back in 1937 when it was made a military producing base for the Allies' military in the region.

The recession in Fornax have resulted in large unemployment rate and union strikes, largely due to the lack of the British intervention in the economy. The idea of independence lingered around the people since 1933 and intensified during the drought. The idea was put to one side when Fornax was a military production state for the region to strengthen British defence on its colonies, and later for its allies, in the region.