Victoria 3 News

[p][/p][p][/p][p]Hello Victorians,  and happy Thursday. This is Karl, the Art Director, and being a man of pictures, not words, this diary may not be as long or full of references as those of a designer, but I hope you will still find it interesting, and that it gives some insight into the process of the art department.
[/p][p]Being an artist on a game like Victoria 3 is an amazing opportunity, but it also comes with caveats: Imagine van Gogh, palette in hand, being gently reminded by QA that his wheat field isn’t ideologically neutral enough, and having to paint sunflowers that accurately represent the economic policies of the British Empire in 1876. Still, we all have both our ears. For now.
[/p][p]This week’s diary is quite image intensive, but we’ve split it into two general areas: 2D and 3D, which is hopefully self explanatory. Before we dig into that, however, let’s look at some User Interface (UI) related features.
[/p][h2]Some new visual interface options[/h2][p]First off, we've added some new UI features to Victoria 3: an extension to the theme selector that we call “Dynamic”. 
[/p][p]This new (dynamic) system will automatically switch between theme assets - e.g. the paper map, the UI skin, and table assets - to match the country you're playing. This applies when you start a new game that fits the profile of a UI reskin, for instance (but not limited to) France, India, Austria, or any of the Balkan nations. (Note that you still need to own the appropriate paid content.)
[/p][p]Of course, you can always turn it off in the settings if you prefer a different look or want to customize it yourself.[/p][p]
So many options to choose from![/p][p][/p][p]Secondly, we’ve introduced a new category to themes, called “Main Menu Image”. As the name suggests, you can now pick and choose between previous releases’ main menu, depending on mood or fancy. Is it a Royalty or Commerce kind of day? You decide. This can also be set to default, meaning it will display the latest release.[/p][p][/p][p]So many memories![/p][p][/p][p]Now, on to the parts of the update that occupies two dimensions: UI, maps, and event images![/p][h2]
UI Skin[/h2][p]The Balkan region showcases a diverse artistic and architectural heritage, shaped by centuries of cultural exchange. To emulate this blend of references and cultures, we've drawn inspiration from traditional regional folk art. Which shows both Byzantine and later Ottoman influences.[/p][p]
Early explorations with different styles and colors[/p][p][/p][p]The Balkan region uses earthy tones, with the main colors being red, black, green and gold, and this is the color palette we landed on for the UI panels. 
[/p][p]We felt that using an earthy, almost clay-like reddish tone is a refreshing change from previous skins. We contrast this with a dark grey background for the main UI information, with buttons an olive green shade. Decorative elements such as trims and frames around buttons are much more colorful with accents of blue, orange and off-white. Finally, gold and yellow is used to bring that luxurious, prestigious feel (a key pillar in the UI art style of Victoria 3), which also draws inspiration from Byzantine jewellery and ornaments. 
[/p][p]For materials, we combine stone and stained glass in the main elements, while secondary headers use fabric. This blend of disparate materials, hues, and architectural approaches serves to underscore the regional cultural diversity.
[/p][p]The UI Skin combines various styles and materials with a vibrant mix of colors too[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Tabs have an ornate frame inspired by Byzantine jewellery with gemstones. The subheader has a pattern inspired by the fabric patterns found on traditional Balkan clothing.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]The Balkanesque Main HUD[/p][p][/p][h2]Papermap Skin[/h2][p]
For the National Awakening immersion pack, we've significantly expanded on the colored papermap concept we experimented with in Pivot of Empire. Drawing inspiration from 18th and 19th-century Eastern European illustrations, we've crafted a vibrant collage for the papermap. This new design features some key events, characters, crests, heraldry, and "slice of life" scenes specific to the Balkan region, as well as some Austrian influences.[/p][p][/p][p]The largest collage for the paper map with a couple of pretty famous people[/p][p][/p][p]Other collages that showcase more of life in the Balkans and/or under the Austrian Empire[/p][p][/p][p]One of the consistent elements that has appeared in all map skins so far. German was chosen as the map language as it was the main language of the Austrian Empire.[/p][p][/p][p]And finally,for the landmasses, we included various illustrations to show what resources might be available in the different regions.[/p][p][/p][p]At a glance you can see what resources the USA has[/p][p][/p][h2]Event Illustrations
[/h2][p]When coming up with ideas for new event illustrations, we of course look at the theme and content of the immersion pack. However, one of the perhaps less obvious considerations is that we also look at our existing library of event images, and try to identify what might be missing. For example: do we generally lack an event image centered around education? What about a gap in cultural immersion - do we have an image of police that is more Euro-centric?
[/p][p]These are some of the things the Narrative team and Art discuss when we look at what we want to do for upcoming event illustrations. Of course, the priority of these images for an Immersion Pack is naturally to draw the player in and immerse them in the region.[/p][p]
Schooling is now well represented[/p][p][/p][p]Austrian (European) police raid taking place[/p][p][/p][p]For National Awakening, we took a lot of reference from the Austrian Empire and its interaction with its’ many subjects. We also tackled the contrast between rural and urban life in the Empire, and the ensuing cultural clashes with these illustrations.[/p][p][/p][p]An officer inspecting a peasant army, showing the juxtaposition between the commoners and the elite[/p][p][/p][p]Rural life is not all idyllic[/p][p][/p][h2]Icons[/h2][p]The new features coming with National Awakening and the free 1.10 Update did not require any new icon styles. But, as usual, when design is involved that doesn’t mean there is no new icon work needed. 
[/p][p]So, we have some new icons for Character traits, namely ‘Special Character’ traits. These are traits that are unique to any historical characters that appear in the game. As these are quite unique traits, it seemed like a missed opportunity to not make these characters even more special![/p][p]
These traits are unique to the named, historical characters[/p][p][/p][p]The 2D art team have also created new icons for existing features like laws and law variants, new companies and prestige goods, and new achievements. Many of these will be showcased in a future Dev Diary. Stay tuned! (Pelly note: Spoilers Karl!)[/p][p]
And with that, we conclude our look on what the 2D art department has been working on, and we move on to 3D Art: Architecture, table assets, and character art.
[/p][h2]Some general notes on architecture and direction
[/h2][p]When choosing the architectural style direction for this release, we considered whether we should strive towards a Balkan look, or an Austrian look. Even though the narrative content of the DLC largely focuses on Austria, we felt that the Austrian architectural style would be too similar to the pre-existing, base game European buildings, as well as the updated French “Haussman Style” buildings in Voice of the People. 
[/p][p]Hence, we decided to dig deeper into more specifically Balkan visuals, including many different regional architectural styles, from the Serbian mountain log cabins of Zlatibor, to the rich tier urban residentials in more Konak-inspired buildings.
[/p][p]Concept - Poor tier urban residential[/p][p][/p][p]Concept - Mid tier urban residential[/p][p][/p][p]Concept - Rich tier urban residential[/p][p][/p][p]References - Low tier urban residential[/p][p][/p][p]References - Mid tier urban residential[/p][p][/p][p]Concept and references - Rich tier urban residential[/p][p][/p][h2]Urban and vernacular buildings
[/h2][p]For the civic buildings, we went with something similar to the Serbo-Byzantine Revival architecture. Playing with a lot of colorful stripe patterns, curved windows, domes and towers. The different tiers of urban residential buildings all are based on their own distinct style, the poor buildings are based on Ottoman Vernacular style, the mid tier are based on National Revival Style and the rich tier are based on Balkan Secession style.[/p][p][/p][p]Balkan City Hub[/p][p][/p][p]Balkan Ports[/p][p][/p][p]We decided to go with two different styles for the rural poor tier buildings, one is inspired by the Serbian mountain log cabins in Zlatibor and the other by Romanian “Bordei” buildings. [/p][p]The rural mid tier buildings were heavily inspired by the town of Elena in northern Bulgaria with its hefty stone walls and house foundations.
[/p][p]Finally, the rich tier buildings drew a lot from Byzantine architecture combined with some Konak elements.[/p][p]The other buildings present in the farm used the style of these tiers depending on what we saw fit best, for example, the ranch uses something similar to the poor tier buildings and the vineyard uses the rich tier.[/p][p]
Balkan Farm Hub[/p][p][/p][p]Based on the updated Mining and Factory buildings that were gradually introduced in the Voice of the People and Pivot of Empire packs, we have reskinned these buildings, using a simpler texture swap. 
[/p][p]This is an approach we’ve taken for some of the buildings where it doesn’t make much sense in giving them a strong cultural identity, since they tend to differ very little from culture to culture - the primary visual driver for these structures tend to be technology and practical solutions, not vernacular materials or cultural customs.
[/p][p]Our goal with these buildings is instead to show the player, in more detail, what is actually being produced in your nation or at a particular site.[/p][p][/p][p]Balkan Mining Hub [/p][p]A few of the Balkan Factory Buildings[/p][p][/p][p]The Balkan Oil Rig[/p][p]For the Port and Forestry hubs we decided it was time to make quite a big overhaul. We have been lacking when it comes to information shown in the previous Port hubs, and due to the limited amount of buildings being spawned in Forestry hubs, they have really not given the player much information other than “yes, there is a port and/or forestry hub in this region”.
[/p][p]We’ll start with the Port hub.
[/p][p]For some quick context, the Port hubs in Victoria 3 are quite different from other hubs, in that most buildings built in them are spawned as an attachment to the actual Port Hub Centerpiece structure, using a predefined location relative to the Centerpiece itself. This resulted in the following issues and solutions:
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• [p]They didn’t show the player everything you had built in it; for instance, we didn’t have a visual representation of Whaling Stations or Military Shipyards, and so we have added those.
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• [p]In the late game, your port would generally only have one attached building spawned three times in a row, creating a repetitive, “fork-like” structure. To avoid this, we have given each attachment quite a distinct shape and limited them to only spawn one time each in one hub.
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• [p]This solution caused another issue however, of the player not being able to tell what a port was most proficient at, which we deem is vital information. This was resolved by adding yet another attachment for each building, essentially changing the base of the Port hub Centerpiece depending on what the port is focusing on the most.
  [/p]

[p]Since we’ve sorted this out both designwise and in scripting, we intend to stick with this approach, where applicable, for any building set going forward.[/p][p]
Some examples  of the new dynamic, modular port layouts. Spot the half flensed baleen whale![/p][p][/p][p]Moving on to the Forestry Hub.
[/p][p]In order to try and give the player more information through the Forestry Hubs, we decided the most useful approach was to communicate the different Production Methods selected in each Hub. So that is what we have done; similar to the Port Hubs, we spawn and switch out attachments for the Forestry Centerpiece depending on the Production Methods chosen in the following way:
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• [p]Base Production Method is reflected in the design of the main centerpiece building, from temporary wooden shacks to brick factory structures.
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• [p]Hardwood Production Method decides what type of piles of wood appears: logs or cut planks.
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• [p]Special Equipment Production Method decides what type of equipment is spawned within the centerpiece (FYI: Chainsaws are tiny and may not be visible on low resolution without glasses).
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• [p]Transportation Production Method decides what type of road (or rail) that goes through the Centerpiece.
  [/p]

[p]Beyond this, we’ve also added a line of trees to the Centerpiece, which gradually gets removed and turned into more wood piles when adding levels to the Hub. Think of it as a quick reference gauge to how much of the available wood in the region has been harvested. Nifty!
[/p][p]Having put in the script and back end work, we intend to give the new Forestry hubs the same treatment we’ve started doing for the Mining and Factory buildings. So in future Building Sets, we will make sure to give them a new coat of paint, helping them fit into the residential buildings - and, hopefully, match the local regional flavour - within that set.[/p][p]
Balkan Forestry Hub showing the different production methods in play[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Closing on the topic of architecture and map improvements, we have also remade Hagia Sophia from scratch, to make sure it looks on par with the new Balkan Building set.[/p][p][/p][p]Hagia Sophia in its new splendour.[/p][p][/p][h2]Character Art
[/h2][p]As always with immersion packs, we have added a bunch of new clothing assets and historical DNAs fitting the region and historical context.[/p][p]
Late Balkan military outfits. Very warm and comfortable.[/p][p][/p][p]Austrian military hats. Stylish![/p][p][/p][p]Balkan fur hat. Perfect match for that coat in winter.[/p][p][/p][p]Balkan Hajduk outfits - First image is a WIP screenshot from ZBrush, one of the many applications we go through in the production process.[/p][p][/p][p]Some of the historical characters making an appearance; the reference we have worked from, and the baseline DNA plus outfit rendered in engine.[/p][p][/p][h2]Table Assets[/h2][p]We are coming up on my favourite part and perhaps the most ephemeral addition to the immersion pack: the table assets! As usual, we have made four different assets, each striving to represent the Balkan region. 
[/p][p]There is little to say about the process, other than that they are usually produced by doing some basic modelling in Blender, then brought into ZBrush where we sculpt the finer details, and make sure things look organic and not too digital/perfect. We then texture them in Painter and, finally, bring them back into Blender where we set up suitable lighting, bake down new pre-lit diffuse textures that are then used in-engine.[/p][p]
This process of using pre-rendered lighting is the reason why we can get such realistic looking results for our Table Assets, compared to our characters or the 3D map. Lighting them in real-time using engine lights and shaders would never let us achieve the high quality lighting that we get using this method. We hope you enjoy occasionally looking at them as much as we enjoy making them![/p][p]
Bugbear Flask - A carved coconut to carry your gunpowder in.[/p][p][/p][p]Tobacco Pipe - Smoking may be fatal, especially if you do it right next to that gunpowder flask. Same could be said for matches, but it depends on who holds them - who IS that on the matchbox?[/p][p][/p][p]Coffee and Lokum, a perfect match. The keen eyed observer may notice that we have added a bit of shader magic here to fake real-time reflections on the coffee surface.[/p][p][/p][p]Finally, the piece de resistance: Kolbász. Sausage and juicy pickles, a perfect match. The keen eyed observer may notice that you can actually see the dental marks of our senior environment artist on that cornichon.[/p][p][/p][p]And with that stunning display we conclude our tour of the visual elements coming with 1.10 and National Awakening. We hope you have enjoyed this brief look into the life of the struggling artist, and send them a kind thought whenever a visual detail catches your eye while min-maxing tariffs.
[/p][p]Next time we rejoin you in Dev Diary form, will be for the changelog (including Achievements) on the 18th of September. And remember, National Awakening and Update 1.10 release on the 23rd of September![/p][p]
Remember tomorrow, we will also have the GDFIX Day , so join us on Discord and submit yoursmall bugs from 10:00am CEST.[/p]

[h3]15-09-2025- Survey is now Closed![/h3][p][/p][p]Victorians![/p][p]We have a survey for you all today, to better understand both new and seasoned Victorian players! Delving into what similar games you play, how you play and your preferences in playing Victoria 3! It is a longer survey but we really appreciate your time in answering the questions![/p][p]To participate in the Survey you can click here: https://www.research.net/r/C99V7SY[/p]

[p][/p][p]G'day Victorians and a Happy Thursday. This is Chris, Narrative Designer, and this will be my first dev diary here at Paradox.

So, welcome to Dev Diary 157, where you will be presented with a variety of difficult hills within the upcoming Immersion Pack National Awakening. As you read about the upcoming content, dear player and reader,  you may consider which hill you would most prefer to die upon. 
[/p][p]Our first hill today is Mount Lovćen, the Black Mountain of Montenegro. [/p][h2]Montenegro
[/h2][p]We have sensed, even up here in our lofty wizard's tower, a general desire to add more variety to the way different countries play in Victoria 3. The Montenegrin campaign is an experiment designed both to represent the country's vibrant and violent history, and to provide a particularly unique experience. We selected Montenegro with the hope there will be something satisfying about climbing from such extremely humble beginnings towards a great modern nation. 
[/p][p]You begin in dire straits: the treasury draining fast, a measly 2 spare units of arable land and a woefully low standard of Living. As in history, women are working the fields so that more men can fight, but during peacetime this leaves a huge number of not-strictly-employed men eating away at resources. Starvation is put off by aid from Russia, delivered through the Austrian port by the coast. The literacy rate in-game is 0.6%. This is likely above the historical figure, as the Njegoš family personally educated a small clique, while they themselves were educated abroad. (Petar II acquired the nation's first modern printing press in the 1830s, which he used to print his own poetry, and possibly the bible.)
[/p][p]Times is hard. There will be no spamming iron mines until you pass Laissez-Faire. There are, however, a few modifiers and law-variants that may help you survive. (Please note, as always, that the exact numbers may change before release.)[/p][p]
Off to a rough start[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]So we begin, and hope to shake the world.[/p][p][/p][p]As you can see, we start with some interesting views on Tax Collection[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Montenegro's law-variants are terrible long-term, but they keep the country from starving at the beginning of the game.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]How did such a situation come to be? As far as the Ottoman Empire was concerned, Montenegro was not an independent state but a Christian group practising religious freedom on top of the mountain, with a habit of killing tax collectors to the point where it was simply easier for everyone involved to stop sending them. This was why Montenegrin rulers were given the title Prince-Bishop and (since Bishops cannot marry) rule tended to be handed down to a convenient nephew rather than a son.
[/p][p]The Montenegrins, however, saw themselves as an independent Serbian state. With little arable land, they were forced to raid to survive. There was a tradition of headhunting, literally collecting the heads of Ottomans they killed in battle as trophies. To be fair, the Ottoman Pasha on the other side instructed his men to do the same. When some do-gooder Westerner came in to try and talk both sides out of the practice, each side replied they would love to stop cutting off heads, but they could only consider it if their enemy stopped first. So the violence continued.
[/p][p]These constant raids should have given the Ottomans an excuse to invade and end the rebels once and for all, but the Great Powers, particularly Russia, were protective of their fellow Christians. It was thus Montenegro's small size that allowed them to raid the Ottomans without facing oblivion. In a century when such antiquated violence within Europe would normally have escalated into a full-scale war or a multinational diplomatic crisis, the Great Powers insisted on guaranteeing Montenegro's independence. Meanwhile the raids were not impactful enough on the greater empire for the Sublime Porte to justify disregarding Russia's request and exterminating the Christians on the hill.
[/p][p]For all their support, the Great Power still made it clear they would really, really appreciate if Montenegro would behave themselves and shape up into something that looked like a modern state. To this end, the Montenegrin campaign is defined by two Journal entries, one about earning the respect of the Great Powers, including transitioning into a formal monarchy. The other about raiding and pillaging Ottoman lands, preferably until the empire is entirely destroyed. The player must balance the nation's future between these two paths.[/p][p]
[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Try to stop raiding too early, and one's nation will quickly go bankrupt or starve. Raid too aggressively, and not only will legitimacy drop to the point of being unable to pass laws, but one's relations may decrease with the Great Powers until one fails the Rebels to Nation Journal Entry, leaving no ally to guarantee Montenegro's independence against Ottoman invasion. 
[/p][p]Falling out with your benefactor Russia is a risky proposition for such a small nation.[/p][p][/p][p]Along the journey towards civility, you may need the Landowners (for once), in order to pass Monarchy. A chain of historical events can also help you along the way as Prince Danilo makes it very clear he has no intention of becoming a bishop, and every intention of establishing himself as a monarch. 
[/p][p]The options beyond avoiding ordination and getting married go beyond Danilo's own known choices, though they suit the brash and uncompromising reputation that led to his assassination by a fellow countryman.[/p][p][/p][p]Danilo really was confronted with the need to marry to prove he was certainly not a bishop and therefore a prince, and therefore Montenegro was a state, and therefore it deserved land and protection. Darinka, though ostensibly not as wealthy nor carrying a high title compared to his other prospects, had the closest family ties to Montenegro, and perhaps love had something to do with this choice after all.[/p][p][/p][p]However you navigate Montenegro's precarious situations, should you succeed in the following the Njegoš footsteps in establishing Montenegro as a state, the Great Powers will reward you with the land necessary to cease raiding and establish a functioning economy, if you but put down the rifle and stop raiding. Feel free to trick them and continue raiding anyway, but know you likely lose your only ally against the Ottomans should they come knocking.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]You could of course take the land AND keep raiding, but Russia will no longer guarantee your independence.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]If you intend to lay down the sword, you will likely be desirous of a port to access the wonders of the World Market. Here you may succeed where the Njegoš family failed. By convincing Austria you are trustworthy, certainly not a Russian puppet, and that there is no risk of giving Russia access to the Mediterranean, they may return the port of Kotor (Cattaro) to you and demonstrate the same good sportsmanship they demanded from the Ottomans in recognising you as a state.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Finally, you may be able to complete the last of Petar and Danilo Njegoš' ambitions. These men always saw themselves as Serbians. Indeed, Petar II's poetry speaks highly of the heroic deeds of Serbian knights at the Battle of Kosovo, from which legend says all Christian Montenegro is descended. Should both states be free from the Ottoman's subjugation, and share a common border, the great Serbian nation can unite once again.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]On unification, there are options as to which nation's rulers and laws should take precedence.[/p][p][/p][p]From there, there is no limit to the ambitions of the Njegoš family, perhaps all the way past the Eastern Crisis and Balkan Wars to forming Yugoslavia (now a major unification).[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]With states both in the Ottoman and Austrian empires, forming Yugoslavia is going to be quite the challenge for any Balkan nation[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Montenegro was just the first of our Balkan hills to die upon. Let us have a quick look at what happens if you start the game as their Serbian kin under the Houses of Karađorđević and Obrenović. 
[/p][h2]"Serbia Serbia Serbia!"
[/h2][p]Our next hill to die upon is Dedinje, in Belgrade, where the Karađorđević family established their royal residence after taking power from the Obrenović dynasty, who had resided in Topčider Park at the bottom of the hill. 
[/p][p]The struggle between the two dynasties is represented by the Throne of Thorns Journal Entry. The current ruler may launch a campaign to build up support, offering various incentives to communities or interest groups in return for their loyalty.
[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Should the country fall on hard times, the other dynasty may sweep away support.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Should one house lose control, the other begins their own similar version of the Journal Entry, so power can change hands a series of times until someone finally gets Dynastic Loyalty to 100% and cements their power.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]The ruling dynasty, of course, is under no obligation to play fair.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]The feud is deep rooted within the military[/p][p][/p][p]As well as the church.[/p][p][/p][p]After dealing with this domestic strife, Serbia can particularly benefit from the recent changes to Liberty Desire to seek its independence. Building a large army can give a significant boost, though with the Ottomans having so many troops, perhaps it may be best to use the Support Separatism diplomatic action covered in Dev Diary 154 to inspire a Serbian movement within Ottoman territory, sparking the Eastern Crisis. [/p][h2]Greek Bavarocracy
[/h2][p]The next hill to die upon is Lycabettus Hill, Athens, overlooking the palace of King Otto, the promontory of Bavarian pride in Greece. Rejoice Bavarians! Coming along with National Awakening is also a brand new starting Journal Entry for Greece: Bavarocracy. This journal entry models the highly contentious rule of Otto, the young, and only (spoiler alert) Bavarian King of Greece. The King, and the Bavarian clique surrounding him, assumed the rule of Greece in 1832, following the successful Greek War of Independence against the Ottomans. [/p][p]
Otto was not the first pick of the Great Powers for the post, that honour would belong to the later King of Belgium, Leopold I, nor was he theGreek choice, as the Greeks were not even consulted on the matter. But he was judged to be sufficiently disconnected from Great Power rivalries to be an acceptable candidate for the throne, and thus assumed the throne of Greece at the grand old age of 17.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Initially a somewhat popular monarch, the devoutly Catholic Otto was quickly viewed with skepticism by his more devout Orthodox subjects after it became clear he had no intention of converting. Like many contemporary philhellenes, he seemed more interested in the activities and ideas of the Greeks of antiquity than those of his actual subjects, and his overreliance on Bavarian aides and ministers did little to endear him in the hearts of native Greeks.
[/p][p]The authoritarian rule of the Bavarians in Greece would eventually lead to much unrest and a few uprisings, and even the establishment of a constitutional monarchy in 1843 would not be enough to save the king, who would be ousted from the throne some two decades later. [/p][p]This Journal Entry will allow you to either let history play out in a somewhat historical fashion, with Otto being deposed and replaced by a Dane (shudder), or explore alt-history scenarios like Otto clinging on to power, other candidates assuming the throne, or the early rise of a republic.[/p][p]
[/p][p][/p][p]While securing Othonian rule over the country will not be an easy task, there are steps you can take to facilitate it. Securing the loyalty of the Klephts by enrolling them into the army and doing your best to realize the so-called 'Megali Idea' will work wonders in terms of ensuring the stability of Otto's rule. 
[/p][p]While entrenching Othonian rule in Greece will hold rewards of its own, arranging for his downfall may prove advantageous to the country in the long run.[/p][p]
[/p][p]Greece also benefits from the free updates to its content covered in Dev Diary 155, and later is one the nations forming the Balkan League. Perhaps you will turn on your erstwhile allies to restore Byzantium. Certainly, Greece stands to benefit from a certain crisis to the east… [/p][h2]The Eastern Crisis[/h2][p]Our next hill is the peak of the Eastern Crisis which faced the Ottoman Empire in the 1870s, leading to war with Russia, the 1878 Treaty of Berlin, and the release of Bulgaria. 
[/p][p]Uprisings were nothing new in the Ottoman Empire, but after raising taxes to cover the debts used to modernise infrastructure and reform the navy (3rd biggest in the world in 1875), an unprecedented wave of revolts sprung up in the Balkan Territories. 
[/p][p]The brutality of the Ottoman response, especially to the April Uprising of 1876, published in the Western Press as the "Bulgarian Horrors" and the "Crime of the Century", severely harmed Ottoman relations with the British. The below flavour text is a historical quote from the time, though in our game such an event can occur after cutting down any separatist movement.[/p][p]
[/p][p]If the Infamy penalty here seems harsh, note that the British government had a policy of protecting the Ottoman Empire against Russian advances, and it was largely due to the Ottomans' horrific reputation after these war crimes that England did not intervene during the Russo-Turkish War 1877-78.[/p][p][/p][p]In-game, the Eastern Crisis journal entry has similar effects to the Springtime of the People covered by my colleague Victoria last week. An added difficulty, however, is that the empire's subjects will receive +0.35 weekly liberty desire, amongst other benefits.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Each movement will be boosted by the following for the duration of the JE:[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]And each subject:[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Rebels may be the least of Ottoman concerns however, as Russia also will receive a Journal Entry encouraging them to liberate Bulgaria and seize Kars.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Meanwhile, should Russia make their play, Austria is unlikely to stand idly by. They too, if they have an interested lobby, will receive a journal entry encouraging them to join the frey and seize control of Bosnia.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Should the Ottoman player survive this gauntlet of rebellion and warlike neighbours, they will be rewarded for their efforts, though perhaps the greatest reward is survival itself.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]And should the Ottoman Empire fail to keep Rumelian Integrity (see screenshot further above) together within 10 years, expect the crisis effects to continue, slowly fading away over the next decade.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]So many Ottoman hills to die on, and they haven't even met the Buglarians yet. [/p][p][/p][h2]Bulgaria: Prussia of the Balkans[/h2][p]In 1836 the nation of Bulgaria finds itself in the sorry position of not even having a hill to die on, for they aren't yet back on the map. 
[/p][p]Would you be inclined to remedy this, there are a couple of ways you can go about it. The quickest and easiest way of course being to simply start as the Ottomans and release Bulgaria as an independent nation. Alternatively, you may opt into either provoking a Bulgarian secession and siding with the subsequent rebellion, or liberating Bulgaria as Russia, which will fire a new event that allows you to switch to the young Bulgarian nation afterwards amongst other options.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Upon independence, Bulgaria will have to face its first choice on whether to declare a monarchy or to pursue the path of Republicanism:[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Depending on when the above event takes place, you may have one or several historical candidates as an option, including a monarchy led by either Alexander von Battenberg or Ferdinand von Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, as well as a republic under Stefan Stambolov. There are also generic fallback options for either a monarchy or republic, should none of the historical candidates be available at the time.
[/p][p]While the nation has now been liberated, its sovereignty is by no means secured, and the Ottomans will not go down without a fight. If that wasn't enough, rival claimants in the Balkans can be found in any direction, competing with Bulgaria for control over their shared homelands.[/p][p]
To deal with the looming threat, Bulgaria will have to establish a formidable army to defend its borders and stake its claims, which finally leads us the to the Prussia of the Balkans Journal Entry:[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]To complete this Journal Entry, one will have to engage in a process of rapid militarization and juggle the needs of the civilian economy with those of the army to become the uncontested powerhouse in the Balkans.
[/p][p]Of course, having a huge army means nothing if you are not willing to use it, which brings us to the event that will fire upon successful completion of the Journal Entry and militarization process:
[/p][p]Bulgaria makes its ambitions clear to the world.[/p][p]
The first option sets you on the path of war, with the end goal being to ensure that Bulgaria stretches from the Ionian to the Black Sea in the form a new Third Bulgarian Empire.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Bulgaria in its greatest extent and all its glory[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Alternatively one may perhaps embrace their inner Yugoslav and seek out a unified nation for all Slavs of the Balkans. Choosing this option unsurprisingly enables the ability to form Yugoslavia which Bulgaria is otherwise barred from:[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Should you form Yugoslavia as Bulgaria you will not only retain your Bulgarian primary culture in addition to all the other Yugoslav cultures you will also be greeted with a new map color and unique set of flags[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]The flag of monarchist Yugoslavia as formed by Bulgaria[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]And of course, if you're happy with your secured independence, and don't want to die on the hill of forming Bulgarian Yugoslavia or the Bulgarian Empire, you can simply choose to invest in your nation and try to better the lives of your citizens. 
[/p][p]That is, until your neighbors come knocking with an inclusive invitation… [/p][p][/p][h2]The Balkan League[/h2][p]As Ottoman power went downhill (pun very much intended), their ex-subjects saw an opportunity to band together in an effort to recover the rest of their homelands, a summit they seemed very much willing to die upon. [/p][p]
The Balkan League, an alliance of Montenegro, Serbia, Greece and Bulgaria, waged the First Balkan War in 1912, successfully conquering most of the Ottoman Empire’s remaining European Territory.

1912 is fairly late game in terms of Victoria 3. We've designed the Balkan League content to be more generalised to accommodate for the cuts and tears that you, dear player, may have cut through the tapestry of history. At any point, if the four historical members of the league (provided they are on the map at that time) are all free from subjecthood, and the Ottomans are in the Eastern Crisis or at war with a Great Power, then the league can form.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]In our testing, we generally find that these nations have a much harder time against the Ottoman Empire than they did historically. Thus we've added a few tools for the smaller nations to stand a chance.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Dedicated Military Research: This will level the technological playing field by giving the Balkan League any military technology the Ottomans may have that they don't possess themselves, provided they can convince a Great Power to give it to them. However, this will stifle their civilian research for some time.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Expand the League: This allows you to add Ottoman subjects as allies in the upcoming war. However, first you'll need to support them with a Support Independence treaty article.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Overwork Arms Industries: Making your workers work until they drop is not good for their health, though it is great for making the weapons you'll need to provide your troops.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Muster Conscripts: These nations were famously dedicated to the war effort. Once the war starts, players may pull men from the fields to increase their conscriptable battalions and training rates, though there is some risk your forces starve if you haven't prepared accordingly.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Countries can always Resign and beg for mercy if the cause is hopeless.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Otherwise, it's time to Start the War. If the Ottoman Empire's strength seems insurmountable (here they are allied with the British Empire) it may be wise to seek your own allies amongst the Great Powers.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]One could see if any Great Powers are supporting the independence of Ottoman subjects, in which case you may be able to bring them to your side by inviting said subject to the league. For example, here Wallachia's independence was guaranteed by Russia. After also guaranteeing their independence and adding them to the league, it looks like our side now has a chance:[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]In this particularly alternate-history, Wallachia has indeed been the turning point that starts the war.[/p][p][/p][p]Each nation will receive wargoals to return their homelands, or independence for the newly added members (like Wallachia in this example).[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Sweet Victory.[/p][p][/p][p]Sweet rewards.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Historically, before the 1st Balkan war had even been concluded, tensions between the allies began to chafe. There were disagreements as to who should receive which newly conquered hills and how much to honour pre-war agreements. It wasn't long before Bulgaria, which had only been a nation again for 35 years, found itself at war with the rest of the Balkan League.
[/p][p]The events of the Second Balkan War were the inspiration for the Spoils of War Journal Entry:[/p][p]
Recovering all your homelands goes a long way in securing the loyalty of your patriotic citizens.[/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][p]Next week we will be joined by the art team who die on their own hills - probably adorned with vineyards or tea plantations, with the clouds above opening up to spotlight their beautiful work.
[/p][p]That prickly precipice of national pride is the last hill I will die on today. In the meantime here's one last word from Narrative Design Lead Victoria, who is shouting down from a sierra of books.
[/p][p]May your sacrifices be glorious, and have a Happy Thursday
-Chris[/p][hr][/hr][p]Hello. This is Victoria. One may wonder which hill I would die on. The answer to this requires an image.[/p][p]
[/p][p]This is a pile of physical books that we have read over the course of the development of Update 1.10 and National Awakening. We have received some requests for source lists on the subject matter, and so we are pleased to provide our bibliography.
[/p][p]Primary Sources:
[/p][p]Bradford, Thomas Gamaliel. 1835. A Comprehensive Atlas, Geographical, Historical & Commercial. Boston.
[/p][p]Imperial and Royal Ministry of the Interior. 1857. Statistical Overviews of the Population and Livestock of Austria. Vienna.
[/p][p]Marx, Karl. 1852. The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte. New York.
[/p][p]Popovici, Aurel. 1906. The United States of Greater Austria. Political Studies About the Solution of the National Questions and Legal Crises in Austria-Hungary. Leipzig.
[/p][p]Popovici, Aurel. 1910. Nationalism or Democracy: A Critique of Modern Civilization. Bucharest.
[/p][p]Scott, Howard. 1933. Science vs. Chaos. Chicago.
[/p][p]Spann, Othmar. 1921. The True State: Lectures on the Demolition & Reconstruction of the State. Vienna.
[/p][p]Secondary Sources:
[/p][p]Akarli, Engin Deniz. 1972. Ottoman Population in Europe in the 19th Century: Its Territorial, Racial, and Religious Composition. Master’s Thesis. Madison, WI.
[/p][p]Aliprantis, Christos. 2019. “Lives in Exile: Foreign Political Refugees in Early Independent Greece (1830–53).” Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies 43(2). 243–261. Cambridge, UK.
[/p][p]Anderson, Benedict. 2006. Imagined Communities. London.
[/p][p]Barker, W.R. 1934. The Formation of Yugoslavia. Master’s thesis. Los Angeles, CA.
[/p][p]Bassett, Richard. 2016. For God and Kaiser: The Imperial Austrian Army. New Haven, CT.
[/p][p]Bilinski, Adam. 2013. Landlordism and Democratization in the Balkans before World War I. PhD thesis. Gainesville, FL.
[/p][p]Black, Jeremy and North, Jonathan. 2011. An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Uniforms of World War I. Dayton, OH.
[/p][p]Dalakoura, Katerina. 2011. “The Moral and Nationalist Education of Girls in the Greek Communities of the Ottoman Empire (c.1800–1922).” Women's History Review. 20. 651-662.
[/p][p]Glenny, Misha. 2000. The Balkans: Nationalism, War and the Great Powers, 1804-1999. New York.
[/p][p]Hobsbawm, Eric. 1962. The Age of Revolution, 1789-1848. London.
[/p][p]Hobsbawm, Eric. 1975. The Age of Capital, 1848-1875. London.
[/p][p]Judson, Pieter M. 2018. The Habsburg Empire: A New History. Cambridge, MA.
[/p][p]Jovanovski, Dalibor. 2022. “The Speech of Ioannis Kolettis and the Emergence of the Greek 'Great Idea.’” Annual of the Faculty of Philosophy in Skopje, 75(1). 91-107. Skopje.
[/p][p]Karpat, Kemal H. 1978. “Ottoman Population Records and the Census of 1881/82-1893”. International Journal of Middle East Studies. 9(3). 237-274
[/p][p]Karpat, Kemal H. 1985. Ottoman Population 1830-1914: Demographic and Social Characteristics. Madison, WI.
[/p][p]Katsikas, Stefanos & Krinaki, Anna. 2020. “Reflections on an ‘Ignominious Defeat’: Reappraising the Effects of the Greco-Ottoman War of 1897 on Greek Politics.” Journal of Modern Greek Studies. 38. 109-130.
[/p][p]Komlos, John. 1983. The Habsburg Monarchy as a Customs Union: Economic Development in Austria-Hungary in the Nineteenth Century. Princeton, NJ.
[/p][p]Lloyd, Nick. 2024. The Eastern Front: A History of the First World War. New York.
[/p][p]Mazower, Mark. 2000. The Balkans: From the End of Byzantium to the Present Day. London.
[/p][p]Mazower, Mark. 2002. The Balkans: A Short History. New York.
[/p][p]Miller, James Edward. 2009. "Introduction: Manifest Destiny Meets the Megali Idea" in The United States and the Making of Modern Greece: History and Power, 1950-1974. Chapel Hill, NC.
[/p][p]Miloradović, G. 2014. “Losses of the Serbian Army in World War One and the Creation of Yugoslavia: Contribution to the Interpretation of the Causes and Circumstances of South Slav Unification.” Transcultural Studies. 10(2). 1-16.
[/p][p]Nielsen, Christian. 2009. “Policing Yugoslavism: Surveillance, Denunciations, and Ideology during King Aleksandar's Dictatorship, 1929-1934.” East European Politics & Societies. 23. 34-62.
[/p][p]Rapport, Mike. 2008. 1848: Year of Revolution. London.
[/p][p]Roberts, Elizabeth. 2024. Realm of the Black Mountain: A History of Montenegro. London.
[/p][p]Saleh, Mohamed. 2013. “A Pre-Colonial Population Brought to Light: Digitization of the Nineteenth Century Egyptian Censuses”. Historical Methods: A Journal of Quantitative and Interdisciplinary History. 46. 5-18.
[/p][p]Siemann, Wolfram. 2023. Metternich: Strategist and Visionary. Cambridge, MA.
[/p][p]Spyra, Andrzej. 2021. Villains or a Few Words About Austrian Secret Police. Częstochowa.
[/p][p]Tanir, Engin Deniz. 2005. The Mid-Nineteenth Century Ottoman Bulgaria from the Viewpoints of French Travelers. Master’s Thesis. Ankara.
[/p][p]Temperley, Harold William Vazeille. 1919. History of Serbia. London.
[/p][p]Vučković, Aleksa. 2021. The Serbian Revolution: 1804-1835.
[/p][p]Not included are the uncountably numerous webpages that we visited over the course of our research, of which we have not kept records. Also not included are works with which we did not engage with beyond quoting for flavour text. For those interested in the latter, we typically include attributions within our localisation files, appended to the string in question.
[/p][p]Were I to ever die, I would like to do so in a comfortable armchair, several minutes after completing the last incomplete book in my collection. This is the closest I may come to fulfillment.[/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][p]Hello, and happy Thursday. This is Victoria, Narrative Design Lead of Victoria 3, and today I will be covering the first round of paid content contained in National Awakening. I will also be covering some additional free features and improvements that we ran out of space to cover in the last dev diary.[/p][p][/p][p]National Awakening is centred around the Austrian Empire and Balkan nations, with supporting content for the Ottoman Empire. Its central theme is the conflict between established dynastic states and aspiring nation-states. The vision of universal monarchy embodied by the Austrian and Ottoman Empires is placed in contrast with the particular ambitions of the Balkan nations. The victory of the latter requires tearing the former to pieces, transforming subjects into citizens divided by blood and language. Owners of National Awakening will be able to experience this conflict from both sides – struggling against the nationalist onslaught as the Austrian Empire, or striving towards the national aspirations of the Balkan states.[/p][p][/p][p]National Awakening contains quite a lot of narrative content. If we attempted to cover it all in a single diary, we would both need to compromise on the image count and risk occupying our readers’ entire evenings – a fate which I believe would be quite cruel. As I am not a cruel person \[ᶜᶦᵗᵃᵗᶦᵒⁿ ⁿᵉᵉᵈᵉᵈ], we will be splitting our coverage into two diaries. This first one will cover Austria Hungary, and some generic content, whilst the second will cover the Balkan states – Montenegro, Serbia, Bulgaria, and Greece, as well as the supporting content we have added to the Ottoman Empire.[/p][p]
[/p][h2]The Age of Metternich[/h2][p]
Following the death of Emperor Franz I in 1835, the Austrian Empire was left in a difficult position. The new Emperor, Ferdinand I and V, was considered by both his late father and his advisors to be incapable of effective governance. The will of the late Franz I hence constituted the Secret State Conference, a de jure advisory panel for the new Emperor which would serve as the de facto ruling cabinet of Austria until the Revolutions of 1848. The panel’s members would include the Habsburg Archdukes Ludwig and Franz Karl, Count Franz Anton von Kolowrat-Liebsteinsky, and Prince Klemens von Metternich.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]When one thinks of the Austrian Empire, Klemens von Metternich is likely to be one of the first figures that comes to mind. As Foreign Minister of the Austrian Empire, he orchestrated the marriage of Napoleon to an Austrian Archduchess, and chaired the Congress of Vienna. As State Chancellor in the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars, he developed a reputation as Europe’s leading conservative statesman, dedicating much of his time to maintaining the post-Napoleonic geopolitical order. Following the death of Emperor Franz I, he is widely regarded to have been the leading power in Austria, leading a despotic government with zero tolerance for any liberal cause.[/p][p][/p][p]How true is this narrative? How does one portray a figure like Metternich, who has been alternately slandered and lionised, condemned and exonerated, appraised and reappraised – first by his contemporaries, and then by historians? First, we must understand the real conditions within which he existed. We must understand that Austria was not conservative because of Metternich, and that Vienna – let alone all of Europe – did not bow to his whims. Historical Austrian policy did not correspond one-to-one to Metternich’s personal beliefs, which evolved over time. Within the Secret State Conference, Metternich had a limited portfolio, centred around foreign affairs, and his influence within the Austrian court waxed and waned over time. Following what historian Wolfram Siemann referred to as a “minor coup” by Franz Anton von Kolowrat in December of 1836, Metternich was excluded from briefings and reports on domestic affairs, and matters such as finance and policing would become the exclusive purview of Kolowrat. Past this point, the existence of a “Metternich System” within Austria itself becomes questionable.[/p][p][/p][p]Conversely, we must understand that Metternich was not an irrelevancy. The nineteenth century was, perhaps, the period in which the greatest amount of power was concentrated in the fewest number of hands – to ignore the role of individuals in shaping this era would be a drastic overcorrection. Prior to our period, he played an indispensable personal role in European diplomacy and Austrian policymaking, especially as pertains to the diplomatic service. His historical marginalisation at the hands of Kolowrat in 1836 greatly diminished his ability to affect Austrian policy, but he was still capable of actions such as blocking Archduke Karl from assuming supreme command of the Austrian Army throughout the 1840s, and facilitating the annexation of Kraków in 1846. One may safely say that his term on the Secret State Conference was largely spent in dire political straits, but to present him as a powerless courtier would be both a historiographical mistake and a waste of narrative potential.[/p][p]
It is certainly the case that Metternich was conservative, at times reactionary even for his time. He was an opponent of enlightened absolutism as embodied by the policies of Joseph II, favouring the traditional privileges of the estates over autocratic power. He was an opponent of convening a central Parliament, believing that doing so would inflame tensions between the Habsburg Empire’s nationalities. In 1847, he advised King Friedrich Wilhelm of Prussia to refrain from summoning the United Parliament on the same grounds. Despite opposing centralised autocracy, he was an advocate for rationalising the functions of the Imperial government, proposing a system of far-reaching reforms for the Secret State Conference which would end the disorganised system of ad hoc written communication with in-person cooperation between agencies. These reforms would largely never be realised, and the Austrian government would be placed into a long state of semi-paralysis between the December of 1836 and the Revolutions of 1848.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Economically, Metternich diverged from the reactionary mould into which he is often placed. Historically, he favoured industrialisation and closer economic ties between the Zollverein and Austrian Empire, adopting an all-German perspective with regards to economic development. In 1841, he proposed an ambitious programme of free trade, domestic infrastructure development, and the integration of Austrian and North German railway systems. As with his government reform, this would encounter fierce resistance from Kolowrat’s clique, coming down to nothing in the end. Towards the end of his career, one may say that Metternich had joined the tradition of doomed modernising reformers whose proposals came to be too little and too late. [/p][p][/p][p]Metternich, in all of his personal intricacies, serves as an iconic device from which we may create a narrative. The Age of Metternich Journal Entry, available for Austria from game start, uses him as a lens to present the historical priorities of the Austrian government throughout the Vormärz period.[/p][p]
[/p][p][/p][p]This Journal Entry contains ten subgoals, themed around his foreign and domestic ambitions. If one chooses to pursue his agenda, maintaining Austria’s status at the heart of conservative Europe, one will receive rewards of a strength proportional to the number of completed subgoals – and, following up on the theme of conflicted historiography, a different parting thought.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]One may also choose to follow the historical outcome – sending him away from Vienna with a revolutionary mob at his heels.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Historically, this was not the end for Metternich. After the Revolution, he fled to England, where he hosted many influential visitors, launched a short-lived newspaper endeavour, and became increasingly fond of the British press and parliamentary system. He spoke positively of both the Tory and Whig parties, viewing them to be organic social groupings naturally arisen from British society, whilst condemning continental European political parties as artificial constructs born of pure ideology. To the late Metternich, Germans were simply not civilised enough to possess a parliamentary system. He would later move to Belgium, and, during the Neo-Absolutist period, back to Vienna, where he would live out the rest of his days in retirement.
[/p][h2]Autocracy in the Age of Liberty[/h2][p][/p][p]The Revolutions of 1848 brought the Austrian Empire to the brink of collapse. Revolutions in the Empire’s Italian provinces brought Austria into a war with a coalition of Italian states at the same time as the Hungarian revolutionary government launched its War of Independence. For a time, Vienna, Milan, Venice, and Budapest were all in the hands of revolutionaries, and the Austrian court was forced to flee to Innsbruck. It took the combined efforts of Austria, Russia, and Prussia to crush each rebellion and restore Imperial authority to each corner of Austria.
[/p][p]In the waning days of the Revolutions, the newly-enthroned Emperor Franz Josef I issued a series of decrees which granted him absolute power, abolished the Diet of Hungary, and partitioned the former Kingdom of Hungary into several military districts. This marked the beginning of “Neo-Absolutism”, a period in which the Emperor and Viennese bureaucracy embarked upon a radical programme of centralisation. The Neo-Absolutists, exemplified by Interior Minister Alexander Bach, sought to abolish the traditional privileges of the crown-lands, instating an authoritarian unitary regime that sought to marginalise nationalist sentiments through economic growth and quality governance.[/p][p]
[/p][p][/p][p]The Autocracy in the Age of Liberty Journal Entry provides flavour to this Neo-Absolutist period. It is enabled for an autocratic Austria that has both successfully eliminated all of its Crown Land subjects. The Neo-Absolutist project’s emphasis on empowering the bureaucracy and achieving social peace through the power of the state is very much in line with the spirit of the Austrian “Biedermänner”, and so one may choose to pursue this Journal Entry with either a Petit-Bourgeoisie-inclined monarch \[such as Franz Josef I], or a powerful Petit-Bourgeoisie government.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]To successfully complete this Journal Entry, one must successfully complete four out of its five conditions before Constitutional Pressure gets too intense. Constitutional Pressure abstracts the various conditions which led to the historical fall of the Neo-Absolutist regime – from the passive resistance of the Hungarian political establishment to the military defeats against Prussia and Italy.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]The Neo-Absolutist period had a highly Catholic character, with “Clerical Absolutism” and “Neo-Absolutism” being largely synonymous. In 1855, Alexander Bach signed a concordat with the Pope that granted the Catholic Church greatly expanded authority within the Austrian Empire, especially over education. Signing this concordat is one of the possible ways one may move this Journal Entry towards completion.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Other priorities of the regime are disempowering the Crownland diets and completing the abolition of feudal obligations, such as the widely-despised robot.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]If one can successfully complete this Journal Entry, they will be rewarded with a unique Distribution of Power law, representing the refined and entrenched Neo-Absolutist system. This serves as a variant of Autocracy that grants even more Authority, and favours Bureaucrats over Aristocrats.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]If one fails to entrench this system, one will come to the historical outcome. The government’s creditors will lose patience with the Neo-Absolutist project, and demand that it either issue a Constitution or have its credit cut off. At this point, one may choose to either do as they wish, or suffer a sharp increase in interest rates.
[/p][p]Pictured: Dread it, run from it, the bond market arrives all the same.[/p][p][/p][h2]The Gründerzeit[/h2][p]
The Gründerzeit, or “founding period”, was a time of great speculation and economic growth in the German states. During this time, the development of the German railway system and liberalisation of corporate law led to an explosion in the amount of enterprises founded per year. The frenetic economic tempo of this period would continue until the Panic of 1873, a stock-market crash so severe that the term “Great Depression” was first used to describe it.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]The Gründerzeit is a Journal Entry shared across all of the German states, representing the free and wild speculation of this era. Whilst this Journal Entry is active, all German states will contribute to its goal – to increase their collective GDP by 2.5% each quarter. At the beginning of this period, one may choose the degree to which one wishes to commit to the Gründerzeit, taking on various amounts of risk depending on the option one chooses[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Whilst the Gründerzeit is ongoing, the German states will be expected to maintain consistent quarterly collective GDP growth of at least 2.5%. Failing to meet this target for any given quarter will decrease the progress bar, representing declining investor confidence – failing four quarters in a row will trigger the panic that historically put an end to this period. If one manages to maintain this constantly inflating bubble for thirty years in a row, one will successfully ride out the Gründerzeit without experiencing the subsequent hangover.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]We believe that it is entirely reasonable to expect an economy to maintain thirty years of uninterrupted growth, and have staked our entire life savings on this.[/p][p]
[/p][p]Pictured: Nikolai Kondratiev, eat your heart out![/p][p][/p][h2]The Triple Monarchy
[/h2][p]The Kingdom of Croatia existed as an autonomous unit within the Hungarian portion of Habsburg monarchy since the sixteenth century. Historically, the Austro-Hungarian Compromise was soon followed by the Croatian-Hungarian Compromise, which confirmed the self-governing status of the Croatian Sabor, and legally merged the lands of Croatia and Slavonia. Croatia existed as an autonomy within Hungary from 1867 to 1918, after which it briefly achieved de jure status as a third, co-equal crown within the collapsing Habsburg monarchy. This situation lasted only for one week, after which the Croatian Sabor voted to terminate the Union and declare independence from Austria as a constituent of the State of Slovenes, Croats, and Serbs.
[/p][p]Croatian independence from Hungary and the establishment of a South Slavic unit within the Empire had long been a demand of Croatian nationalists. The first expression of this demand within our time period was the Illyrian Movement of the 1830s and 40s, a political current amongst the Croatian intelligentsia calling for the establishment of a unified South Slavic state within the Austrian Empire. Its demands included the unification of Croatia, Slavonia, and Dalmatia under a single “Triune Kingdom”, the separation of Croatia from Hungary, and the use of the Croatian language in the Croatian Sabor. Activists of the movement may also be credited with the development and popularisation of the Croatian literary language. The Austro-Hungarian compromise, which set a precedent for separate crowns under the Austrian Emperor, created hopes amongst South Slavs for a Triple Monarchy between Austria, Hungary, and Croatia. This political current would be referred to as “trialism”, and its supporters would include two ill-fated heirs to the Austrian crown – Crown Prince Rudolf and Archduke Franz Ferdinand.
[/p][p]If one chooses to establish the Dual Monarchy through the Matter of Hungary Journal Entry, and Hungary is choosing to be uncooperative, one may choose to create a third crown through the decision to Issue a Trialist Manifesto. The Trialist Manifesto will split Croatia from Hungary, and transform Austria-Hungary into Austria-Hungary-Croatia. Such a measure, however, will require Hungarian approval – and this may prove difficult to acquire.[/p][p]
[/p][p]Once this decision is taken, Hungary will receive an event in which they may choose to veto the Manifesto. If Hungary does so, Austria will be faced with a choice of their own. Under the terms of the Austro-Hungarian compromise, the Austrian Emperor has no legal recourse to enforce such a decision on Hungary. Will they cease their pursuit of the triple crown, or will they make use of an illegal appeal to force?
[/p][p]A military intervention was not out of the question, historically. By the early twentieth centuries, tensions between Austria and Hungary had developed to the point that Franz Ferdinand intended to do precisely this upon taking the throne, breaking the dualist structure of the Empire and forcing the introduction of universal suffrage in Hungary at gunpoint.[/p][p]
[/p][p]If Hungary consents to the Manifesto – or if Austria can successfully enforce a wargoal on it during an Enforce Trialist Manifesto Diplomatic Play – Croatia will be established as a new Personal Union subject of Austria, and the Dual Monarchy will become the Triple Monarchy.
[/p][p]Pictured: There are many problems which can be solved by invading Hungary.[/p][p]
If one establishes a Triple Monarchy, Croatia will typically be much more amicable to imperial interests than Hungary will be. This will be quite useful if one seeks to pursue the next step in reforming the Empire – the United States of Greater Austria.[/p][p]
[/p][p]Pictured: A trialist Empire with a pan-Slavic Croatia.[/p][p][/p][h2]The Federal Solution
[/h2][p]In 1906, Aurel Popovici published The United States of Greater Austria, an ambitious proposal to reorganise the Austro-Hungarian empire into a “Greater Austria” with fifteen federal states. This proposal swiftly attracted attention amongst a circle of radical reformers that surrounded Franz Ferdinand – the heir to the Austrian throne at the time.
[/p][p]It is important to note that Popovici’s proposal was essentially a conservative one, with its objective being the dismemberment of Hungary and maintenance of the Habsburg dynasty. To Popovici, the Hungarian state was dominated by a Kossuthist revolutionary conspiracy which sought to subvert the Austrian Empire and transform the various nationalities of Hungary into a unitary, uniform mass through Magyarisation. Furthermore, he believed that this homogenisation was a natural result of cosmopolitan democracy, and that nationalism was necessary to resist the homogenising impulses of the state. The proposal for the United States of Greater Austria was hence heavily focused upon ethnic autonomy, drawing borders along very precise linguistic lines and designating its federal units by ethnicity.
[/p][p]Whilst other proposals for the federalisation of the Empire existed, such as Lajos Kossuth’s plan for the organisation of a republican “Danubian State” circa 1848, and the territorial federalisation supported by the Austro-Marxists, we have deemed Popovici’s United States of Greater Austria to be the most feasible. This Journal Entry is thus flavoured around a more conservative approach.
[/p][p]If Austria has formed the Dual or Triple Monarchy, it will receive a proposal for federalisation of the monarchy upon researching Pan-Nationalism. Declining the proposal will dismiss the relevant Journal Entry, and enable a decision which will allow one to reconsider it at any time one wishes.[/p][p]
[/p][p]The Federal Solution Journal Entry allows one to build their own United States of Greater Austria. In order to succeed in this Journal Entry, one must both assemble a coalition of nationalities willing to sign on to the project and get one’s applicable Personal Unions, Crown Lands, and Puppets to cooperate.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Once this proposal is accepted, all Austrian Crown Lands and Personal Unions will receive a Journal Entry of their own, allowing for them to choose whether to either combat or assist the formation of the United States of Greater Austria. If one has a powerful Personal Union with high Liberty Desire – such as Hungary – one may need to accede to the particular demands of their dominant cultures, possibly throwing other cultures to the winds in the name of securing their cooperation.
[/p][p]If a subject is especially uncooperative, of course, they may be unwilling to accept even that. In such cases, extraordinary measures may be necessary.
[/p][p]Pictured: This is going to be a problem.[/p][p]
To assemble a collection of nationalities, one must address their grievances with other cultures, and draw the map of the future United States of Greater Austria in a manner that is advantageous to them. It is not possible to get every culture on board – one must be strategic, and try and maximise the number of Integrated cultures whilst Disqualifying as few cultures as possible. An Integrated culture is one that is willing to cooperate with the federalisation project, becoming a primary culture of Austria and counting towards the completion requirement, whilst a Disqualified culture is one that is unwilling to cooperate under any circumstances.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Each button will give one a choice in how to address a given culture’s demands. To Integrate one culture will often Disqualify another  – or, at the very least, radicalise a portion of that culture’s population, and worsen relations with subjects of that culture. Furthermore, if one violates promises one has already made, the betrayed culture will immediately become Disqualified – and spawn a much larger amount of radicals.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Once one has assembled a coalition of nationalities, one may sign federalisation into law, locking in one’s current coalition. At this point, one must either get one’s subjects into line, or cut them loose to save the whole.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Completing this Journal Entry will annex all of Austria’s applicable subjects, and change the country’s name to the United States of Greater Austria, with a pleasing marble-grey map colour and an extremely interesting flag. It will also grant the Danubian tradition trait to all cultures with homelands within the union’s territory, granting even those who could not initially be Integrated an acceptance boost.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Pictured: In this case, Hungary proved an insurmountable obstacle to federalisation, and so it was booted out of the Empire. As a result, the Hungarian culture does not get the Danubian tradition trait.[/p][p][/p][h2]The Ständestaat
[/h2][p]In 1891, Pope Leo XIII published Rerum Novarum, an encyclical addressing the condition of the working class. This encyclical detailed the Catholic approach to the social question, outlined the duties of capital and labour to support one another, expressed support for workers’ rights to form trade unions, and criticised both laissez-faire capitalism and socialism. This document served a foundational role in the history of Catholic corporatism, and would provide support for conservative trade unions against their politically radical rivals. In the years following Rerum Novarum, Catholic political parties, such as the Austrian Christian Social Party, would tend to drift in a corporatist direction.
[/p][p]Following the fall of the Austrian Empire and the October Revolution in Russia, figures in the Christian Social Party would become radicalised against its social-democratic opponents, advocating for an end to parliamentary democracy and the replacement of the First Austrian Republic with a corporate state, or “Ständestaat”. The Christian Socials, Landbund, and Heimwehr paramilitary organisations would collaborate to end Austrian democracy in 1933, ushering in a period of corporatist dictatorship commonly referred to as “Austrofascism”.[/p][p]
[/p][p]Historically, the Austrofascist takeover occurred towards the very tail end of our period, under a republican Austria that had lost its Empire. However, one may argue that the rise of Austrofascism did not necessarily require such a cataclysm. The tendencies which would lead to the Austrofascist regime were endemic to the Christian Social Party, and anti-democratic sentiments were hardly unknown in Austria-Hungary. The extension of universal male suffrage in 1907, a measure implemented due to a general strike supported by the Social-Democratic Party, created a great degree of resentment in Austrian conservative circles and the military. The Austrian military pushed for a law which included wide-ranging wartime powers in 1912, allowing for direct control of production by the military. These laws, in combination with an article of the 1867 Constitution permitting for rule by decree and a harshly reactionary military establishment, led to a state of military dictatorship in Austria following the outbreak of the First World War. A transition from a unitary Austrian Empire to an enlarged Ständestaat is thus not entirely implausible.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]The Ständestaat Journal Entry is available for a democratic Austria that has neither formed the Dual or Triple Monarchy, nor federalised. Once it is active, one may choose to combat the rising Corporatist threat, or embrace their agenda.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]If one chooses to embrace the Corporatist project, and get a sympathetic figure as Head of State, one may immediately transition to a Single-Party State through a button. To represent the Fatherland Front’s strange, nebulous identity, this button will transition whatever political party the Head of State belongs to into the Fatherland Front. This means that one may have a Fatherland Front with a conservative, agrarian, militaristic, fascistic, or Catholic flavour, depending on the party which formed it.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Once one has enacted a set of corporatist laws and repressed the socialists, Austria will be successfully re-organised into the Ständestaat.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]We are aware that there is a heated debate amongst historians over whether the Fatherland Front was truly “fascist” or not. “Austrofascism”, itself, is a controversial term. We have designed this content to be agnostic on this question. To draw a sharp line between the realms of “fascism” and “not-fascism” posits a clean, qualitative difference between the two, which is a questionable thesis at best. We believe in taking a descriptive approach – the Fatherland Front must be assessed according to its real character, not what labels may be applied to it from on high.[/p][p]
[/p][h2]The Hungarian Revolution
[/h2][p]The Hungarian Revolution was one of the most spectacular occurrences of the 1848 Revolutions. Beginning as a “lawful revolution” by reform-inclined Hungarian magnates for a better position within the Austrian Empire, it evolved into a full-scale war for independence, lasting for more than a year and necessitating Russian intervention to defeat.
[/p][p]The Hungarian Revolution Journal Entry for Hungary allows one to pursue the same ends the historical Hungarian revolutionaries did – a liberal, modern Hungarian nation-state, either independent or occupying an autonomous and untouchable position within the Habsburg Empire.[/p][p]
[/p][p][/p][p]The unique interactions in this Journal Entry allow a Hungary player to rapidly liberalise, at the cost of a major rift with Austria. One will want to time one’s political revolution carefully, at a time when the Austrians are otherwise occupied – such as, for example, the Springtime of the Peoples.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Even if one can push through one’s reforms at an advantageous time, the Austrian Empire is certain to not be in crisis forever. The “Establish the Honvéd Army” interaction allows one to prepare for the inevitable Austrian reprisal by assembling a solid, well-motivated conscript army of one’s own.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]The enthusiastic Magyarisation programmes pursued by the Hungarian revolutionaries, however, are certain to spark dissent. Historically, these policies led the many minority populations of Hungary sided with the Austrian imperial forces during Hungary’s independence war. A war that drags on for too long may lead to these minority-dominated territories breaking away and seeking status as autonomous crownlands within the Austrian Empire.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Successfully securing Hungarian independence will allow one to choose a monarch from the various noble houses of Europe, from Romanov to Orleans[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]National Awakening[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]The National Awakening Journal Entry represents the efforts of the various Balkan nations to develop their national identities. It is available to all Balkan nations which have researched Nationalism, have a non-Subjecthood citizenship law, and have achieved a certain degree of independence from their overlord. It revolves around both increasing one’s cultural Fervour, and achieving independence.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]This Journal Entry creates a National Awakening map marker when it is enabled, and is accompanied by numerous events, all with the theme of developing a country’s national identity.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Once this Journal Entry is completed, a nation may leverage their newfound sense of identity to place claims on what they consider to be their culture’s homelands, setting the stage for conflicts to come.
[/p][h2]Additional Free Content
[/h2][p]Update 1.10 brings a tremendous amount of free content to the game. Our previous diary addressed this free content, yet did not quite manage to cover everything. This section will include two new free additions to the game – the National Awakening map marker, and the Colonial Slavery law.
[/p][h3]National Awakening Markers
[/h3][p]Update 1.10 brings a new use of the map to the game – the National Awakening marker. A National Awakening marker highlights the epicentre of a nation’s “National Awakening” – the point at which a nation’s literary culture reaches critical mass, and catalyses a rapid increase in national consciousness. An example of a historical National Awakening would be the Croatian National Revival, in which Croatian nationalist activists released numerous vernacular publications of note using a newly-developed Croatian written language.[/p][p]
[/p][p][/p][p]A culture may have one National Awakening per game. National Awakenings may occur when a culture reaches 30 Cultural Fervour. A National Awakening will catalyse the formation of a National Movement, increase attraction to cultural movements, and further increase Fervour whilst it is active. As a multinational empire, a subject culture having its National Awakening is something to keep an eye on.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Pictured: Habsburg Nightmare Mode – simultaneous National Awakenings for nearly every nationality in the Empire.[/p][p][/p][p]As one may see, we have also changed the Culture and Religion mapmodes to use stripes to highlight sizable minorities.
[/p][h3]Colonial Slavery
[/h3][p]At game start, many European nations had either banned or chosen to not recognise the institution of slavery on their mainland territories, whilst maintaining the institution in their overseas colonies. The Colonial Slavery law represents this state of affairs, allowing countries to safely cordon the institution of slavery off from the prying eyes of respectable citizens. This law functions as Debt Slavery in unincorporated states and Slavery Banned in incorporated states. Whilst this law is active, discriminated pops with low standard of living in unincorporated states will slowly become enslaved.[/p][p]
[/p][p][/p][p]The Colonial Slavery law is active at game start for Spain, Portugal, Denmark, the Netherlands, and France.[/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][p]
And that is all. Thank you for reading. Next week, we will continue to cover the paid narrative content contained in National Awakening.[/p]