Lesser and Lesser Constancians
Lesser and Lesser Constancians is an op-ed article, published 1.XIII.1739 in The Parap National Journal that went viral.
Written by Eva Solmaz, a sociologist and Nouvelle Alexandrie national but with roots from Raspur, it heightened tensions between Nouvelle Alexandrie and Constancia, and was something of a sociopolitical earthquake in Eura.
The article
Originally published for an academic journal, it was summarized in a more readable format, made a three-part series. It began with an analysis of the Imperial State of Constancia from the 1700s, noting the wars and conflicts, including the seizure of Constancian Vipia.
The piece noted the significant political moves of the Imperial Constancian Government lately, such as the en masse naturalization via Autokratorial Decree of subjects of Normark, the similar situation with Anahuacanos, as well as intended residency for nationals of either who made it to the Imperial State, specifically after the East Keltian Collapse. It delved into the changes of the regional and local political dynamics as a result of this, coalescing into the formation of the Constancian Nationalist Party, the Normark Diaspora Congress, and the Imperial Anahuaco Nation.
The article concluded that these developments were necessary, if not imperative, to arrest the declining Constancian population rate, which was not being refreshed as needed, due to casualties from recent conflicts (such as the Alexandrium Wars), and - it posited - the unwillingness of Constancians to bring forth children in a repressive state with a sluggish economy and bare-minimum, if not poor standard of living.
Reactions
The Imperial Constancian Government under the Administration of Agnar Egbert Oakwood denounced the piece once it had become viral, holding a well-publicized press conference that was streamed online. Op-eds were likewise published in Constancian print media decrying the methodology and scientific rigor of the piece, countering it with facts and figures, such as the decreased unemployment rate and improved economic statistics.
It would be of interest to note that in the following months, however, a marked improvement in the quality and quantity of maternal health facilities nationwide, unavailability of birth control products, and the establishment of the Princess Rosamund Foundation with emphasis on reproductive health and maternal care services, and the unusual stipend of 10,000 Staters cash outright, with a monthly stipend of 1,000 staters for next three years, for every Constancian born beginning 1.I.1740. Observers would also note the increased frequency of 'social nights' and 'camp weekends' of the Nationalist & Humanist Party of Constancia and Humanist Institutes.
