Volga Republic

Following the Russian Revolution, the Volga German Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was created for the German community who have immigrated into Russia in the tsarist era, and served as a homeland for Soviet Germans. Shortly after the start of the Nazi German invasion in 1941 the ASSR was disbanded by official degree and Soviet Germans were deported into Central Asia as a measure against potential collaboration.

While in reality the the Volga German ASSR was never re-established, in this timeline due to a notable lack of Soviet German collaboration with the Nazis the Volga German ASSR was restored in 1947. However this time it was intended as the deportation point for German citizens from the entirety of the Soviet Union, for which purpose an additional tract of land was added to the republic from Saratov Oblast. Inhabitants of the ASSR were not allowed to move to other parts of the Soviet Union or to emigrate to Germany. Regardless of that, the economy of the region grew steadily and the influx of specialists and scientists resulted in a rapid industrialization of the republic.

A great change happened 20 years later - the warm relationship between East Germany and the USSR stood at odds with the harsh treatment of Germans in the ASSR, which remained a point of contention with GDR's leadership. In 1967, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the publication of Das Kapital by Karl Marx, the friendship between the Soviet and German people was commemorated by lifting of Volga German ASSR's status to the 16th Soviet Republic.

Upon the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Volga Republic found itself in a tense situation, sandwiched between Russia and Kazakhstan, located on the largest river in Europe. The initial tensions with the new Kremlin government were resolved by 1992 with the signing of the Volga River Memorandum, which gave both Russia and Volga Republic complete freedom of movement over the entire length of the river, giving the republic a unique access to Russia's internal freight, which combined with a large amount of investment from Germany has allowed for a smoother transition to capitalism than in Russia.

By 2019, Volga Republic is an advanced economy with close ties to both Berlin and Moscow, often serving as a political moderator between the two. However, global political tensions are putting the small country at risk and the republic's notably conservative politics have gotten a sharp rebuke from Germany for their strongly anti-immigration stance and vocal support for conservative movements.

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