americanwizarding: International Relationships Profile: the AWC and Russia (Imperial, IBS, and RMM)

americanwizarding: International Relationships Profile: the AWC and Russia (Imperial, IBS, and RMM) The history of relations between the magical community of Russia and the AWC is a long and turbulent one. As one of the earliest nations to recognize the independence of the USA and AWC from its British forebears, Russia was, for a long period of time, one of the American Wizarding Confederation’s closest allies from its founding until the 20th century. Though largely removed geographically, Russia entertained trade both mundane and sorcerous with the colonies, and when the dust had settled and the AWC established itself as an independent power, embassies were established in both Moscow and the muddy swamp that would grow into the nation’s capitol. The Civil War marked the first break between Russia’s Muggle aristocracy and its magical population when it came to its sentiments towards the AWC. While the Russian throne and its Muggle governance tacitly supported the Union, the noble rulers of Russia’s wizards and witches were quietly cheering on the South, feeling a strong connection to their Purist peers. Since the enactment of the Statute of Secrecy in Russia, Purism had become the political doctrine dujour of the magical elite. Given its immense size and the troubles of governance, certain noble and well established Pureblood families had been given more or less absolute authority in small regions to oversee the magical population, leading to extensive discrimination and abuses against Muggleborns, Half-Bloods, and non-human magical beings. These changes were the kindling that would lead to the next great strain in AWC and Russian relations. Even as Muggle stormed the halls of power in 1917, and cast down the Emperor Nicholas II and his family, the muggleborn and half-blooded wizards and witches rose up to tear down the Pureblooded families that had long reigned over them. The conflict took nearly five years to settle, and even as Red Russians fought White Russians in the streets of Moscow, red-robed wizards assaulted the hidden manses and palace of ancient and noble aristocrats. Though better trained and better armed (many poor wizards and witches had been denied wands, while others were not even given more than the most remedial schooling) the Pureblooded families eventually caved to the growing power of the Bolshevik and Soviet sorcerers. By 1925 the Brotherhood of Soviet Sorcerers was the new national power out of Russia, and began making overtures towards spreading its influence in eastern Europe. The AWC was immediately suspicious of this new world power, and after the defeat of Nazi Germany and Grindelwald (the Nazi’s secret, magical patron) the BSS proved its intentions to the AWC by annexing much of eastern Europe under the cover of the USSR. The BSS officially became the IBS, the International Brotherhood of Sorcery. By this point, AWC officials claim, the revolutionary and almost admirable goals of the original revolution had been forgotten as corruption sank into the leadership of the IBS. Already the magical government of Russia had enforced a strict standardization of magic, a forced compact of government and military service on its magical populace, and, according to rumor, had started an forced-breeding program to promote a larger magical population. The whispers of dark experiments being done on political dissidents in sorcerous, Siberian gulags put the international community on edge. The Cold War between the AWC and IBS was just as frigid and vicious as the conflict between the USA and USSR. Undercover operations put into place by a joint taskforce of the DSO, Auror’s Board, and Department of National Defense ran numerous secret missions trying to destabilize the IBS internally. Special agents (including the Allegiance Academy’s current headmaster, Jonas Hill) rallied dissidents within the nation, working with parties many within the AWC found…distasteful: criminal syndicates, rebel werewolf packs, hag covens, vampire hives, and those few remaining Pureblood families who resented the communist philosophies of the new ruling class. Meanwhile, Russian spies worked, with minimal success, to use racial tensions in the AWC to weaken the nation’s resolve, and attempted, with slightly more success, to influence members of the government with promises of wealth and power. As between the USA and USSR, there were few direct conflicts between AWC forces and the IBS, but a number of close calls. In 1976, AWC Aurors and IBS Boyekolds (battle sorcerers) came close to open conflict in Transylvania, when the AWC supported the magical nation’s bid for independence from the IBS and the Soviet Sorcerers sent forces to prevent just such an occurrence. Other times nation-states were used as pawns in their struggle for dominance. Magical conflicts in Korea, China, the Middle East, and Poland were supported by both sides, leading to long lasting international conflicts. Eventually a combination of internal dissension, external pressure, and the crumbling of the USSR’s supportive government infrastructure led to the dissolution of the IBS. The final IBS Premier, Antonia Utkin, headed the arrangements for free elections, and in 1993 she handed off the reigns of power to the first Russian Minister of Magic, Aleksie Balandin. Relations between The Russian Ministry of Magic (RMM) and the AWC have been politely formal since the fall of the IBS. Despite attempts at democratization, however, the RMM is not without its problems. Not only have some of those corrupt leaders from the IBS managed to hold onto a great deal of wealth and influence within society, some of the AWC’s best allies in its attempts to destabilize the IBC have become their worst enemies since its collapse. Organized criminal syndicates, rebel werewolf packs, vampire hives, and, of course, the old and ever puissant Pureblood lineages have frightening amounts of control in certain parts of the country, and would like nothing more than to see the destruction of their erstwhile allies. -- source link

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