Die Weltbund

Die Weltbund (or "Der Weltenbund") is a polity that is located in the Weltenbund Subsector of Beyond Sector.

• It is part of Charted Space.

Allegiance Codes

Polity Allegiance Codes

Polity	Survey	Code	Type	Remarks
Der Weltenbund	Pre-Imperial		No standard code	None
Der Weltenbund	1st Survey (300)	Wb	2-ltr code	None
Der Weltenbund	2nd Survey (1065)	DiWb/DeWb	4-ltr code	None

Description (Specifications)

The republic variously known as Die Weltbund/Der Weltenbund or just Weltenbund, was founded in -123 by Solomani colonists who believed they were descendants of Terra's original rocket scientist. A representative oligarchy dominated by the Sternmeisters, planetary barons who control all resources on their prospective worlds, backed by a very professional army and navy.

Linguistic Topography

The following languages are in widespread use within the Weltenbund:

• Riftian Galanglic: A regional dialect of the language of the Imperium with Solomani origins and spoken as a lingua franca within the Weltenbund and surrounding region, and one of the two official languages of the Weltenbund.
• Germanic: Or Weltenbunder Germanic, a Germanic dialect that is one of the two official languages of the Weltenbund.

History & Background (Dossier)

The height of Der Weltenbund power was from 730-923 when they dominated the Weltenbund Subsedctor, Liberty Hall Subsector, Middle Beyond subsectors in The Beyond, and the Piah & Harem subsectors in the Foreven Sector. Since endemic rebellion due to economic inequality fostered by the League of Free Worlds has weakened its hold on outlaying planets. Der Weltenbund was an Imperial client state from 612-984, when Der Weltenbund rejected the Imperium's request that Der Weltenbund relax their trade monopoly within Weltenbund space.

The first explorers to this region were persons who believed they were descendants of the Germanic-speaking space pioneers of Terra. This belief has become the national cult and the main unifying factor among the rival noble families of Der Weltenbund. The language and much of the culture is an archaic, idealistic form of early space age German scientists.

Despite this belief in being descended from technocrats, Der Weltenbund remains largely non-industrial.

There are three main reasons for this development:

• 1. The first and main reason is the vast natural resources (the main reason these planets were settled) has made the Sternreiters very rich exporting raw goods and made them little disposed to industry.
• 2. Secondary, was the various wars between rival Der Weltenbund nobles, and the increase of piracy between the 2nd-8th centuries Imperial. These internal struggles tended to target the more developed centers, dropping the tech level of many planets.
• 3. The third reason was the fear by the noble families of creating an upwardly-mobile middle class that would threaten the hegemony. Some of the results of the later fears is much of the operation of essential services (the Navy, Stern-Hansa, for example) are nationalized & run by bureaucrats on Bundestag, the captial of Der Weltenbund.

Though the family rivalries have faded, there still remain many sources of conflict. The Bundestag on planet Bundestag, consists of members of the Sternreiter families, & planetary representatives appointed by Sternreiters. This much resented by many of the planets, several which rebelled and formed the League of Free Worlds. For the last 3 centuries there has been an undeclared war between Der Weltenbund (WB) & League of Free Worlds (LOFW). There is ongoing conflict between Der Weltenbund and the pirate Duchy of St. Foy. Both the LOFW and St. Foy conflicts have disrupted trade routes & decimated the already overstretched resources of Stern-Hansa, the national (and only legal) shipping firms. This has led to Stern-Hansa to employ drastic measures, paying (under the table) bounties to the Weltenbund Navy to encouraging the latter to capture starships and trained crews to replace Stern-Hansa's losses. Stern-Hansa has also a clandestine arrangements with the corporation Tuablin to supply trained slave crews & mind control drugs/devices. These measures has created many enemies among merchant crews particularly among free traders, gaining much sympathy for LOWFIA (League of Free Worlds Insurgent Army) terrorists.

Then there is the smuggling problem. With Stern-Hansa's problem many planets have resorted to sell outside Weltenbund space via smugglers, both free traders, & corsairs. Also,, many noble families have increased the size of their system and issued letters of marque to unaligned pirates operating out of Liberty Hall, Mapepire, Delta, and Metchi'Alagwa subsectors. Many of the corsairs wear the uniforms and shipmarkings of the system navies of the planets that hired them. This makes for a many-sided fight between St. Foy, LOFWIA, unaligned corsairs, privateers, Stern-Hansa, Der Weltenbund Navy, & various system & noble space forces.

Government & Politics

The Der Weltenbund government is characterized as having a very high degree of centralization with a very strong bureaucracy, which sets supremely uniform policies that direct a multi-system state and strongly disregards local/planetary differences when it suits the near-supreme oligarchy of the Sternreiter Family. The Weltenbund] government, founded as a Republic, and possesses many features of a Confederation, but is usually classified as an Corporate Hegemony, a type of Hegemony with many properties of an Oligarchy.

Government Structure

Der Weltenbund is a loose confederation of worlds comprising the Mapepire, Weltenbund, and Liberty Hall subsectors in The Beyond & the Harem Subsector in the Foreven Sector.

The worlds, though wholly owned by the Sternreiters, the planetary governments are allowed much self-rule. There is a caveat to this political freedom as it determined by the steady flow of wealth into the Sternreiters bank accounts.

Another source of conflict is the rivalry between the Sternreiters and the rising power of the confederation bureaucrats who control the capital Bundestag, the Weltenbund Navy, and Stern-Hansa.

Political Factions

While the nobles control most of the wealth, the national assembly, and the lawmaking powers, the bureaucrats control the executive and judicial powers plus the Navy and transportation network.

As the bureaucrats increase their political clout, the nobles have come to fear the loss of power and prestige. Most families have opted to fight, either by clandestine maneuvering against the bureaucracy or by legislation. The Von Manwaring and Hauser-Marck families have opted to ally themselves with the bureaucrats.

There is also the issue of the bureaucrats against the bureaucrats. Corruption is rampant throughout the government, particularly among Stern-Hansa and the Weltenbund Navy (the latter having many captains and commands little better than pirates).

Military & Intelligence

In the navy conflict centers around Grand Admiral Reiter Horst von Wessel, who was pushed through by reformist members of the nobles and the navy after WB's humiliating defeat by the Duchy of St. Foy. His infamous order to shoot first when encountering strange vessels was an effort to stem illegal ship captures by which many WB naval officers practice. On the practical side, his naval reforms have increased the morale & effectiveness of the naval forces. In his years as Grand Admiral he has survived 11 attempts on his life, 2 by LOFWIA, 5 by naval personnel, and 4 by parties unknown.

The navy is currently in a state flux due to Grand Admiral von Wessel's reforms. Piracy, extortion, & corruption have declined by naval personnel after many officers were cashiered in the aftermath of the Imperial Fifth Frontier War. Several of the personnel dismissed have started pirate bands of their own or enlisted into LOFWIA.

Worlds & Sectors (Astrography)

This polity can be primarily found in the following areas:
Charted Space:

• The Beyond
  • Liberty Hall Subsector
  • Weltenbund Subsector
• Foreven Sector
  • Harem Subsector
  • Piah Subsector

Capital/s: 1105

The capital/s of this polity is/are located in the following location/s:

• Bundestag
• Oberprasidenten
• Staatsbibliothek

World Listing: 1105

The following systems and worlds are a part of this polity:

No world articles for Die Weltbund

References & Contributors (Sources)

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This list of sources was used by the Traveller Wiki Editorial Team and individual contributors to compose this article. Copyrighted material is used under license from Mongoose Publishing or by permission of the author. The page history lists all of the contributions.

• Classic Traveller Paranoia Press Beyond
• High Tortuga by Author: Michael J. Maley