Update Paper Concert of Europe
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MODEL UNITED NATIONS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, IRVINE UCIMUN 2021 | April 24-25, 2021 | sites.uci.edu/ucimun Dear Delegates, My name is Tina Soroudi, and I am excited to be serving as your Assistant Directors for the Concert of Europe. This is my first year at UCI, and some of my interests include Biology and Math. In the future, I hope to enter the healthcare field and join an international organization providing aid. This is my first year as a member of UCI Model United Nations and my fifth year in MUN, which has been an extremely rewarding experience so far. This my first year working with the UCI Conference Team, and I am also a member of the UCIMUN Travel Team. Outside of MUN, I am in several service clubs at UCI. In my free time, I enjoy playing the piano, traveling, and watching movies. Our committee will focus on the Concert of Europe, and look into many of the problems that the concert faced from June 1871 to around 1914. The issues that the Concert of Europe covers are multifaceted, and I look forward to hearing your different perspectives on these topics. Delegates are expected to enter the committee with a thorough understanding of the topics and have a firm grasp of their country policy. I hope that you can use the topic synopsis as a starting point for further research and thought. To obtain a comprehensive understanding of the Concert of Europe, we encourage you to research pertinent sub-topics and relevant details outside of the synopsis. From this committee, you will be able to understand the structure, policies, and frameworks of the Concert of Europe. Addressing issues within the Concert can help delegates adapt improved systems for composing solutions regarding modern topics for future committees. I look forward to meeting everyone and hearing your unique take on how nations would react to and adequately address issues relating to the scramble for Africa, the “Sick Man of Europe” and political tensions due to disputes like the Franco-Prussian War. I am excited to observe your collaboration and learn from you all during this committee. Good luck researching and preparing for the conference. I hope you are able to have an enriching experience at UCIMUN and participate in intellectual discussion. Hopefully, we can all step away from this committee to better understand how the past influences the present. If this is one of your first MUN conferences, I highly encourage that you participate and feel comfortable doing so as UCI MUN is a safe place to practice and grow. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns of any kind. I am looking forward to seeing everyone in April. Good luck with your preparatory work! Sincerely, Tina Soroudi, Assistant Director, Concert of Europe [email protected] UCIMUN | 1 MODEL UNITED NATIONS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, IRVINE UCIMUN 2021 | April 24-25, 2021 | sites.uci.edu/ucimun Details on How Crisis will Function The topic synopsis describes in full the abstract of committee mechanisms; however, to help facilitate the crisis, we wanted to explain how the crisis system will work. First, each delegate will be issued a portfolio through google documents (shared) several days prior to committee. The portfolio will contain vital information about your given state, with a categorical strength for each variable (that is, you will not see the numerical conversion to perverse a sense of realism and to prevent rigging). For example, if you are in the United Kingdom, you may have a “strong” naval presence in Northern Europe (near the British Isles). From the crisis perspective, when you initiate an action or react to another delegate’s action, we roll a dice based on your converted score for those variables affected by the crisis check (so, if we assume to be using a D-20 die, and we convert ‘strong’ to a 15, and any roll 1 - 15 means you succeed the crisis check). If you survive the crisis check, then an effect score is rolled, using the same process, to determine the relative success (sinking the entire Danish navy vs merely routing most of them back to Denmark). Without giving out too much of our methodology, this system displays a critical point for delegates: very little is left to the crisis staff's subjective decisions.Instead, a delegate’s aggregate policy decisions will be a driving factor behind their success. And more importantly, this should incentivize you as a delegate to use crises that exploit your nation’s strength (or other’s perceived weakness). Below is a simple outline of what your military profile might look like: UCIMUN | 2 MODEL UNITED NATIONS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, IRVINE UCIMUN 2021 | April 24-25, 2021 | sites.uci.edu/ucimun You will also have economic and political metrics that will affect crisis die rolls. It might look like something below: UCIMUN | 3 MODEL UNITED NATIONS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, IRVINE UCIMUN 2021 | April 24-25, 2021 | sites.uci.edu/ucimun Second, delegates will have a crisis page at the bottom of their portfolio powers. When submitting an individual directive, the delegates should: (1) specify the desired action; and (2) the relevant variables (so if you’re attacking Denmark’s capital, you will likely need your Northern European Navy and Army). Finally, our committee will have a live, updated map. Without giving away some of the unique regional features, below is a global map. On the day of, you have a primary European map with accessible maps to other theaters, including Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Below is a sample of the world's province divisions in 1871 (grey provinces are often inhabited by ‘unrecognized’ nations that are not formally acknowledged as states). UCIMUN | 4 MODEL UNITED NATIONS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, IRVINE UCIMUN 2021 | April 24-25, 2021 | sites.uci.edu/ucimun Next, the communications with crisis will occur at the bottom of each profile. The crisis communications table will look something similar to below; requested variables will be the specific variable (military, technology, industrial output) you believe are directly involved in the requested action. The action will specify what you want to be done (be very concise). The action response will be the crisis’s response to you. And finally, the affected variables will be those that are significantly affected by the action (you will only see those that change a variable’s status. If it's minor, crisis will note it, but will not comment the response for you). UCIMUN | 5 MODEL UNITED NATIONS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, IRVINE UCIMUN 2021 | April 24-25, 2021 | sites.uci.edu/ucimun Finally, there will be a small ‘crisis update’ section with private and public updates regarding the relative stability of a delegate’s nation. Delegate’s will also be informed if any major status changes occur. Historical Overview The 1868 Spanish Revolution and the Franco-Prussian war are two crucial factors contributing to the current state of nations. They exemplify the tumultuous nature of the European states as well as the interconnections of European countries in this time, as they accurately highlight the geopolitical situation as well as showcase years of contention. They mark the high fragility of the current condition of European nations where our committee will begin. 1868 Spanish Revolution The 1868 Spanish Revolution, also known as the Glorious Revolution, is an important factor contributing to the current state of Europe. It resulted in the deposition of Queen Isabella II, and marked the start of the Sexenio Democratico. Queen Isabella's indecision between liberal and conservative policies outraged the progressives, moderates, and many members of the Union Liberal, as they started to blame her for Spain's numerous problems. In 1867, following Leopoldo O'Donnell's death, the Union Liberal began losing supporters to the movement in favor of overthrowing Isabella. Furthermore, the liberal and republican exile agreements at Ostend in 1866 and 1867 set the framework for major uprisings that would eventually overthrow Queen Isabella. In the Pact of Ostend, the Progressive Party and the Democratic Party, led by Juan Prim and Cristino Martos, agreed to compromise. (The Revolution of 1868 and the Republic of 1873, 1998). UCIMUN | 6 MODEL UNITED NATIONS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, IRVINE UCIMUN 2021 | April 24-25, 2021 | sites.uci.edu/ucimun Prim, joined by Francisco Serrano and Progressive conspirators, would soon lead a group of army oligarchs. Admiral Juan Bautista Topete, who was in charge of the Spanish Fleet in Cadiz, declared opposition against Queen Isabella on September 18th 1868. The next day, Juan Prim and Francisco Serrano arrived at Cadiz and gained control of two armies. They successfully defeated Manuel Pavia and Lacy’s army, effectively seizing control of the capital and resulting in Isabella’s government fleeing Madrid. A coalition of liberals, moderates, and republicans were left with the tremendous task of creating a new and more effective government. Following this revolution, Democrats began creating juntas that became Federal Republicans, contributing to a radical democratic element within the military oligarchy. Many generals planned to create a constitutional monarchy, but struggled to select a constitutional monarch. Eventually, a provisional government led by Juan Prim and Francisco Serrano would be established. Shortly thereafter, the provisional government would vocally support German Prince Leopold of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen’s accession of the vacant position, a move strongly opposed by France that would contribute to the altercations that would result in the Franco-Prussian war of 1870. (The Revolution of 1868 and the Republic of 1873, 1998). This overthrow by a monarchist-republican coalition had major repercussions on both Spain and the diplomacy of Western Europe.