Table of Contents WELCOME LETTER FROM THE SECRETARIAT ............................................................................ 4 WELCOME LETTER FROM THE CRISIS TEAM ............................................................................... 5 WHOM DO I REPRESENT? .................................................................................................................................. 6 HOW DOES THE CRISIS MOVE FORWARD? ..................................................................................................... 7 INTRODUCTION TO THE TOPIC ............................................................................................................. 7 CONTEXT: THE LONG 17TH-CENTURY CRISIS .............................................................................................. 7 MAGDEBURG IN THE THIRTY-YEARS-WAR ................................................................................................. 8 INTRODUCTION TO THE FRONTROOMS.........................................................................................10 MAGDEBURG AND ITS CITIZENS: ...................................................................................................................10 THE SWEDISH TROOPS: ...................................................................................................................................12 THE IMPERIAL ARMY: .....................................................................................................................................13 FURTHER READING: ..................................................................................................................................15 1 The Siege of Magdeburg – AD 1631 Oh, Magdeburg, the town! Fair maids thy beauty crown, Thy charms fair maids and matrons crown; Oh, Magdeburg, the town! [...] Now Tilly's at the gate. Our homes who'll hberate? Go, loved one, hasten to the gate, And dare the combat straight! [...] The churches ruined lie, The houses burn on high, The roofs they smoke, the flames out fly, Into the street then hie! / No safety there they meet! The soldiers fill the street, With fire and sword the wreck complete: No safety there they meet! / [...] The women sorrow sore, The maidens far, far more. The living are no virgins more. Thus Tilly's troops make war! ‘The Destruction of Magdeburg’. 1798 Poem by German national poet J. W. Goethe 2 3 Welcome letter from the Secretariat Distinguished Delegates, On behalf of the entire EuroMUN Secretariat I would like to welcome you to the Crisis Committee. Our conference is held around the motto ‘FORWARD through System Change’. In recent times several crises have exposed substantial problems and inequalities in our national, international, social and economic systems. At EuroMUN 2021 we aim to give you the space to debate such pressing challenges constructively. You will get the chance to look back into the history of your topic and rethink it within the frame of your committee to come up with new and innovative approach. We hope that your time at EuroMUN 2021 will be a stimulating experience for you, both academically and socially. We wish you success, fruitful debates and an overall good time within your committee session and the conference as a whole. On behalf of the EuroMUN Secretariat, EuroMUN 2021 Secretary-General & Conference Manager Julian Schneider 4 Welcome letter from the Crisis Team Dear Delegates, On behalf of the entire crisis team we would like to warmly welcome you to our Joint Cabinet Crisis which will revolve around the Thirty-Years-War and the Siege of Magdeburg in 1631. This crisis is designed for all range of delegates, be this your first-time discovering the world of Model United Nations and Crisis, or if this is your twenty-fifth time plotting schemes to grab power and dominate the alternate world as we know it. We would like to thank you for being part of this ambitious crisis project, which we hope to integrate all the aspects of early modern socio-political decision-making and urgent scenarios where variety of choices you made could pan out wildly differently. The focus of this Crisis is to put you, delegates, in the shoes of historical figures, who were key decision makers in the examined conflict. This project also shifts the focus from most crisis scenarios, as it drives all three cabinets directly into an unbalanced conflict, in which time pressure, fragmentation from within and asymmetric information are key challenges to the delegates. Coming from a background in European Studies and both being native German speakers, this topic is also important to the directors Simon and Max personally. Magdeburg and the historical events that ensued in 1631 have become embedded into the German language as synonyms for senseless violence and destruction and marked a sharp divide between Catholics and Protestants that could only be overcome centuries later. Do you have what it takes to alter the past in this simulation? When thinking about a MUN topic with an early modern background, concepts such as “inquisition”, “rising absolutism”, “military revolution”, or “early nation states” might fly by your mind. Such historical concepts are surely helpful to study the era. However, we have assembled the crisis staff from various backgrounds and experiences who are ready to give you a full crisis experience. A holistic ride, that transcends mere war-gaming and negotiating. You will be put in charge of affairs of religious, economic or military nature – perhaps even a combination of these, and will have to make good use of your limited resources to ensure the best possible outcome for your faction and yourself – should those not align, the choice will be yours what to prioritize. We therefore ask each and every delegate to immerse yourself in this experiment. We will challenge each and every one of you on imagining and taking actions on what the alternate future holds in stock for Magdeburg, its citizens and the competing armies around it. And hopefully by the end of EuroMUN you might reflect upon our current worldviews and those of the people involved in 1631. As the old age says, it is easier to envision your goals at the very end and walk slowly backwards to see how to achieve or see them play out. Having said that, the staff is here to facilitate your crisis experience, and we are open to your queries and concerns along the way. The crisis team is here to make you have a great time. We look forward to meeting you all in Maastricht! 5 Yours sincerely on behalf of the entire Crisis team, Simon Pompé and Max Schwaiger – Crisis Directors How does a Crisis Committee work? If this is your first time in a crisis committee there may be a lot that is new to you. It can be a bit overwhelming in the beginning, as your possibilities to act seem sheer endless. But in just a few simple steps you will be on your way to glory and great deeds in no time. Unlike regular General Assembly or specialized committees, a Crisis Committee introduces two features to alter the outcome of your efforts: a non-static timeline and secretive diplomacy. Since a crisis committee is usually divided into 2-3 sub-committees called cabinets, there is plenty of room for political maneuvers. The cabinets represent a group loosely connected by either common interest (Ideology, political alliances, etc) or geography (e.g., arctic council or in our case Magdeburg’s citizens, the Imperial and the Swedish Armies). All cabinets are referred to as the front room. The backroom is where the crisis staff sits. They are in charge of keeping the crisis on track. Whom do I represent? While you usually represent a country in a "regular" committee, this is never the case in a crisis. You always represent a character, with a unique portfolio of individual ambitions and skills. This might entail that you lead a country, e.g. as President or Monarch. You could also only be partially in charge of a country's policy (For example as a Minister or General) or not at all. However, you always need to bear in mind that you represent an individual. This means that your individual agenda goes over the agenda of the cabinet you are part of. On the other hand, this also means that your character can be taken out at any time (Thrown into prison, exiled, assassinated, executed... you get it). An example character could be a lower nobleman from Magedburg’s surrounding area, fiercely supportive of the Catholic Imperials. This noble would have his own personal interests in the form of his wealth and land, as well as moral convictions of loyalty to the Emperor. Additionally, he considers the interests of his wider peer group, i.e. the local gentry. These layers often coincide but can also clash. The mismatch between personal and the group’s interests can be exploited by you or your fellow delegates to craft agreements or deals. 6 How does the crisis move forward? Debating is only one aspect of a crisis. The delegates use the possibilities to write directives to drive the crisis forward, while the backroom responds to them, and merely steers the crisis. Should the simulation get too much off track, the backroom will also intervene. Directives usually are structured into different types: the secretive ones and the public ones. Its core types are outlined in the table attached. Introduction to the topic Context: The long 17th-century crisis The 1600s were a time of civilizational and social unravelling of continental Europe. It was a continent-spanning period of degradation, but much of the suffering was concentrated