In the mid-21st century, the worst case scenario of climate change was realized. With dramatically higher sea levels, much of the Netherlands disappeared beneath the waters as its dams failed, displacing millions. Unrest in the Middle East diffused into Europe through Greece, Italy, and Turkey. With ice in the northern seas gone, Russia was granted access to greater wealth and power through maritime trade, posing a real security threat, managing to once again bring Eastern European nations under its influence. The United Kingdom was history, as its exit from the European Union caused it to fracture, creating instability in one of the core economic centers. By the 2050’s it seemed the European Union was on the verge of collapse due to external pressures and internal woes alike.

A ray of hope came in 2052 when the first fusion engine was tested and deemed acceptable for spaceflight. The German leadership were the first to seize on this breakthrough, diverting resources to send a fusion-powered rocket to a near Earth asteroid, hoping that by pulling it into low Earth orbit, a wealth of resources could be gained to avert the incoming crisis. The plan worked. While not a permanent solution, the influx of material allowed Germany, and by extension the rest of the EU, to stay afloat economically as the member states rallied to solve the problems. Spain, Italy, and France were the first three nations to join Germany in a concentrated effort to further exploit near-Earth, Lunar, and even Asteroid Belt resources.

As the decades progressed, more European states joined this effort to colonize space and exploit its resources. By 2100, all northern, western, and southern Europe, along with a few north African nations, were participating. In order to better organize large space infrastructure projects, participating nations gave up much of their independence over to a supernational council under the Commonwealth Accords, signed in 2105. It was under these documents that the Gemeinschaft der Welten, the GDW, was born.

In 2070, joint international efforts achieved another major breakthrough that rivaled the development of the fusion drive: the development of macroscopic faster-than-light travel in lab. By 2090, the first interstellar probes were sent out with a small superluminal engine stationed in orbit of Neptune. The United States and the GDW also used the opportunity to work on a darker project: exiling their religious fanatics from their populations. In the same year, a large fleet of small spacecraft hosting thousands of these zealots were sent to the modernday Reservoir system, falsely advertised as a sacred pilgrimage.

After life signs reported back from the system in 2102, the now American Union began construction of the first major SLE on Pluto, and the interstellar space race truly began in the 2110’s. While organization under the GDW brought wealth to its member states and further expanded extra-terrestrially, colonizing the distant Silbern system 2123, it was not without cost on its citizenry. To revert the worst effects of climate change, member states under the GDW council’s jurisdiction were forced to act in an authoritarian manner, moving much of their populations into urban centers where their consumption can be minimized and better monitored. By the mid 22nd century, the Berlin megalopolis, the seat of the GDW council, accounted for over a fifth of Germany’s population. Replacing the abandoned small towns and suburbs were fusion power plants, vertical farms, mass carbon scrubbing facilities, and plain wilderness.

Furthermore, distance and completely different living environments compared to those on Earth have created culturally distinct and independently minded extraterrestrial colonies. For over a century, the quiet whispers of independence, from the research centers of Luna to the shipyards of Otto in the Silbern system, were largely ignored by the Earth-based GDW council. That mindset changed when Daqin declared its independence from what remained of the CCP in 2200, revealing that they orchestrated the Zhongzhi event that left the CCP’s political, military, and scientific leadership gutted. Louder voices of independence and a fear of a violent political upheaval forced the GDW to act quickly to prevent another crisis. Tales of the rapid disintegration of the old British Empire were circulated widely among the populace during this period. In 2202, the Earth nations of the GDW and their extraterrestrial colonies agreed upon the Extraterrestrial Reformation, where, among symbolic changes to the GDW, such as changing the flag and renaming the currency to the less Earth-centric Curro; were formal recognition of the colonies as equal member states, in exchange for continued participation in the GDW.

With a crisis averted, the GDW continued to prosper, expanding and improving its assets in the Solar and Silbern systems, up to modern day, 2320. However, the biggest challenge may have yet to come. On the eve of the new year, the Hawking system of the American Union rebelled, annihilating a large AU fleet in the process. Contact with the descendants of the religious zealots, who’ve developed their own unique FTL system, has contributed to further uncertainly in the increasingly unstable international environment. With a great conflict looming over the horizon, the GDW’s ability to effectively project its military power and employ its full industrial might will be stressed to the maximum.

Over the centuries, with the coordination required to expand into space and to avert environmental collapse on Earth, the GDW became an increasingly centralized superstate. From the top down, the Commonwealth Security and Economic Council has full jurisdiction over foreign and domestic policy, setting the laws of the superstate, while leaving undecided issues, such as treatment of the Chongwu, to be decided by individual member-states. In exchange for their independence, GDW member-states expect to receive resources and military protection.

Each member-state has one representative on the Council, collectively negotiating and voting on policies. The founding nations, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain, hold greater veto power and the sole ability to nominate the Secretary General. The Secretary General has ultimate military authority and can appoint military leaders and diplomats.

The large minority of GDW’s population in space introduces a unique problem unseen in other superstates due to the high quantity of space stations each with relatively low populations. After the Extraterrestrial Reformation, representation of the space-born population was initially determined by population ratio. With a 1-to-3 surface-to-space population ratio in the GDW, and 55 surface member states, 18 representatives are divided between the Sol and Silbern system space-born, with those of the Sol system holding the lion’s share, 10 rep’s to 8 of the Silbern system. These representatives then represent clusters of space stations or single stations that are sufficiently populous. Two rep’s, one from the Sol and Silbern system each, are then given powers equivalent to that of the founding nations.

With the baseline set, new representatives are then given to the space-born determined by population growth. After more than a century of development after the Extraterrestrial Reformation, five representatives total, two from Sol and three from Silbern, have been added, raising the balance to 55-to-23, 78 representatives total on the Council.

The European Block encompasses North, West, and Southern Europe, forming the cultural heartland of the GDW, thanks to more than two millennia of socioeconomic development. Much of the GDW’s economic and military doctrines were born from the methodologies utilized on the European continent. As such, the people of the European block are generally proud of their history, boasting of their comparatively high amount of political, scientific, and philosophical thinkers.

The total environmental collapse forced authoritarian action that drove the Europeans into arcologies, which effectively eliminated most suburban culture, preserving some rural culture, while elevating urban culture. The increased population density, easy access to utilities for one’s entire lifespan, along with advanced communications that allow people to interact with each other across distances; has led to a population largely content with their current situation, after more than two centuries of living in these conditions, along with a high trust in their governments despite authoritarian measures.

Extraterrestrially, space-born member-states in the form of space stations, or gravitationally bounded clusters of space stations, are separated by days and weeks of travel, making communication and therefore a unified culture impossible to form. Nonetheless, the environments they must endure gives commonality. Air, water, and space, the basics for living, are closely regulated and rationed, creating permanently stressed societies. Even with a multitude of mass psychological treatment, space-born populations are more mentally strained than their planet-born counterparts, leading to an above average deviancy, causing higher levels of piracy and terrorism even during times of peace and economic growth.

However, these same conditions have also created a people that puts great value in local unity and placing its well being over that of oneself. Thus, space-born also boast the lowest levels of unemployment, high efficiency, and a militaristic society.

A consequence of prioritizing work efficacy also makes the extraterrestrial block socially liberal compared to the rest of the GDW. This has primarily manifested in giving Chongwu advanced career positions, which is unheard of in the rest of the human community.

Europe retained its world-class heritage as home of quality fine art and performing arts, the most notable contributories being Holland, France and Italy. While many major names still remain on Earth, many have moved on to the Silbern system, claiming that content connected to life on Earth "has been covered to death". Depictions of pre-colonial times are very highly valued, with works between 1900 and 2100 being in the highest demand. Auctioneering and antique sales are reputable professions in this industry, but few are valued more than accomplished, elderly artists.

The GDW has become the largest fashion center in the world after the shake up of the East Asian nations in 2200 CE, reclaiming market dominance over specialty textiles and designer products. Europe adopted a lot of new synthetic materials in order to maintain economy as the rural areas were unable to fully sustain the demand for wide organic cloth applications. This work with synthetics, as well as the 'space scene' in which a substantial portion of the population resides, heavily influenced fashion. As a result, much of GDW clothing could be described as 'plasticky' or 'rubbery'. The bottom line is very much plastic based, ranging between baggy nylon and gore tex-like material; while the wealthier end of the spectrum has access to PU leather, neoprene and acetate, as well as some of the newer developed top shelf compounds.

The GDW progressively turned the concept of ethics into a chain of bureaucracy so convoluted - that it's predecessors would faint while reading the list of institutions. Committee upon committee, the nation has an extremely tight hold on what is done and how in most sectors of its society, particularly after the climate macrodisaster triggered nationwide rationing. Science, medicine and social behaviour are under watch to ensure compliance within an expansive ethic/equity legal network that the government assures protects resource plenitude and cross-cultural prosperity. Citizens have become wary of crossing unseen lines in their daily life due to a pattern of intense penalties that usually follows.

The English language remains widespread for ease of cross-nationality communication, though native languages are still used socially among regional majorities.

German is, economically speaking, the true primary language of the GDW due to the German business dominating the European markets, leading to many linking success with the learning of German for their job.

After the loss of landmass and temperature increases across the world in the 21st century, Europeans residing in low lying land and some Middle Eastern enclaves have been forced to relocate further inland in order to survive. The majority of that traffic fell on France and Switzerland, who suffered a population crisis that turned into an international overspill. Having kept the language during their residence there and subsequently in space habitats, the French language has the greatest spread in GDW controlled off-planet zones.

People have mostly carried their native languages with them through generations of children, so one can still experience a unique language in almost every country on the surface - but due to the mingling of populations between borders, communication more frequently than not requires either French or German as the two official languages.

Following the expulsion of radical elements and population center census, religious belief has been gauged to fall into the following categories:

- Catholicism 34%
- Secular 27%
- Islam 26%
- Protestantism 9%
- Eastern Orthodoxy 4%

The GDW military is made of several divisions, each with their own doctrine.

The CTM encompasses the Commonwealth Terrestrial Army (CTA), Commonwealth Terrestrial Navy (CTN), and Commonwealth Terrestrial Airforce (CTAF). Having shrank in size, yet potent nonetheless, the CTM secures the GDW’s interests on Earth itself. Dwarfed in budget by the CSC, the CTM relies on precision, special operations in combined arms forces.

The CTA relies primarily on small groups of well-trained infantry to conduct operations with supporting vehicles for transportation, communication, and electronic warfare. The CTN is made of small carrier-corvettes and carrier-frigates, often automated, equipped with coilguns, railguns, and missiles, using lasers for defence. The CTAF is composed of generalist fighters that can be equipped for most operations.

By the 24th century, the CSC has become the most important aspect of the GDW to protect its interests in the interstellar community. To deter foreign aggression, the CSC utilizes a handful of cruisers and many more frigates and corvettes, all of which are expected to operate both independently and in fleets, conducting wolfpack tactics. Such expectations demand flexibility and modularity of individual vessels, no better exemplified than in the Baudry class.

With a large minority of the GDW’s population on fragile space stations, the CSC employs a high amount of stationary defence platforms orbiting large population centers to shield against asteroids and terrorism alike. The space-born population, naturally, has the highest participation rate in the CSC.

In additional to its spacecraft, the CSC employs a sizable contingent of space marines, currently equipped with the Lancaster-class intervehicular assault suit (IVAS), utilized in anti-piracy and counterterrorism operations. Like the soldiers of the CTA, these marines come in small, elite groups.

The CDSMM is an underappreciated, yet integral part of the greater GDW. Without it, the GDW would not be able to maintain its international standing, as the CDSMM forms the backbone of the GDW economy. The CDSMM uses fleets of modified Baudry classes, branded as Volkschiffs for civilian use. Many of these modified vessels are automated, but some will not only carry personnel but also their own armaments.

Each member-state has their own national guard of sorts. For example, Magnuski station employs the Magnuski Special Forces to keep the peace on the station, occasionally venturing out to assist counter-terrorism on other stations.