An Examination of Extra-Universal Systems of Government

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xsampa

Banned
The Intercellular Union​
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The Intercellular Union is a highly closed nation. Although I was denied entry to the Union because of fear of “social contagion”, I was allowed to visit its flagless embassy in Mexico City.

The building was an imposing cuboid monolith made of concrete with no windows, the vertical grooved lines being its only externally distinguishing feature. I entered through the door and showed the guard my guest armband. The meeting room itself was sparsely decorated, with only white plastic chairs and tables, and a telephone. The Ambassador A-1273 sat in front of me, wearing the gray uniform and white armbands as dictated by the Civilian Standard Dress Code. "FC- Chana, welcome to the Embassy of the Intercellular Union!" Although his tone is enthusiastic, his face is largely stoic and I suspect this display has been rehearsed. A-1273 as the first letter of his Role Number suggests, is an ambassador, and 1273 designates which ambassador he is, by date of admission. Other than that, he has no actual name. He asks for the sake of readers that he be referred to as the Ambassador. Since he has been informed of the purpose of my visit, he cuts to the chase.

The Ambassador begins by explaining the notion of the Body Politic, as it applies to the Union. "Unlike in English law where the body politic refers to the nation as a corporation, here it refers to how different types of people work together to build a nation. Also, we distinguish between productive labor which builds the state up, and unproductive jobs which tear it down."

I ask him what "productive" means and if it just means physical labor.

He responds: "Productives aren't just physical laborers - they include teachers, doctors and other professions which directly and openly aid society. A teacher teaches students who become workers, and a doctor heals people. Unproductives don't do that. They waste people's money on useless displays, like a musician making music - that doesn't help anyone, or an athlete running for the crowd."

Isn't happiness another form of social benefit?

"It isn't. An athlete or musician can make an audience feel better but they don't do anything concrete for society. Feelings are irrational and can impede progress. Only rational action can advance progress. Unlike our predecessors, we replace "life, liberty and happiness" with "life, function and progress". Just as our Standard Buildings are purely functional, so are the jobs allowed to us by the leadership for the sake of progress."

I note that his definition of rationality may well explain the stoic facial expression he has been assuming through the entire course of the interview.

I pause for a second and ask him about the purpose his role number to clarify for residents of other timelines. He huffs for a bit and speaks: "Like cells in a body, we do our jobs. The fact that we get our jobs done correctly matters more than the want to trumpet so and so's name everywhere. Of course if you do exceptionally well, leadership will look up your number and promote you to a better one. And no, these aren't punishments or meant to degrade us like how prisoners numbers worked in the Old Republic. We take pride in them because they represent our work."

He continues, "this function applies to the Standard Chairs and Standard Table I use. There's no need for ten companies to all make a chair and plaster their names all over it. The State Chair Corporation makes them, and they are durable - we design items for function, not form. We also have one shipping company that ships everything from Our Heart[1], a massive warehouse in the center of the country., so we don't have to worry"

My interview continues.

The Intercellular Union is a successor regime to the United States. During the late 1800s to early 1900s, the US was marked by immense inequality. Two main responses emerged: socialism and producerism. The socialists argued for worker unionization and control . The producerists viewed small businesses as being squeezed between the rich and the poor. Tension between the upper classes and the rest boiled over into uprising and war. A faction of the military were supported by the producerists, promising to redistribute wealth to small businesses and to use force to crush the socialists. The producerists turned on the army because it refused to redistribute wealth. The military sentenced most of the rebels as "unproductives" who could become "productive" after X years of labor. Productives, the former working class and the loyal middle class, were relocated to planned cities and wore “productives’ uniforms”.

During the Total War (1936-1943), the military government began the “economic streamlining” that saw “naturally unproductive” jobs banned and their members sent to “increase national preparedness”. During this period, the flag was banned, and productives’ calendars were replaced. With scientific discoveries like trimuriatine acid[1], the postwar leadership changed the country’s name to the Intercellular Union.

Knowing that A-1273 had some knowledge of the fate of other timelines' planned economies, I probed deeper about exactly why their bureaucrats deserved to be "productives". "Of course they do work - if they serve on the Corporate Boards, they help plan our Standard products and integrate Customer Feedback so that we make them more functional, and if they serve on governmental boards, they help ensure everyone's work is rewarded appropriately and unproductives can be dealt with ."

Because of his calm appearance, I decide to ask a controversial question. "If trade means dealing with ... less efficient societies and their "Unproductivity", does it make Cells want to leave?". His demeanor changed into a scowl. "Of course not! Loyal cells at work know what is at stake if they leave and they wouldn't anyways."

I decide to get another opinion from a defector in the Japanese dominion of Formosa, a surprising destination for defectors sufficiently far away from the Union.

My contact was Leona Hoover, a former trader. She greets me warmly. Unlike the Ambassador, I can see the emotions on her face. I mention to her what the Ambassador said to me. "Nonsense! First, the Union never really concerned itself with "efficiency" or "progress". If they gave a damn about progress they would have created 10 new types of jobs for the computing industry alone. Instead they stick to the "basics" hobbling innovation. Second, he didn't tell you about the unproductives, did he? The moment you express an inclination to do something "irrational" like painting, they begin keep to tabs on you for "wasting resources". And if you actually do so much as draw, they can send you to some distant farm to dig pig feces. I was lucky enough to become a trader for their state companies so I could trade actual products instead of the dross they make for internal consumption and actually travel to Japan to talk." I nod. What hopes does she have for the future of the Union? "Oh they'll stagnate sooner or later. The generals don't care, but they're falling behind the Compact[3] when "academics" is restricted to things you could learn in 1950."


[1] the central warehouse of the nation
[2] DNA
[3] An organization of Eurasian nations that was formed after the Total War and opposes the IU including the British Confederation , the French imperial complex the holy Roman Empire-like Federal Russian Empire and Japan and her dominions.
 

rvbomally

Higher Education
​
My cover of Silas-Coldwine's EEUSG entry, the Scholastic League. Many thanks to him for actually providing the map, most of the points of interest, and working with me on this cover.
  • The PoD is in 1141, with the execution of Piérre Abelard and the ignition of the Goliard Revolts.
  • The Americas are named Fornelia, after a cartographer. Avalon, while being French-dominated for much of its history, had the name given to it by the English stick.
  • Colonization is more diverse; there were large Swedish and Danish colonies in the New World. Colonization also proceeded more slowly than IOTL, allowing Native Fornelians to form their own tribal confederations and, later, states, further from the coasts. A Mapuche and Guarani nation exist in South Fornelia; both are Accessist regimes, given the strong association between Accessism and anti-colonialism.
  • The Ottoman Empire never existed, although the Turks did establish an Islamic state in central Anatolia and eventually claimed the title of Roman Empire (or Empire of Rum, as it is typically anglicized); if they can't capture Constantinople, they will just claim Rome's legacy anyway! The Iranians were the Islamic powerhouse of the Middle East, and continue to be the predominant Muslim power to this day.
  • Islamism is a fringe movement, with the last caliphate falling centuries ago.
  • China is nominally a constitutional monarchy, although neither the Chinese Emperor nor his parliament have true power. That belongs to the Consul of the Chinese Senate; the Consul is intended to be a first among equals executive position, answerable only to the Emperor, but in practice, the Consul is the true Emperor of China.
  • Most of Europe, Kiev, Egypt and Persia are constitutional monarchies with fully free and fair elections.
  • The European Initiative is a de facto French continental empire, formed in response to Accessist revolutions attempting to establish unified German and Italian states.
  • The Shadow War is the culmination of a centuries-long political paradigm pitting elitist technocrats against populist, anti-intellectual movements, a conflict in which the Scholastic League's influence has been a major factor. Skepticism of experts and dislike of "ivory tower" elites is not a recent phenomenon, but rather a cornerstone of the political "left" for centuries. Every uprising and revolution, from peasant revolts in medieval Germany to the Fornelian Revolutions, were motivated by this.
  • Accessism is the most recent incarnation of the anti-elitist sentiments of the world, and its "final form" as a crystalized ideology. Although bashed by its critics as being merely anti-intellectual knuckle draggers, Accessists generally advocate for the opening of access, whether it be in academics, politics, economics, or other realms of society. Accessists tend to have a nationalist bent, inspired by their skepticism against pre-national power structures (such as feudalism) and the global systems which have come to replace them.
  • The Shadow War itself is fought between the "conservative liberalism of expertise" with strong technocratic and elitist overtones, exemplified by the Global Security Initiative, and what is left of the Accessist world after the great Accessist revolutions of the 20th century. The current global powers have had to fight some seriously nasty Accessist regimes, particularly the aborted German and Italian Accessist republics. Those regimes practiced extreme "reprisals" against intellectuals and elites; consider the OTL Reign of Terror and the Khmer Rouge. The modern Accessist republics are less extreme than those old regimes, but are still authoritarian strongman regimes.
  • By the 21st century, technological development is slightly better than OTL, and is more evenly distributed. For example, Mechiko and the Fornelian Federation have similar levels of development.
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xsampa

Banned
rvbomally said:
A Peculiar Institution
​
My world map cover of General Lemarc’s EEUSG entry, the Confederate States of America. Includes the writeup, which was mostly provided by General Lemarc but with formatting edits and some additions by myself.

The POD is the immediate aftermath of the Battle of Sharpsburg, which is what we know as the Battle of Antietam IOTL. The Confederate leadership realizes that they just lost their best chance to win, and need to do something in order to even the odds. A program is initiated that promises large payments to slaveowners for the sale of their slaves to the Confederate government, and freedom for the slaves upon completion of military service "for the duration of the war” (translation: start fighting from now until we win, and if you're still alive you're free). History stays roughly the same until Gettysburg, where a slave soldier kills Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, allowing the Confederates to take Little Round Top and win the battle. Faced with a dagger pointed at their metaphorical heart, the Union is forced to the negotiating table.

The ultimate results of the treaty include recognition of Confederate independence and sovereignty by the Union, the rescinding of the Emancipation Proclamation, as it was an unlawful infringement upon Confederate sovereignty, and referendums in Maryland, West Virginia, Kentucky, and Missouri. These last were insisted upon by a Union negotiating team flushed with victory and assured of the loyalty of those within the border states. The results were a total defeat for the Confederates, save in Kentucky, where Confederate agents were able to pull off more vote-rigging than their Union counterparts. The Indian Territory was also "sold" to the Confederacy as a means of the Union getting them to pay off their portion of the pre-war national debt, along with provisions that the Union could dump any tribes it didn't want into the newly Confederate territory. This was sold as "being rid of the Indian problem once and for all" to the Union public and was generally accepted as a smart play after the fact, though more than a few politicians lost their careers, and one lost his life, over "giving the damn traitors more land.”

The Confederacy enters a period of national glee, while the Union enters a period of deep depression similar to the Union in Timeline-191. A new paranoia over secessionism and "un-American mindsets" leads to a harsh crackdown on Mormonism in Utah, leading to a cycle of resistance and oppression that ultimately results in most of the southwest and Pacific coast rising in rebellion. The Union immediately blamed the Confederates and invaded, with no plan beyond "kill the Rebs!" The Confederates' network of border forts and the strong leadership of President Longstreet lead to the Union Army being bogged down and ultimately defeated, with the establishment of the Republic of California, a left-leaning junior partner of the Confederacy, and the Free State of Deseret, a totally-not-theocratic democracy that has become the Israel of TTL thanks to its long border with a nation which wants it dead. Thanks to the increased contribution of slaves and free blacks to the war effort, along with increasing pressure from Britain and France, the Confederacy manumits its slaves in a long, legally complicated process that amounts to the government “buying”[1] all slaves from their owners and then frees them.

The remaining 19th and early 20th centuries see the Confederacy expanding its industrial base, diversifying its crops, and doing its own version of dollar diplomacy in Latin America, while the Union devolves into a bitter, angry nation that grows more authoritarian by the day against any and all who could conceivably oppose it, now including those "traitorous negroes" who helped the South win two wars against them. The fact that pretty much all the blacks in the Union have little connection to the Confederacy is not factored into this assessment. Paradoxically, the Union finds itself drawn towards the British sphere of influence, as the British didn't appreciate the fact that the nation they supported specifically to break American influence has begun exerting influence of its own in Latin America and even Africa, with Confederate support and threats of embargoes being the primary reason why Liberia was spared colonization. This, along with other squabbles, leads to the Confederate economy becoming disengaged from that of the British and moving closer to the German-led Central Powers, seeing them as a fellow power that was denied their rightful place in the sun.

One thing leads to another, and the Great War kicks off in 1935. The Entente mobilizes their colonies and the Central Powers mobilize their junior allies, leading to odd scenarios such as Canadian and Mexican troops clashing with each other in Missouri, or an aerial skirmish between planes from Australia and Brazil above the skies of California. In the East, Japan seized the opportunity to get in on the China scene, granting much-needed aid to the Qing remnant in Manchuria that had been on the verge of being wiped out by the British-backed Republic of China, snapping up a few islands in the East Indies, particularly from the Entente-aligned Dutch, and giving some help to some Indian rebels. Thanks to contributions from its Latin American allies as well as colonial revolts in the British and French possessions, the Central Powers are victorious. The victors take some land, slap some penalties on the defeated powers, and establish a league of nations, moralizing about how such a disaster will never happen again while completely ignoring the remilitarization of their enemies.

The detonation of an atomic device on a remote island in German New Guinea would forever change the face of warfare and diplomacy. The nationalist regimes of the former Entente put their remilitarization plans on hold until they themselves could get such a device, and by the time they did, traditional war between the great powers was already dead in the water. A new age of saber-rattling and brinksmanship descends over the world, with the conservative, old-style democracies of the CSA, Germany, Japan, and their allies and freed colonies facing off against the autocracies and "democracies" of the USA, Britain, France, and Russia. Eventually the British and French overthrow their dictators, leading to a relative thaw in global tensions. However, the Restored British Empire continues to rule from Australia, the French have elected a new President with autocratic tendencies and a dislike of term limits, and the Russians have only moved further into authoritarianism and isolationism as a reaction to the new order. The forces of stability, tradition, and honor still have a long way to go if there is ever to be true freedom on Earth.

France and Russia removed their aristocracies, and during the Shadow War were theoretically democratic autocracies on the model of Putin's Russia, but with a commitment to nationalist revanchism similar to that of a right-wing USSR, along with a heavy dose of religiosity. The fact that their alliance was a mixture of all four major branches of Christianity, all of which purport to hate each other, somehow never comes up at the negotiating table. While the French have replaced old government, moving back to the strongman model, the Russians have become a full-blown theocracy which distrusts and is opposed to its former Entente allies.

Britain had hybridized its regime into a dictatorship of both the aristocrats and the "people," with the House of Lords still being allowed a say in government. Of course, all the real power is held in the National Union Party, from whose name the Entente's charter ideology of Unionism takes its name. Unionism is a right-wing collectivist ideology: work for the sake of the family, the people, and the nation, and the vanguard class rules in the name of the people. Any and all races of the Empire can be good British subjects and Unionists, provided they work diligently to further the Empire's goals and support her leaders unflinchingly, but inevitably some subjects will be more valuable than others. Whether this inevitability extends to those "good" subjects being concentrated in British Isles and Australia and away from the "colonial" parts of the Empire is not discussed in polite company. The National Union Party fled to Australia after democratization, with their French counterparts pulling a similar trick with Algeria.

The glorious United States of America is and has always been the only nation worthy of the name of America, and anything else is pure sedition. After the disastrous defeat in the Great War, the Americans finally realized what the problem was: themselves. Specifically, the parts of themselves that did not follow the Unionist Party (founded by disillusioned, revanchist Republicans after the death of their old party) or were a member of those racial or religious minority groups the damn Rebs were so fond of taking i). Under the leadership of Compatriot President General Daniel MacArthur,[2] the faultless hero of the Missouri campaign[3], the United States has become a dictatorship more reminiscent of Joe Steele than TL-191: opposition parties can win a few minor elections here and there, there are token votes against the President in the electoral college, but say one wrong thing about the President and it’s off to northern Dakota with you. Federalism is a dead letter, thanks to backlash against states’ rights. Individual freedoms, religions that aren't acceptable denominations of Protestantism, and generally everything that's not "American" are disappearing more and more in the USA, which is entering the 21st century and the Information Age with weapons drawn and eyes peeled for anything that could possibly threaten it.

The Confederate States of America has, by the estimates of just about everyone that isn't the Union, inherited the original mandate of the Founding Fathers, and all the responsibilities that come with it. One of the leaders on the world stage, the CSA holds itself up as a model for other aspiring democracies, and even uses its "peculiar institution" of segregation as an example of how racial assertion can be done right as opposed to certain other nations. This has the effect of spreading democracy and segregationist policies around Latin America and Africa; in the former, the old Spanish caste system has been reinforced, while in the latter, old colonial hierarchies remain in place with what remaining Europeans on the absolute top. An exception is Liberia, where the descendants of freed American slaves rule the country as a new aristocracy.

Germany and the other states within its sphere are full constitutional monarchies, with free and fair elections. The Kaiser is more or less a figurehead, although unlike the British monarchs, held in great esteem. Still, the Kaiser (or Kaiserin) is expected not to speak on political issues. Likewise with the Japanese monarchs, the country having avoided a stint with military dictatorship.

The Republic of China is a corrupt military dictatorship, and once the junior member of the Entente. It is quickly growing in power and wishes to challenge Japanese power in Asia.

The Ottoman Empire remains under the old system, now buoyed by its oceans of petroleum.

India is a corrupt oligopolic democracy, where a rich, Anglophone minority which gained control of the original Indian independence movement continue to rule the country. Most political parties revolve around language and religion.

[1] Many slaveowners took the issue to court, on the grounds that the mandatory sale of property to the government amounts to an unconstitutional taking of property by the government. The Confederate Supreme Court ruled in favor of the government: while it agreed with the plaintiffs that the mandatory sale of slaves is a taking, it ruled the taking constitutional because the slaveowners were given “fair value” for their slaves by the government. The case, Wagner et. al. v. Confederate States Manumission Commission, is still used in law schools to illustrate that while it is unconstitutional for the government to take property without due process of law, no citizen has the right to demand particular compensation.
[2] General Lemarc originally had him named Douglas MacArthur, I changed the name to indicate that this is an alternate history “sibling” of the historical figure we are familiar with.
[3] The Missouri campaign was ultimately a failure for the United States, but the Unionists blame this defeat on the politicians and not MacArthur’s leadership.

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Shouldn't the various exile states in Algeria, and other former colonies be under majority rule at this point?
 

Kibbutznik

Rain.

It always seemed to be raining in this city. No matter the name, no matter the banner, London was subjected to downpours from above. Entire rivers cascaded down the roofs of Westminster’s buildings--old edifices containing old men governing over the debris of an old empire--imbuing the city with a morose quality. This melancholic ambience was accented by the grey membrane of clouds looming over the metropolis. The only bit of color was the Green and Pleasant dancing from atop a flagpole, fluttering and evading the gusts of wind like a matador.

My phone beeped, indicating that it was time for me to head out for my appointment. Braving the torrent, I made my way towards the Elizabeth II Executive Office, an opulent palace which in other timelines went by a different designation--Buckingham

I was led down the manor’s hallways, still decorated according to the lavish whims of previous occupants, and ushered into a study. A thin man with an unbridled mop of grey hair turned away from the window, gracing me with a shy smile and an awkward nod.
“Mr. Chana, welcome to the British Commonwealth.”

“It’s a pleasure to visit, Your Excelle--”

“Please,” the Lord Protector winced and raised the palm of his hand, “I only make my opponents and St. John's alumni call me that. To my colleagues I am Hawking, and to everyone else, just Stephen.”
I shrugged, and Hawking gestured towards a wooden desk, at which we both wordlessly sat down. “I don’t think I will inquire as to your...impressions of our fair country. I think it would be a waste of time.” We both glanced towards the window, which reverberated the pitter patter of an aquatic bombardment.

I nodded.
“Fair point. I guess I’ll just wade into the thick of it, then: what happened to the monarchy?”

The British Commonwealth is a relatively new state, but one that presides over an ancient nation. Once a peripheral province of the Roman imperium, the islands were soon dominated by a rising kingdom--England--which over the course of centuries united the archipelago and expanded its economic, military, and cultural power across the known world. The English prided themselves on their civic standards, and slowly chipped away at their monarch’s power, creating a parliamentary democracy under a prototypical constitutional monarchy.

Historians argued that this slow and steady pace of reform allowed the sovereign to weather the revolutionary tides that swept across Europe, but in the end, it was clearly not enough to save the royal family. By the latter 20th century, the British Empire had receded from the peak of its power, reduced from a thalassocratic hegemon to a tertiary participant in the global competition now raging between the capitalist United States and the communist Soviet Union. London had lost almost every colony and now faced rebellion in Northern Ireland, which was considered a core component of the United Kingdom. England simmered in a broth of national shame and sectarian fury. Matters grew worse after the American election of 1968, which brought George Wallace--and his concerning rhetoric--to the White House. Global conservatism now gained a racial tinge, resulting in Enoch Powell becoming Prime Minister two years after Wallace’s re-election.

Disaster struck when an IRA bomb killed Queen Elizabeth II. Enraged, the British people demanded action, and Powell embarked on an egregious expansion of power, placing Ulster under de facto martial law and prosecuting any Irish or leftist figures that might challenge his authority. All this time, King Charles III stood idly by, more concerned with gardens than with his domain’s moral decay. This state of affairs proved untenable--the utter calamity that befell the British Isles resulted in Powell fleeing to South Africa, President Romney succeeding in his plans for UN intervention in Belfast, and the King ousted from his throne.

“And that is how we got here. Once, we had a king, chosen by nothing but the luck of genesis. Now, we have a Lord Protector, elected by and from the House of Lords and embodying the spirit of our aristocratic republic."

Finishing the story, Hawking drank from a glass of water, then smiled after looking at my expression. “You look unsatisfied, Mr. Chana.”

“Well...yes. Powell’s tenure shined a light on Britain’s administrative flaws, but I fail to see how your current system addresses them. You have the same parliament, an aristocratic head of state, no judicial branch...what changed? What organ can curb the future excesses of the executive?”

“Well..,” Hawking smirked, “you’re looking at it. Aside from my ceremonial duties, I can dissolve the House of Commons if I wish to do so, and more importantly, I command the armed forces. Any upstart PM will have to cross me first before they send our men into some wild escapade.”

“But did those powers not also belong to Charles III?”

“Yes, but I am no king. British governments of yore erroneously concluded that for democracy to bloom, the monarchy must dedicate itself to the grave task of doing absolutely nothing, and the Windsors undertook this burden with enthusiasm. Insouciant stoicism suited the Windsor's interests; shaking the boat too much might have spelled the abrogation of their divine rights at the unfriendly end of a pitchfork. This methodology proved to be their downfall, and the Lord Protector serves to avoid their mistakes. I have no heritage or lineage to protect, since I am serving a limited term. My loyalties lie to the House of Lords and British people, not to some golden trinket around my head, and so I have no qualms over exercising my powers.”

“Are your subjects not concerned that your authority is derived from the the landed nobility, and not the ballot?”

“Are Americans not concerned that their Supreme Justices ultimately derive their power from the bar exam?” Hawking chuckled, then frowned. “The creation of my post was a necessary compromise. We had already lost so much. There were foreign troops in Ulster, the Scottish had divorced us...who knows what ravages would be unleashed if we acted too brashly, too boldly? Democracy cannot survive if one cannot preserve an equilibrium between a nation’s traditions and a nation’s people. The Commons and their Prime Minister represent the people. The Lords and I represent tradition.”

The Lord Protector looked morosely to the side, then shrugged “Of course, to allay your concerns...the Law Lords can always declare my actions as forbidden, and even if they do not, I must retire at the end of the one term allotted to me. I cannot even return to the assembly that elected me. Furthermore, the lower House can always check the Lord’s influence by appointing new peers. That is, after all, how I got the job.”

With that, our conversation came to an end. We exchanged final pleasantries, His Excellency offered me a tour from one of his aides, I rejected the offer, and his last act was to bid me a farewell before closing the door behind me.

“Mr. Chana!”

Not expecting for someone to yell my name, I looked around alarmed. “Mr. Chana!”
I saw a broad-shouldered, mustachioed man barrel towards me, and before I could react, his hand enveloped mine in an enthusiastic handshake. Judging by the kepi he wore, he was some kind of French military attache. “Mr. Chana, I am so glad that I caught you here. I have read your marvelous works, and was simply dying to meet you.”

“Well, It’s always nice to meet a fan of my wo-”

“Please, allow me to buy you a coffee.”

“I’m sorry, but I must really get goi-

“Nonsense! It won’t take more than an hour, I assure you.

Against my better judgement, I acquiesced, and allowed my new chaperone to lead me out of the building, into a taxi--during he drive he continued praising me--and then to a table at a coffee shop clearly intended for the higher echelons of society.

For the next fifteen minutes, the Frenchman divulged details about the cafe's other patrons, clearly trying to impress me. “That man over there? He’s the largest military contractor for Sawad. And that guy? He’s part of the diplomatic mission from Kaabu. I’m pretty sure he lost £200 earlier this week. Oh, and have I told y-”

My patience was beginning to wear thin. “Sir, is there a reason you are delaying me here, or…”
The Frenchman’s demeanor immediately changed. He straightened his back, filling out his beige uniform. The fanboy personality was but a facade for the soldier.

“Mr. Chana...I was entrusted by the French Republic to intercept you during your stay in Britain. We are aware that you are here to appraise the local government, and it is in the interests of my nation that you receive a...comprehensive perspective of the so-called ‘aristocratic republic.’”

Our meeting was evidently not coincidental. “Have you even read my articles?”

“No.”

“Very well. I assume you want to give me your perspective on the Commonwealth.”

“Correct. They are fools.” The soldier leaned forward matter-of-factly. “Or, to be more exact, they are cowards. After Powell, the English had a stellar opportunity to foster true reform. The people were mobilized, they cleaned their hands of Ireland and Scotland, the previous order was completely discredited...but no, they kept their lords, their castles, their fancy robes. They feared the future, so they buried their heads in the sand and chose the past. And now they’re back where they started.”

Recognizing that I might as well take advantage of this unsolicited interview, I decided to play devil’s advocate. “Would you not call the peaceful dissolution of monarchy a success? Britain retained her streak of peaceful transition towards greater democracy, which cannot be said for the Metropole or her ally across the Pyrenees.”

“What use is ousting a king if the people still have no voice in their leader? The Commonwealth may be stable, but it is also stagnant. The Lord Protector is a puppet, his only role is to look good and stay silent, just like the Windsors before him. Think about it--if the Lords wanted to challenge the PM’s power, would they elect a bookworm astrophysicist who got his peerage by sheer luck?”

I did not offer a retort.

At the end of an exhausting day, I decided to reward myself with a cup of authentic British gin. By this point, the rain had stopped, and I enjoyed a nice walk under a timid sun. I opened the door into a pub, and blinked as my eyes adjusted to the darkness. The pub was stereotypical, clearly designed to satisfy tourists and their expectations on what England looked like. In fact, it was a bit too stereotypical--on one of the walls hung the defunct Union Jack. Underneath it stood a small wooden table with a vase, filled with one rose, and a framed monochrome picture of Queen Elizabeth II.

The old barkeep and I exchanged almost no words before he handed me my desired beverage. As I sipped my gin, the man kept idly glancing at the old photograph and sighing. Noticing that I had seen him do this, his brow furrowed, embarrassed to be caught at a sentimental moment.

“I just bloody miss her.”

(Elements of this scenario are shared by the TL What if Gordon Banks Had Played? While this scenario has a different POD, these similarities must still be acknowledged, even if they are purely coincidental)
(Credit for the flag belongs to u/linds436 on Reddit; credit for the map belongs to erictom333)

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rvbomally

Long Divided, Must Unite​

Another EEUSG cover, this time of Used-to-be Song Chinese’s Greater Han Empire. Many thanks to him for his input and help!
​
In this world, Chinese modernization in the 19th century actually takes off and China quickly reassumes its position as the hegemon of East Asia. It does this by carefully toeing the line of emulating Western technology, while still keeping traditional Chinese culture. The new Han Dynasty eventually takes down the Qing Dynasty, reunifies the Qing territories, and even defeats Russia during the First World War. Most of this is detailed in the entry, which I encourage everyone to read.

China’s big rival in the 21st century is the United States of America. America presents herself as the bastion of liberal democracy in the face of China’s brand of legalist autocracy, although her reputation is far from spotless around the world. For example, it was private American interests who took control of the Congo during the division of Africa, and while the American government eventually put an end to the excesses there, America’s reputation as the “worst colonizer” is still prevalent in Africa and one that the Chinese and Germans take advantage of. America’s support for Britain during the two great wars has also poisoned the well with Germany, leading to lasting enmity between the two superpowers. However, America’s reputation as the “freedom” alternative to China has led to its popularity among opposition groups and anti-China governments in Asia.

Britain is a shadow of its former self, particularly after it had to let go of its colonial empire, with British India going first. Much of its former colonial influence has been gobbled up by Germany, America and China. It does, however, serve as one of the last states in Europe free from German influence, although the Germans would point out that they have become an American colony in exchange.

Speaking of Germany, it was once allies with China, but the Chinese decided to ditch Germany in order to prevent it from becoming a German satellite/puppet. Post-Second World War, Germany has focused on building and maintaining its continental European empire, using Africa as a source of resources and cheap labor. Germany presents itself as the third option to the Sino-American divide: conservative, but not draconian; liberal, but not materialistic. This narrative isn’t very popular outside of Germany’s own sphere of influence.

Argentina managed to become an economic great power in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, leveraging that into political influence over much of Latin America. Although once a rival to the United States, the two American powers have since become allies, owing to their shared interest in keeping their respective spheres of influence free from foreign meddling.

The Ottoman Empire is a geopolitical isolate, aligned with none of the major powers and enjoying regional power by itself. It has staved off collapse by luck, determination, and money from its control over global trade routes and petroleum. However, a succession of corrupt leaders, from the Sultan to the lowest mayors, has transformed the Ottoman economy into one entirely dependent on fossil fuels. A few shocks in the price of oil have caused economic collapse and subsequent political instability, and while the Ottoman Empire remains intact, the rest of the world eagerly awaits the moment when they no longer have to pay for the sick man of Europe’s life support.

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Emperor of Pennsylvania

Okay, now here's a weird idea for a government. I'm not sure how exactly it would work, but here goes: A Nietzsche-an government.

The PoD might be Nietzsche both not going insane and living longer, resulting in a political/social movement that agrees with him somehow taking over Germany after an alt-World War I in which the German Empire still loses like IOTL.


As for what it would look like: It would probably have some sort of Pan-European ideology behind it and claim to be a democratic European Federation (even if it doesn't control all of Europe), since Nietzsche was opposed to nationalism. It might be generally libertarian in terms of social issues. I imagine it would also be fairly decentralized politically. This is because Nietzsche was fairly individualist.

However, due to Nietzsche's disapproval of Christianity, maybe members of the government are prohibited from being part of organized religion? They can still be religious, just not a member of a hierarchical religion. Members of certain branches of socialist ideology (particularly communism, especially if there's an alt-USSR) might be banned from government too since Nietzsche thought that socialists had essentially the same worldview as Christians.


On the economic end, it would also most likely have some corporatist economics behind it, and it would both be anti-socialist and anti-laissez faire capitalism. Nietzsche didn't approve of either the moral systems of the lower classes or the upper classes, so corporatism seems like the way to go for a Nietzsche-an society, I guess? Maybe there's a full-blown state-run/state-supervised labor union and chamber of commerce like in some OTL Fascist dictatorships, except that the government managing those organizations is democratically elected.


As for the problematic aspects of it (since none of the nations depicted in this thread are perfect), maybe there's some corruption going on in the corporatist economics. And, there might be some alt-Nazis (which are more Strasserist than OTL) running around and misinterpreting Nietzsche's statements on Jewish people to promote anti-Semitism, saying that the Jews are trying to "restore the tyranny of the slave morality" to the European Federation.

Additionally, maybe the pan-European rhetoric of the state is exploited to push for expansionism by some radicals.


In my head, this government would have an overall ideological atmosphere that would be something of an unholy cross between anarcho-syndicalism, democratic confederalism, Scandinavian-style social democracy/social corporatism, Fascism, and Egoism.
 

Deleted member 139407

Has anyone done a scenario where the United States have more of an EU-style governing structure? This could either be as a result of an amended Articles of Confederation or a re-unification effort post-early split amongst the colonies. I'm thinking something along the lines of a "Concert of Continental Republics," or "Assembly of American States." I would try and write up a scenario, but college has been kicking me in the arse recently and am too busy to do so.
 

Emperor of Pennsylvania

rvbomally said:
That could be interesting. The Chapter 1 intro mentions "Socialist-Nietzschism" by name, after all.
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Cool!

Ephraim Ben Raphael said:
You should write the scenario.
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Hmm. I've personally read On the Geneology of Morals and the Wikipedia page on Nietzsche but I might want to look into some of the other books by him to help better write the scenario.


Also, I imagine that the European Federation would have a special education curriculum designed to help people become Ubermensch and to help carry out the "revaluation of values." Philosophy classes and discussions of different ideological systems would be highly encouraged as part of that curriculum. And, of course, the writings of Nietzsche would be mandatory reading.
 
Worffan101

Worffan101

Here's a pretty crazy one for an aggressively stupid government. A state theoretically managed as a democratic federation of ethnic homelands, where everything is segregated down to the freaking neighborhood level because people don't all live in discrete ethnic blocks, so everything is this barely-comprehensible mess of bordergore and people can't move between different parts of the country and the government has to go through 16 different panels and ethnic governing bodies that all resent each other for the government being so screwed up every time anyone wants to build anything. The whole thing was cooked up in the '50s or something based on population dynamics at the time and has been constantly on the edge of shattering ever since.

So basically the entire thing is a completely dysfunctional mess that only sticks together because nobody wants to have the mother of all race wars. The economy's in the toilet and everything runs by the black market, youth rebellion mostly consists of deliberately trying to form a new ethnic identity out of frustration with the system and a desire to end the stupidity, because the government has trouble handling newly-declared ethnicities, and of course the government is completely nonfunctional and consists almost entirely of assholes yelling at each other.

It'd probably be an EU gone incredibly stupid.
 
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