Subject: That's not entirely true
Author:
Posted on: 2015-09-16 19:57:00 UTC
Different cultures and what not. In some parts of the world the people either prefer or need some kind of totalitarian government to function. Others the very idea is contrary to deeply held cultural norms.
I might not seem very good at worldbuilding, but that was due to time constraints IRL. In other words, couldn't actually post what I really wanted to post. Anyways, onwards to my questions.
First: Do you think a country could function as a totally efficient, non-corrupt totalitarian dictatorship? As in, every citizen has no value to the state beyond their skills and ability to fight for the system, but 'The Man' does provide exactly what all the citizens would need to flourish?
For example: eight hour work day where you go to an office, do some programming, and try to ignore the cameras and listening devices. Then, the state issues you food, water, fuel for your assigned vehicle,and medical care.
I'm trying to pose a moral dilemma: Who gets control of the Milky Way? As such, I want no space-nations (not the in-game name) to be true strawmen. All of them could be fairly considered, including the relatively dystopian one. I was thinking that their trains would be the only ones which run on time, and have a guarantee that they won't be attacked by raiders. Do you think that would be a good enough reason to choose them?
The reason I'm asking about this faction in particular is because, well, I thought it would be hardest to convince players to choose them. If anyone needs more info, I can provide it.
This faction, Anarchy LTD, is run by a totally emotionless semi-human CEO, who's ultimate goal is, essentially, the singularity. They want to elevate people to a whole new level of existence, and in their mindset, anyone who rejects this notion is completely insane, and will be re-educated, reprogrammed, or mindwiped to get the job done. As long as you do your job and don't spread dissent, you get the single most advanced police and security force genuinely keeping you safe. Anarchy LTD has life insurance, as in, if you die, they will attempt to resurrect you. And this isn't one-in-ten chance resurrection, either, this is 'almost guaranteed to work' resurrection.
Order is very important to Anarchy LTD, and they use a "perfect" justice system that involves supercomputer and AI simulations, as well as mind-probing. Morality is no concern of theirs, and the most efficient action will always be the one that is taken, no matter how good or evil. If they could spend ten-thousand soldiers, and get enough profit from that spending to make ten-thousand more, plus profit, they would do it in a heartbeat.
Simply put, nobody else can offer the combination of stability, safety, efficiency, and technology that Anarchy LTD does. The Milky Way is already beset by threats that the other faction may not be able to handle. Plus, a lot of the other factions may not be ready to rule a whole galaxy. Anarchy LTD has two, already, so they have the experience.
That seems to cover a couple of the major hurdles for this kind of government: you've got a non-human, and presumably non-corruptible, individual in charge (like I thought would be required), and you've got the 'ruthlessly crushing dissent' that hS thought would be necessary for such a system to work.
My main thought now is that you might want to think about making sure that Anarchy LTD aren't too powerful in comparison to the other factions. You've said that 'a lot of the other factions may not be ready to rule a whole galaxy', but that Anarchy 'have two galaxies under their rule already, as well as the most advanced tech in the setting'. This implies to me that they are significantly bigger than anyone else, and they've got the best weapons and armour (and all sorts of other stuff, but it's the military that will become relevant in a moment). They also display genocidical tendencies ('in their mindset, anyone who rejects this [attempt to trigger the singularity] notion is completely insane, and will be re-educated, reprogrammed, or mindwiped'), so why haven't they wiped out / enslaved / converted everyone else yet? Which faction, if any, could go toe-to-toe with them? Or is it a case of every other faction would have to band together to stand up to them?
- Irish
A totally efficient, non-corrupt totalitarian dictatorship. This almost sounds sounds like you are setting up something similar to how the Soviet Union was (in theory) or even the Third Reich (again in theory) was supposed to be. I think then the answer is very similar to what Irish said. We have seen such a fictional representation, the Empire from Star Wars was very much the Third Reich in Space.
But the ultimate answer is anything could work from a theoretical standpoint if written well enough. But unless you establish your citizens as different, what ultimately will happen is people will project. And one such projection is absolute power corrupts absolutely. Now if you want to avoid strawmen, a way to do that would be make all your nations equally corrupt, just have it manifest in ways.
We do need to know a bit more about what you are actually going for to determine if your reasons are sufficient. However, if you want to make a sympathetic dictatorship, I do recommend you look at the Empire from Star Wars. Look at what makes them so popular. For example you could, as I think you state in another post, show that the galaxy is very dangerous and war is a common occurrence. There may be little in the way of personal freedoms, but this dictatorship has the only military truly capable of keeping its people safe.
Another approach you could do is look to earlier examples, such as the Roman Empire. Add and flesh out the culture of this dictatorship. Maybe they were or are a center of intergalactic trade. Maybe the greatest artisans of this era come from this dictatorship (a stretch sure, but it could work). Maybe they have the greatest minds in the galaxy. These are things you could give this dictatorship to make them more sympathetic and not a strawman.
I would like to know more about what you are trying to do. Without straight comparisons it will be hard to help you right now.
I don't believe that a country could function with such a government, because I don't believe it would be possible to form such a government. Even if you could find a morally upstanding and totally incorruptible person (maybe you get an A.I. to do the job) you're still relying on every other person in the system to have those same levels of moral fortitude or corruption is going to sneak in.
'Can an efficient, non-corrupt totalitarian dictatorship be effective leadership?' Yes. Fiction has shown us many examples, such as the Empire from Star Wars (for all I know there are real life examples too).
As to whether I would choose these guys... well, that depends on what type of game you're talking about (can't see any indication of that). If you're talking about a space-based RTS, then the fluff saying that their trains run on time and they have no crime doesn't sound like it's going to be that relevant/important. If, on the other hand, you're talking about an immersive RPG then not being attacked by muggers in the city streets sounds like a good bonus.
Also, the perks that are available for the other choices make a difference here. If these guys have an OK bonus, but the others all get brilliant ones, then these guys aren't going to get chosen much. It's not so much about providing a good enough reason to choose one faction, as it is about providing balanced reasons for choosing any of them.
If you want a more detailed answer, you'll have to provide some info on what type of game you're thinking of, and what my other choices for faction are.
- Irish
To get an effective totalitarian dictatorship without mind-control, you need to be utterly ruthless in crushing dissent. You need to see it the instant it starts, and eliminate the people involved. You need cameras literally everywhere; you make tampering with the cameras a capital offense; you execute anyone who does anything to undermine the system.
Per Doctor Doom:
"In one possible future, mankind becomes united. Cures for all diseases are found. Global conflict ends. Hunger is abolished, education is universal, and no-one goes without.
"In that world, there are laws. To break even the slightest of these is to suffer immediate and terminal punishment. After a while, no-one would dare lay hands upon the innocent, or commit a crime of hate, or steal bread from the table of another.
"Ten thousand futures have I looked at. A hundred thousand. And in only one does mankind finally unite, and flourish... and survive.
"Only one.
"Doomworld."
... but I'm not sure you can swing anyone on that. :D
An alternate model is the Radchaai Empire from the Ancillary Justice/Sword/Mercy books (I don't think the third one is out yet). They use 'reeducation' to remove criminals - it operates by making the thing they did wrong physically and mentally painful for them to do. One character was reeducated for anger issues, and now has to stay calm or double over in pain.
As a way of 'lightening' a dictatorship by removing the death penalty, it could work, though you'll still have to talk fast to make people accept it. The fact that it doesn't involve mind-wiping, but just hard-wired controls, will probably help. (See: Spike from Buffy, I believe)
hS
PS: Also, both of those ideas are absolutely terrifying and I'm not advocating them in any way. For the record. ~hS
First of all, I would read a book of your world (or play a game, or watch a movie/TV series, whichever medium you're using). So far it looks awesome.
To your question - I agree with Rats, there will inevitably be some group that the 'The Man' has no use for, and they won't be pleased by this. However, it's much easier to argue FOR them, when they do provide for their citizens. Mostly, anyway.
And if they're the only ones with safe, reliable transportation, then...well, that's definitely a good argument for being in charge, even if it is by conquest or something similar.
Raiders, space pirates and the like have become major issues for the galaxy due to a massive understaffing in the Gem Armada (The guys who USED to keep the peace). In fact, they've been forced to accept fully blooded gang members just to keep up with troop demand. In short, they're well meaning, but the old guard, who were the 'real' good guys are gone. So, it's up to the player if they want to leave the galaxy to these people.
On the other hand, there are no raiders, pirates, or really crime of any kind in Anarchy LTD. That's the totalitarian government, by the way. They also have two galaxies under their rule already, as well as the most advanced tech in the setting, so they know what they're doing when it comes to efficient government.
There will be two additional factions in the final product, as well. One of them is a culture of insane Klingons crossed with football hooligans. The other one is a 'workers paradise' that actually delivers on that promise. If this seems like a ramble, do forgive. I had to wake up early, and caffeine does strange things to me.
Short answer: not really, in my opinion? Hmm.
Long answer: there will always be a group of people in a situation like this who are against the totalitarian dictatorship aspect, no matter how non-corrupt. If "every citizen has no value to the state beyond their skills and ability to fight for the system", there is inevitably going to be a group of people who are deemed invaluable but are also angry enough about it to fight that designation!
That's just what I'm getting from what you wrote; could've definitely misread! I bet it could function for a long while, but generally speaking, people aren't fond of not having freedom. :o
Different cultures and what not. In some parts of the world the people either prefer or need some kind of totalitarian government to function. Others the very idea is contrary to deeply held cultural norms.
That actually sounds like a really interesting phenomenon; do you have any links to examples? :00
As far as things go anti-authoritarian one need only look to Western Europe/North America. As for the other end, you can see differences between the more Authoritarian Regimes followed by traditional democratic regimes (The Middle East tends to come to mind).