The Resource Management World Government
The first Resource Management World Government assumed control over the Earth when the Dislocations were at their height. Existing states had clearly failed to deal with the combined crisis of climate change, food shortages and environmental pollution which were rendering the planet close to uninhabitable and had drastically reduced the human population. Although the change amounted to a simultaneous coup in what remained of the most powerful nations, it faced very little resistance.
For almost seven hundred and fifty years between 2140 and 2888 CE, Earth would be governed by a unitary power which commanded authority over the whole planet. There would be limited democracy at best and little liberty, but there would at least be the kind of necessary authoritarian action required to avert the worst of the consequences of the melt down in the biosphere.
This does not mean that power struggles of various kinds and intensity did not continue within the one party, one world state. Struggles to determine the direction of policy and the rules of succession were fierce and often violent and these resembled in character the style of politics that derives from Imperial traditions.
To better understand the machinations of the Resource Management World Government, historians divide it into a set of seven succeeding dynasties, each of which inherited the mantle, name and theoretical justification for their rule but which behaved quite differently in practice.
The first dynasty 2140 to 2272
The first dynasty gained power after a series of bloody coups. It was led by radical environmentalist groups, increasingly frustrated with the dithering and outright intransigence of the dying old oil powers and their plutocratic oligarchies who continued to squeeze money and power out of their failed states, long after it was totally obvious that their greed was marginalising life and killing millions.
The uprising had popular support and in its early years, the first dynasty spent a lot of time on conducting a series of show trials and spectacularly violent executions. The Great Court of Extinction was established in 2143 with the Climate Trials beginning in 2145. The blood letting reaching frenzied proportions at the end of 2148, when the ex-president of the Texan Protectorate was hung from the top of the Empire State building.
By 2160, a rigorous policy of strict vegan diets and state controlled agriculture was in place, administered by the Bureau of Economic Affairs, an increasingly powerful arm of the state. A small cartel of science advocates, pushed for continued research into technical solutions and held sway over a more vocal anti-intellectualism which began to subside as the century progressed and conditions on Earth became normalised to some extent. Over time, the forms of government became more meritocratic and the development of the G-Lift Engine in 2195 demonstrated that humanity was still capable of new discoveries and restored some pride to a battered world. Pushed by a unified triumphalist government the early Martian colonies and the development of the Jovian moons were only a prelude to the culminating discovery of the Flicker Drive in 2268.
First contact with the Viwodia and the revelation that humanity needed to acknowledge the Society Of Contemporary Races proved to be the shock which ended the dynasty. Almost their last act was the formation of the Bureau of Xeno Relations, an important power centre under succeeding dynasties.
The second dynasty 2272 to 2350
Taking advantage of confusion and political indecision consequent on the discovery of alien races and organisations already occupying the galaxy, the second dynasty acted with the most speed and ruthless sense of purpose to assume control of the government of Earth in 2272. Led by a coalition of Chinese and Indian politicians, it represented a decisive power shift in favour of those who supported more traditional capitalist policies and took charge in a relatively peaceful manner, although many formerly influential leaders found themselves under arrest.
The policy of the government was to encourage rapid colonisation, which with the aid of the G-Lift Engine and the Flicker Drive offered real possibilities for the large scale movement of populations off Earth for the first time in the history of humanity. They saw it as serving three purposes. By reducing population pressure on Earth it helped to manage a world still struggling with the ongoing threat of potential eco-catastrophes. It made a statement of intent to the Society Of Contemporary Races and it was also a convenient way of exiling dissidents and troublemakers of various kinds.
The first major accomplishment of the second dynasty was the construction of the Luminal Forge which allowed for the rapid production of star ships. Their second notable achievement was the Emigrants' Charter which assisted in the Great Push when the first mass off Earth migrations look place.
In 2325 the government announced the charter for the first of the Disney Cities, a concept which would long outlast their own period in power.
The third dynasty 2350 to 2443
The third dynasty assumed power using the chaos and confusion consequent on the declaration of the Limitation to launch a successful takeover. Their first key policy was to establish The Solar Group, which they proceeded to dominate.
Somewhat chastened by the Limitation the third dynasty was more cautious in how it looked after indigenous species on the colony worlds but this did not prevent further colonisation. Even restricted to the Bubble there were plenty of options for expansion. Cold Comfort, Haven, Gall V and Zephyr are amongst the most important new members of the Solar Group to be colonised in this era.
The fourth dynasty 2443 to 2538
A violent coup brought an end to the third dynasty and installed a weirdly inspired cult which drew inspiration from a variety of Earth's old religions and melded them into something new. With a xenophobic core belief system, the 4th dynasty imposed a monarchist style of government in which a King and Queen of Earth assumed twin roles of public power whilst behind their thrones, arch manipulators in the government played complex power games. The 4th dynasty also introduced the concept of the immune system of Earth, with the Zed Men and the Pasteract. Had it not been for the continued underpinnings of the BEA and BXR the entire government could quickly have dissolved into chaos, but the old bureau allowed basic administration to function more or less normally, even as the aristocracy of the dynasty promulgated an increasingly bizarre belief system.
The rule of the fourth dynasty came to an end after a four year insurrection between November 2533 and April 2538. The somewhat mysterious events recounted in Nine Meditations In The Temple Of Chromatic Enlightenment may have been instrumental in the outcome of this revolt.
The fifth dynasty 2538 to 2546
Following the conclusion of the civil war that ended the 4th dynasty, a group known as the Pilgrim Council took charge of the planet. They only ruled for a relatively short time before their administration ended in violence in 2546, however, a number of long lasting reforms were introduced in these few short years which marked an important change in direction for the policies and practices of government. The Pilgrim Council ended the terror of the Zed Men and exiled the Pasteracht. During this time, relations with the Society Of Contemporary Races began to improve after the chaotic unpredictability of the previous dynasty. The grip of Earth loosened over the colonies, resulting in the formation of a breakaway from the Solar Group, which called itself the Republic in 2540. This is considered to be the start of the fragmentation of the Bubble.
The sixth dynasty 2546 to 2698
The sixth dynasty continued most of the policies brought in by the pilgrim council, focusing mainly on the restoration of local democracies on Earth, although these were never allowed to become independent of central government. Their leadership of the Solar Group was conducted with a light touch but they were reasonably effective in opposing the more grandiose ambitions of the somewhat choatic Republic.
The seventh dynasty 2698 to 2888
During the seventh and final dynasty, the politics of the Solar Group became more volatile as the increasingly strong colony worlds asserted their independence and vied with one another for preeminence. With The Great Hammer in full production, and the older colonies fully self sufficient by now, Earth did not always get its own way, although it remained the most powerful single system until the Solar Group fell apart in 2888. This coincided with the collapse of a single unified world government on Earth.
The fragmentation of the Bubble now accelerated and Earth reverted to a number of squabbling nation states which were never reunified for as long as the Bubble lasted.
Let Earth Heal
2140 - 2888
Type
Government, Leadership
Subsidiary Organizations
Related Ranks & Titles
Controlled Territories
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