Solar Federation
Solar Republic is a crowning achievement of both centralism and, in a way, totalitarianism. It is both the biggest and most powerful country of the Galaxy... but also the biggest and most 'successful' totalitarian regime in the history of Humanity. With all typical flaws of such political systems fixed long ago, it can exist practically indefinitely. Only an external threat can vanquish it - but it is more than unlikely to happen.
There is no one to blame for its inception. There was no military coup or radical revolution. If anything, those were attempted by its enemies. No singular decision of a democratically elected leader to turn from freedom into absolute control. It took decades if not centuries for the Republic to fully evolve into its current state. If one were to try to find people guilty for it, one would have to point to most of the people inhabiting the Republic throughout history. Those that didn't sin by acting, sinned by not acting. What one generation saw as a temporary and morally wrong measure, second generation tolerated and the third supported.
Solar Republic sees the unification of Humanity as its birthright, for they are the rightful heirs of the Solar Commonwealth, the country that led Humanity through its Golden Age - though theoretically they are 'merely' heirs of the Provisional Governing Council, the one of four competting sides of the Commonwealth's last civil war, winning by the virtue of being the only survivors. This makes the wars with the Confederation of Mankind unavoidable, as the Confederation sees itself as heirs of the Semann Government, the PGC contemporary.. Despite more than ten of such all-out Great Wars being waged, no major border changes occurred. The two opponents are too evenly matched.
Structure
Solar Republic is a centralized totalitarian unitary state, governed from the top level of Atlantis Spire on Earth. The presidents are, however, nothing more than marionettes. The true power lies in shadowy cabals of 'permanent undersecretaries', fleet admirals, generals of the Republican Army, CEOs of major corporations, and of course important players from the Internal Security Bureau. There is a constant, hidden war for the control of the Republic. It is intense that no group was in power for more than five years since the fall of the Reconciliarists.
Every ten years all inhabitants of the Republic vote for the Senate and the president. Of course, it would be too easy to simply say they have no real power. Most of senators and presidents to this day were little more than marionettes for the bureaucracy... but many become capable players in the shadowy games. Presidents turn out to be devious and intelligent enough to control the country instead of being controlled. Senators take advantage of their charisma and popular support to worm their way up the party and governmental structure.
While the Republic is undoubtedly a totalitarian regime, its biggest irony is that it's still a democracy. A terminally declined democracy, but a democracy nonetheless. Quite often the Senate became a rallying point of yet another attempt to reform the country and curb the power of the cabals. All it required is a group of idealists with few charismatic leaders. This makes elections still be important for the government. And nobody is sure how would population react to elections being called off.
There exists some form of regional governments, however, there are subjected to the absolute rule of the central government. All planetary governors are chosen by the Senate according to 'suggestions' from various bureaucratic cabals (though Senate quite often decides to spit all suggestions and go its own way). No autonomy is allowed, under any circumstances. While it saves the Republic from secessionist movements, it also makes its massive territory increasingly impossible to be governed. It takes months for the courier from Earth to reach the outer borders of the Solar Republic. Confederation of Mankind often exploits the fact that no governor is ready to make risky choices without acceptance of the Atlantis Spire.
Public Agenda
Solar Republic sees itself as a successor of the Solar Commonwealth, destined to reunify Humanity once again. It sees the predations of the aliens and the neverending atrocities of the Long War - and sees itself as the cure for both. Bringing the fight back to the aliens will be possible only after the political split caused by the fall of the Commonwealth will be healed. Which, while technically true, is also a lie.
Of course, it's unlikely to occur. The leadership of the Republic is well aware that conquering Confederation of Mankind would change the Republic into an even greater bureaucratic nightmare - or would force its decentralization. Administering the massive territory of the Solar Republic is extremely hard even now. With the territory at least ten times as big - and the wars against aliens - it would change from 'extremely hard' to 'absolutely impossible'. The wars are still waged, however. There are three main reasons.
First is idealism. It is true that direct control of the entire Mankind is impossible with the current state of technology. However there is a hundred different things that can change that. For example, a successful replication of some new jumpgate system or an establishment of an FTL communication network. Waging wars against the Confederation of Mankind is a mean of attempting to procure such technologies for the Republic - or at least deny the Confederation the means of researching them on their own.
Second are politics. Great Wars that the Republic wages against the Confederation are a mean of influencing the power balance within the Confederation. There are groups in the Confederation that are more aggressive towards the Republic than others. Well-timed military campaigns of the Solar Republic could slightly tip the balance in favour of those less aggressive members. Making sure that these aggresive states aren't in a position to try take advantage of some internal problems in the Republic.
Third is pragmatism. Wars are a useful political tool to keep the masses in line. You can keep them impoverished and politically suppressed if there is a war going on. And both the state of the economy and totalitarian methods of the government can be justified simply by 'it's their fault'. It's a flawless arrangement, one that is kept in place for centuries now. With none of the cabals since the Reconciliarists ever considering changing that.
Confederation is perfect as a designated enemy. Filled with aliens (seen as bloodthirsty beasts), and both Variants and transhumans (subhumans, at best, as the trauma after the War of Purity runs deep). With religious extremists and nationalist radicals. With just enough power to be a threat, but not enough to defeat the Republic. This war might as well never end.
History
Intro
Solar Republic is one of the two contenders (the other being, naturally, Confederation of Mankind to the position of the fifth iteration of the League of Nations. After LoN there was the United Nations. Then the Council of Nations that was assembled after the Third World War by the members of the victorious Alliance for the Preservation of Democracy. After its collapse due to the Fourth World War, it was replaced by the High Council of the Solar Commonwealth. It was the fourth iteration.
Each of these organizations was the joint representation of Humanity. Typically assembled on the basis of national governments after a massive war dismantled their predecessors. Their scope expanded from Earth-based organizations (League of Nations, United Nations and early Council of Nations) through Solar System-based (later Council of Nations, early High Council) to a truly interstellar level (High Council). But then, it broke.
Humanity is today divided between two successors of the Solar Commonwealth. Both the Solar Republic and the Confederation of Mankind claim to be its sole heir. Solar Republic supports its claim with the control of all the core worlds of the Commonwealth. Including Earth, the most important world of them all. Another fact supporting the Republic's claim is that it was created mostly by surviving members of the Provisional Governing Council, one of the three competting governments of the Solar Commonwealth during the Third Succession War that ended with its destruction.
On the other hand, the Confederation - and its Supreme Council of Mankind - claims to be a successor in spirit, as it is a true representation of various nations and states of Mankind. Undoubtedly it's very similar to all past iterations save for the late High Council of Solar Commonwealth - the increasingly centralized group that is seen by the Confederates as the cause for the Unification Wars and the Human Schism. They also claim to have been successors (even if indirect ones) of the Semann's Government, one of the three governments of the Third Succession War.
History
Initial Expansion
Solar Republic was created by the survivors of the Provisional Governing Council that hid on Earth when President Villaneuva defeated both them and the Semann's Government, only to promptly get colony drop'ed by Semann himself. With Semann (and his two executives, the genetic warlord Liberator and Admiral Harrison) dead, and president Villaneuva's burning to cinders together with Titan, the PGC remnants become the only existing government of the Solar Commonwealth. Which at this point was too far gone to be reanimated and simply collapsed.
As countries within the Solar System decided to secceed, the remnants of the Commonwealth were forced to officially relinquish all claims to being the Commonwealth' successor (a fact often employed by the Confederation of Mankind's propaganda), taking up the mantle of the Terran Republic. This lasted until the end of the Fifth World War - when the Terran Republic has squashed the last remnants of resistance on Earth and reorganized itself it immediately changed the name to a Solar Republic and began reconquering the Solar System.
What followed was a long period of warfare during which the nascent Solar Republic began suppressing various anti-solarian coalitions and powerful warlords emerging among the Core Worlds sectors. The Shanxi, the Coalition of Islamic States, the Opportunity Alliance, the Republic of Liberty, In Memoriam Terra, and finally the New Denver Accord. The war was fierce, prolonged, and is generally considered to be start of the Solar Republic's slip into darkness. They started their march as idealists seeking to enforce order upon the chaos of the Unification Wars. But with every 'necessary' attrocity, their image grew bleaker and bleaker.
The gripping fear about the surviving Nationalists on Earth acting as spies for the Accord caused increasingly violent purges... which, in turn, ended up with the Republic seen as one more unapologetic evil that raised during the Unification Wars. It was attacked, betrayed, surprised and treated with hatred. Its conquered territories were plagued by insurrections and terrorist attacks. It should be no surprise that its government kept growing more and more cynical as the war continued.
Conflict with the Outer Colonies
The New Denver Accord bought the rest of Mankind a much-needed time. As the unending tide of the Republic's soldiers began rolling over the remaining worlds of the NDA, a wave of refugees warned the powers of the Frontier about the impending threat. With most of their psychopaths vanquished, and the remaining IMT planets typically fighting until their last breaths, they had time to forge an alliance.
By the time the New Denver Accord was officially destroyed, the Great Alliance - the predecessor of the Confederation of Mankind - was ready. The result of it was the Great War. The war that spelled the official beginning of the Human Schism lasted for almost a decade - and ended up with a stalemate. Neither side could defeat the other. The balance of power was perfect.
This war led to the collapse of the wartime government. With armistice with the Alliance ending the permanent state of war that lasted for the better part of the century, there was no need for continuous martial law. The elections ended with the victory of the Reconciliation Party, also known as Reconciliarists. Their attempt to build a bridge between the Republic and the Alliance led to some successes, enough for the Solar Republic to technically be a member of the Confederation of Mankind that replaced the Alliance.
Several things led to the Reconciliarists downfall. Tensions accompanying the First Contact War (the cooperation between the former-Alliance states and Republic was far from flawless). Economic dissent caused by the fact that the Confederation refused to open its borders for cheaply produced goods of the Federation. Attempts to relief the racist approach towards Variants and transhumans. The fact that the Confederation demanded punishment for the atrocities committed by the Republic during the conquest of the Inner Systems - that a lot if not most of the inhabitants of the Republic saw as necessary or forced - but without demanding the same from the Republic' opponents. There was also the fact that Reconciliarists won their last elections by election frauds.
The spark that detonated the powderkeg was the Icarus Massacre. The mutual annihilation of the former Alliance' and Republic forces guarding the Icarus Station together with Reconciliarists refusal to pursue the possibility of the station disappearance being the Alliance' plot ( it wasn't, but they couldn't know that) led to the coup. It's quite ironic that it was supported by the majority of the population and followed by elections won (overwhelmingly) by the restorationists, the chief opposition party during the Reconciliarists government.
Next Years
What followed the fall of Reconciliarists was another war with the Confederation - this time marking the official beginning of the Long War. Restorationists slowly usurped absolute power in the Republic (though it was done by the time the grandchildren of members that took down Reconciliarist Party were slowly leaving the party due to old age). Ever since then, the Republic remains a giant that is regularly trying to devour the Outer Colonies. To date, unsuccessfully.
Demography and Population
Technically, all inhabitants of the Federation are equal. Practically, however, some are less and some are more equal than others. The majority of the population are the Citizens - technically equal, with several guaranteed basic rights - including food, medical help, and unlimited access to internet and television, controlled by a number of public-private partnership companies dedicated to inducing political apathy and hedonism. This keeps the Citizens in line and ensures that they vote for the people that they are supposed to vote for. They live their lives in what can be described as state-controlled (and relatively efficient) cyberpunk dystopia, in tens of thousands of mega-arcologies scattered throughout the Federation. They are under constant invigilation by armies of semi-sentient AIs and the king among them, the TI/PANOPTICON.
But there are also the Elites. It is not an official term, as officially they are all just common Citizens. Practically, there are first among equals. They occupy the most important positions in the army, navy, security forces, corporations, media, research stations, politics, etc. etc. They are truly free, they could technically shoot and murder people on the streets, and both media and police would cover it up (though relying on such help would limit their standing, which is the chief reason why they aren't doing that constantly).
Military
Navy
Solar Republic Navy is gargantuan in size, rivaling - or even surpassing - the rest of humanity combined. With several thousands of battleships and dreadnoughts as it's main force, further supported by a few dozen thousands of escort units and millions of fighters.
The quantity does not come in pairs with quality. SRN is underequipped in terms of archeotechs, with its technology as a whole much behind the Confederation. With SRN Navy being far behind even the least technologically advanced of the Colonies. This is caused mainly by its size (which makes it much harder to govern) but also by how backward the Republic as a whole is. On the other side, the quantity is also a quality of sorts. During repeated attempts of unifying Humanity, it tends to achieve many curbstomp victories early on, while ultimately falling to logistical problems and relentless defense of the Outer Colonies (not to mention trade interdiction attempts).
Ground Forces
Solar Republic Army is even more gargantuan in size that its Navy. It's hard to even estimate the overall number of enlisted soldiers, but it's surely at least twenty billion, with the possibility to rise much more by mass conscription during wartime. Those twenty billion are merely a peacetime number. With pretty much every citizen receiving basic training, the overall number of reserves surpasses one trillion.
While it is true that quantity is a quality of sorts, logistics required to field such an army is as big as the army itself. Because of that, every conscripted unit tends to be grossly underequipped, with many units missing not only ammunition and food but even weapons - though such units aren't used on the frontline, which sets the Republic above the moral level of for example the stalinist USSR. Even regular units typically are equipped worse than those of the Confederation.
What's more, even the units considered elite are at best average in standards of more military-oriented countries of Outer Colonies. This includes Enhanced, who are numerous but of low quality. What's considered average for the Republic is typically either substandard or horrible according to such countries.
Technological Level
Despite supplying its research cadre with above average living standards, Republic is still a rather technologically backward state. It is mostly caused by low level of education and everpresent politics, with scientists often recruited on a basis of their political correctness rather than knowledge.
This is all made even worse by horrible inefficient management everpresent, making introduction of new technologies and design very painful and long, even if Federation really wants (and needs) it. This also lead to current doctrine of shipbuilding, which includes triangle-like ships instead of cigar-shaped like in Republic, due to the need of having more weaponry and thicker hull to counter enemy quality by quantity.
Religion
Solar Republic is an atheist country. It is state atheism that's also rather militant. Religion is actively - and often brutally - suppressed. This is backed by a combination of disdain for religion ('opium for the masses') and active hatred (for 'religious fanatics' that 'killed the Solar Commonwealth'). The local equivalent of art and the media often mocks religions (sometimes in an extremely blasphemous way), but it's pretty much a cultural thing at this point.
Speaking plainly, very few inhabitants of the Federation had contact with any actual religion. They are apathetic even in their atheism, which is too apathetic to be even considered an apatheism. In fact, 50 to 80% of Republic POWs taken by the religious states of the Outer Colonies ends up converting while in prison camp. The rate is only a bit better than the one for political conversions. All you need to do is to isolate the Elites and make serious attempts at conversion of the Citizens.
Despite being officially atheist and rationalists, a fair number of Citizens (all of them after really bad education) are highly superstitious and, in a way, 'spiritual'. This is mostly allowed by the State because there is no unity in that. With every person having their own set of para-religious beliefs, the chances of it becoming some sort of unifying anti-Republic platform is non-existent.
Foreign Relations
The Solar Republic does not possess foreign relations, nor a diplomatic corps. The only group they could technically conduct diplomacy with is the Confederation of Mankind - and there is nothing but war and temporary truces between them. With neither side interested in ending the war via negotiations.
There is nothing but contempt for the aliens in the Republic, though it's at least partially understandable - most aliens aren't exactly friendly. With Confederation isolating the Republic - and said contempt - diplomacy with them is impossible as well.
Strength through Unity, Unity through Strength
Solar Republic
Capital: Atlantis SpireOfficial Languages: Terran [simplified English]
Religion: State Atheism [All religions outlawed and persecuted]
Government: Totalist Democracy
Current ruler: High Council Speaker William Alexander
Population: Estimated at 2 to 3 trillions.
Currency: Terran Dollar
Alternative Names
Central Systems, Inner Systems, Terran Republic, Unionists
Demonym
Republicans, Solarians, Unionist.
Legislative Body
Senate
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