by Max Barry

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Region: The Western Isles

Spiti goxia wrote:Hi guys. I'm looking for some advice about making my country history. I was thinking about some old monarchy, that collapsed and formed my republic, but i don't have any idea about earlier period of time.

Government and Politics, A Tutorial
Part 1: The Foundations of State and Government

Avoiding the trap of poorly written governments
By: Dormill and Stiura
Part 2

Foreword
Hello, one and all! I am Dormill and Stiura, better personally known as Dorm. For those reading this dispatch for the first time, I am a member of The Western Isles and an American political science student (in both cases for quite a while now). I’ve been involved in the nationbuilding and roleplay aspects of this site for several years up to this point and this Factbook remains my most highly regarded (in terms of upvotes) to date, making it my largest platform. Considering the original intent behind this factbook and the renewed purpose found in the recent(ish) rewrite from 2020, I have decided to once again go over the lessons I portrayed here with new knowledge obtained for the benefit of the wider NationStates community, especially newcomers to the site and the wider world of roleplaying. So please, read through this diligently and test your understanding along the way, and let me know how this was for you as I am always looking for ways to improve my craft. Now, on with the show.
-Dorm


Preface: Making a Flag
Leave your Seals on a Bedsheet at the door

In my experience, there are three types of flags associated with nationbuilding (both on NationStates and across other similar mediums):
  1. Those that are simply bland (the NationStates default flags), the ones with the most fundamental political symbolism but lack an artistic vision,

  2. Those that overcomplicate the meaning behind the flag with oversaturated symbols or symbols that have esoteric meaning, the ones that are more artistic tapestries than political symbols,

  3. Those that display artistry and effective political symbolism, are the ones that most people would think of as a uniquely good flags.

These three exist on a kind of gradient or scale that depends in one part on the skill of the user creating the flag and the purpose they put into its design; in such a way that it is perfectly valid to have a plain, bland flag if that is the goal from an in-character perspective; mine is a prototypical example being a simple horizontal tricolor that, if inverted, is just the former flag of the Netherlands. Intent, above everything else, is central to effective flag design and should be at the center of what you do. That said, there are a few general guidelines worth mentioning if you intend to enhance the artistic value of your flag.

A “Good” Flag, one that most matches the examples of Type 3 flags, can be defined through the pamphlet (or book, or whatever) Good Flag, Bad Flag by Ted Kaye of the North American Vexillological Association, there he describes five principles behind a good flag:

  1. LinkKeep it Simple, the Flag should be easy to draw from memory or by a young child,

  2. LinkUse Meaningful Symbolism, the Symbols of a Flag should identify with a measure of specificity what it means and how it relates to the country that flies it,

  3. LinkUse 2-3 Basic Colors, the Flag should not be a mess to look at, basic color theory applies,

  4. LinkNo Letterings or Seals, the Flag should not be cluttered with complex shapes or letters, as it tends to be seen from a distance fluttering in the wind,

  5. LinkBe Distinctive or LinkBe Related, the Flag ought to be individually identifiable in a field of others in various conditions, and it should be identifiable in a way that the average person seeing it promptly associates it with the proper country.

At its core, a flag should be thought of as the living representation of your state and/or nation (we’ll get into the distinction later), such that its image must be preserved and respected by both your citizens and the international community. “So,” I hear you ask, “Where do we begin?”

My answer to that is to figure out the color(s) your flag will have, and what they mean. To help, I will use some examples of flags to highlight both the use of colors and symbols in creating an effective flag. When considering the color(s) you use, it is important to figure out what they mean to you and your nation. I’ll give a general overview of the most common colors here but feel free to give whatever meaning you want.

  • Red: In Isolation usually stands for Socialism or Communism, otherwise combined with other colors can mean hardiness, valor, the blood spilled in the name of the formation of your nation, and so on. In general, Red is used when you want to signify struggle or bravery in the face of it.

  • White: Not to be confused with the color of surrender (or the real French Flag), White commonly stands for purity of soul or innocence. Alongside that, White can also be used to stand for the peaceful aims of your nation or, when combined with Red, the peace attained with sacrifice.

  • Blue: Blue commands respect when observed, standing for justice and perseverance either in isolation or when combined with other colors.

  • Gold (or Yellow): As the actual element, it is a prized commodity, putting yellow or gold on your flag means your nation is rich in its ideals, people, land, or something else.

  • Black: In a modern context, Black is usually if not always a Pan-African color and is used to make a specific mention of the African roots of the nation that flies it

You’re free to use basically whatever other color you wish so long as your flag doesn’t wind up like an LinkAmazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the end of it, unless (again) if you want it that way.

Back to my examples, I will start with a personal favorite of mine, the flag of Solaryia:
  • The Selburose, the central symbol of Solaryia, represents the roots of the nation in several forms, including the original six colony ships that sought out the land of Solaryia and the six central ideas of the Solaryi nation,

  • The Selburose’s placement, the Selburose is intentionally placed around the same place the Nordic Cross would be placed, signaling its distinct Nordic heritage,

  • Blackcurrant, a variation on Royal Purple from European Heraldric canon, the use of Blackcurrant on the Solaryi flag is a symbol of Solaryia’s unique status in wealth, power, and position on the banks of the Mesder and Argean Seas,

  • White, to represent the sails of the original colony ships and the Christian heritage they brought to the lands of Solaryia.

As for symbols, this is where things become more complex bordering on outright complicated. Considering a symbol is an image that has attached sentimental value, anything can itself be a symbol, from something universal like stars, the moon, or religious icons, to weapons or tools distinct in a time and place, to even simple or complex shapes. Since anything can be a symbol, you have to take special care in your selection to identify which symbol(s) best fit not only your nation but the flag that is meant to represent your state in turn.

This area, I feel, is where most flag designs face the make or break point; a “Good” flag finds a way to balance meaningful symbolism into its design in an artistically impressive way, whereas a “Bad” flag fails to effectively communicate the symbols or their meanings to a viewer, either because there are no clear symbols, the symbol itself is a literal emblem, or the choice of the symbol(s) do not communicate their meaning concerning the state that flies it. Always remember the applicability of the principles when designing the symbols for your flag and consider how much meaning it can communicate on its own compared to how much needs to be communicated by someone or something else.

For our second example, let’s explore some flags with a more clearly direct form of symbolism from my fellow TWIslander Aprosia:
  • The Qúnizbai (the Sun on the flag), originally a religious symbol turned into a secular symbol following the anti-colonial revolution, representing the entirety of the Aprosiatic people both in Aprosia and the diaspora.

  • The two hoes and star: symbolize the APF as the vanguard of the people (the hoes) and the entirety of the Aprosiatic civilization.

  • Blue for freedom and determination.

  • White for a harmonious society.

  • Red for courage, strength, and blood (or the Aprosiatic race).

To conclude, here’s an important lesson everyone reading this ought to know and internalize before worrying about the aforementioned principles too much; A LinkGood Flag follows all five principles clearly and plainly, a LinkBad Flag breaks any one or more of the five principles without much artistic or symbolic purpose, a LinkGreat Flag takes artistic liberties to enhance the meaning of the flag by twisting on one of the principles. So if you’re looking not only to make a good flag but to make something truly distinct, look at the design you’re working on and see which principle you can bend to your advantage.

If you have a good idea of how to describe your flag yet are unable to get it properly drawn, you might want to take a glance at the Flag and Seal Request Threads and ask there for assistance.


Chapter 1: The State, the Regime, and the Government
Because, let’s face it, any kind of government is better than none at all


So, you want to develop the government and the political climate of your nation without resorting to “Oh, my nation is a dictatorship now because there was a coup that I won’t explain because I don’t know why it would happen but I like dictatorships because I can just do whatever I want and not have to answer any questions about internal consistency or other questions alike it.”?

It is a shame to see this happen as it brings up even more questions than answered, and leaves most of the fun nationbuilding out of the picture. So I’m here to give you, yes you, dear reader, an overview of the various kinds of government you can use in RP, what they mean, how to be internally consistent, how to conduct elections, and so on.

Let’s start with the basics in this part, however, starting with defining the title.

The State
A State is an organized political institution capable of upholding its sovereignty against internal and external political actors in a distinct territory (that it has the sole right to regulate through laws or policies) through the Monopoly of Violence. In short, it is a form of a political group that, through organized force, maintains sovereignty in a given area of space. The size of the state and even to what extent other states recognize its sovereignty is secondary to its ability to protect and regulate a given territory independent of other states or individuals.

The State is the embodiment of a body politic’s political and social institutions and, in a modern conception, is directly associated with a particular nation.

The Nation
A Nation is a group of people that desires political self-representation, typically in the form of a State (hence Nation-State). A Nation is not ascribed to a person at birth, but should rather be seen as a conscious and active choice on the part of the citizen of that nation. For the sake of this tutorial, when talking about States, Nations, and Countries, it should be in the context of Nation-States unless otherwise specified.

The Regime
A Regime is, generally, the root norms and practices that govern the functions of politics and the state and its institutions. This can be defined by certain ideas such as whether the state conducts elections, how the government is meant to be held accountable, or how the public should interact with the state and the government. While associated with illiberal and authoritarian systems, those are only forms of regimes that can be rooted into the state, it is equally as valid to call a liberal democracy a “Democratic Regime” as often as it is to call a dictatorship or a highly authoritarian state an “Authoritarian Regime”, both describe the root norms that regulate the state and government.

The Government
A Government is a collective of people, institutions, and organizations charged with the operation of the state, typically enshrined by a Constitution and institutionalized in three distinct branches: The Executive, which carries out and enforces the law, the Legislature, which debates on and creates the law, and the Judiciary, which determines and defines the law (and typically the applicability or legality of the actions or policies enacted by the Legislature and Executive).

Types of Political Regimes

To make things simple, I will organize this list on two factors: The amount of Control the Government has over its citizens from complete control to minimal (Autocracy-Anarchy) and its overarching economic policy (Communism-Capitalism). Rarely ever in the real world will you see a true government take on any absolute extreme in any of these factors, but since this is not the real world, you can go to an absolute extreme as long as you can properly reason it. We’ll start an outline on the Autocracy-Anarchy Scale.

Autocracy - Rule of One
Aside from the occasional genocide, oppression, evil and torture, etc., it is inarguable that public policy could be implemented more rapidly in an autocracy.
- David Harsanyi

Autocracies are almost always dictatorships by design and are more often than not totalitarian by nature*. In an autocracy, a leader needs only to consult themselves or, in certain edge cases, close confidants for every decision they make. There are many soils where autocracy can root, but the most common are states with fundamentally weak institutions or governments that do not seem to care for the institutions the state was originally built on. Autocracies form around individual charismatic leaders who maintain their power primarily through personally commanding the State’s monopoly of violence but may justify their power through a façade of democratic traditions.

In other cases, autocracies also form from the development of absolutism in monarchical governments, reinforcing the monarch’s belief in their individual significance to lead the State, often manifested in a form of the Divine Right to Rule. Regardless of origin, Autocracies as a roleplay device are arguably the easiest to play due to their relative simplicity, all one needs to write is a somewhat plausible dictator or absolute monarch and have them act in a way consistent with their wielding of almost all of the State’s power.

For an expanded roleplay direction, I recommend expanding further on your ruler’s base of power, how the everyday government functions under this kind of regime, and what kinds of threats they face from their power base (As no man rules alone, nor forever).

Real Examples: Nazi Germany, Soviet Union (under Joseph Stalin), North Korea, Paraguay (under the government of Alfredo Stroessner)

TWI Examples: Balnik, Vacrus, Esterazdravo
*Refer to this phenomenal dispatch on totalitarianism for further details.

Oligarchy - Rule of Few
It is the doctrine of the oligarchy that there is nothing that we hold in common, that the commonwealth is a myth, that it is even a sign of softheadedness and weakness. The oligarchical power feeds on the sense that we are all individuals, struggling on our own, and ennobled by the effort.
- Charlie Pierce

Of the types of regimes being discussed in this factbook, the definitions surrounding Oligarchy are nebulous and hotly debated but the short part of the definition is that an Oligarchy is a Regime where power is concentrated within a specific class of people, whether it be those that are “most qualified” (Meritocracy), those that are “most wealthy” (Plutocracy), those that are Judges (Kritarchy), and so on.

Since power is dispersed to a class of people, the mechanisms and institutions of the State become complicated by dealing with a wide range of individual actors, however, it remains very centralized and shares strong traits with Autocratic rule, especially with charismatic and populist leadership at the top ruling over a broadly disenfranchised lower class.

In Nationbuiding, oligarchies are both common in their deployment yet uncommon in their execution, meaning that people may describe their nations in a way that matches the definition of an oligarchy yet do not clearly portray their nation as an oligarchy as it would act in an authentic context.

For the player that wants to create and portray an oligarchy authentically, the first thing that must be answered is this, Where does political power in your country come from? Once you answer this, you have the root class that the oligarchy is built around.

Real Examples: Russian Federation, Apartheid-era South Africa

TWI Examples: Alteran Republics (as a meritocracy), Vancouvia, Saundesh, Najimam (as a theocracy), Cheongsan (de facto)

Democracy - Rule of Many
A healthy democracy requires a decent society; it requires that we are honorable, generous, tolerant and respectful.
- Charles W. Pickering

Democracies are varied and unique, there are many forms they can take and many more ways for the many to rule. Democracies are fickle things and in some cases, it can take no more than six words to bring an end to an entire government. However, it sits around the perfect middle of Autocracy and Anarchy, representing as much of the populace as possible while still having a government around to keep things in order and prevent chaos.

Within Democracies themselves, they are usually split along the lines of how many people wield certain powers within the government, this is defined as Presidential (where the power of the Head of Government and the Head of State are vested into a singular, elected individual) or Parliamentarian/Semi-Presidential (where the power of the Head of Government and the Head of State are split between two people).

Democracies are also typically divided based on how the people interact with the Government, typically it is either Representative, where people elect Representatives that then legislate on their behalf, or Direct, where the average person can directly influence or write legislation (this is most prominent in Switzerland), Democracies can also be further divided by how much control the Government wields over its territory from the Unitary States to Confederations. Additionally, due to the inherent flexibility of Democratic systems, it can also be built to support a variety of both Republican and Monarchist forms of rulership.

Democracies are the second most common government form taken during Nationbuilding (duh, most NS players are from Democracies) after autocracies. That being said (and I’ll cover this later on) most of these are very vague and undefined, with more of the focus being on a particular leader, making Constitutional Monarchies more common than other forms of Democracies on average, Presidential Republics are also common for similar reasons.

For the average NationStates player, building a Democracy is arguably easier than building an Autocracy, the most work that needs to be initially done is to find an existing system and copy it wholesale (for a while, this was even my method, copying the American system wholesale). That said, there are an infinite set of opportunities for further development of unique, dynamic, and fun democratic systems for the player that wants to do that little more extra to be impressive. For those of you that are reading this, look at multiple systems and synergize their functions and institutions.

Real Examples: Canada, United States, France, South Africa, Nigeria, Brazil, Mexico

TWI Examples: Ainslie, Solaryia, Nhoor, Nirsyn, The Rodaves, San Jimenez, Townside, Coldwoods, United Partitions, Baumes, Martenyika, Thromsa

Minarchism - Rule with Limitations
If you wish to know how libertarians regard the State and any of its acts, simply think of the State as a criminal band, and all of the libertarian attitudes will logically fall into place.
- Murray Rothbard

Minarchism is a libertarian political philosophy that advocates for the State to exist solely to provide a very small number of services. A popular model of State proposed by minarchists is known as the night-watchman state, in which the only governmental functions are to protect citizens from aggression, theft, breach of contract, and fraud as defined by property laws, limiting it to three institutions: the military, the police, and courts. Every other aspect of life in a minarchist state is a private affair, typically with vast corporate influence present as state institutions are replaced by whoever has enough authority to command the monopoly of violence (yes, even in a “state” where the principles of the “Non-Aggression Principle” are meant to be sacrosanct, the monopoly of violence remains relevant).

Minarchism is among the rarest forms of government a nation can play, due to the limited spread of the ideology to players. That being said, its rarity is a factor that should be taken into account if you wish to play as a Minarchist nation, a limited government can leave you with few options and puts you in a strange spot internationally.

Additionally, especially bearing in mind the institutions of the Night-Watchman State, Minarchies may be particularly vulnerable to a rapid concentration of power and a shift towards the autocracy end of the spectrum as the state may not be strong enough on its own to prevent such a concentration of power.

Real Examples: None

TWI Examples: None

Anarchy - Who Rules?
Inside every working anarchy, there's an Old Boy Network.
- Mitch Kapor

The furthest end of thought on the regime’s authority, anarchy is the collection of beliefs that, like Minarchism and Libertarianism, the State as an institution is inherently evil and contrary to human nature, depending on how the particular anarchist wants to define human nature. As a type of regime, the root norms in anarchy is that all of the functions and institutions of the state are dissolved and dispersed into “voluntary institutions”, associations created and disbanded by individual groups of people based on a contract or other kind of formally recognized agreement.

As a result of the dissolution of the state and the dispersion of its institutions into voluntary institutions, the monopoly of force is itself rendered moot, no single authority within the regime wields the monopoly and as a result, no single authority can assert sovereignty over the extent of territory the regime exists in.

For the average NationStates player, I strongly recommend against seriously playing as an Anarchist regime, without the normal controls of a state the actions you would want to normally make as a state, such as declaring wars, passing laws, or provisioning public goods, are impossible and generally out of the control of whichever authority you are playing as beyond a certain distance.

That said, it is possible to play an anarchist regime well if the focus of your story widens to a collection of authorities that have as much control over the monopoly of force as a normal state would in a given area, or perhaps follow the route of failed states and explore how average people are contending with an anarchist regime.

Real Examples: Paris Commune

TWI Examples: None

Now you may be wondering why I started this exploration into the nationbuilding basics with the types of Regimes that you can make, and that’s because regimes are the mold where the character of your state and government are cast from. While it would have been just as valid to start with the kinds of States you could make or the kinds of Government it could have without understanding the regime that roots the State and Government together, you’re back to square one of the summer you first joined this site, floundering to grasp what kind of state you want to play as.

In this way of thinking, knowing what regime you want to have in place is the prerequisite for everything else that happens in nationbuilding. Now that you have a clearer understanding of your regimes, it’s time to move on to the kinds of states they are rooted into.

Types of State Organization

Like regimes, the types of states that I will be using for this factbook are arranged in the depth and extent of their authority over their sovereignty, how much power the state and its institutions have, and where they are concentrated.

For this factbook, there are three types of states that are important to recognize, and just like with our political regimes, there is a considerable overlap you can explore in the nature and construction of your specific state.

Unitary State
If you seek Hamilton's monument, look around. You are living in it. We honor Jefferson, but live in Hamilton's country, a mighty industrial nation with a strong central government.

- George Will

A Unitary State system is one where the full weight of the state’s sovereignty and authority is concentrated in a central set of institutions. In this way, all of the territory under the sovereignty of the state is subject to the same central regime with few exceptions.

In some cases, the state will have full control over the structure of its government and administration, creating and disbanding sub-unit divisions at its sole discretion. In other cases, the state may be constitutionally bound to devolve some parts of its central authority into autonomous sub-units, this is especially the case for the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, in which the authority of the central government in London is devolved into organic sub-national assemblies for Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland (the Parliament of England is the Parliament of the United Kingdom, thus England has no devolved and organic authority). However, such as in the case of the Northern Ireland Assembly, the central government in London has a measure of control in both its assembly and dissolution, evidenced in the collapse of the Assembly from 2002-2007 and 2017 and subsequent efforts to restore it in 2020.

For a Nationbuilder, a Unitary state is the default option and arguably the simplest form for a state to take. As explored in the case of Northern Ireland, there are unique stories to explore when it comes to how the state tries to maintain unitary control while also reckoning with the reality that some people identify with a different national identity, and thus demand self-representation aside and autonomous from the central government.

The extent of devolution the state would engage with is, subsequently, a function of the strength or extent of a national or sub-national identity that seeks autonomous self-representation. Bear that in mind when constructing a unitary state with extensive devolution.

Real Examples: Most of the world, with Spain and the United Kingdom being distinct for widespread devolution of powers.

TWI Examples: Vancouvia, Ainslie (with extensive devolution), Solaryia, Balnik (with noticeable devolution)

Federal State
Federalism should be a meeting point of all groups.

- Khil Raj Regmi


For (what I would imagine) a large segment of NationState’s population, a federation might seem a more default form for a state to take. Much unlike Unitary states, Federations explicitly (usually through a Constitution) divide state authority into multiple distinct sub-national constituent subjects. Central to this, a Federation designates a clear balance of power and distribution of state institutions between the central federal government and that of the constituent states, typically in the fashion that matters of the state as a whole unit (such as defense, trade, foreign policy, economy, and to an extent in some federations, even taxation, domestic policy, and public goods) are handled by the central government, whereas matters of the state on a localized level (such as infrastructure, administration and human resources, education, and in some cases even matters of defense, economy, and taxation) are handled by the constituent states. The precise makeup of this power-sharing is unique to each federation and depends on the political groundwork that the regime is built over.

Specifically, regarding the national makeup of federations, most in the real world have very limited distinct national identities between the constituent states (for example there isn’t much of a serious difference in Americans between New York and Kansas or Germans between Saxony and Hannover) but in other cases, there might be a serious difference in national identity between members of the same federation. As mentioned earlier, the precise nature of this relationship is a unique imprint of the circumstances the state faces. As a general guideline, the more distinct nations exist in a federation, the more unstable the institutions of the balance of power become; the less distinct nations exist in a federation, the more likely it is for the federation to act as a unitary state.

For the average Nationbuilder, I leave this tip; I recommend doing a federation that has a more distinct diversity in nationalities that would allow you to explore the nature of the federation’s existence and the probable struggles it has to contend with between maintaining sovereignty over the whole union while giving the constituent states they autonomy they demand.

Real Examples: USA, Russia, India, Germany, Canada

TWI Examples: Belantica, Thromsa (especially as an asymmetric federation), Dormill and Stiura, Nisryn

Confederation
I tell the story of eight forgotten founders, people like Canassatego, an Iroquois Indian Chief, who taught Benjamin Franklin about federalism, about the idea that you can form a confederacy in which the central power has only limited powers and local control is retained.

- Mike Lee


A confederation is an extremely de-fanged version of a federation. Where in a federation the constituent states relinquish most of their sovereign authority to the central government in exchange for membership, members of a Confederation surrender way less sovereignty. Typically, the central government of a Confederation wields only the necessary powers to exercise the sovereignty of the collective union as a single entity, limiting central authority to matters of defense, trade, and foreign policy (and even then, some Confederacies are weak to the point that these three are under the sovereignty of the constituents more than the central government) while containing the government’s ability to infringe on the sovereignty of the constituents, especially with taxation.

What makes a Confederacy different from a Political and/or Economic Union (such as the EU) is that more often than not, the members of the Confederacy constitutionally oblige themselves to the central government’s role in directing foreign policy and relinquish part of their international recognition to grant legitimacy to the central government.

In my experience, true and proper Confederacies are a rare breed among the de facto federations that claim to be a confederacy (usually by players that do not take the time to explore interstate dynamics and the relationship to the central government) and as a result rarely act differently from federations (which, as I’ve mentioned, sometimes rarely act differently from unitary states). For the average nationbuilder looking to do a confederacy “right”, I advise taking the extra effort to explore how each constituent state and their leaders influence central policy and especially explore how this influence guides the confederacy’s policies when it acts as a bloc.

Real Examples: Switzerland (partially, especially historically)

TWI Examples: Roendavar, United Partitions, Alteran Republics (at least claimed)

Economic Regimes

Finally, we need to define our terms around the kind of economic system your nation uses. While, as aforementioned, there is a plethora of deeper complexities surrounding these, I will simply give you the bare bones and clearest explanations possible for the new people in the audience to learn. Developing the deeper aspects of your economy, however, is not the main goal of this Factbook, and I ask that you grab a look at Atnaia’s How to Design your Economy Dispatch here.

Communism - Direct Ownership by the People
No universal selfishness can bring social good to all. Communism - the effort to give all men what they need and to ask of each the best they can contribute - this is the only way of human life.
- W. E. B. Du Bois

Much like Anarchy is to Minarchy, Communism is the “state dissolution” solution to Socialism. As advocated by nearly every Communist true to their ideals, a Communist economic regime is one where the institutions of the state, including the monopoly of violence, are distributed and democratized among the vast collective working class. For a Communist, the state as an institution only perpetuates the very evils of capitalism, imperialism, slavery, racism, and so on, and proposes that its subsumption by the workers is the only future way to organize society.

For a nationbuilder, in my experience, there are two kinds of communist states; those created by a communist player who generally goes for an idealistic vision of their utopian worker’s democratic society and those created by non-communist players who by ignorance or intent, miss the point and portray their state as little better than the depths of depravity seen in real-world attempts at communism.

Bearing that in mind, there is a middle ground between these two ideas that I would encourage the average nationbuilder to seek out if they are interested in exploring this concept further either to understand more about the root ideology or to experiment with building a nation in that way. Focusing on outlining how much of the state’s institutions have been democratized to the workers and the dynamics of power that creates would be an interesting exploration.

For the economic aspects, a Communist state ought to forego currency altogether and distribute resources evenly and directly from each according to their ability and to each according to their needs, but it might be necessary for other exchanges. Centralized planning is a must to accomplish any extent of this so bear that in mind when building the regime.
RL Examples: None

TWI Examples: None

Socialism - Ownership by the People
While there's capitalism, there'll be socialism, because there is always a response to injustice.
- Ed Miliband

Socialism is the economic regime that stems from the idea that social ownership and democratic control over the means of production is better for society as a whole than continuing the capitalist methods of private ownership and individual control of the means of production. The distinction between socialism and communism, for the sake of this factbook, is that socialism views the state as a necessary arbiter to enact the policies necessary to achieve socialism and eventually dissolve in the progression to communism.

Socialism doesn’t just cover the progression into communism, however, as one of its more commonly practiced forms is Social Democracy, which adopts programs to reduce economic inequality and democratize the means of production within a capitalist system, encouraging private ownership and entrepreneurship as a means of promoting competition and growth while tampering its worst natures by ensuring the workers involved get what they consider to be a fair cut of the profit.

For nationbuilding, adopting a socialist regime is adopting it in degrees between social democracy and communism-adjacent, all of which can be described by how much the state intervenes in the world of labor and production to achieve equality (either of opportunity or outcome), where social democracy is the least interventionist and communism-adjacent is most interventionist.

Like in Communism, the state tends to have a clearer presence in centrally planning the economy in Socialism, typically this involves the state issuing production directives across sections of the industry and assuming ownership of companies in other sections for direct control. The extent of this relationship and what the state decides to focus on depends on the regional economic dynamics surrounding it, as it usually acts to ensure continued international competitiveness.

RL Examples: Sweden (as a Social Democracy), France (as a Social Democracy), Vietnam, Laos, Nepal

TWI Examples: Aprosia

Capitalism - Ownership by the Individual
Capitalism is the astounding belief that the most wickedest of men will do the most wickedest of things for the greatest good of everyone.
- John Maynard Keynes

Capitalism is an economic system and an ideology based on private ownership of the means of production and their operation for profit. Characteristics central to capitalism include private property, capital accumulation, wage labor, voluntary exchange, a price system, and competitive markets. In a capitalist market economy, decision-making and investment are determined by the owners of the factors of production in financial and capital markets, whereas prices and the distribution of goods are mainly determined by competition in the market. With the end of the Cold War, Capitalism was brought up as the dominant economic system in the modern world, but in most developed nations, an amount of socialism has been adopted into Social Democracies, focusing mostly on maintaining an egalitarian society as much as possible.

Like Socialism, Capitalism is an extremely common economic system to RP with and doesn’t hold as much of a stigma in most regions compared to socialism.
Real Examples: Most of the Real World

TWI Examples: Most of TWI

Laissez-faire Capitalism - Unrestricted Ownership by the Individual
Voluntary association produces the free market - where each person can choose among a multitude of possibilities.
- Harry Browne

Laissez-faire, meaning “let do”, is a French phrase representing the furthest end of Capitalist thought where transactions between private parties are entirely unrestricted, free from government intervention, up to and including, taxation, regulations, tariffs, and subsidies. Like Communism, this model is mostly unpracticed due to a lack of logic behind the concept, at least from the standpoint of a government. As such, like Communism, Laissez-faire economics is best practiced in an anarchist society; alternatively, it can also be practiced in a Corporatist state.

When Nationbuilding a Laissez-faire economy, you as a player must equally recognize that your nation would have next to no control over its economy and that it can sway back and forth with the conditions of the market. As a result, pacifism would be the most reasonable route for any nation practicing this model to avoid any situation that would threaten their economy.
Real Nations: None

TWI Nations: None


Chapter 2: Monarchism and Republicanism
Crowns, and Sashes, and Coronets, and Swords, Oh My!

Somewhat independent of the above-mentioned ways you can form the fundamentals of your government, there is also one other small point that people like to make to add their unique flavor to their nationbuilding, that of whether their nation is ruled with or without a Monarch.

Types of Monarchies

There are as many types of monarchies as there are monarchs, but for the sake of this tutorial and my sanity, I will condense this to just the two most distinct examples, both relating to the relative political power of the monarch.

A Monarch, in very plain terms, is the person who is the long descendant of the person who conquered your land with the biggest army. Granted there is plenty of nuances involved in just that alone, Monarchies tend to focus on concentrating power on an individual because they are part of a distinct class of people who rule society. In general, monarchies have the upshot of stability, as one person can rule for several decades at a time without too many significant changes in some key policies. In contrast, however, this almost always leaves your nation trending towards the Authoritarian end of your Political Regimes as the mentioned power concentration leads to authoritarian tendencies.

Absolute Monarchies
The Emperor Napoleon, ascending gradually from his post of national magistrate to seat himself upon a throne without limits, seems to have wished to punish, as for the abuse of republican reforms, by making us feel all the weight of absolute monarchy.
- Marquis de Lafayette

An absolute monarchy is a form of monarchy in which the monarch holds supreme autocratic authority, principally not being restricted by written laws, legislature, or customs to create law and enact policy. These are often hereditary monarchies but may also emerge from other variations on the ascension of the monarch.

In nationbuilding, absolute monarchies are, in my experience, poorly portrayed since the nearest point of reference for most people are either constitutional monarchies or anachronistic examples. To correct this, I recommend looking through the listed examples (or, I ask that you remember that an absolute monarch is functionally the same as a totalitarian dictator, with a difference in the aesthetic only).
Real Examples: Vatican City, Brunei, Saudi Arabia

TWI Examples: Roendavar (it's complicated, read his factbook for clarification)

Constitutional Monarchies
When it comes to the British monarchy, I prefer to be seduced by an image than presented with a real person. It's kind of a Warhol thing.
- Damien Hirst

A constitutional monarchy is a form of monarchy in which the sovereign exercises authority per a written or unwritten constitution. Constitutional monarchy differs from absolute monarchy (in which a monarch holds absolute power) in that constitutional monarchs are bound to exercise their powers and authorities within the limits prescribed within an established legal framework. Constitutional monarchies range from countries where the constitution grants substantial discretionary powers to the sovereign, to countries where the monarch retains significantly less personal discretion in the exercise of their authority.

Of the two types of monarchy explored in this tutorial, the constitutional type is the more common for the same reason democracies remain common. For nationbuilding, especially if you want to be unique, I would advise creating a strong-monarch constitutional monarchy to differentiate it from the more common ceremonial types.
Real Examples: The United Kingdom, Netherlands, Spain

TWI Examples: Ioudia, Vrisland, Wellsia, Belantica

Types of Republics
Parliamentary Republics
In a parliamentary democracy, it is the job of parliament to decide the law, not the government.
- Angela Rayner

A parliamentary republic is a republic that operates under a parliamentary system of government where the executive branch (the government) derives its legitimacy from and is accountable to the legislature (the parliament). There are several variations of parliamentary republics. Most have a clear differentiation between the head of government and the head of state, with the head of government holding real power, much like constitutional monarchies (however in some countries the head of state, regardless of whether the country's system is a parliamentary republic or a constitutional monarchy, has 'reserve powers' given to use at their discretion to act as a nonpartisan 'referee' of the political process and ensure the nation's constitution is upheld). Some have combined the roles of head of state and head of government, much like presidential systems, but with a dependency upon parliamentary power.

For nationbuilding, this kind of democracy is common but very complex as the systems that underpin it are key to how it appears to outsiders. That said parliamentary states are very flexible and responsive to the public but are prone to falling into oligarchical traps if the representation within the parliament.

Real Examples: Germany, Italy, India, Nepal

TWI Examples: Ainsile, United Partitions

Presidential Republics
The president can't change the country on his own. But what can he do? He can give an example.
- Volodymyr Zelensky

A Presidential System is a form of a republic where the role of the Head of State and Head of Government are combined into a single entity, namely the President. Additionally, the President is elected independently from the legislature and thus is not beholden to them for the execution of their legislative agenda and vice versa. The intentional division between the legislature and executive (and typically also the judiciary) is meant to introduce balance and separation of powers to the government in a way that promotes more conservative and stable governance.

For the American readers who are using this as a guide to nationbuilding, I would ask that you try to set your system apart from the home country by shifting the dynamics of the separation of powers, perhaps making the legislature stronger than in the real world or perhaps delegating different powers between the branches. For everyone else, a Presidential system is an easy one to conceptualize since a lot of power can rest with the President but bear in mind that the more power they get is further up the autocracy scale you go.
Real Examples: United States, France (semi-presidential), Brazil, Mexico

TWI Examples: Ferronesian PR, San Jimenez, Segentova (semi-presidential)


Chapter 3: Building a Government and Political Climate for your Nation
Now we start putting the pieces together


Now just imagine for a moment that said "Government" and we'll be swell
Alright, now you’ve made it to the point where you know, in general, what kinds of governments exist and you would have likely gone into a bit of research regarding differences in between, which is great. Now comes the fun part, making your government. I will start by creating a generally simple logical flowchart to help you determine how to define your government.

Core Concepts

  1. LinkDo you have a flag?

  2. Do you have a Constitution for your nation?

  3. Is your nation entirely sovereign, in control of its territory?

  4. What is your Type of Regime?

  5. What is your Type of State Organization?

  6. What is your Economic Regime?

  7. Is your nation a Monarchy or a Republic?

Monarchy

  1. Is your Monarch Elected or Hereditary?

  2. Does your Monarch wield Absolute power, or is it constrained by a Constitution?

  3. How is Succession handled in your nation?

  4. Does your Monarch rule over any other state but yours?

Republic

  1. Is your Republic a Presidential or Parliamentary one?

Autocratic Government

  1. How do the people of your nation attain citizenship?

  2. How difficult is it for a citizen in your nation to become qualified for a position in the Government?

  3. How did your Leader come to power?

  4. Is your Leader Benevolent or Cruel?

  5. How does your Leader maintain their power? Through Coercion or Popularity?

Oligarchic Government

  1. What type of Oligarchy is your nation?

  2. How are the leaders of your nation chosen?

  3. How does the Oligarchy maintain its power?

  4. What are the expectations for members of the Oligarchy’s inner circle?

Democratic Government

  1. Is there an independently elected Head of Government in this system?

  2. Are the roles of Head of State and Head of Government United or Split?

  3. Who puts the Head of Government into power?

  4. For how long can the Head of Government rule?

  5. Is there a possibility of reelection for the Head of Government in your Nation?

  6. If so, how many years can a person serve as the Head of Government?

  7. How many chambers does your Legislature contain?

  8. Is the leader of your Legislature (or applicable chamber) the Head of Government?

  9. Who is the Head of State?

  10. Are they appointed, or elected?

  11. If elected, by the people or within the legislature?

  12. Is the Judiciary of your Nation independent from the Executive or Legislature?

  13. Whom is the Judiciary subservient to if it is not independent and to what capacity?

  14. How are the members of the Judiciary appointed?

  15. Are there checks and balances on the powers between the Executive, Legislature, and Judiciary?

Minarchist Government

  1. Is this Minarchy a LinkNight-watchman State, a Small Government, or a Limited Government

  2. Are there any institutions allowed within your Nation that would resemble a government of any kind?

  3. Is participation in any government institution voluntary?

  4. How does your nation apply the LinkNon-aggression principle?

Anarchy

  1. How did Anarchy develop in your society?

  2. What is the general state of social or economic stability in your society?

  3. What, if any, kinds of voluntary associations exist that would replicate the function of government?


Next up, economics. I promise this one will turn out shorter than the last one, refer back to the answer on your economic regime going forward.

Capitalism
  1. Is there a wide degree of socio-economic classes?

  2. What is the extent of government welfare and charity organizations?

  3. How wide is the wealth gap in your economy?

  4. How hard is it to become very wealthy?

  5. Is welfare provided to the citizens of your nation through any means?

  6. Is there legal discrimination against the poor in your Nation?

  7. Is there social discrimination against the poor in your Nation?

  8. How much importance is material wealth placed on the citizens of your Nation?

Socialism

  1. In general, how much does the government control businesses?

  2. Is an average person in your nation influenced by the government on which career they should enter?

  3. How significant are the social classes in your Nation?

  4. How short is the wealth gap in your Nation?

  5. How hard is it to maintain great wealth?

  6. How effective is the distribution of welfare in your Nation?

  7. Are there any remaining private enterprises in your Nation?

  8. Is there legal discrimination against the rich in your Nation?

  9. Is there social discrimination against the rich in your Nation?

  10. Does currency exist in your Nation?


Chapter 4: Applying and Understanding the Core Concepts behind a Government
Write that down, write that down!


Welcome to Chapter 4 intrepid reader, getting here probably means you've either skipped the last three chapters, actually read through it and understood it, or you're just trying to make sense of all the possible nonsense that was the definitions of various government types. Well, regardless of how you got here now is the start of the truly fun process of actually forging a Government, at least in its core aspects.

Now, what do I mean by "core aspects"?

I mean things like what kind of government is actually in place in your nation, who rules it, the basics of a legislature and court, how your government could form and collapse, and so on. Throughout this chapter, I will describe, in as great a detail as possible some of the many possible government types you can have based on combinations of the concepts introduced earlier. Feel free to open up a notebook, or a word document and jot notes down as we go through this. Come along, now! We've got exploring to do!


Yes I know, using a self-insert is hardly the best way to start a study on the many various governments you can make, but trust me, I have a lot to offer as well. Let's begin by answering, directly, the above flowchart just so you can better understand how the basic pieces come together and how you weave them closer.

Core Concepts
  1. LinkDo you have a flag? See above image.

  2. Do you have a Constitution for your nation? Yes, it’s in fact right over here.

  3. Is your nation entirely sovereign, in control of its territory? Yes.

  4. What is your Type of Regime? Democracy.

  5. What is your Type of State Organization? Federation.

  6. What is your Economic Regime? Capitalism.

  7. Is your nation a Monarchy or a Republic? Republic.

Republic

  1. Is your Republic a Presidential or Parliamentary one? Presidential

Democratic Government

  1. Is there an independently elected Head of Government in this system? Yes, the President is elected directly by the people.

  2. Are the roles of Head of State and Head of Government United or Split? The President is both the Head of State and Government.

  3. Who puts the Head of Government into power? Refer above.

  4. For how long can the Head of Government rule? Five years.

  5. Is there a possibility of reelection for the Head of Government in your Nation? Yes, only once.

  6. If so, how many years can a person serve as the Head of Government? Ten years total.

  7. How many chambers does your Legislature contain? Two.

  8. Is the leader of your Legislature (or applicable chamber) the Head of Government? Technically both leaders of the legislature’s chambers serve co-equally with the President as Heads of Government.

  9. Who is the Head of State? The President.

  10. Are they appointed, or elected? Refer above.

  11. If elected, by the people or within the legislature? Refer above.

  12. Is the Judiciary of your Nation independent from the Executive or Legislature? The Judiciary of Dormill and Stiura is entirely independent of both the Executive and Legislature.

  13. Whom is the Judiciary subservient to if it is not independent and to what capacity? N/A

  14. How are the members of the Judiciary appointed? Thirteen total.

  15. Are there checks and balances on the powers between the Executive, Legislature, and Judiciary? Yes, expressed directly by the Constitution and exercised regularly.

Capitalism

  1. Is there a wide degree of socio-economic classes? There are many diverse socio-economic classes.

  2. What is the extent of government welfare and charity organizations? Government welfare and charity are both extensive, covering significant portions of society.

  3. How wide is the wealth gap in your economy? On average, the gap between the top earners and the lowest is 6x.

  4. How hard is it to become very wealthy? It is difficult to become very wealthy, approximately 5% of the wealthiest class in Dormill and Stiura is new wealth.

  5. Is welfare provided to the citizens of your nation through any means? Yes, primarily through government-run programs.

  6. Is there legal discrimination against the poor in your Nation? No.

  7. Is there social discrimination against the poor in your Nation? Mild stigma, but not severe to be a problem.

  8. How much importance is material wealth placed on the citizens of your Nation? Earning wealth is considered an important civic duty, usually right alongside providing for your family, friends, and fellows through attaining wealth.

And for those of you out there that enjoy a little bit of prose to go with your analysis of governments, I'll try my best to weave this into something semi-coherent.
The United Republics of Dormill and Stiura is a Federal, Constitutional, Presidential, Democratic Republic ruled by the publicly elected President, who shares parts of their power with the co-equal heads of the Legislature as the combined Heads of Government. Dormill and Stiura is fully sovereign within its territory and the President does not rule over multiple other territories beyond the borders of the nation. Elected for five-year terms, the President is independent of the Bicameral Legislature, but still holds sway in its affairs as Head of Government, and executes its law both domestically and foreign as Head of State. The nation's Judiciary is constitutionally independent of the other branches of government, and the three have enshrined powers to check and balance the powers of the others, which is exercised frequently.

Dormill and Stiura operate a Capitalist economy, where wealth is not easy to attain but where extensive government welfare and charity has reduced the wealth gap considerably compared to its neighbors and has blurred the line between the poorest and wealthiest citizens by creating new socio-economic classes. Wealth, and its attainment, are considered a goal for members of Dormill and Stiura's society, seen in part as a civic duty to provide for family, friends, and fellows and in part as a means of truly asserting personal independence in society, a desirable quality.


Case Study 2: The Most Holy Realm (Kingdom) of Roijveld

In considering what would be the best way to introduce these concepts to a new player, I figured the best way I know how to do that would be to make an entirely new nation based as much as possible on the concepts I presented here. With that in mind, I am proud to present Roijveld. We will be following the process of nation-building through Roijveld so pay attention to the things I do with this place.

Core Concepts
  1. LinkDo you have a flag? Unfortunately not yet, but I imagine it's pretty cool though.

  2. Do you have a Constitution for your nation? Yes, though it is styled as the Basic Law and only encompasses the nature and formation of the government.

  3. Is your nation entirely sovereign, in control of its territory? Yes, Roijveld is a fully sovereign state.

  4. What is your Type of Regime? Oligarchy.

  5. What is your Type of State Organization? Unitary.

  6. What is your Economic Regime? Capitalism.

  7. Is your nation a Monarchy or a Republic? Monarchy.

Monarchy

  1. Is your Monarch Elected or Hereditary? Hereditary.

  2. Does your Monarch wield Absolute power, or is it constrained by a Constitution? Constitutional, although the monarch's powers are relatively broad in the Constitutional context

  3. How is Succession handled in your nation? In absolute primogeniture, the crown is passed to the oldest descendent of the monarch.

  4. Does your Monarch rule over any other state but yours? No, the monarch of Roijveld does not rule over any other state than his own.

Oligarchic Government

  1. What type of Oligarchy is your nation? Aristocracy, where landed nobility forms the root of political power in the state.

  2. How are the leaders of your nation chosen? The monarch is a hereditary position consistently held by the House of Saintisseau-Touldweld. The monarch subsequently bestows titles onto worthy subjects (which are typically passed hereditarily). The only outright democratically appointed leader in Roijveld at the highest level is the Prime Minister, though they have historically been well-connected with the ruling aristocracy.

  3. How does the Oligarchy maintain its power? The aristocracy maintains its power through three distinct means; (1) political and legal, since the Basic Law (that the Aristocracy wrote) does not restrict the aristocracy's ability to write laws that entrench their powers (such as requiring votes to be landowners, requiring all legislation to be passed by the all-noble-controlled upper house of the legislature, etc.), (2) economic as a significant majority of Roijveld's economic activity is owned by noble families, which not only allows them to maintain lavishly wealthy lifestyles but also grants them substantial control over the economic activity of the unlanded classes, (3) social and cultural, especially in the form of Roijveld's state church which helps enforce the rigid social hierarchy for the benefit of the aristocracy.

  4. What are the expectations for members of the Oligarchy’s inner circle? The first and greatest expectation within the aristocracy is strict adherence to protocol and precedence. This means that like in the wider society, there is a rigid hierarchy within the aristocracy that is strictly obeyed. For example, a younger noble must always defer to the advice or statements of an older noble, even if the older noble comes from a lower station or house. Similarly, an older house always commands the respect of younger houses. Violations of precedence typically incur high costs within the hierarchy and can often spur conflict if left unresolved. Within the deepest part of the inner circle, the Royal Court, these rules are amplified by the Court's Protocols which inform almost every detail of interactions and relationships in the presence of the monarch. The House of Saintisseau-Touldweld, as the Royal Family, also enjoys some isolation from precedence; for example, the Princes and Princesses Royal enjoy higher precedence regardless of age.

Capitalism

  1. Is there a wide degree of socio-economic classes? Yes, due to the nature of the entrenched nobility, there is a high diversity of socio-economic classes, with wealth being the second greatest determinant of social position after nobility.

  2. What is the extent of government welfare and charity organizations? Remarkably, government welfare in the form of Universal Healthcare and high investment in national food security is robust and widespread despite high social stratification. Private charity (other than the state church) is also extensive and widespread in the state and is most responsible for providing necessities that the government does not invest in.

  3. How wide is the wealth gap in your economy? The wealth gap in Roijveld is almost unassailably wide outside of personal interventions in a form of neo-patrimonialism.

  4. How hard is it to become very wealthy? It is almost impossible to become very wealthy in Roijveld. Only a very small group of people are both new wealth and not dependent on a relationship with existing wealth, almost all of these people are highly skilled foreigners.

  5. Is welfare provided to the citizens of your nation through any means? Yes, welfare is provided across several different categories. The most extensive government programs involve Universal Healthcare and increasing food security. Other forms of welfare, particularly supplementary income, unemployment insurance, and other efforts to bridge income inequality are less extensive due in large part to a widespread societal belief that surplus income derived from labor is a foreign and liberal invention. Housing welfare is also common among several charitable organizations.

  6. Is there legal discrimination against the poor in your Nation? Yes. There are several anti-beggar laws in place and Debtor's Prisons remain in common use. Homelessness is also criminalized and often punished by involuntary servitude for a given time.

  7. Is there social discrimination against the poor in your Nation? There is widespread and severe social discrimination not only against the absolute poor but even against the poor relative to individual socio-economic classes. This form of discrimination is pervasive across every aspect of Roijvelder society and it is considered an expectation that one either stays poor and out of the way of their betters (except only to work) or completely give themselves up to labor for their betters for the chance to bring their family up the next rung in the social ladder.

  8. How much importance is material wealth placed on the citizens of your Nation? Material wealth is considered the be the sole criterion for social standing in Roijveld and the importance of earning, maintaining, and showing wealth is considered to be the utmost priority for everyday life, even at the expense of necessities, health, or education. Status symbols such as personal property, clothes, and especially personal transportation and real estate, are considered to be of higher priority than other needs.

The Most Holy Realm of Roijveld, better known as the Kingdom of Roijveld is a unitary constitutional monarchy ruled by the House of Saintisseau-Touldweld for multiple centuries. The monarch shares power with a deeply entrenched aristocracy that is chiefly involved in day-to-day rule. All other aspects of the government, except for the lower house of the legislature, are all legally dependent on the Aristocracy for their power and membership, further reinforcing oligarchic rule in Roijveld and ensuring that there are no functional legal checks or balances on the Monarch or the Aristocracy. In these respects, Roijveld is often described as neo-feudal in its organization although the independence of the Aristocracy from the Monarch is limited in its own way.

The economic system of Roijveld is described as both ruthlessly capitalistic and neo-mercantilist, with wealth acquisition seen as the chief role of civil life. Due to the entrenchment of the Aristocracy, attaining wealth is seen as neigh impossible without indentured servitude to higher classes in a self-perpetuating system of patrimonialism, exploitation, and dependency. The massive wealth gaps present in Roijveld further reinforce this system even when tempered by comparatively extensive welfare efforts by both the state and private entities, the former of which guarantees universal healthcare to all citizens and is engaged in robust food security measures, even if the ultimate goal is to keep the populace only healthy enough to be desperate for work otherwise.

Welcome to the end of Part 1, reader! Now that you've read these overviews, you should have a general idea of how to make your own. I trust that you know how to write these out, so have fun with that (you can also just click the link that says "Raw" which should be near the bottom right of your screen at this point, which will allow you to come back and copy the text with all of its formatting code to save yourself the trouble, whichever works for you) and I wish you luck on building the core of your government, maybe even more than that. I hope that this has been a helpful guide on building the backbone of your government. If you have any questions or comments on this, please feel free to send me, Dormill and Stiura, a telegram with your ideas. And keep your eyes out for future parts, where we will go in-depth into the three main branches of a government and even more!
Read factbook

You can use this to make the important, key political stuff of your nation first. Then you can work your way backwards to build a history that made this system.

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