Francoism
From Breanet
Francoism has been the ruling ideology of The Pacific since the August Revolution of August 28th 2003. Thus far it has been best codified in the essay 'Proper Francoist Thought', released on August 29th 2005 as part of The Pacific's annual celebrations.
[edit] Proper Francoist Thought
Created by and dedicated to Francos Spain Codified by Unlimited Contributions from BlackAdder, Doppelganger, Mammothistan, Sir Paul, Sixguns, The New Duce, Warrior Thorin
Introduction
Francoism is perhaps the best known NationStates political theory, but while it has been contemplated, discussed and attacked since its inception during The Pacific's August Revolution of 2003, there are still very few who understand even the basics of it. There are, of course, those who seek to exploit this, and it has led not only widespread ignorance of the theory, but widespread misinformation and even hatred of it. It is these misinformed views, shaped by the oppressors and promoted by their lackies, that I seek to rectify by showing not only the true theory of Francoism, but the methods used to apply it and the reasoning behind these methods.
Class
Francoism is based off of a single and very simple concept - class. It is class consciousness and struggle that creates Francoism within regions, and indeed, it can even be said that it is this that makes the emergence of Francoism and Francoist revolutions in the Pacifics inevitable. It is upon class that all further Francoist political theory, as well as the actions of Francoist and Francoist Pacifics, are based.
The two classes recognised by Francoist Thought are the Feederites, who are the nations of their respective Pacific and seek to harness and work with the means of production (namely the Pacific region itself), and the Userites, who seek to exploit its fruits; by exploiting both the nations of the Pacific and the political structure set up within it to further their own political, military and social power. These two classes, as will be obvious to anyone, are completely incompatible since their interests lie in two completely separate directions. It is this conflict of interests that has shaped every epoch of the Pacifics, from the imperialism of the Atlantic Central Command, which seeked to control them for military recruitment and United Nations votes, to the present day neo-imperialism of the Alliance Defence Network, which, while using the tactics of deception, propaganda and indoctrination as well as brute military force, seeks the same end in political and military weight. It is when the Feederites realise this indisputable conflict that class consciousness goes from political theory to political reality, which invariably leads to the loyal Feederites becoming Francoists, which in turn invariably leads to a Francoist revolution within the Pacific.
Pre-Revolution
A Pacific will almost always initially, and perhaps naively, take the path that looks most natural to it; that of interregional cooperation and surrender of its sovereignty for what it perceives as wider influence and power. It is, however, this that will lead to the regions eventual downfall. Userite regions infiltrate and infect the Pacific, corrupting Feederites into puppets to the point that the Pacific is nothing on its own, with no power or will of its own; becoming a slave to the Userite region it entered into contact with with the contrary intention of furthering its own power and influence. Not content with this temporary control of the Pacific, the Userites will set in place political institutions and sytems that play on popularly held preconceptions of new and experienced Feederites alike, brainwashing them into subjugation until Stockholm Syndrome sets in and they'll be thanking the slave owners for the few scraps they receive. Francoists see these institutions for the illusions they are - whether they be a more overt military slavery, or a cleverly shrouded democratic slavery – and seek to shatter them and show the empty promises of the imperialists for the deceptions they are. It is at the afore mentioned peak that a Francoist revolution becomes more and more likely, as the Feederites who have not been corrupted into agents of the Userite regions begin to see a need for change, becoming more nationalistic and hostile to the Userite regions and their lackies in the Pacific. It is this hostility that becomes class consciousness and leads to Francoist revolution.
Revolution
Due to the nature of the NationStates world, a Francoist revolution can never be reached by popular public mandate alone, due to the firm grip the Userites have on the Pacific through political manipulations and double agents. It is due to these overwhelming odds that the Francoists must take on the matter from the perspective of the enemy and use deception themselves. It is acceptable at this point, when Francoist Thought is prominent throughout the loyal Feederites and Userite exploitation is at its apex, to use any means necessary to carry through the revolution. This includes the use of the Userites own deception and political system against them. If the conditions are met and the revolution can be carried through, then it is the duty of every Francoist to free their homeland from the imperialists.
Dictatorship of the Feederites
After the initial move in revolution, whereby the traitor delegate has been replaced by a Francoist loyal to his region, revolutionary ideals and people, then Francoism can and must be fully and immediately implemented. Much has been said of the 'terror' of the Francoist revolution in The Pacific, but any Francoist must recognise before they can undertake such a monumental task as a revolution that it will be necessary to carry out mass security operations in the immediate aftermath. These will have to involve the ejection and subsequent banning of all suspected counter-revolutionaries, class traitors and foreign troops as well as the widespread infiltration of hostile Userite organisations and even scrutiny of fellow Francoists - as Userites have a long and illustrious history of placing inept Charlatan-Francoists within regions for the purpose of infiltration, agitation and sabotage. The only way to accomplish this is to initially set up a very stong central and close-nit government based on loyalty to the cause and competence in a specific field – be that Intelligence, security, politics or defence – and at this point, the Pacific very much becomes a class based meritocracy. It is of the utmost importance for any Francoist to realise, Francoism is not about the individual or their petty wants, it is about the class and the Pacific, and what is best for them as a whole. It is for them and their future that all actions must be carried out.
Internal Policy
Internal Policy must always be based on security, as it must always be a constant in the front of the mind of Francoists that almost all Userites would see them fall to further their own power. To this end there must be no legislation that can be exploited and used against the Pacific in a damaging fashion. A Francoist Pacific would quickly find a constitution to be a ball and chain around their neck, which many, without a second thought, would push into the sea. Not only will it be studied for use by the more refined Userites, but it will badly hamper any future reforms that can be put in place once the security situation is resolved. They will find the same thing with complex laws, and so any state documentation must be both simple and flexible, with the emphasis being placed on law by precedent. This will allow the Pacific to enforce the spirit of the revolution and the laws that it brought, rather than the letter. The fact that it is in the best interests of the Pacific vindicates the enforcement of law, rather than a quest for absolute and unchanging rule.
It is important that the Pacific does not allow the demands of the Userites to change their Internal policy in the slightest, for if it does, then the revolution has failed and it may as well not have happened. Everything the Pacific does must be for the Pacific and class as a whole, so no matter how much the international community cries about individual 'outrages' or anecdotal fabrications, if it does not benefit the whole, it must be brushed aside immediately so as not to affect the Pacific either on a conscious or sub-conscious level. That said, it can not allow foreign meddling to create a cloud or arrogance that prevents an objective look at itself. A key definition of a Francoist Pacific is that it can view itself objectively, challenging and breaking flawed theories based on faith in favour of actions based on rationality.
It must also be remembered that not only did a political revolution occur in the Pacific, but a cultural revolution as well. Francoism and the Francoist revolution it leads to invariably creates a unique culture within a region, and this will be the regions greatest strength in fighting the Userites, for it proves that no longer are they slaves to their principles and conventions, but are free to create and enforce their own unique society free from corruption, deception, decadence and foreign dictates. Culture is also important for furthering the Revolution as it encourages originality and deep thought, throwing up challenges to be overcome and improve the standards of the Pacific. Not only will this keep Francoism and its goals at the forefront of the minds of the population, reminding them of the past and pushing them to the future, but it will entice the intellectuals and great minds of the populace to come forward and contribute actions and thoughts that benefit the whole, rather than encouraging cannon fodder as the powers no doubt sought to do beforehand. Simply put, Francoist culture is what maximises the potential of the populace and makes the Pacific all that it can be.
External Policy
Francoism is both isolationist and internationalist at the same time. It is the duty of all Francoists to lend their support to the Francoists of other Pacifics, as in the end their goals are one in the same – freedom from the slavery of the Userites. It is this solidarity that will lead to the eventual reuniting of the Pacifics, united to seek their class aims of peace, strength and prosperity while free from the shackles the world has sought to imprison them in for all of history. But this cannot be achieved by a fabricated revolution - by invasion or infiltration - for that is not a revolution at all and will end in the loyal Feederites leading a widespread insurrection against the Francoists, rather than giving widespread support and becoming Francoists themselves. So the Francoists must support Francoist Pacifics and emerging Francoism as far as they can without alienating the masses of the host Pacific.
The natural and unavoidable class conflict makes relations between a Francoist Pacific and Userite region a dangerous and perhaps even contradictory arrangement. But this is not to say that it can not, or even that it should not be done. In the pursuit of security after a successful Francoist revolution it is advisable to bring about positive relations with Userite regions that may have common interests or goals with the Pacific as a whole. These friendly Userite regions, for example, may have a common enemy with you in another major Userite - or counter-revolutionary Pacific - region or organisation. It is with these regions that alliances can be created in the interests of mutual protection. However, as detailed earlier, the Pacific must be extremely cautious in drawing up any documentation with a Userite region, always careful to safeguard the sovereignty and freedom of each so that exploitation cannot occur and class conflict does not resurface and damage the Francoist Pacific or her people.
With regards to hostile Userites - which is to say, almost all regions and players - the Pacific need only ignore them on the wider international stage. These regions need policies and involvement with the Pacifics as the Pacifics are the superpowers that, in the end, have the potential to be everything. But the Pacifics have no need for the acceptance or resources of these hostile Userite regions, and so other than standing as a beacon of truth pointing out hypocrisy wherever it arises, a Francoist Pacific need have nothing to do with them.
Conclusion
Proper Francoist Thought is a complex political theory that expands far beyond the scope of this essay, but the basic tenets can be easily listed and shown as a blinding truth to any loyal Feederite seeking the best for their region. It encourages the Pacifics and the Feederites, as the oppressed class, to rise up, throw off their chains, and stand on their own two feet for the benefit of themselves rather than a foreign power. That class conflict is the building block of Francoism makes its victory over the Userites and Userite slavery, democratic or otherwise, inevitable. And while times may be hard during and immediately after a Francoist revolution, it is necessary that Francoists endure and fight for the ideals of peace, strength and prosperity, changing the course of history for the people they serve. A Francoist utopia can and will be a reality.
