Lindstromism

Lindstromism is the political ideology and government system created by Gustav Lindstrom, a political refugee from Stormark who fled to Natopia in the 1480s. Lindstrom advocated for the implementation of a judge to check the Storish emperor's power by executing him. He immediately fled Stormark and settled in Natopia where his the ideology was immediately adopted by Nathan Waffel-Paine. It has been adopted, to varying degrees, by his descendants, associates, and affiliated organizations.

Philosophy

At its ethical core, Lindstromism is wary of creating situations in which a tyranny of the majority can form. The Natopian motto Peace Through Silent Oppression was originally meant to imply that the peace is achieved by keeping violent majorities in check, without them even realizing it. The "good Lindstromist dictator" will protect the freedoms of all minorities, encourage minorities to keep their cultures, and create an artificial "national identity" that is pleasant and easy enough for all people to join. This is why Natopian demesnes enjoy considerable autonomy, devolved government, and leeway to establish cultures. It is also why Natopia is not a federation. Demesnes that go against Lindstromist principles like equality, fairness, and freedom have unilaterally lost their right to govern and been abolished by the unitary government. If demesnes were federal subjects with any degree of sovereignty, majorities could form in the demesnes, overwhelm them, and begin to enact anti-Lindstromist agendas without much legal recourse from the federal government.

Although Lindstromist government structures are put in place to keep dictators or monarchs in power, they also serve to prevent substantial majorities from coalescing. The Free Juice and Bagels Party was for years the majority party in Natopian politics even though it had no real substantial political goals. It was, in fact, a mechanism to build a Natopian identity. The minorities were all in the majority party although there was no political goal or reason to actually be in the majority.

Government Theory

A pure lindstromist government consists of a benevolent, "elected," dictator kept in check by a judge appointed by the dictator. The judge would have the power to execute the dictator for "tyranny." Modern lindstromism involves merely removing the ruler from power, and a further check is usually in place by allowing a legislature to remove the judge with a supermajority vote. The Bovic Empire of the Natopian Nation continues to claim to use this form of government for traditional reasons. To this day, the Chancellor of Natopia retains the ability to make emergency decrees, an important feature of original lindstromism was the requirement for a fast-acting executive with legislative powers.

An effective dictator, according to Lindstrom, would promote progressive and left-wing social policies. A wide variety of civil rights and freedoms would be guaranteed to citizens to allow them to freely live their lives. Political dissent was not allowed, or tolerated only if it did not threaten the dictator's actual power. Although Gustav Lindstrom arrived in Natopia as a staunch anti-monarchist, he nonetheless advocated for a "regal republic" as he called it, to encourage reverence and awe in the dictator. As a result, Natopia began to style itself as the Sovereign Imperial Republic with a Grand Chancellor who styled himself as His Sovereign Excellency. The Order of the Black Hole was established as a chivalric order of knighthood in a republic.

The structure of the government was also important. It had to create a sense of democracy and consensus while not actually allowing any sort substantial change that threatened minorities. The original lindstromist government of the Republic of Natopia included five separate branches, all of which were to some degree under the control of the dictator. The dictator was elected for life by the legislature, and the legislature was composed of appointed governors from the provinces. The provincial governors, however, where appointed by the dictator. The dictator appointed the judge, who had the only power against the dictator. However, the judge was always a close friend of the dictator. This was, according to Lindstrom, by design. As a close working relationship between the dictator and judge would allow the dictator to carry out their agenda without too much fear of being executed for going too far. If the dictator ever did go too far, and the judge ordered their execution, public opinion would fall on the side of the judge who obviously would not lightly order the execution of a friend. A military branch was given nominal independence, but the dictator was always commander in chief. A religious branch had almost no power, but gave the optics of a benevolent, Nazarene-focused government before the introduction of Bovinism.

Cultural Ideals

Because Lindstromism, at its core, seeks to defend minorities, immigration is important to maintain the influx of new minorities and increase the population of existing minorities to a size that they become politically vocal. Lindstromism celebrates indigenous and imported cultures so that tolerance and acceptance of new cultures is expected. By creating and fostering a nation composed of many disparate cultures, mono- and duo-culture is avoided. For example if there are 20 different cultures to identify with, then the likelihood of developing 2 polar alignments (the liberal-conservative/us vs them dichotomy) reduces greatly.

Nationality is based on the country of residence, not country of birth or ancestry. The "Natopian Nation" is a construct that includes all people living in Natopian lands. It does not supersede ones native culture but co-exists with it. Lindstromism downplays the use of "Natopian" as an ethnic descriptor as according to Lindstromism, there are no ethnic Natopians. Identifying as a Natopian, therefore, automatically indicates you take pride in diversity, equality, and the cultural richness of the Natopian Nation.

Art, architecture, and literature are prized in Lindstromism as ways to focus the energies of citizens towards creative endeavors. Space travel and trans-dimensional research are high priorities for Lindstromists as such lofty goals are unifying. These are all "Projects for Progeny," and speaks towards the futurist slant of Lindstromism. Build something you will enjoy now, and your children will take pride in, and then your children will be inspired to build something for their children, and so on. This also affirms the Natopian identity by taking pride in Natopian accomplishments.

Although the Lindstromist track-record on governmental freedoms is spotty, with limited elections for national legislatures in the past, Lindstromists have always advocated for absolute equality before the law. Lindstromism advocates for the equal treatment of humans, non-human, and non-humanoid sentient beings. This sometimes puts it at odds with the Nationalist & Humanist Party.

Split-Executive system

The Split-Executive system is a modern adaption of the lindstromist political system. Lindstromists believe in a strong executive figure(s) with relatively few constitutional limits imposed on them. The co-executive system slowly evolved from lindstromism by gradually dividing the powers of strong offices. Modern adaptions of lindstromism relies on dividing executive responsibilities between two figures, one generally responsible for foreign affairs and defense, and another responsible for internal affairs and everything else. In Natopia this takes the form of the Emperor and his Imperial Court having almost total control over the military and foreign policy of the empire. It is believed that the stability of a hereditary monarch will allow for Natopia's foreign policy and defense to remain stable beyond volatile political fluctuations. The power of the Natopian citizenry is expressed through the election of Frenzy Representatives and in turn, the Chancellor. The Chancellor therefore commands domestic policy, acting as the voice of the people and carrying out their electoral mandates. During times of cooperation between the Emperor and Chancellor, both may rule decisively using the Imperial Council of Natopia.

In Drak-Modan the split-executive system is further divided among four total people, two monarchs and two chancellors. This was believed to be more beneficial for Drak-Modan, where political turmoil and unrest is more common than Natopia. The use of four total executives, which may be described as either a tetrarchy or tandemocracy (because the chancellors must retain a majority of the The Fury) is heavily influenced by the Benacian Bovic Church where four is a holy number.