Cardinal Socialism

Cardinal Socialism, also known as Ovan Socialism or Vestric Anarchism, is a form of Libertarian Socialism and Anarchist Communism most common and prominent in Vestrim. Cardinal Socialism is less of a unified doctrine and more a wide array of socialist philosophies united by a common ideological doctrine: the establishment of a "Common-State" through abolition of hierarchy. Under such a state, they argue, a society would naturally organize itself around the needs of each of its members, leading to the collective ownership of property and organization of general participatory forums, and the traditional aims of Socialism would be achieved as consequence.

The ideology was influenced heavily by Ovan scholars and anthropologists during the early 1900's, before it became championed by Farmers Unions and Industrial Socialists, coming to a fever pitch after the first First Great War before being violently suppressed under the Ovan Commonwealth. The ideology remained prominent amongst southern farmers and industry workers, and was seen as a solution to the massive inequality in land distribution, and an escape from the racial oppression of the Ovan society at the time. Cardinal Socialism would spread like wildfire during the Ovan Civil War through the work of the O.S.V.K.P. (Ovan Syndicate-Administrative Communist Party).

Etymology

The term was coined in the late 1800's as a derogatory term for supporters of the Ovan Socialist movement, as they were often seen wearing red accessories such as armbands, clothing, kerchiefs, and bandanas; However, the term was picked up by the ideologies supporters and came to be used as a catch-all term for the broad ideals of Ovan Socialism. It would be adopted as the formal ideological title of the Ovan Farmers Union in 1920 as a rallying name.

Philosophies

The Common State

The core argument of Cardinal Socialism is that the err of society all stems from the ability of one party to exert unequal influence over any other party. In disestablishing this social constant, Cardinal Socialists would create a Common-State, one where all parties are free to engage, negotiate, and associate at their inhibition, and the traditional woes of hierarchy —racism, class, slavery— would naturally dissolve.

The Social Revolution

Like most radical socialist ideologies, Cardinal Socialism argues for the rapid disestablishment of capitalist society through a social revolution which would bring about necessary structural changes to society. The Revolution, as posited by supporters of the ideology, would begin by the preemptive organization of the proletariat into a communist, Economic Party followed thereafter by a General Strike and rapid overthrow of the existing cultural superstructure.

This series of events would target both existing power structures and the social tools perpetuating them, and is meant as both an institutional and social reformation. As posited by supporters of the ideology, the speed of the revolution and its targeting of existing power structures would facilitate the necessary organization of civil forums meant to replace the functions of the state.

Property and Land

The ideologies main focuses have historically been the redistribution of land and a criticism of private property. The ability to own private property, as argued, is the core perpetuator of capitalist social inequality as it provides the fundamental base for the owner of said property to rule over those that work it. This basic hierarchy builds into the networks of classes and racial, as well as gendered, social stratification, and in dissolving it first and foremost, the ability for these inequalities to sustain themselves would falter and break down. The main argument therebehind is that in forbidding any one party from dominating property, all parties involved in tending that property must negotiate on equal terms, forcing a de-facto egalitarianism that would build into long-term cultural solidarity.

Social Criticisms

Core Critiques

Cardinal Socialism traditionally stems from Abolitionists and Land reformists and much of its ideology revolves primarily around capitalist society's power structure. The ideology, then, bases much of its argument on an overarching criticism of capitalist society, arguing that the issues facing capitalist societies –inequality and poverty, corruption and inefficiency— all stem from the ownership of property. These criticisms can be summed by a quote from Koen von Werena, one of the ideologies first proponents:

"[in that] private ownership enables a sense of entitlement and territorialism, which breaks down solidarity and breeds inequality; the tying of people to property prevents them from engaging in their inherently mobile nature and forces them both into positions of servitude as well as mastership; itself an unnatural state, breeding misogyny and racism, perpetuating hierarchy by forcing men to horde their owned wealth to survive."

This criticism extends to further, with with Cardinals being intensely critical of capitalist proponent's ideas of "freedom", primarily the freedom to own property, arguing that this "freedom" is born out of an inherent hierarchy, as it requires power, often aggressive, to be maintained. A reoccurring theme in Cardinal Socialism is, thus, the inherent abolition of private property. Private Property, argues Koen, is born out of inequality.

"One can only "own" property through their ability to enforce their claim to it. In this sense, property is no different than slavery, it is inherently a "Freedom to Enslave"; it is a system where an "object" —land, cattle, or person— may be "claimed" by another without consent of the owned."

Liberal Aristocracy

Another point of contention Cardinal Socialism has with "old society" stems from its criticism of liberal democracy, an issue of what it calls unjust representation. Cardinal Socialists, particularly under the Ovan Commonwealth, argue that in a capitalist, and likewise partisan, democracy, representatives campaign based on their ideologies and their agendas, rather than their ability to representing the needs of the people.

Cardinal Socialists main issue with liberal Democracy is the election of "leaders", rather than representatives. Under their own system, they argue, naturally-formed democratic forums would instead be based around instantly recallable Delegates, first encouraging an environment of voting for meritocratic value, and second preventing the accumulation of a new, socialist political class.

Antitheism

Perhaps the most openly aggressive concept of the ideology, is its position on, or hatred of, Religion and Spiritualism. Cardinal Socialism is inherently Antitheistic and views nature from a Humanist and Atheistic perspective, with most full supporters of the ideology arguing that religion, in any form, is simply another form of social control, this time by a religious, rather than political, elite. To this end almost all the time it is argued that they both should be completely abolished from society.

Practices

Economic Party

An Economic Party is defined as "A voluntary collection of democratic forums wherein economic information, resources, and expertise are freely traded, and public needs are met and managed." Successful economic party's have been formed in Ovandera on three different occasions, first being the Ovan Farmers Union in 1913, later the Ovan Communist Party in 1988, and then again in 2009 under the same name. Smaller-scale labor and land unions working under similar systems would spawn throughout Ovan history though, never reaching the same height as the 1913 Farmers Union or O.S.V.K.P. (Ovan Syndicate-Administrative Communist Party).

These party's would all operate on common principles, working as a mixture of trade union and aid-organization, organizing strikes, raids, and transporting goods and aid to its members in need. At the end of the Ovan Civil War, the practices of the Communist Party to that point would be nationalized as the main means of inter-Canton negotiation.

Cardinal Democracy

The term "Cardinal" or "Economic Democracy" was first coined in relation to an Economic Party by Marzell Bär in the early 1900's in his novel The Long March Forward. In it, he attempted to outline how a Cardinal Socialist Democracy would ultimately operate under the pretenses outlined by the ideology. These practices would grow to become the standard administrative tactic of the various Economic Party's throughout history.

The process begins at the local level, based around worker-led, distributive-forums made up of members of any community wherein the various workers cooperatives would lead discussions on local economic activities under the environment of a consumer cooperative, determining the material wants of the community. The workers of these local communities would elect members onto overarching Workers Committees, called Labor Councils, which would operate as free economic forums for inter-community regions called Collectives. Collectives would build into Cantons, wherein the workers would elect members to a Canton Forum representing their Trade (i.e. railway workers would elect representatives from a ballot of railway representatives). This "party" of individuals and economic representatives is what is meant by an Economic Party.

Religion

As mentioned, Cardinal Socialism in almost all of its forms is distinctly antitheistic, with this sentiment being most aggressive amongst the Agrarian groups within both current and previous revolutionary movements. Alydian churches and institutions were targeted before the Civil War, with religious monuments and the homes of priests being desecrated and burned during the war by civilians and militiamen alike. Similar events happened during the 1913 Vogelnester Riots, where regions under heavier influence of the Ovan Farmers Union saw violence against clergymen and churchgoers. Anti-Religious, or in this case specifically anti-Alydianist, sentiment would reach its height during the "Revolutionary Trials" in Mannensdorf, Königsfelde, where almost 2,000 clergymen, assumed anti-revolutionaries, and "reactionaries" were tried and executed.

Monetization

Since its implementation in late 2013, one of the most diverse actions taken by the Ovan Cardinals was its action against money, or in some cases lack thereof. Not every commune in post-collective Ovandera has abolished money, using it mainly as a means of international trade. Because of this, many of the more urban and coastal regions of the country, those with more contact in the international community, have retained a formal currency in contrast to more rural regions where it was fully abolished.

Ideological Variants

Mannensdorf Communism

Mannensdorf Communism is an extreme form of Cardinal Socialism that seeks to establish a Common-State through the establishment of general Common Ownership. Mannensdorf Communism, however, differs from the norms as it targets cultural hierarchy more so than institutional hierarchy, arguing that the latter can be easily dissolved, but the former retains its power in local communities through "tradition and conservatism." This cultural hierarchy, what it calls the "means of enforcement", must be annihilated in order for the institutional changes made form the revolution to be maintained.

Mennensdorf Communism actively originates from Mannensdorf in northern Ovandera, and advocates for a violent and rapid revolution in order to "annihilate the chains of oppression, and transition into egalitarianism through the destruction of old-culture ties." They disagree that peaceful reformation or a general strike would function as a means of establishing a common state.

Mannensdorf Communists, as was seen during the Krün Rebellion, push then for proletarian organization preceding immediate and violent overthrow of the existing order, their ideology outlining the four general points on the subject:

1. The organization of the working-class into an insurrectionary economic-party
2. Aggressive direct-action by this new common party to dissolve institutional hierarchy
3. The destruction of the physical infrastructure of the old-society
4. The ongoing trial of the perpetrators of the old-society by public, revolutionary judiciaries

Each position is meant to build on the former, first with the establishment of an insurrectionary new order, followed by the dissolution of hierarchical institutions, the destruction of old-society buildings to burn away physical and environmental ties to the order, all ending in the annihilation of the means of enforcement through public trial meant to highlight the injustices of old society and to defend against reactionary behavior. Their new society would follow the general guidelines of Cardinal Socialism, but with particular emphasis on extreme Common Ownership, even of personal property. All material goods would be held, traded, and managed in common by the residing community based on common need.