National Functionalism: Difference between revisions

Jump to navigation Jump to search
No edit summary
No edit summary
Line 41: Line 41:
| contentstyle  =  <!--(same as |liststyle = ...?)-->
| contentstyle  =  <!--(same as |liststyle = ...?)-->


| heading1  = Themes
| heading1  =  
| list1name  = themes
| list1name  = Themes
| list1title = Themes
| list1title = Themes
| list1      = {{wp|Anti-communism}}, {{wp|Anti-pacifism}}, {{wp|Class collaboration}}, {{wp|Corporatism}}, {{wp|Economic interventionism}}, {{wp|Heroism}}, {{wp|Imperialism}}, {{wp|Maschimo|Maschisme}}, {{wp|Militarism}}, {{wp|National syndicalism}}, {{wp|Nationalism}} ({{wp|Cultural nationalism|Cultural}}, {{wp|Palingenetic ultranationalism|Palingenetic}}), {{wp|Populism}}, {{wp|Propaganda}}, {{wp|Reactionary Modernism}}, {{wp|Social interventionism}}, {{wp|Social order}}, {{wp|Statolatry}}, {{wp|Syncretism}} and {{wp|Totalitarianism}}
| list1      = {{wp|Anti-communism}}, {{wp|Anti-pacifism}}, {{wp|Class collaboration}}, {{wp|Corporatism}}, {{wp|Economic interventionism}}, {{wp|Heroism}}, {{wp|Imperialism}}, {{wp|Maschimo|Maschisme}}, {{wp|Militarism}}, {{wp|National syndicalism}}, {{wp|Nationalism}} ({{wp|Cultural nationalism|Cultural}}, {{wp|Palingenetic ultranationalism|Palingenetic}}), {{wp|Populism}}, {{wp|Propaganda}}, {{wp|Reactionary Modernism}}, {{wp|Social interventionism}}, {{wp|Social order}}, {{wp|Statolatry}}, {{wp|Syncretism}} and {{wp|Totalitarianism}}


| heading2  = Topics
| heading2  =  
| list2name  =  
| list2name  = Topics
| list2title =  
| list2title = Topics
| list2      =  
| list2      =  


| heading3  = People
| heading3  =  
| list3name  =  
| list3name  = People
| list3title =  
| list3title = People
| list3      =  
| list3      =  


| heading4  = Literature
| heading4  =  
| list4name  =  
| list4name  = Literature
| list4title =  
| list4title = Literature
| list4      =  
| list4      =  


| heading5  = Organisatons
| heading5  =  
| list5name  =  
| list5name  = Organisatons
| list5title =  
| list5title = Organisatons
| list5      =  
| list5      =  


| heading6  = History
| heading6  =  
| list6name  =  
| list6name  = History
| list6title =  
| list6title = History
| list6      =  
| list6      =  


| heading7  = Variants
| heading7  =  
| list7name  =  
| list7name  = Variants
| list7title =  
| list7title = Variants
| list7      =  
| list7      = [[National Solarianism]], [[Palmeirism]]


<!-- ...... -->
<!-- ...... -->

Revision as of 19:51, 19 May 2023

National Functionalism
IdeologyCultural Nationalism
Corporatism
Militarism
Syncretism
Reactionary Modernism
Totalitarianism
Chauvinism
Political positionFar-Right

National Functionalism is a far-right, authoritarian, culturally nationalistic political ideology. It is loosely based on the sociological theory of functionalism, characertised by beliefs in a strong centralised state, a rejection of individualism, superiority based on cultural origins, and the concept of the state as a living organism of which individuals are merely constituent parts, commonly referred to as the communauté populaire.

National Functionalism arose in Gaullican militaristic political circles in the late 19th century; following the war of the Triple Alliance. Gaullica's defeat in the war, the removal of 'Gaullican' territories such as Kesselbourg and Hennehouwe and the fragmentation of its traditional allies in Soravia and Valduvia left the nation diplomatically isolated and with a strong revanchist sentiment.

Its tenants can be traced to Gaullican Field Marshal Gaëtan de Trintignant, who wrote numerous political treatises demanding a rejection of 'modernity'; principally the constitutional amendments that had whittled the power of the Gaullican monarchy post the Age of Revolutions. In two political works, de Trintignant outlined his beliefs on the necessity of a strong central authority, a rejection of both capitalism and socialism, a strong sense of social cohesion underpinned by a civic national identity and the establishment of the means to spread this identity. Inspired by the growing field of sociology, de Trintignant viewed the state as a parallel to the human body - and health achieved when its parts were working in concert.

Whilst some scholars argue that National Functionalism as an ideology is specifically tailored to Gaullican political development, it is clear that it has influenced the development of political thought outside of Gaullica's borders. Some have argued that Shangea's National Principlism was directly inspired by National Functionalism, whilst in Euclea itself Functionalism entered southern Euclean countries like Etruria, Paretia, Piraea and Amathia through pro-Gaullican elements of the military. In Ruttland, Functionalism gave birth to the National Resurrection movement.

Since the end of the Great War, National Functionalism has been outlawed as a political ideology within Gaullica - though several groups have been accused of being "neo-functionalist". Since 2010, 'functionalist' has re-entered political discourse as a pejorative term for those on the far-right, especially in the context of Paretian and Etrurian nationalist groups like the Tribune Movement.

Etymology

René Dajuat
Hugues Subercaseaux

The Gaullican term fonctionnalisme is a reference to the sociological term, derived from the works of René Dajuat and his student Hugues Subercaseaux, which itself stems from the medieval Solarian word functionalis. Gaëtan de Trintignant aimed to present a political theory that was based in empirical science that was wholly independent from Revolutionary Rationalism. During his post-war years as a writer and fringe political figure, he became increasingly enamored with the developing field of sociology then in vogue within Gaullican academia. In a public letter, he wrote, "If we were to understand society, we would understand everything! By understanding social structure, we can create a society that is, of course, greater than all others."[1]

His desire to formulate a political theory on the basis of this idea of "purpose" or "function" led him to write his manifesto, The Function of Man, in 1881. In it, he repeatedly calls for a form of "functionalism" to identify the parts of Gaullican society that had, in his view, enabled it to become the pre-eminent world power, before asserting the moral obligation to spread Gaullican civilization to the rest of the world.

The term fonctionnalisme national was coined by Gaullican sociologist Max Cuvillier to distinguish the political philosophy from its sociological counterpart, though structural functionalism has increasingly been referred to as "structuralism". From the early 1900s, and especially after the 1910 election when Functionalism first appeared in the Imperial Senate, left-wing opposition referred to its practitioners as "fon-fou", a portmanteau of "fonctionnalisme du fou" (Fool's Functionalism).

History

Maréchal de camp Gaëtan de Trintignant, was a veteran of the War of the Triple Alliance.

War of the Triple Alliance

The outbreak of war in May of 1852 plunged Euclea into an enormous conflict, that saw over half a million military casualties in the space of three and a half years of war. Whilst Gaullica did not suffer the catastrophic defeats that rendered Valduvia as Euclea's "Sick Man" or plunged Soravia into civil war, the defeat left a lasting effect on the public and political consciousness about the future. Both of the traditional Gaullican allies had been rendered neutered by the conflict and Soravia's change in government had left anti-Gaullican factions in control in Samistopol.

The Congress of Torrazza granted independence to both the Second Hennish Republic and the Duchy of Kesselbourg. Both of these countries came to be referred to as 'les frontières' (The Borders) due to the belief amongst many in the Gaullican intelligentsia that they were 'artificial countries', whose purpose existed to prevent Estmere from holding a direct border with Gaullica.

A long lasting feeling of resentment lingered in Gaullican politics against both Estmere and Werania, with many in the Gaullican senate clamouring for war throughout the decades in the immediate aftermath of the conflict. Barthélémy Vidmantas, a member of the Senate and soon-to-be Premier, outwardly called for a resumption of war with Werania over grievances relating to the Ruttish Question.

Gaëtan de Trintignant was one of the most successful Gaullican commanders during the conflict, who successfully routed a Estmero-Weranic force that had laid siege to Matīspils in Valduvia. This was followed by the Arvorne Offensive, where Trintignant led a Gaullican effort to 'knock out' Estmere from the conflict. Despite initial success, allied calls for peace brought the Gaullican war machine to a halt - especially due to growing unpopularity from the conflict at home. These experiences moulded Trintignant into believing that the government in Verlois had 'stabbed the army in the back'.

These feelings were not only held by de Trintignant and Duclerque, but were the popular attitudes of the military establishment and high command who had felt that the empire had been denied at least entering the negotiating table with some level of parity with the victorious powers. This sentiment of betrayal from a quasi-democratic government led to the strong feelings within Functionalism of a rejection of the democratic principles; that they had permitted "individuals to rule over the collective will".

The Function of Man

The Socialist Workers' Party was the fastest growing political group throughout the last twenty years of the 19th century.

Gaëtan de Trintignant wrote Functionalism's seminal text, The Function of Man, in 1881. The Parti Populaire nominally venerated the book, although its more radical prescriptions were often ignored as party leadership found it preferable and, at times, necessary to work within the existing system. Duclerque had a personal copy of the text that he read in times of uncertainty, and he made it required reading throughout students' academic careers.

In this text, Trintignant outlined the basic principles of Functionalism. They were written as the culmination of years of political experimentation wherein which the Marshal had attempted to consolidate his critical views of both individualism and 'perverse collectivism' and his concerns of moral and social decadence stemming from a common cause of the Weranian Revolution. The Function of Man was written as an attempt to scientifically curate a political ideology on the basis of sociology distanced from Rationalism, and it was nominally supported by sociological observations on communal and collective identity, economic prospects, human attitudes towards 'social abnormalities' and what Trintignant called 'absolute order' - the need for 'someone to tell you what to do'.

Much of the book was written by Trintignant throughout the years of 1870 and 1875, though it underwent numerous edits until it was published six years later. To give credence to his book, Trintignant consulted many of the up-and-coming social scientists making names for themselves across Gaullica; such as Dajuat and Subercaesaux. Though they eagerly provided him with sociological theory and observations, neither endorsed the book.

When it was finally published in 1881, Trintignant viewed the work as a failure as no political body within Gaullica had taken interest in it.He also viewed the events of Sougoulie as a disappointing 'rejection' of civilisation and wrote that he was unsure if he had overestimated the "capacity for civilisation" amongst Gaullica's colonial subjects. Indeed, Trintignant felt that his "political revolution" had failed as he wrote in his memoirs, The Reflections on and of War. The final years of his life saw the foundation of the Socialist Workers' Party, Gaullica's first Nemtsovite party.

Âge des Gens Heureux

The Âge des Gens Heureux, (The Age of Happy People) has been mirrored to the Estmerish Long Peace and the Weranian Prachtvolle Epoche. Gaullica's adversaries emerged from the War of the Triple Alliance with increased prestige and power. Despite the fact Gaullica lost the war, it emerged with minimal loss to territory - only succumbing to allied requests for independence to both Kesselbourg and Hennehouwe. This period of history, that extended from 1860 - 1910, was marked by increased cultural, scientific and technological advancement, an improvement in living conditions in the metropole and the expansion of Gaullican influence across Coius through both direct and indirect colonisation.

The sense of cautious optimism that began the era gave way to a full-blown acceptance of eternal peace and economic prosperity by the turn of the century, as Euclean academics discussed the unified advancement in humanity throughout this period. Verlois, arguably already the most important city in the world, maintained the leading presence as a cultural, economic and scientific centre. Other cities within the empire, such as Adunis, Montecara and Rayenne grew in size and global influence. In spite of these statuses large portions of the Gaullican population were impoverished. This led to many of the 'benefits' of this era of "unprecedented peace" to be unfelt by the general population, who increasingly grew to radicalism. During this era socialist movements arose across Gaullica, notably the Socialist Workers' Party that would go to form the SGIO, and grew rapidly as large political clubs and parties within the lower chamber of the Imperial Senate.

Concurrently, as the general population held resentment against an industrial upper-class and rich aristocracy, the military maintained strong criticism against the civilian government beneath the monarchy as having failed the nation in the War of the Triple Alliance. Revanchist sentiment was held strongly by an increasingly war-hungry general and officer staff, and many military figures were partial to Functionalist thinking given their association with Marshal de Trintignant.

Throughout the Âge des Gens Heureux, Gaullica's colonial empire expanded. The Saint Bermude's Company in Dezevau was consolidated into the Bureau for Southeast Coius. Territories in Bahia and Rahelia were further consolidated, and Gaullica's integration of Montecara and Atudea into the metropole continued. Several treaty renegotiations took place with Shangea to bring nations closer together following Gaullica's support for the country against Etruria.

One of the hallmarks of this period was Gaullica's hosting of the 1904 Invictus Games in Adunis, a bombastically popular event that saw the nation display its 'recovery' from defeat and prestige in a sporting event in the 'holiest of cities'.

- 'Belle Époque' vibe with a nasty, bubbling undercurrent
- Rising 'threat' of socialism
- Expansion of empire
- Functionalist thinkers' reaction/responses to the Etrurian-Shangean war.
- Success of the 1904 Adunis Invictus Games
- Advancement of the futurist cultural movement and the subsequent allegiance to functionalism.

The Great Collapse and the Rise of the Parti Populaire

- Economic collapse and radicalism
- Government's failure to initially deal with crisis brings about economic depression
- Functionalism rises to popularity as during this period Duclerque, now leading the first avowedly 'Functionalist' party, makes a name for himself.
- Hotly contested 1919 election, with PP winning and SGIO coming in second.
- Expulsion of Aurélien, coronation of Constantin III.

The Great War

Tenets

Functionalism is characterised as being a particularly non-traditional form of conservativism. A highly statist ideology, Functionalism's main aims and concerns as outlined by the theories of Trintignant and their adaptations into the framework of the Parti Populaire by Rafael Duclerque were to "bring about and maintain the ideal society". This often led to a largely pragmatic approach to economic policies depending on the situation and a fairly overall socially conservative policy focused on traditional gender roles, deference to authority and the idealisation of traditional institutions in society. However, according to Olivia Édouard's assessment of the ideology, "Functionalism, at times, practiced pragmatic social policy - as was the case with women being encouraged to enter the workforce during the war."

Civic nationalism

File:UNEMPIRE.jpg
The idea of Gaullican identity transcending ethnicity was a strong motivator in the attitude of 'civilising' the colonies.

Unlike most other Euclean political entities which developed nationalism as an ethnic identity, Gaullican political theorists were often critical of that concept. Traditionally, nationalism has been held to have been born by the Weranian Revolution of 1785, with Weranian radicals associating their ideas of radical republicanism with that of a unified Weranian ethnic identity.

In Gaullica, by contrast, the idea of ethnic nationalism was in principle rejected. Instead, some scholars have argued that a separate strain of nationalism grew there. Porthos Asselineau, writing in the early 1900s, compared the 'identities of the peoples of Euclea' and described of the Gaullican thought process that: "ethnic nationalism makes no sense, Gaullican identity is achievable. It is a civic identity, beyond the constraints of blood and ancestry." According to Porthos, the 'nationalism' present within Gaullica was a "nationalism of culture; one not set in on racial or ethnic lines, but on values and a way of life that others can be educated into."

In his seminal work, The Function of Man, Gaëtan de Trintignant wrote on the topic of race extensively. In the opening of his chapter: "The Peoples of Gaullica" de Trintignant states that "race is not real". Functionalist doctrine and ideology on race was largely dismissive of race as a factor of identity. Trintignant surmised his belief on what it meant to be 'Gaullican' as not being attached to the 'fabrication of the Gaullican ethnic group', but a set of cultural, linguistic, moral and value-based institutions and practices. He compared it extensively to what he called 'Weranic Nationalism', which he argued was exclusively concerned with "linguistic brotherhood".

To Trintignant the Gaullican identity was a civic and cultural identity that one could join into by assimilation; it was an inclusive identity that individuals from around the globe could and should aspire to be apart of. He described the primary goal of Gaullican imperialism to be a great "mission to spread civilisation". In this regard, many contemporary thinkers describe Gaullican nationalism to have evolved into that of 'civilisational identity', with Estmerish historian Paige Moss referring to it as a "a mimicry of Solarian identity".

The way in which this approach to nationalism was adopted has been brought into question by theorists from within and without Gaullica. In spite of what the Functionalist belief may have outlined, many policies within the empire were implemented strictly on a racial basis. Blanchiment was a Gaullican colonial policy adopted by the empire and maintained and expanded by the Functionalist regime that encouraged white men in the colonies to marry indigenous women in the hopes of 'whitening' their progeny.

Additionally many critics of the theory including Gaullican socialist thinker Éliane Bruguière argue that the functionalist idea of the 'civic-cultural identity' was an exportable form of 'ethnic nationalism'.

Authority

Constantin III, Emperor
Rafael Duclerque, Premier
Despite the fact that, as Emperor, Constantin embodied the principles of authority within Functionalism, executive power was invested in Duclerque.

At its core, Functionalism is an authoritian political system because it views any form of differing from the opinion of the sovereign to be detrimental to the 'good' of society Functionalism espouses the belief that the state exists beyond the structures and institutions of society and is actually a physical representation of collective cultural consciousness. In this regard, it is an extremely statist ideology. In the eyes of the ideology the states' apparatuses exist to serve cohesive functions for the betterment of society and its inhabitants. Rafael Duclerque famously compared the state to the intricacies of machine: "each part is unique, individual and special; but a gear has no purpose unless it is within a grander concert."

Opposed to democracy, liberalism and socialism, Functionalism mandates the investiture of power in a strongly centralised authority. Whilst Trintignant exclusively referred to this entity as an absolute monarch, ostensibly the Gaullican Emperor, when implemented in Gaullica the investiture of power was focused in the position of Premier; Rafael Duclerque.

Basile Vaugrenard, a Functionalist jurist, wrote several treatise in which he supported the Parti Populaire's measures of negating the influence of the Senate: "Democracy, the idea of voting in governments, does nothing but foster divisions within society. People become affiliated with political parties, and their identity to a greater collective is superseded by party-membership."

Throughout its existence in dominating politics in Gaullica following the end of the Great Collapse, the Parti Populaire aimed to curtail the influence of the democratic systems of government by numerous means. Initially, numerous political associations were branded as 'enemies of the state' including the SGIO - at the time the second largest party. Following this the party granted the position of premier numerous executive powers over the course of late 1919 all the way through 1921. These ranged from the ability to dismiss members of the senate, to dissolving the senate at will, the ability to supersede the senate on its duties of appointments unilaterally as well as complete subvert the institution in regards to assessing the budget. At the conclusion of his term's limit, Rafael Duclerque declared a motion in which his term limits were suspended.

Communauté populaire

File:TheWomanWorks.png
'Filles de l'héroïne', a Functionalist propaganda poster highlighting the duties of women during the 'National Necessity'.

Trintignant surmised that "if a state has an institution within it; it serves a purpose. If it served no purpose, it would have no use to the state." Whilst he did argue that you could divide the constituent parts of the nation into as many arbitrary pieces as you wanted, Trintignant settled on four distinct social groups that encompassed all others: the government, the family (or women, depending on publication), the armed forces and the church.

These four social groups are at the forefront of Functionalist belief in the Communauté populaire, (People's Community), the mechanisms used to keep people - and therefore society - united, prosperous and happy. Each of the four social groups had a specific duty in the theories of de Trintignant.

  • Women/The Family: In functionalist thought, the family was seen as the primary unit of socialisation. Family units had to instil in young people the norms and values of the Gaullican culture at its most basic stage; and needed to continue to repopulate the Gaullican nation. To enforce this in practice, the Parti Populaire offered great incentives for families to continue having children, instituted a far stronger and robust model of welfare for those children, and provided tax rebates to families with many children (as from three or more.) Women were permitted to enter 'non-traditional' areas of employment through a policy known as 'National Necesssity', especially during the time of total war.
  • The Church: de Trintignant remarked that "faith builds community and provides direction". In the view of the functionalists, religion, even if not factual, provided a strong sense of communal bond and was the base of all forms of identity that superseded it. As far as they were concerned moral direction, subservience to authority, and these strong communal bonds were best exemplified by Gaullica's largest religion: Solarian Catholicism. Because of its established authority within Gaullica, the Parti Populaire was forced to compromise on issues with the Church. In this regard, whilst the functionalists may have wanted to centralise authority within the secular government, they were forced to maintain clerical involvement in all sectors of society.
  • The Military: Viewed both as an honourable institution and an exemplification of human duty as well as a necessity in a view of the way states function, Trintignant viewed the military highly positively. This largely stemmed from his own service. He viewed the military as a defence of the communal body of the nation by itself, and that increasing it's strength would achieve success for the nation. As a realistic ideology, it viewed the strength of a nation to be the predicate to its success. The Parti Populaire adhered to the existing empire's reliance on the military, yet continued its expansion, prestige and dedication to innovation within the military - such as allocating enormous resources to research and development in the field of armoured warfare, aircraft, rocketry and the like.
  • The Government: The government, being viewed as an organic entity, and often compared by analogy to the body, found itself as the primary facilitator for all facets of life. Trintignant viewed the government as a 'mother for all society' and instilled in it the responsibilities of rearing up the collective children; but also providing work, security, safety, good health and education for all of society. Because of this, he viewed elements of non-compliance as in democratic and liberal societies as weakening this message. To consolidate this vision of a 'paternal' state, functionalism in Gaullica worked at eroding away at the elements of democracy within its governing system and sought to entrench itself within power.

These four sections were often compared, via analogy, to the human body. They were argued to work best together for a unified goal, and both Trintignant and Duclerque simplified the explanation by comparing them to the organs of the human body.

Action and conflict

Yvette Crevier was a high-ranking 'Veuves', and known for her usage of extreme violence.

Functionalism is predicated on the necessity of political violence, as an integral part of the mechanism to both create and defend the environment for the 'perfect state'. This view on violence is one that glorifies it as a direct aspect of humanity. Trintignant often referred to it as a "natural" state of the human condition; and that violence had served as a legitimate means for settling disagreements, disputes, territorial issues and breaches of the law. In this sense, it was rooted in some of the elements of the applications of Mersenne's biological discoveries to politics.

This predication on legitimate political violence led to the creation of numerous paramilitaries, most famed were those of the Parti Populaire during their rise to power in the 1910s. These were the Chevaliers de l'Empereur and the Veuves de Sainte Chloé, led by Gwenaëlle Cazal, one of Duclerque's most trusted associates. In practice, these organisations were used to intimidate political opponents, beat opposition on the street, instigate violence and carry out terrorist attacks. Once the Parti Populaire took power, both paramilitaries were organised under a new name, the Maréchaussée (Marshalcy). Led by Gwenaëlle Cazal, this new police force and party apparatus had the authority and blank cheque to investigate 'enemies of the movement', 'enemies of the state', and 'degenerates', and deal with them with impunity. One of their first acts was a purging of labour union leadership, the killing of high-profile SGIO members, and even assassinations of prominent anti-war liberals within Kesselbourg and Hennehouwe.

These principles glorifying violence also translated onto how Functionalism views inter-state relations. A realistic political position in the topics of international relations, Duclerque emphasised the necessity for the projection of power - and that the only "currency respected in the international order is monopolised violence". This view of military action, conflict and violence led to Functionalism preoccupying itself in an ever-increasing armament for an eventual global conflict.

The institution of the military itself was praised, adored and almost venerated by Functionalists. Trintignant, a serviceman himself, viewed the military as a structure to imitate. He praised the meritocratic yet hierarchical nature of the Gaullican military, and exemplified its use as a model for some levels of bureaucratic government. Functionalist attitudes towards the military are universally positive, in both propaganda and legislation. The Parti Populaire increased the funding of the military substantially, including to its pension funds to widows and children.

Economic policies

File:FTLOGO.png
The 'Fédération du travail' was set up to coordinate and control all trade unions within Gaullica.

Functionalism described itself as being anti-capitalist and anti-socialist. Trintignant's writings explicitly reference the ideology as a "syncretic solution to the question of economics", and he himself maintained that capitalism was a system that was inherently unconcerned with the state and socialism was too preoccupied with achieving a stateless society. Trintignant wrote within his works that the efficacy of capitalism must be controlled by the state to ensure complete subservience to the Communauté populaire, and that the profits turned for social good and state success rather than economic gain. Socialism, on the other hand, he disparaged as being too "societally destructive" and viewed their ideas of a stateless society to be naïve. One of his proposed purposes of the duties of the state was to deal with the economic concerns of the working class.

Duclerque, he himself originally holding left-wing economic views in his youth, was far more vocally critical of capitalism in his remarks and positioned his party as an "alternative to economic determinism". Officially, Duclerque made corporatism the economic policy of the Functionalist movement. He believed in an irrevocable "moral evil" within capitalism, decrying it as an individualistic, materialistic and liberal quest for "infinite profit on a finite world". Duclerque was strongly influenced by Catholic positions on economic justice and tried to reconcile the economic elements of socialism whilst detaching them from their internationalist positions. His corporatism aimed to reconcile the "best of both systems" by placing the state as an arbiter between corporate workers and labourers. Duclerque eventually denounced the socialist idea of class conflict and instead championed the cause of class collaboration.

The extent to which Functionalism operated as pro-worker or pro-business fluctuated. Żyścin "Justin" Żowanu, three time Minister of Finance for the Functionalist Regime, was replaced over his opposition to implement "pragmatic policies". Duclerque privately held that "economic ideology isn't important, what the nation requires is". The Parti Populaire backtracked on several of their public positions of the nationalisation of the businesses that many had viewed as being responsible for the Great Collapse, though the threat of nationalisation was utilised to ensure businesses kept aligned to the regime and its "economic realities".

The Bourget dam was one of five 'great dams' built by the Functionalists as part of their public work programmes to rejuvenate the economy and provide cheaper electricity for industrial production.

Functionalism passed many pro-worker pieces of legislation in its initial period of control, though would often juggle this with the demands of the business sector. Within six months of coming to power the Parti Populaire mandated compulsory union membership across Gaullica under the 'Fédération du travail', a Functionalist trade-union organisation. Despite this, corporate interest was maintained in Functionalist economic poilicy and the regime later reneged the right to strike on the basis that as the negotiator between workers and business it would ensure equity through the Ministry of Corporations and Labour. Industrial action and worker 'agitation' was a crime punishable by death.

The Parti Populaire brought about a series of progressive economic reforms as part of its renegotiation including increases to disability and unemployment benefits and the guaranteeing of paid vacations and sick leave, among other policies. Functionalist social programmes were described as "robust and generous", rivalling or eclipsing all Euclean societies.

One of the most notable elements of the Functionalist economic agenda were numerous immense public works and infrastracture projects to revitalise the economy following the Great Collapse. These included the building of important civilian and military infrastructure in both the metropole and the colonies, including the completion of the highly prestious Trans-Bahian Railway. The Ministry of Public Works oversaw the creation of hundreds of new schools and hospitals as part of this programme. Additionally, Gaullica's hydroelectric power output increased eightfold during the 1920s through the creation of numerous dams across the Aventines.

The desire for economic self sufficency was also a driving force behind the pragmatic approach Functionalists took to the economy, but their belief in 'self-sufficiency' extended to all aspects of the empire as a single entity.

Modern commentators have tried to concisely describe Functionalist economic policy. According to Magnus Fleischmann the economy displayed "clear elements of dirigiste thinking, though that style of economic thinking was first used to describe Gaullican economic policy post-Great War. Most modern scholars agree that Functionalism is strictly corporatist in economic terms, though "highly pragmatic".

The “Nostalgic Future”

File:SalazarSpeech.jpg
"The Day of Tomorrow", one of Duclerque's earliest public speeches as Premier, called on people to look forward to a "nostalgic future".

Functionalism maintains a view on society that has been described as a synthesis of palingenesis and modernism. This synthesis is best exemplified in a declaration from Duclerque, who during his first speech as Premier in 1919 declared that to prepare Gaullica for the future it needed to "born anew". The Functionalist view of modernism was fixated on scientific and industrial advances, praising the modern world for the great leaps of human ingenuity and intelligence in the creation of new fields such as aviation, cinema and industrial management. In this way, Functionalism selectively chose what elements of modernism it deemed as ideal for a national rebirth whilst rejecting those it did not deem suitable. For instance, Functionalism rejected the sceptical nature of the modernist movement's uncertainty in science and dismissal of religion.  

Ultimately, Functionalism viewed societies developing on a path towards an idealised goal of perfection. The developments of the modern era were espoused as necessary and to be celebrated if they could be controlled by a 'benevolent state' and utilised for righteous purposes, as opposed to contribute to a "culture of decadence". Functionalists were highly critical of the individualistic aspects of modernism as an affront for the human collective, and aimed to purge these elements from their movement. Instead they aimed to bring about the concepts of modernism they found agreeable in the 'national reawakening' of Gaullica, whereby the nation would finally "purge itself" free of the corruptions of liberalism, socialism and individualism and recreate new classes of "dedicated warriors to civilise the world".

Such a synthesis of ideas was named the "Nostalgic Future" by Functionalists, indicating that there would be elements of a traditional past in a better tomorrow. Much of this was related to the Gaullican idea of the "la Perpétuation" and the need to continue it, harkening back to a proposed continuous existence of knowledge that had been disrupted by the Age of Revolutions.

Aesthetics and culture

Trintignant described Functionalism as a "manner of being" as opposed to a mere political ideology. Duclerque, in the charter of the Parti Populaire, stated: "Functionalism is more than a political ideology; it is a movement of the human being to achieve perfection. Perfection in the arts, physical, political and spiritual." Following its arrival on Gaullica's political landscape by 1890, cultural movements arose within academia to try to apply Functionalist principles to the arts and sciences. The most forefront of these movements was the Futurism movement, which became the cultural wing of the Functionalist political machine.

The Parti Populaire set up a Ministry of Culture to direct and encourage artists to develop the ideas of the "Nostalgic Future", the state-as-organism, and the development of all aspects of life through technology.

Architecture

Main entrance of Grand Palais, Paris July 2014.jpg
P1030956 Paris Ier La Samaritaine rwk.JPG
Paris 75016 Fontaines du Trocadéro 20090815.jpg
Three architectural styles that reshaped Functionalist Verlois (left to right): Beaux-Arts, Art Nouveau, and Art Deco
Hall of the Future, Lavelle

Architecture experienced a major upheaval in Gaullica around 1910. Three styles competed for influence at the start of the decade: Beaux-Arts, Art Nouveau, and Art Deco. The Beaux-Arts style was a traditionalist school that extolled Gaullican opulence; it was deeply associated with Evelin and her legacy. Emperor Aurélien was associated with the Art Nouveau movement, as he endorsed its project to blur line between the fine and applied arts. Official advocacy for Art Nouveau ended with his forced abdication, as his son Constantin became a major benefactor of the nascent futurist schools, particularly Art Deco. Duclerque, too, was a devotee of Art Deco and commissioned many of his personal projects in that style.

Despite their support from Gaullican engineers, builders and artists—particularly those from Verlois and Rayenne—these three major styles were not without challengers. Taking inspiration from trends in Southern Euclea, Functionalism adopted the principles of rationalism and stripped classicism in most architectural designs that required monumental scale. Stripped classicism aimed to evoke an Imperial and Solarian heritage of monumentality at a fraction of the cost of earlier styles, while at the same time alluding to the vigor of modern industry by using the visual language of the factory. Rationalist and stripped classical buildings became common for public housing, schools, and hospitals. Notable examples of the style include the Hall of the Future in Lavelle, a series of apartments in Verlois known as 'Le Bosquet' and expansions to the Rayenne Institute of Technology, particularly its nuclear research facilities.

Despite the popularity of these three styles among leading Functionalists, the regime had no official policy on architecture beyond one of convenience, and competing Functionalists lobbied for their favorite architects and styles. The legacy of the era is that portions of Verlois are mosaics of architectural taste.

Art

Gérôme Matthieu, Forms in Non-linear Space (Formes dans un espace non linéaire), 1913. A Futurist depiction of an automobile.

Art under Functionalism was instrumentalized to promote physical fitnness, communal identity, the worship of national heroes, Gaullican unity, and the Communauté populaire.

The most prominent Futurists were Florentin Delsarte, Victoria Legaullois, and Gérôme Matthieu. Each was a committed Functionalist and exemplified Functionalist principles through their art. Futurism promoted the incorporation of technology into the wider culture, lauding new developments like the automobile, airplane, and mass industry as both key technologies for advancing society and tools for the creation of new art.

Delsarte, famed for his work emphasizing Functionalism as a social movement, used broadly interpretive styles to convey his messages. Work like his led art critics like Sophie Brown to describe Functionalism as having themes of "submission, duty and glorification of violence".

Perhaps the most famous of the Functionalist Futurists was Matthieu, who was one of the first Euclean artists to travel the world in search of reference material for his works. His paintings depict an idealised, racially harmonious Gaullican Empire.

Cuisine and food science

File:Pyramide-functionalisme.png
The pyramide alimentaire

The Functionalist emphasis on health, beauty, and strength also found an expression in Gaullican cuisine. Health minister Nicolas Saunier believed in a "restructuring of diet" to in accordance with the latest in nutrition science. Under his direction, the Ministry of Health became concerned with diet and fitness.

The Ministry of Health embarked on a propaganda campaign to improve the Gaullican diet. Saunier collaborated with the Ministry of Agriculture to develop a pyramid of food consumption that instructed consumers on the proper balance of food groups and adequate portion sizes. The Great Collapse had brought malnutrition to the forefront of the national dialogue, and it was a running concern of the 1910s. Fruit and vegetables were pushed to the forefront of the national diet as a response. Within hospitals, schools and workplaces posters called on the public to "eat their greens" and to "restore the health of the nation". Restaurateurs and cookbook authors created vegetarian versions of popular dishes, though the public was not always receptive to abandoning pot-au-feu and coq au vin in favour of cutlets made from beans and chickpeas.

In 1921, Duclerque appointed Georges Gaston to lead the Ministry of Health. Gaston had an unorthodox view of food and consumption and was of the belief that Gaullicans ate too much cheese, which he believed made them pessimistic and lethargic. He lobbied the government, unsuccessfully, to replace much of the public's dairy consumption with eggs due to his belief they were a "miracle food", making adults grow stronger and children grow faster. The unsuccessful policy, which was not adopted, was known as the "Neuf œufs" campaign.

The government emphasised the appetite-suppressant properties of cigarette smoking and promoted the "healthy" use of tobacco, though this was a relatively small campaign aimed for individuals who were overweight.

Movements within Functionalism became concerned with the experience of eating and the aesthetics of the dining experience. These movements were fringe and did not influence the national consciousness, though did infiltrate some elements of higher society. Several Gaullican restaurants became famed for 'randomising' the order of cuisine delivered to the table. Others experimented with light, temperature, music and discourse when eating, with varied results. The Bucentaure, a famed restaurant in Verlois, experimented with stimulating all senses during the dining experience: complimentary fragrances were sprayed during courses, 'tactile food' to be touched was provided whilst ate, running water was used stimulate hearing and dishes were purposefully made to be bright, extravagent and appealing to the eye.

During the war, Functionalist food scientists worked on developing food bars for general soldier consumption and rationing, whilst others experimented with making alternative products that could no longer be made due to embargos and global shipping difficulties.

Unisex clothing, featuring suits, ties and trousers with sharp, striking lines, became an iconic element of Functionalist dress

Fashion

According to fashion historian Valerie Laver, Functionalist fashion was concerned with "sleekness and speed", rejecting the fashion of the preceding decades as "burdened with excessive ornament, cumbersome, and heavy". Functionalist thinkers and designers emphasized clothing that was lightweight, practical, and elegant but inexpensive. In contrast to the billowy clothing of the past, new fashions had the clean, aerodynamic shapes of the industrial era. Designers emphasised that fashion should be practical as well as attractive and should encourage the body to move as naturally as possible, allowing the skin to breathe. They readily embraced mass production of clothing, experimenting with synthetic dyes and fabrics and challenging conventional attitudes about materials. Functionalists prized leather, which Duclerque described as "miraculous" in conversation with Jacquard, because it was sleek, water-resistant, easy to clean, durable, and strong. Leather jackets, boots, and accessories became highly popular and closely associated with the aesthetic of the era.

Major designers and fashion houses worked with the Funcitonalist movement. These included Santeràn, Casavant, C-de-B and Leroux Moulin. Marc-Antoine Jacquard, who was the first member of Verlois's fashion scene to publicly declare his support for Duclerque, designed the uniforms of the Parti Populaire's paramilitaries. Jacquard and his collaborators adopted the idea of women wearing trousers, which had previously been associated with the Feminist movement, describing the concept as "empowering and bold" as befit a movement that prized strength and determination.

Film

Napoléon Fétique, an avowed Functionalist, was highly influential in the early development of film

At the dawn of the twentieth century, film was a thrilling new medium. Cinemas were opening across Euclea by the hundreds, and filmmakers produced artistic and commercial works at a frantic pace. Verlois was at the center of the nascent film industry, with four major firms—Frères Fétique, Vaugrenard & Delaunay, Studio Chapuis and Société E.P.—competing for the tastes of the lucrative middle classes. Studios tempted the new bourgeousie with dance productions, historic epics, romantic melodramas, and slapstick comedies.

This freewheeling period came to an abrupt end as the Great Collapse dried up capital overnight, forcing filmmakers to work on shoestring budgets and theaters to abandon their previously lavish decor. Despite the hardship, cinema clung to life commercially as the masses looked for cheap entertainment and an escape from the drudgery of hard times.

The Functionalists took advantage of the economic downturn by offering struggling actors and directors a financial lifeline, commissioning films that sold Functionalism to the masses. Directors such as Napoléon Fétique, Émeric Pélissier, Cédric Vaugrenard and Arsène Emmanuelli took the Functionalists up on their offer and formed the group Les cinéastes du futur (Cinematographers for the Future). Duclerque ensured that the group's films were widely shown, often free of charge, to a public hungry for entertainment, redemption, and revenge.

Duclerque's generous funding allowed directors to make great leaps in film technology. Functionalist cinema saw triumphs in art direction, special effects, character makeup, lighting, and sound. Some of the most iconic scenes in cinematic history are from Functionalist productions: a rolling shot of the Verloian skyline taken from a biplane from the film Voler!, the superimposed images of the titular characters in Léa & Mélodie, and the final sequence of Dîner à l'Utopie, where the stark contrast of black and white geometric patterns communicates the protagonist's suicidal spiral. Fétique and Vaugrenard in particular were masters of cinematography and were instrumental in developing new techniques, like aerial shots and early experiments in color photography.

In contrast to the free hand they were given technically, filmmakers were far more circumscribed in their works' themes and subject matter. Functionalist film was, according to Minister of Popular Culture Simon Vandame, to be "evocative, inspiring, and hopeful". Films often dealt with duty, honor, the need for authority, and the dangers of individualism. Frères en guerre, the historical epic Claudius and the forerunner of science fiction Pour Dieu each tackled a Functionalist 'theme' in depth. Claudius, for instance, a film detailing the Solarian general and later Emperor's consolidation of power in the Gallia province, highlights the necessity of a strong authority to unite disparate groups for common purpose.

By the 1920s, the Parti Populaire's role in Gaullican cinema had gone from benefactor to dictator. Duclerque granted Vandame and the Ministry of Popular Culture censorship power over the entire industry, precipitating a flight of socialist and liberal directors and actors to Werania, Caldia and Rizealand. Vandame tried to salvage the industry's prestige by establishing a series of awards in 1926 that he bestowed on films that best exemplified Functionalist ideology, emphasizing morality, commitment to communal values, and "functionality", which was defined as serving an external purpose beyond that of art.

The onset of war killed the last vestiges of artistic value in Functionalist cinema as the industry was directed entirely toward producing wartime propaganda.

Leisure and sport

File:CROHoliday.png
Porquerolles, a popular beach resort, became a favourite of CRO rail holidays.

Given their foundational concept of the state as a living organism and constant references to the body politic, the Functionalists were concerned with the health and physicality of the population on a deep ideological level. Functionalism regarded physical strength as an innately desirable trait for the individual and for the collective. In The Function of Man, de Trintignant asserts that a physically fit individual is a morally superior individual, and that sport, which he praises as one of humanity's greatest creations, "channels human ambition, strengthens the mind, and reveals the latent glory of the body".

The Parti Populaire promoted a physical lifestyle by making sport and exercise as widely available as possible, both in school for children and after work for adults and families. Minister of Education Alceste Bescond made physical education compulsory for students of all ages. He placed an emphasis on physical development and fitness through both individual exercise and team sports. During his tenure, schools across the metropole had to administer regular fitness tests, judging students' strength, endurance, speed, and teamwork. Students who failed these tests would be punished, usually with more extreme exercises.

Schools had to offer at least two sports from a list given by the government. Typical sports included football, fencing, boxing, wrestling and athletics. Bescond made it mandatory for schools to affiliate with the Fédération du travail, where students would do manual labor, nominally to foster a strong work ethic but in practical terms to provide free labor for the regime.

For adults, the government set up the Corps Récréatif Ouvrier (CRO, Workers' Recreation Corps) which organised after-work leisure activities for the working men and families of the nation. Membership was free, and it was easily the largest Functionalist organisation in terms of raw numbers, with well over 60% of the workforce participating by 1927. The CRO organised the creation of sports facilities and created clubs for people to practice sports, leisure and recreational activities at affordable prices. Additionally, by utilising the nation's vast rail network, the CRO provided holidays for workers and their families.

This emphasis on leisure was an attempt to evoke not only a sense of communal identity with fellow workers but also to foster an acceptance of societal conditions and the idea that work was a place of enjoyment as well as duty.

Literature

Functionalism's relationship to literature in general, however, was hostile. During the 1920s, Duclerque ordered that liberal, feminist, and socialist texts be censored and oversaw the burning of works which were considered particularly threatening. These included Du corps humain, a work on homosexuality and transsexuality; Honnêteté et équité by revolutionary socialist Anatole Brasseur; and most famously Eine Tragödie, which Duclerque condemned as "the vanguard of individualistic thought" for its tragic retelling of the story of Weranian republicanism. The Parti Populaire made a show of burning Eine Tragödie at rallies across the nation, particularly at universities. Book burning intensified during the annexation of Flamia as the government wiped away any sign of liberalism and flooded the territory with pro-Functionalist literature. It continued during the Great War, though it became rarer as most objectionable texts had long since been destroyed. The largest single instance of book burning occurred in 1928 during the occupation of Estmere, when Gaullican authorities and collaborators sacked the Institute for Sexology in Morwall and set the entire collection of books ablaze. The Institute was later converted into a notorious "shock mill," where psychiatrists used electroconvulsive therapy to "cure" homosexuals.

Book publishing fell under the purview of the Ministry of Popular Culture, which dramatically curtailed the scope of what could be published. Books critical of the state, Duclerque, or Functionalist ideology were banned in 1923. Imported books were heavily censored or banned outright.

A concern for what the Functionalists called the "correction of history" pervaded nonfiction. It became an official policy of the Ministry of Education to produce a "correct" history for school and popular consumption. These works portrayed history as a narrative of great men and conquest, highlighting Gaullican military strength and cultural superiority, crediting the successes of the nation to superior values, and providing justifiction—often based on external, immovable forces—for Gaullican losses. The War of the Triple Alliance was a topic of frequent discussion and the setting for perhaps the most famous Functionalist novel, Sur le sang de nos pères (On the Blood of Our Fathers). The book harshly criticises the moral deficiency of Gaullica's Soravian and Valduvian allies, who are depicted respectively as barbarous rabble led by incompetent generals and cowards commanded by duplicitious schemers.

Music

The Parc de la Terre d'Or became one of the most famous parcs d'écoute.

Functionalist leadership had reactionary views on music. Music, as far as the Functionalists were concerned, should promote national identity and social cohesion. Like the other arts, it fell under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Popular Culture, specifically its sub-section, the Department of Harmonious Symphonies, and was often the subject of rigorous censorship.

The Parti Populaire promoted classical music as an edifying high art to be bestowed upon the masses, favoring the works of traditional Gaullican composers such as Gabriel Saint-Saëns, Dorothée Tourneur and Alexis-Louis Bonis. Functionalists selectively promoted certain genres of classical music, notably impressionism due to its focus on orchestration and liberal usage of harmonics. In addition to classical music, Functionalists held folk and religious music in high regard.

To ensure the availability of music for all, the Ministry of Technological Advancement developed an affordable radio, which was produced in 1925 under the name L'Oreille (The Ear). The Functionalist government also created parcs d'écoute (listening parks), acoustically designed outdoor spaces with loudspeakers where music was played for the public.

One of the most musically reactionary Functionalist policies was a rejection of jazz, which had a vibrant scene in early-1900s Verlois. Functionalists viewed jazz as unsavoury, even disgusting, because of its origins in the Black communities of Satucin. It was particularly threatening because it inverted civic nationalism—Gaullican sensibilities were being absorbed into a foreign cultural entity. As a result, jazz clubs were shut down, jazz music was taken off of the airwaves, and jazz musicians were banned from performing. Many jazz artists fled to other Euclean capitals, only to return at the end of the war once the ban on jazz was lifted.

In spite of leading Functionalists' conservative view of music, some Functionalist musicians still experimented with new ideas in music technology and composition. Futurists, in particular, were interested in pushing the medium forward, and Aleksy Theremin, a Miersan Functionalist, created the theremin, one of the first pieces of electronic musical equipment.

Theatre

Jérôme Pomeroy

The Functionalist establishment revered classic plays. Prosper Feydeau's works, such as Le Comte de Dinesie (1588) and Rien, rien! (1601), and Thècle Honorine Geiger's adaptation of Jacques Prévost's Usbek de Yeruham, cornerstones of Gaullican cultural identity, were held in the highest regard. Functionalists rediscovered the works of classical Piraean and Solarian playwrights and staged new productions of ancient dramas, often altering their themes and messages to align with Functionalist ideology. Schools made these traditional plays an integral part of their curriculum and put on their own productions.

Yet, as with literature, there were schools of thought within Functionalism that sought to break convention. Alceste Bescond, Minister of Education, encouraged avant-garde artists who were interested in subverting expectations, incorporating technology into the theatrical experience, and using source material from lowbrow forms like parody and vaudeville. Functionalist playwrights were tasked with the creation of "modern classics" that aimed to ensconce the ideal of the "Nostalgic Future". Some applied cinematographic tools and techniques, such as advances in effects and set design. There were two competing visions of theatre: glamorising the past and promoting the future. These two schools of thought occupied two distinct sub-ministries within the Ministry of Popular Culture: the Department of the History of Theatricality and the Department of Theatricality to Be. The regime left these two departments to their own devices and had the overarching ministry collect data on their respective fiscal performances.

Due to this dichotomy of theatre, there were two distinct 'genres' of theatre within Gaullica at throughout the Functionalist era. On the one hand were the 'traditionalists', who honoured the Functionalist agenda through its portrayal of retold 'classics' and devised new stories within these traditional narratives. These were popular amongst all groups and were usually heroic epics, thrilling dramas and harrowing tragedies with recognisable archetypes of the 'hero' and the 'villain'.

The other school, associated with the Department of Theatricality to Be, was viewed to be more 'innovative'. It devised its own cadre of stock characters: the 'everyman', the 'fighting-woman', the 'science-averse', the 'ideal colonial', and others. These theatre productions were often more experimental, featuring: comedies, tragi-comedies, musicals and silent dance routines. One of the most famous pieces of Functionalist theatre derived from this school of thought was the comedic Histoires d'histoires, a light-hearted satirical story of a man from the future obsessed with the methods of the past. The main character was a staple of Functionalist mockery: the "science-averse" boor, characterised by his slow speech, portly figure, and dim-wittedness.

Gender and sexuality

File:TheFunctionalistFamily.png
La famille fonctionnelle was the phrase used to describe idealised families with as many children as possible. The women in these families were viewed as "heroines".

Trintignant wrote at length about the roles of "both sexes" in his work. He identified men as warriors and earners and women as carers and socialisers, and argued that the most natural responsibilities for the respective sexes were action and love. This dichotomy, which was rigidly upheld by most Functionalists, established two distinct groups of individuals. While this concept was not revolutionary or even unusual for its time, Trintignant also made the more radical argument that in cases of great distress and emergency—the "National Necessity"—these roles were to be ignored. He drew on the philosophy of ancient Piraeans such as Theocritus and came to the conclusion that in dire circumstances, such as a war for survival, women trained to an excellent standard could be "almost equal" to their male counterparts, and thus could contribute to the success of the nation.

Rafael Duclerque viewed this analysis of the family structure as sacrosanct. He believed in the separation of duties between man and woman on the basis of a biological interpretation of physicality and nurturing that translated into social duties. Due to this belief, the Functionalists increasingly implemented legislation and orders that limited the fields in which women could be employed in by numerous metrics. First, women were withdrawn from the workforce to lower unemployment rates among men; then, married women with children were prevented from working as anything other than teachers or nurses. This prohibition was extended to all married women by 1926. Duclerque felt that it was "a tragedy that women work, when their true calling is the most important in any nation: the rearing of the next generation". To encourage their status as the "honoured producers of the next generation", women were given awards based on the number of children they bore under a scheme called L'Honneur des ancêtres (The Honour of the Ancestors). Men were expected to adhere to the traditional concept of masculinity encompassed by typically Southern Euclean machisme. They were to be physically strong, decisive, and headstrong, and to be providers. Failing to fit this prescription often led to social ostracization and medical examination by the regime. Young men were required to perform a year of military service between the ages of 17 and 19, both to contribute to the national defense and to socialize them to be aggressive, strong, and focused on the collective instead of the individual.

The Functionalists were interested in youth, which was viewed as a time of action. They saw young people as embodying potential but also danger, thus requiring strong influences in order to produce the next generation of committed Functionalists. This obsession with youth was both a physical one, as young bodies were admired for being at the peak of human fitness and energy, and a spiritual one, as the young are filled with energy and drive. Duclerque praised the "generations of the future" and Functionalist educational policy was geared toward producing ideal citizens.

Functionalism was preoccupied with a terror of decadence and moral decay. The Ministry of the Interior campaigned aggressively against contraception, homosexuality, pornography, and prostitution under a policy called the Guerre contre la décadence (War on Decadence). Each was viewed as a "spiritual ill" that weakened the nation's moral character and physical health. Contraception was viewed as antithetical to the function of the family and a "perverted" science of Estmerish design. Contraceptive devices were banned from general sale, though the regime found it difficult to prevent access to condoms (which were provided at state-run brothels) and the rhythm method. Homosexuality was seen as a disease that feminized men and masculinized women and directly threatened the regime by robbing it of children, a position the Catholic church enthusiastically supported. Homosexuals were "treated" with various pseudoscientific forms of conversion therapy, including electroshock treatment, surgical and chemical castration, and aversive treatments. Functionalists viewed pornography as a psychological contaminant that prevented the growth of mental faculties in young men and distracted them from their duties. Content deemed pornographic was altered or banned outright, with works of art, film, literature and theatre forced to adhere to the new standards. Duclerque had built his political reputation by opening shelters for women engaged in prostitution, a system that started as a form of voluntary "charity" but which then became the core of the government's new scheme of state-run brothels. The Functionalists outlawed sex work outside of these institutions, though illegal prostitution was widespread in all major cities of the empire.

Functionalist Ideologies

National Solarianism

Palmeirism

Notable Functionalists

Criticism

Gaullican President Sotirien Roche described Functionalism as "revolutionary conservativism", noting that whilst it found itself rooted in conservative principles many of its policies brought it into conflict with established elements of society. Functionalism challenged the position of women in society and was willing to go against societal convention for the necessity of war and the economy, fought the church over the role of the state as an apparatus of identity and placed a great emphasis on an imagined future rather than a historic glory. In this sense, Roche's assessment was that "Functionalism merged the carefully drawn lines of public and private life, as it aimed to consume all facets of it". Because of these factors, Roche called the movement "a conservative socialism" or a "socialist conservatism", to much criticism, though he clarified he did not truly mean 'socialist' in the political sense, but as a comparative point.

Legacy

In popular culture

  1. de Trintignant, Gaëtan. “Letter to the Gaullican People.” Verlois Herald, March 15, 1861.