Birlikism
 | This article is incomplete because it is pending further input from participants, or it is a work-in-progress by one author. Please comment on this article's talk page to share your input, comments and questions. Note: To contribute to this article, you may need to seek help from the author(s) of this page. |
Birlikism බිරලික Birlik | |
|---|---|
| Ideology | Chandan nationalism Cultural nationalism Multiculturalism Corporatism Guided democracy Republicanism |
| Political position | Right-wing (social) Syncretic (economic) |
Birlikism (Chandan: බිරලික, Birlik, lit. "oneness") is a Chandan nationalist political ideology based on the theories and actions of the Five Leaders of Chanda and is the founding ideology of the Republic of Chanda. It promotes the development of a Chandan national identity by a centralized corporatist state instead of a pluralistic liberal democracy. Since the declaration of the Republic in 1951, Birlikism continues to be the dominant political ideology of the country promoted by United Motherland.
Birlikism promotes a revival of the multiethnic cosmopolitan society and culture of the Akdoğan Khanate to form a Chandan national identity. It opposes the existence of ethnic nationalism, instead promoting social cohesion and cultural harmony between the ethnic groups of Chanda. However at the same time, it seeks to "modernize" their cultures by rooting out perceived social ills, "outdated" thinking, and "imperialist" cultural influences. In order to implement these ideals, the ideology supports the creation of a one-party state along corporatist lines. It rejects political pluralism and democracy as long as there is a perceived threat to Chandan unity. Birlikism does not specify a particular economic system, which has led to varying economic policies since the 1950s, ranging from socialist economics to state capitalism.
History
Birlikism was formulated as a reaction to the Chandan State's political and economic instability caused by ethnic strife and conflict after the country's independence. The origins of the ideology began with political thoughts developed by Abdug'ani Yoʻldosh, Nurlan Sabir, and Inomjon Alikhan. While at first the three formulated their ideas independently, they were introduced to each other by a mutual acquaintance in 1939. Together, the three politicians developed their political theories, forming a loose political faction.
In the beginning, they were mainly concerned with the instability of the Chandan State's democratic government. The three men began to reject the underlying Euclean constitutional ideals of the Chandan State as ineffective and dangerous for the country. While they embraced more authoritarian methods of rule, while at the same time, Sabir and Yoʻldosh supported some limited political pluralism. The inability of the government to govern effectively exacerbated the ethnic strife and separatist movements throughout the country, which in turn further destabilised the country. The three men quickly agreed that the people had to be united by a common cause, but disagreed how that could be achieved until they were approached by Wu Khar and Kadri Badi, professors of history at Chandan National University. The two professors introduced the idea of using the common heritage of the Akdoğan Khanate for a foundation of a common national identity. The others quickly embraced the idea and it soon became a critical component of their ideology. The five men, informally known as the Group of Five co-founded a political party known National Front in 1943. Sabir became its most prominent member and the first one to call the new ideology Birlik.
Doctrine
Nationalism
A key concept of Birlikism is nationalism (උනටෝඛචිලික; undeschilik), which carries two meanings in Birlik thought.