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 on the planet Aeia. Cardinal Socialism is less of a unified doctrine and more a wide array of philosophies based mainly around the reorganization of debt and land management. Cardinal socialists argue that the main negatives of society —oppression, censorship, economic manipulation etc. — all stem from the ability of one party to enforce its will over another, and that the solution is to remove this ability in the first place through universal equality. Under such a system, they argue, a society would naturally organize itself around the collective ownership of property, and the organization of general democratic forums, taking into account the needs of each member of said society.

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 Great War. The ideology was mainly seen as a solution to the massive inequality in land distribution, and an escape from the racial oppression of the Ovan Viceroyalty and Commonwealth.

Etymology

The term was coined in the late 1800's as a derogatory term for supporters of the Ovan Socialist movements, 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.

Philosophies

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 and founders of the ideology, would facilitate the necessary organization of civil unions, democratic forums meant to replace the functions of the state, and lead to the mass collectivization of property, abolition of the State, and the establishment of a system of universal equality, wherein no party, be it an individual or government, could enforce it's will over any other party.

This procurement has been proposed through several different lenses, the most common being populist violent Revolution wherein a major portion of the population violently overthrows the existing system of management. "Nonviolent Seizure" —When an organization assumes the role of the State in an attempt to seize power— has been attempted, notably in Ovandera, however this quickly transitioned into a violent revolution as the previous government attempted to maintain control. While these are the most common means of social change, other methods such as the proposition of Referenda and Democratic implementation have been proposed and pushed for in other countries.

The Freedom to Enslave

Cardinal Socialism primarily stems from Abolitionists and Land reformists and much of its ideology revolves primarily around capitalist society's power structure. The Cardinal's are intensely critical of traditional hierarchy, believing that it only leads to cruelty and injustice, often referred too as the "freedom to enslave". The ideology thusly takes issue with all forms of hierarchy, with particular emphasis placed on the ownership of property.

A reoccurring theme in Cardinal Socialism is, like in most radical socialist ideologies, the abolition of private property. Private Property, argues Koen Verena, one of the ideologies founders, 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, a system where an "object" —land, cattle, or person— may be "claimed" by another."

False Delegation

Another point of contention Cardinal Socialism has with "old society" stems from its hatred of liberal democracy, an issue of what it calls unjust Representation. Cardinal Socialists, particularly during the days of 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 traditional 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, which likewise ensures people choose their Representatives based on their ability to best represent the interests of the people, rather than the other way around.

Antitheism

Perhaps the most openly aggressive concept of the ideology, is its position on 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 cultural 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.

Reformist Communism

Reformist Communism is a philosophical standpoint that argues that a "Common" society will pragmatically handle societies issues through discussion and implementation, ergo unnecessary institutions will be dismantled because they are simply no longer necessary to maintain. Over time, common society will rid itself of "negative" aspects —say, as Money and Oil— because they are simply inefficient in comparison to modern tools.

For example, Cardinal socialists lack the common socialist trend of demanding monetary abolition immediately after the Revolution. From an analytical perspective, the Ideology argues that like any tool, Money has a use but can be used for other tasks. Ergo, Money isn't inherently the problem, it's how people are allowed to use it. Likewise, supporters of the ideology state that in an egalitarian environment, money would lose its ability to enforce power over others, and to demand its abolition would be contradictory in that you'd be enforcing your will over another party.

Practices

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 economy, have retained a formal currency in contrast to more rural regions where it was fully abolished.

One Economic Party

One Economic Party is the political ideology currently at play in the Ovan government. It 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." Economic Party States differ from traditional One-Party State's in that an Economic Party is meant to act as a formal replacement for a central government, rather than a group within a State set on a particular goal. The term Party here refers to the governments nature as a collection of forums rather than a traditional legislature or bureaucracy.

Economic Democracy

The term "Economic Democracy" was first coined in relation to an Economic Party and Industrial Democracy 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.

The process begins at the local level, based around democratic forums made up of members of any community. These forums, also referred to as Labour Councils, are meant to act as a direct assembly for the members of any community, through which they'd manage their local economy and handle local issues. Individual businesses within a community would be organized into industrial cooperatives, sending representatives to the forum in order to represent their organization as a single economic asset. This "party" of individuals and economic representatives is what is meant by the Ovan Communist Party or an "Economic Party". The Forums of different communities, and cooperatives within them, may likewise send delegations to a national forum, the Central Party, in order to facilitate agreements and economic actions between them. Any major decision, different from minor decisions such as day-to-day economic actions, that are made by this central forum would then be ratified via a referendum of the affected communities.