Penumbrism
Penumbrism 半影現象 | |
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| Founder | Fujita Shigeru |
| Founded | February 2, 1946 |
| Ideology | Economic Centralism Dirigisme Welfarism Technocracy State Capitalism Corporate statism |
| Political position | Far-Right (1946-1974) Center-Left (1974-2023) |
Penumbrism (colloquially referred to as "Ilbonese Capitalism" or the "Ilbonese Model") is a social, political, and economic ideology originating from the Agleian isle of Ilbon. Penumbrism was devised in the 1930s during the premiership of Nagano Toru as part of his initiative to create philosophies only applicable in Ilbon. Penumbrism has changed drastically since its founding. It was originally an economic philosophy meant to meet the needs of Nagano Toru's "National Defense State", a far-right concept that advocates mobilizing all parts of a nation's economy in preparation for war. Later on, after the Deluge, Penumbrism became less popular among conservatives and gained followers among Ilbon's moderate left-wing parties. Amano Katsuro, the "Tiger of Oikage" and 8th Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Ilbon, sought to change Penumbrism along reformist lines and made the philosophy much more than just one meant to help a country increase its wartime production. Penumbrism's core tenets underwent a drastic change, becoming more focused on general development as well as creating an economy that was diverse and benefited the general populace. In the modern day, Penumbrism enjoys a large following, especially among members of the ruling (BLANK) party.
Etymology
The term "Penumbrism" was coined during the 1932 Ilbon Industrial Expo, during which a late-night conference to decide the outcome of the expo was interrupted by a lone businessman noticing the particular color the Moon had that night. The other Executives in the room turned first to the lone businessman, and then to the Moon, inspiring them and leading to the conference members deciding that the ideas demonstrated during the Expo would all be combined and turned into a single philosophy; Penumbrism. A mystical connection between the productivity of an economy and the phases of the Moon has been proposed by Penumbrist theorists because of its origin story.
History
Founding
Kingdom of Ilbon
Republic of Ilbon
Tenets
Capitalism with a Human Face
Traditional capitalism is abhorred by Penumbrists and is considered one reason why Penumbrism came about in the first place. Originally, Penumbrists despised capitalism because of its perceived inefficiencies, proclaiming that they were "profiteers against capitalism". Over time, the ideology's tenents shifted more towards the left and Penumbrism's message changed to reflect this. Instead of focusing on just the inefficiencies of capitalism, they broadened their criticism to encompass the moral shortcomings of it and targeted its apparent connection to greed.
The term, "Capitalism with a Human Face", came about to describe their solution to the immorality of Capitalism. Business people are brave individuals for taking risks when setting the foundations for their businesses and are even more worthy of praise if their businesses succeed and make them wealthy, but this does not mean that they are above the people they once lived with. According to Penumbrists, it is their duty to give back to the people who brought them to where they are, whether that be the communities they came from or the workers who created the products and services they sold. Therefore, by being altruistic and practicing generous amounts of philanthropy, they not only remained "human" after attaining great amounts of wealth but also gave back what they took from society to get where they are. To Penumbrists, the penultimate goal of a businessman is to generate wealth so that they can enrich their communities and by extension the nation.
Capitalism with a Human Face has had direct effects on Ilbon. The existence of the nation's expansive welfare state and moderately sized welfare gap can be attributed to the influences of Penumbrism. Private insurance companies are mandated by law to have a clause in their contracts citing their commitment to achieving "Capitalism with a Human Face" on a corporate level, and businesses on a local level coordinate projects like the creation of parks or the creation of advanced schools for research and technology.