Fever (politics)
In politics of Esquarium, a fever is a term used to describe any socio-political movement by an authoritarian regime that employs populism and violence to achieve its goals - usually the removal of ideas and people that the regime considers undesirable. In most cases, a fever causes widespread cultural destruction and stalls economic development if it lasts long enough.
The term originates from the 1960s, when the Namorese Liberationists led by Antelope Yunglang launched the Movement to Implement Comprehensive Liberationism Throughout Namorese Society. The movement became colloquially referred to as the Green Fever, a phrase used in an editorial by the Liberator announcing the movement's inception.
Characteristics of a fever
Txo Bojeng, a political scientist from Namo University, noted that movements labeled as "fevers" by the media shared the following characteristics:
- The targets of fevers are commonly figures within the government or ruling party, especially those who are seen by the initiator of the fever as a direct threat to his power. However, this does not mean people outside the government cannot become targets, especially when the fever spirals out of control
- Fevers promote a cult of personality, usually around the ruler and his allies
- Fevers mobilize the masses - especially the youth - organizing them into units dedicated to preserving the leader or party's rule
- The mobilized masses then publicly humiliate individuals suspected of opposing the leader. Sometimes, this is accomplished through physical violence
- The persecution of suspected opponents to the regime is not officially described as a repression, but a "revolt" that is intended to take down perceived "reactionaries"
According to Txo, fevers are different from cases of "controlled repression" in that they give the impression that the country is in a state of unrest. Violent attacks against Jews in Teutonia, for example, would not be considered a fever by definition because "the repression was orchestrated in such a way that its perpetrators may swiftly clean up the mess it causes afterwards. They don't involve people clashing with police."
Movements described as fevers
| Movement | Country | Date | Initiator | Organization(s) mobilized to execute the fever | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green Fever | Namor | 1940-1950 | Antelope Yunglang | Green Youth Organization | Because it is the origin of the term fever, the Green Fever is sometimes referred to as "the Fever" by historians |
| Little Green Fever | Katranjiev | 1945-1972 | Huankun Chen | 1st of July Movement | Some academics have argued that there were two separate fevers: one from 1945 to 1959, and another from 1967 to 1972 |
| Anti-Reactionary Movement | Jabar | 1983-1988 | Yousef Rahman Kamudi | Sarraj-Communist Youth League | An attempt to purge Jabari society of "reactionarism, capitalism and see the development of socialist values". |
| The Hurricane | Ankoren | 2016-present | Evren Volkan | Young Pioneers of the Union | Comparisons between the Hurricane and the Green Fever in Namor were disputed by the Ankoreni dissident media outlet Voice of Liberty and Freedom, which contended that the Hurricane cannot be considered a fever because it is a "controlled chaos" |
Other uses of fever
Throughout the NMR 2330s and NMR 2340s, some Liberationists accused the Democratic Socialists of manipulating and radicalizing the youth to overthrow the establishment, characterizing their actions as a "blue fever" in a reference to the party's color.
Some Xiaodongese officials described the 2017 Xiaodongese Protests as an attempted fever, including First Minister Xi Yao-tong.