Uphill Writing

Continued from Part 28

New to this project: Start with Part 1

Part 29: Government

What kind of government will exist on your new planet?  Will there be one or multiple governments?  Will the peoples of your world, in their separate lands, have governments which are variations on a theme, or completely at odds with each other?  Will the governing structure of your planet change?  Evolve?

What, after all, is the purpose of a government?  Especially during the early days in the history of your world?  Protection, first, certainly  Finding a way to  stay free of attack from other groups, or animals.  Finding a way to stay safe from the elements.  In this way government and safe shelter have a lot in common.

Some possibilities for government systems to protect a young race on a new world:

• Choosing a place to live which, while very hard to get to and from, is even harder to attack
• Finding a ferocious animal, huge and deadly to attack outsiders, but which is “tamed” by the people of the village
• A triumvirate of equals who have power over the group
• Government by agreement
• Government by subterfuge

The real challenge when building your new world is to find ways to govern it that do not sound like political statements on your part–unless that is your intention.

Continued in Part 30

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