The French Empire

[Marchand]

This place gave me some inspiration for what offworld colonies of the French Empire might be like in 2300 / 2320. The tricolore fluttering over exotic flora and fauna, and all that. It's even got a spaceport...

http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Launchers_Europe_s_Spaceport/SEMZ3QWA6QD_0.html

 

[Waldemar]

The brief clip introducing the spaceport in French Guyana invites a much more advanced question. What is the mood in France as of 2320 AD? What are the general impression from the culture in metropolitan France and French Africa. It is still an important nation in 2320 AD. Is there any materials on its media or corporations?

 

[rfmcdpei]

The brief clip introducing the spaceport in French Guyana invites a much more advanced question. What is the mood in France as of 2320 AD? What are the general impression from the culture in metropolitan France and French Africa. It is still an important nation in 2320 AD. Is there any materials on it media or corporations?

Nothing I'm immediately familiar with.

Were I to guess about the state of affairs in Terran France, it would be that this country is very profoundly multicultural on the ground even if that multiculturalism isn't granted much status. Between the Arab and Berber populations of the Maghreb, the Wolof of Senegal, and the diverse populations of French Central Africa, along with the smaller populations of the French Caribbean and Pacific territories, you've got a non-European France that outnumbers European France 2:1. Throw in the "Guinea Coast Union" running from Côte d'Ivoire to Togo, and you have a very interesting Terran France.

 

[Anders]

My take on the French Core mood is that it is mixed. Some great triumphs, but also an awareness that something is very wrong.

As I run it, the French retain the classical view that the nation represents civilization. They are, and have been for as long as anybody remembers, THE superpower responsible for everything. Yes, others have contributed in valuable ways, but the French empire is the spearhead of mankind, the leader of the free world. Think of current America (including its hurt surprise when ungrateful foreigners criticise its good intentions) - including that a sizeable number of the citizens are getting pretty tired of the current government.

The French empire is getting into serious instability. The years under emperor Ruffin may have been politically stable and relativly free compared to under the junta, but the economic prospects don't look great, French pride has been hurt and domestic problems are building up - massive corruption in some parts of imperial france, high taxes to finance the vast spacefleet, criticisms over the handling of everything from the Kafer war and colonial independence to agricultural subsidies, Saharan transports and the relationship with the arabian neighbours (given the composition of the empire, it is safe to say that France and the arabian nations have close and complex ties). It might just be too high expectations, but it could also be the kind of decay that marks the end of a colonial empire.

One key problem might be that as the central power is struggling with slowing growth and enormous expenses the rest of imperial France suddenly feels left out. Why spend those megalivres on the French Arm when the Senegalese peanut farmers cannot afford to upgrade their hydroponics? When will the trans-Saharan railway be online again - it is *much* more important for more people than terraforming Sans Souci. As long as everybody saw that the future was brighter than the present they would accept whatever Paris said. But if the money is not coming, the economy is not growing and the bureaucracy is stifling - local elites are getting restless and disloyal.

To me, as an extremely non-nationalistic Swede the most alien part of the setting is the nationalism. I think it is essential for understanding how the empire holds together: it is the force that may make the French try for a new government or a new policy, rather than dropping the empire. To quote one of the rebel NPCs in my campaign:

"France is something far more than the current Empire. The third Empire will pass just like ones of Napoleon I and III, a temporary ripple on the sea that is France. France is a civilization: a culture, a way of life, a set of ideals, an identity. It is represented by the tricolore, be the meanings of its colours "Paris and the rest of France", "liberté, égalité, fraternité" or "loyalty, purity and bravery".

We might rebel against France on Earth. We might set up our own just government and perhaps remain a nation apart for all time. But that does not mean we are leaving French civilization. We are the Kimanjano part of this civilization."​

As an aside, I think racism is an interesting angle of the French empire. On one hand the different people have been together for a long while in a successful empire with mass communications. On the other hand there is still a clear distinction between metropolitan france and the periphery, and pretty clear centralistic views of what constitutes proper culture. I would expect racism among the French to be less about skin color and more about integration: can you speak proper French and refer to the "in" media stars, or are you a colonial bumpkin? (I always thought the picture of the emperor in 2nd ed looked rather african, in fact)

 

[Anders]

Is there any materials on it media or corporations?

I think this is an important area: just as any roleplaying game set in the early 21st century ought to mention what big american companies, stars and other icons influence culture and news, 2320AD ought to mention some of the big French names.

In my own game the French chemical corps are pretty active: Vendée Spatiale, KimChem, Saint-Pachan, NP-BL, Ubifrance, Ashgate Struct, Michelin, Paris Petrochem and ELF Aquitaine (in our world ELF merged with Total Fina, but in the Twilight war timeline this never happened and the company has remained in business for over 335 years).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_companies_of_France can easily give ideas for lots of company names.

But what about names for the major French politicians? Sports stars? Celebrities? Most common link shows? As far as I know there is no canon material about it, which is a shame. We better invent it.

 

[rfmcdpei]

The French empire is getting into serious instability. The years under emperor Ruffin may have been politically stable and relativly free compared to under the junta, but the economic prospects don't look great, French pride has been hurt and domestic problems are building up - massive corruption in some parts of imperial france, high taxes to finance the vast spacefleet, criticisms over the handling of everything from the Kafer war and colonial independence to agricultural subsidies, Saharan transports and the relationship with the arabian neighbours

Honestly, having a media magnate be in a position to declare himself emperor of a powerful empire reminds me a bit of what Berlusconi has been trying to pull off in Italy.

(given the composition of the empire, it is safe to say that France and the arabian nations have close and complex ties).

There might be an adversarial relationship between greater France and the UAR. There's also an adversarial relationship between the UAR and Arabia, so perhaps the UAR is surrounded? Or something.

(I always thought the picture of the emperor in 2nd ed looked rather african, in fact)

There was some brief conversation on the 2300ad mailing list years ago about how apparently something in canon defined Ruffin was a "black Algerian." Inasmuch as there isn't such a population at present, this seems to suggest some substantial population mixing in subsequent centuries.

What I wrote a while back about Tiranean and Nibelungener colonists coming back to Earth would go doubly, triply for people travelling--commuting?--between France and its outlying territories. Throw in Europeans who, for centuries, would have seen France as the nucleus of the European continent, and you've got a very diverse population.

 

[Anders]

Honestly, having a media magnate be in a position to declare himself emperor of a powerful empire reminds me a bit of what Berlusconi has been trying to pull off in Italy.

It does, doesn't it? The fun thing is that 2300 came out long before he prime minister for the first time (1994). I have a hard time not seeing Ruffin as a kind of synthesis between Berlusconi and Sarkozy.

There might be an adversarial relationship between greater France and the UAR. There's also an adversarial relationship between the UAR and Arabia, so perhaps the UAR is surrounded? Or something.

2320AD states that UAR and France vie for dominance among the north african nations. Given that Algeria, Chad, Djibouti and Senegal are part of imperial france, there is a large and complex cultural border between French civilization and pan-arabism. Eritrea and Mauretania speak French, suggesting that they are culturally close. Ubangi-Shari, Berbera, Morocco, Polisaria and Tunisia seem to be the real cultural battlegrounds: get desert greening technology from the UAR, access to the imperial markets from France, or try to play them against each other? It is probably a bit like how the EU and Russia right now is playing across Eastern Europe - tempting offers of cooperation, hidden threats of cutting off supplies, heavy cultural influence from both.

It actually makes the region a pretty interesting setting for gaming. Imagine Birao in Ubangi-Shari as a setting. Battling catholic and muslim missionaries, Harmattan winds vs. UAR solar chimneys, Egyptian ecotechnologists with extra agendas, critical NARL ecology inspectors, a local biotechnology firm that wants to try a radical invention to break into the global market, French investors/spies, weird combinations of local animism with second-hand Eber and Pentapod spirituality, visiting Tiranese ecotourists (or are they Provolution agents trying to forment a new front in the war?) and some apparently wealthy retirees from Tier 2 nations who for some reason seem to want to keep the whole place surveillance free...

 

[rfmcdpei]

It does, doesn't it? The fun thing is that 2300 came out long before he prime minister for the first time (1994). I have a hard time not seeing Ruffin as a kind of synthesis between Berlusconi and Sarkozy.

The latter comparison raises the question of whether or not Ruffin has a Carla Bruni. ;-)

It is probably a bit like how the EU and Russia right now is playing across Eastern Europe - tempting offers of cooperation, hidden threats of cutting off supplies, heavy cultural influence from both.

The UAR's position relative to France might be improving of late. The clincher might come if it managed to rise from Tier 4 to Tier 3 and became a stutterwarp power in its own right. I'm honestly a bit surprised that the UAR has come so far without acquiring this technology, though I suppose that between Manchurian interest in cultivating another friendly Chinese Arm power and global tantalum shortages such might be possible.

Tunisia might be a particular hotbed, with its symbolic (and unfortunate?) location squarely between French Algeria and the UAR. Which wins out: Long-standing ties with the Francophone world or secular and modernizing pan-Arabism?

It actually makes the region a pretty interesting setting for gaming. Imagine Birao in Ubangi-Shari as a setting. Battling catholic and muslim missionaries, Harmattan winds vs. UAR solar chimneys, Egyptian ecotechnologists with extra agendas, critical NARL ecology inspectors, a local biotechnology firm that wants to try a radical invention to break into the global market, French investors/spies, weird combinations of local animism with second-hand Eber and Pentapod spirituality, visiting Tiranese ecotourists (or are they Provolution agents trying to forment a new front in the war?) and some apparently wealthy retirees from Tier 2 nations who for some reason seem to want to keep the whole place surveillance free...

Some of the most interesting things always come from the margins.

Your quotes from the Kimanjano radicals about belonging to French civilization without being politically French reminded me that there are three polities where Francophones live without being French.

* Much the newest is Elysia/Élysée, with its ecologically and anti-colonial radicalism. Its direct influence would be strongest in the French Arm, perhaps particularly but not exclusively among the Francophone colonists. Some of the smaller and/or poorer French regions in the Core might also be influenced by it.
* Switzerland presumably still includes the Francophone cantons of the west. The Swiss relationship to France might be interesting. All that we know about it in canon is that CERN was based there in the late 21st century, that and what's in E/CS.
* Canada, especially the province of Québec, might be the most interesting place. Even after Québec's reincorporation into Canada, that province might have been the main focus of French attention. (Maybe Québec, not Ontario, is now the dominant Canadian province. A Francophone majority is probably too far). Politically part of the Commonwealth, astrographically with holdings in the Chinese Arm (and Tirane), and politically stable, Canada could be the base for all kinds of French operations: a destination for political dissidents, a portal to the Chinese Arm, an area of competition between different intelligence services ...

 

[Anders]

There is also the breakaway colony on Adlerhorst. They seem to be mostly trying to keep it functioning.

As I see it, Elysia is the Cuba of the French arm. Subjects to various embargos, not doing terribly well, yet the darling of various anti-colonialist intellectuals and environmental groups. Who have a hard time balancing between supporting Elysia and not supporting Manchuria (if nothing else, it is easy for their colonialist enemies to tar them with a Manchuria-loving brush). Elysia tries to support groups like Autonomie Coloniale and give refuge to rebels from Kimanjano, but it has small resources and mostly delivers words. However, it keeps French authorities busy with various embargo-breaking schemes.

On Earth there are many regions of Africa that are francophone without being directly in the empire. I think even the corners of the empire that see Elysia as a model also recognize its problems (perhaps more clearly than people on the Arm): even the poorer nations of Africa probably have living standards and infrastructure that rival or supercede Elysia's. On Earth you cannot escape French power, you have to accomodate or subvert it.

This is what I imagine Tunisia doing: get French and UAR tourists and commuters by sun, an uncrowded environment and slightly less stringent laws. Tunisia doesn't want to join either UAR or France, it thrives by being an interface. So the authorities are not running France's errands, but they will make sure nobody upsets the nice status quo.

Meanwhile Polisaria might be shopping for international allies in order not to be too dependent on the French - or forcing them to bribe them more. It has practically no resources on its own (phosphate mines gave an income until modern agrifactories made them irrelevant, the solar collector arrays are uncompetitive on a fusion energy market), the UAR greening in the region has been more a gift than a real investment. So what the nation can offer is a location in the middle of arid nowhere not terribly far from French holdings and a government who will not ask any questions...

 

[Waldemar]

In my impression, I imagine that the 12th Republic and military government both had a definitive dirigiste and centralist outlook. The question is if emperor Nicholas Ruffin has changed this? The term "free-market advocate" leaves quite a degree of interpretation.

When it comes to popular culture, I get the impression (extrapolating from France in the 20th century) that it is very divided. You have a distinct intellectual elite culture and a distinct popular culture, without the large "infotainment" we see today. Opinions?

 

[Anders]

French dirigism is of course particularly problematic out on the arm; either it leads to a lot of power vested in governors (who are then selected for being trustworthy and from the right grand ecole culture rather than brilliant) or a long turnaround time as the colony has to wait for orders from Earth.

In my Kimanjano campaign this is a major contributing factor to the chaos on the Arm - as long as everything was going fine there was no problem, and the French military knew more or less what it was doing. But now rapid, risky and local decisions are needed.

I think the Emperor may have set out to decentralize and liberalize France, but in the process got bogged down. Lots of vested interests to deal with, a sluggish bureaucracy, corporations with dangerously close ties to government agencies that hold significant political clout and a French public all for liberalisation as long as it doesn't cost them any security. The Kafer war did not help - now the formerly toothless military became important and the emperor had to take it into account again, even if it no longer held political ambitions. So now he is more trying to hold things together than reform the empire - and that is the nice interpretation, the nasty version is of course that he has become corrupt and power-hungry.

Actually, I wonder a bit on the limits of his power. I doubt the French voted him dictatorial powers, so clearly he cannot do everything he wants. Any expert on plausible French imperial constitutions?

 

[Waldemar]

If it is similar to the Second French Empire (1852-1870) and the principles established in gaullisme I would guess that Ruffin has the rather extensive powers granted to a French president but adding the opportunity to extend his powers piece by piece by the way of frequent plebiscites. It would sit well with the media emperor's image.

 

[Marchand]

The fall of the 12th rep, the junta and the revival of empire suggest that the concept of democracy is severely tarnished in 24th century France. One can imagine consumerism and celeb obsession taking the place of having a real say over how your country is run - providing the precondition for the "media emperor"'.

Napoleon I gave France a new aristocracy of his servants, mostly soldiers. I can imagine Ruffin giving France a new aristocracy, formal or informal, of celebrities (for the glamour) and leading business figures (the real movers and shakers).

The whole idea that public life is hollowed out and replaced with dictatorship hiding behind the bread and circuses of reality media shows, gossip about the imperial elite etc. seems to fit with the dystopian spin to life on Earth given by 2320. Also reminds me of the old saying that SF is always really about the time when it was written!

 

[rfmcdpei]

The fall of the 12th rep, the junta and the revival of empire suggest that the concept of democracy is severely tarnished in 24th century France. One can imagine consumerism and celeb obsession taking the place of having a real say over how your country is run - providing the precondition for the "media emperor"'.

Hedonism?

The whole idea that public life is hollowed out and replaced with dictatorship hiding behind the bread and circuses of reality media shows, gossip about the imperial elite etc. seems to fit with the dystopian spin to life on Earth given by 2320. Also reminds me of the old saying that SF is always really about the time when it was written!

Third Empire France has a political culture similar to that of contemporary Italy? That's worrisome.

 

[Anders]

I like the idea of a media court! Versailles is just the place to host impressive balls for the papparazzi (an essential component of celebrity) to try picture. The emperor hosts various dinners and get-togethers with interesting people, apparently attentive and good at charming the people who need to be charmed. Mixed in with all this glitz there are real meetings that don't get reported - this is where the real deals are made, unobtrusively and outside any official oversight. A little cognac in front of the fireplace in Salon de Mercure with a certain industrialist and a certain admiral, and soon the next generation cruisers will get funding for those state-of-the-art neutrino scanners - and the right person will become mayor in Mirabeau next year. Of course, the big event in the media will be the earlier announcement that Lazare Caquot (the singer) and Adriana Lévêque (the games diva) now are engaged.

I don't see 2320AD's Core as a straightforward dystopia. It is a nanny state: most people are comfortably embedded in its numerous protections and have no real complaints - it is not even fake happiness, the majority of people simply do not have any grand or disruptive ambitions and enjoy a good standard of living and enough freedom. Sure, it is competitive if you want to be somebody, but most people are content just to press on enough to think they try.

In this situation people are rationally disinterested in politics: once ideology got thrown out the only reasons to participate directly was power and/or because you thought you could do a good job. As long as the politicians bring home the meat and do not make your situation worse there is no reason to vote, they are all roughly equal. When people actually take an interest and vote (or do a coup, like in Mexico) is when the politicians seem to be making things worse. Then there is a reason to throw the current set out!

I wonder if there has not been a drain of people genetically disposed towards adventuresomness and novelty seeking to the colonies. There is also a cultural factor: if most others are rather staid, people tend to imitate them and if you behave out of the ordinary there will be disapproval (and your parents may send you for psychological conditioning for excessive restlessness - for your own sake).

 

[Colin]

For many nations, this is one of the reasons they even have colonies. Allow those who don't fit in a place to be, but keep them handy in case of trouble. Military careers are more popular with colonial types, but the majority of senior staff positions are from the Core.

 

[Waldemar]

Then again, the emperor might be a radical driven by a hard-line free market ideological agenda. There isn't that much information about the nature of the government of emperor Ruffin.

What about playing the other side of the coin? This more heroic- napoleonic mood in the game might make for interesting play, with a progressive emperor trying to get through with his good intensions but hindered by bureaucratic red tape and relying on his media network to fight a hard struggle against entrenched interests.

For some people Berlusconi is actually a hero, and Napoleon Bonaparte did inspire quite a lot of hope and works of art, especially when compared with the old kings and emperor of Europe. It could also make for a fun roleplaying setting.

 

[epicenter00]

What if Ruffin is some sort of post-humanist (not a necessarily a trans-humanist)? Imagine if he's studied up on his history and decides as Emperor he's going to change the very way France is governed? He knows he won't live forever and while he believes he's a good and wise leader (don't they all?) he realizes that the next Emperor might not be so wise. That's actually been one of the backdrop plots of my version of the French Empire - Emperor Nicholas I's attempt to make a kind of government that runs itself with corruption worked into it channeled to more productive ends or simply minimized.

The people are satisfied by relatively good standard of living, beyond that the appearance of benefitting from new technologies is all that's really necessary. To entertain them, there's 3,000 channels on the vid! There's pomp and circumstance and gilding of official functions to let the people feel their government is secure and will everlasting. Malcontents of different degrees can be exported to the colonies. The best and brightest of them will return to Terran France and keep things from getting too stagnant. Otherwise, France will be ruled by industrialists and socialists massaged by psychohistorical Expert Systems/narrow-attention AI.

The goal of Nicholas I is to make France into a kind of technological Chinese Empire where future Emperors will be a kind of high priest or master of ceremonies, to preside at all of the nation's important rituals and to give his nod to those deserving. His real face would be that of the ultimate troubleshooter and hobbyist - even with his "perfect" government, he realizes that people will figure out loopholes in it. To some extent those loopholes are inevitable and put there to encourage growth and channeled change, but those who abuse it have to be tracked down and brought to justice. At the same time, the tremendous wealth of the Emperor could be channeled to long-range ends that aren't necessarily profitable but seen an vital in some way to France (as the best example of humanity) in some way. In this way, even the Emperor could have a satisfying career even though he's not really a true absolute monarch and the influence of bad Emperors in the future could be minimized, perhaps by codifying a system of "Grand Dukes" - abdicated Emperors who may step down for the good of state (due to age/fresh blood or disgrace) but would still advise the future Emperors (or the case of the ineffectual ones just living as a lavish ornament somewhere).

He's laid down a lot of this ground work, spent trillions of Lv into researching the proper technologies, but his closest advisors and think tanks don't feel the people of France are ready for it, so he's carefully massaging public opinion in his direction.

 

[Anders]

The West Wing meets court intrigue? Yes, Minister meets the Three Musketeers - with linkphones and laser mikes. Sounds like an interesting setting.

There is no reason why the true state of the emperor couldn't be a mix of a reformer trying to tear down the old and make the empire blaze, a cynical media-politician looking out for number one or someone forced by circumstances into endless compromise. All elements can be present.

Who would the other key players be? Representatives of major corporate conglomerates, independent super-rich and political networks are obvious players. There may be senior senators acting as power-brokers, giving patronage to politicians who follow them - and hence make themselves indispensable for the Emperor if he wants to get something through the national assembly or senate. Most of Les Colonels are probably out of the picture now, but a few may be hanging on as key power brokers.

I think the Catholic Church is nothing to sneeze at; there might be a papal delegate or cardinal around. France is blessed/cursed with numerous intelligence services (with interesting rivalries likely), and they would have a few prominent characters eager to be the one who informs the emperor of what is really going on. The media/spin staff is also cruicial, especially if there are frequent plebiscites. There might also be courtly troubleshooters: not quite assistents, not servants, just "consultants" for those sensitive tasks that nobody else can be trusted to do.

 

[Anders]

Epicenter's take on Ruffin is fascinating. I'm reminded of Yuan in Walter John William's novel Aristoi - the genius who managed to remake human civilization in his own image (OK, with the help of a bunch of other geniuses and at a very critical point in history).

With enough wealth you don't have to be a genius, you can buy genius and make use of it - but it probably takes a very unique kind of person to do it properly, listen to the right advice and to direct the projects towards the real goals. If Ruffin is such a person, even just in some domains, given the resources he has personally and can get France to apply, he can be literally world-changing (which doesn't mean things are necessarily going his way - think Napoleon).

Regardless of what Ruffin actually wants or is achieving, it seems clear that he is one of those larger-than-life characters history occasionally turns up. His person is influential far outside france; there are probably few people anywhere who do not have a strong opinion about him. In France I expect a big cult of personality, with styles and quotes from him being bandied around by nationalists.