Balkanized Space

Balkanized Space is an astrographic term for an area of space dominated by non-aligned world-states.

• Anytime two or more world-states form a single multi-world governing polity, they become known as pocket empires.

Description (Specifications)

The parts of Charted Space not dominated by the large interstellar states of the Major Races have two other major possibilities:

• Some of this non-major-race space is occupied by independent powers, usually known as Pocket Empires. These are small fry to the larger powers and usually end up conquered , made allies of, of otherwise co-opted into larger power structures.
• Much of the rest of non-major-race space is Balkanized Space.
  • Balkanized Space is alternately called "Free Space," "Pure Chaos (Anarchy)," or "Non-Aligned Space."
  • It is a vast stretch of world-states, smaller pockets of societies and civilizations that have yet to come together to form the smaller political entities known as Pocket Empires.
  • In Balkanized Space, anything goes. Might makes right. The gun rules or... Alternately some groups come together on a planetary level and form communes, monestaries, artist's villages, unrestricted mining conglomerates, and anything else that can pop into a sophont's mind.
  • You name it, it can happen in Balkanized Space.

History & Background (Dossier)

In the study of Sophont Xenoarchaelogy or Civilization, polities or governments take a similar path of development for many sophont species:

• 1. Proto-sophontdom: The evolution of a species to develop various kinds of basic technologies, called "internal technologies," such as language, advanced intraspecies cooperation, and biological adaptations free of external technologies such as tools or fire.
• 2. The Rise of Technology: At this stage, a species develops external technologies such as tools and fire. Of course, such "external technologies" are highly dependent on the environment and species themselves. Jovionoids, for instance, often exist in environments where fire is not possible. Other species may exist on fluid worlds with vastly different environments and environmental limitations than the typical terrestrial planet with a Terra-norm environment.
• 3. Band Societies: The first non-herd groupings by society form and generally take on hunter or gatherer roles, and often a mix of the two for omnivores. These are nomadic groups, for the most part, and show real signs of cooperative behavior and society-building. The key identifier for a band society is the presence of both external and internal technologies including tools and sophisticated social organization or hierarchy.
• 4. Chiefdoms: Most chiefdoms require a more hierarchical leadership as agricultural or other food-producing technologies are developed. These groups build the first villages and even cities. The key identifier for a chiefdom is that permanent or semipermanent facilities have been established. Band societies are overwhelmingly mobile or nomadic.
• 5. City-states: Eventually chiefdoms grow into modern polities, various kind of monarchies, despotisms, democracies, and the modern polity designation codes. A key structure of modern politics is the city-state, an urbanized area and its associated dependent areas.
• 6. Nation-states: Collection of city-states form larger polities called nation-states, which often possess many commonalities: ideology, religion, race, etc. These nation-states quarrel and gradually grow into the next step...
• 7. World-states: Eventually, one nation-state achieves dominance and slowly absorbs the smaller polities at which point a planetary or world government is formed. Some world-states are not true world-states, they still have balkanized governments and cannot form a unified world policy. They still function in effect as unified world-states but lack the political power or negotiating power to deal with larger interstellar entities effectively.
  • Thus the World-state is a stage in the development of sophont civilizations.

Later steps include the development of:

• 8. Smaller Interstellar States (Pocket Empires)
• 9. Larger Interstellar States (Hyperpowers)

References & Contributors (Sources)

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• Author & Contributor: Lord (Marquis) and Master of Sophontology Maksim-Smelchak of the Ministry of Science