your midnightly hyperfixation omake is here
"A Treatise on the Political Structure of the Minotaur Republics," by Friedrich Gelbfeder and Garnet Sky of the Gryphusisch Demokratische Verein, [1] published 28 AD
In the twenty-fourth year after the fall of Discord, the future ambassador Light Step initiated the Empire of Gryphus' first contact with the minotaur species, and by extension their four major Republics, or in the Minotauriki language, the
Dēmokratíes Minotaurikoi. These four city states--Labyrinthian, Knosos, Asterion, and Stratos--all practice a unique form of governance that contrasts quite significantly with the monarchical systems present in all other known lands. This treatise will examine the processes by which the minotaur states are administered, and propose methods by which these processes may be applied in our own Empire.
Dēmokratia: Power to the People
The underpinning principle of the Minotaur Republics is known in their language as
dēmokratia, literally translating to "people power". In short, a state following the principle of
dēmokratia vests most or all political power in the multitudes of its citizens, rather than in the person of a hereditary monarch or dictator--this opposing principle is known as
autokratia, "self power," with the "self" being that of the
autokrator, who exercises all power. Nearly all political entities known to the Empire of Gryphus, including Gryphus itself, are, in minotaur terms, based on the principle of
autokratia; for example, in our Empire, the
Imperator would be the
autokrator of the realm, as ultimately, all power flows from his person.
Demokratisch Organization
In contrast to an
autokratia, the form of citizen
dēmokratia practiced by the minotaurs invests power in two primary bodies: the
ekklesia and the
boule. Alongside them, there exist non-legislative magistrates for various governmental functions, and the rather informal
areopagos of elders.
Citizenship in a minotaur republic is conferred by two methods: birthright and service. Birthright citizenship is conferred upon someone if at least one of their parents, male or female, is a citizen (or only the father, in Knosos, since only males can be citizens there). Upon turning twenty years old, so long as they have not committed some wrong that would result in their birthright being stripped from them, they will be summoned before the
boule, traditionally during the second session of the month of their twentieth birthday. There, they will receive the ceremonial olive wreath from the
archon, and speak the words: "I am a citizen of…" whichever republic they live in. Offspring of citizens of two different republics typically choose which republic they wish to become a citizen of on their twentieth birthday. Service citizenship is conferred to those who perform valorous or otherwise significant deeds for the people or government of a republic--saving a life, or creating a cultural marvel, or discovering a new trade route, for instance. Ambassador Light Step received honorary service citizenship for saving the life of Gold Heart, daughter of Gold Touch, the superintendent of finances of Labyrinthian. Multiple full citizenship is not possible under the minotaur system; if it were, it would require the multiple citizen to participate in the
ekklesia of two different cities at once! However, one may possess honorary citizenship of more than one republic, or just one if they are a non-minotaur foreigner and not originally a citizen of another republic. Honorary citizenship confers the right to observe meetings of the
boule (anyone can spectate on the
ekklesiai), the right to settle in a republic, and exempts one from paying tariffs in a republic. Citizenship can also be taken away, usually for the most heinous of crimes, such as treason, murder, or grievous sexual offenses. There have also been instances of citizens renouncing their citizenship, usually when they choose to live in a different republic and acquire citizenship there, but also when they wish to retreat from wider society entirely.
The
ekklesia refers to any popular assembly which forms the lowest level of government in the Republics. Usually, there are a total of thirteen
ekklesiai in each Republic, twelve of which are designated as
ekklesiai mikrai, or "little
ekklesiai." These are the assemblies of each of the twelve
demes, or tribes, which compose each of the major republics--in the subordinate towns and cities, the number is usually much lower, and as the population of a city increases, more tribes are formed. All citizens belong to one
demos or another, and each
demos numbers, by custom, approximately 6,000 citizens, plus their dependents. Each
ekklesia mikra typically consists of 500 members of a given
demos who are over the age of twenty, selected by sortition twice per month, who are well-compensated for their attendance, allowing even the poorer members of society to participate in government. The
ekklesiai mikrai vote on laws proposed by the
boule and elect representatives to it, who then vote for or against proposals according to the will of their
demos. They also administer the affairs of their
demos and its ancestral territory: approving marriage licenses, construction projects, business licenses, and negotiations with other
demes. The other category of
ekklesia is the
ekklesia megas, the "great
ekklesia," which consists of 100 members of each
demos, selected by sortition, and meets, in most circumstances, once per year, on the eve of the minotaurs' new year's festival. In this gathering, the
ekklesia megas votes for certain magistrates that work alongside the
boule--commanders, judges, city superintendents, and the like. These are selected from the numbers of the
boule, and if one is elected to one of these positions, they cannot legally be a sitting member of the
boule, and must resign from it; however, this point is mostly moot, as new
boule elections always occur on the second day of the new year. Note that this rule is not present in all of the republics; Stratos and its dependencies, for example, allow military officials to sit in the
boule. The only other time the
ekklesia megas meets is to vote on declarations of war; none of the republics have convened the assembly for this purpose since before the fall of Discord.
The
boule, or the Council of Sixty, is the executive apparatus of a minotaur state. As its name suggests, it is a group of 60 citizens, five elected by the
ekklesiai of each
demos, which creates proposals for laws, approves treaties, negotiates trade deals, regulates finances, and presides over the granting of citizenship. It was this body that Light Step was brought before to receive citizenship in Labyrinthian; they had called a special session to perform the act, as he was the first non-minotaur to be granted citizenship since before Discord's fall. Elections to the
boule, as stated prior, occur on the second day of each year, though "special elections" may occur when a member dies in office, resigns, or is removed from their position. This may occur in several ways; the most common is the recall. This is a process by which citizens of a
demos may campaign for the removal of one of their
boule members, and their replacement with another. If the campaigners secure two-thirds of the vote of their
ekklesia mikra in favor of recall, the member must immediately resign their position and a new election must be called within three days.
Boule members may also be removed after being convicted for criminal acts; as with a recall, a new election is called within three days and a new member is elected. Resignation may occur for any number of reasons; the three most common are health issues, scandal, and, unique to minotaur society, self-indenturing. If a
boule member goes into monetary debt, they, like most minotaurs, will typically voluntarily enter into a contract of indentured servitude with their creditor. Indentured servants may not serve on the
boule, as they have another job that they do to pay off their debts, though they may still be selected for the
ekklesia.
Boule members, like
ekklesia attendees, are paid for their service, though many typically also have businesses which they run alongside their governmental duties, or which they have others run for them while in office.
Boule members may only serve five non-consecutive terms.
Boule members also may not attend the
ekklesia while they serve.
From the
boule, the
ekklesia megas elects non-legislative magistrates; these include the
polemarchos of the army and
navarchos of the navy; the superintendents of commerce, finance, and ceremonies; the high envoy of the republic; and the
archon, the ceremonial head of state, who receives ambassadors and makes official proclamations. The military officials, of course, lead the armed forces of their republic. The various superintendents coordinate with the legislatures and execute any policies within their portfolio that have been voted on and approved by the
ekklesiai. The
archon is usually one of the most senior members of the
boule, and a well-respected member of the community. Like
boule members, magistrates may not attend
ekklesia during their term.
When non-legislative magistrates retire, and if and when a
boule delegate serves the maximum number of terms, they are admitted to the
areopagos, the Fellowship of Elders. This pool of perhaps 1,000 citizens is the source of all judges in the republic, selected by the
boule; juries are selected by sortition from the
demes of the plaintiff and defendant.
Drawbacks and Benefits of Dēmokratia, and Implementation Methods
The greatest potential limitation of
dēmokratia is its relative slowness to come to a decision. To be implemented, a measure must first be introduced to the
boule, who will debate it, and if it is thought to be beneficial, they will send it for approval by the
ekklesiai, who debate it amongst themselves, and may ratify it, or may not. If more than half of a republic's
ekklesiai mikrai approve a measure, it is implemented. This entire process may take months, and in some cases, years to complete, and if a measure is defeated in the vote, it may be reintroduced some time later, restarting the entire sequence of events. Furthermore,
dēmokratia requires a high level of political engagement by the common citizen, which may, if they are not culturally acclimated to the process, disrupt their lives and livelihoods for seemingly little gain. Citizens must also have some level of basic education, though in Gryphus, this should not be a problem. [2]
However, it must be said that the sense of inclusion, of being heard, that
dēmokratia fosters among citizens of the Minotaur Republics would be highly beneficial in the continuing creation of Gryphus' national identity, and would, once people are used to the new system, greatly reduce resentment toward the actions of the state, should this ever arise. In addition, the system of
demes and
ekklesiai which govern the affairs of a given locality would likely ease administrative lag, by providing a local body that is directly accountable to the people of an area, being controlled by them directly. A body like the
boule could be implemented on the province level, or even on the Imperial level in a modified form, to assist in lower-level governance or provide a counterbalance to any potentially unworthy
Imperator who may ascend to the throne in times of crisis, respectively.
OOC Footnotes
[1] Gryphusian Democratic Society or Union. They're essentially a political salon based in the city of Lanner, which IMHC has the largest crystal pony population outside the Protectorate and Gryphusberg due to its location.
[2] What is the Imperial education system like,
@Questor? I know we have at least one university, in Crystal City, and I assume there's one in the capital of the Empire proper, but what about primary and secondary education? Is it mostly informal, private schools and tutoring, state-funded public schools? As far as I can remember there haven't been any quest actions regarding this. Since we're industrializing, we're approaching the material conditions in which the first modern public school systems arose.
