Library data: National Reemergence

Here's a library data entry that I cooked up to justify practically any
'theme' planet. If there's is sufficient interest I'll post other items
(I have to translate them from danish, so I won't do it unless it's
properly appreciated ;-)


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NATIONAL REEMERGENCE: Social and political phenomenon seen on scores of
solomani-settled  planets  in the wake of the fall of the 2nd Imperium.
During  the  400  years or so that the 2nd Imperium survived,  a goodly
number of the thinly settled planets in Delphi,  Diaspora, Massila, Old
Expanses and Solomani Rim sectors were colonised from Terra.  Emigrants
had  a  tendency to go to planets where people of their ethnic and cul-
tural  background were already established.  Nationalism as such was an
ill-favoured concept in the days of The Terran Federation and continued
to be under under The 2nd Empire.  Peaceful culturalism, however,  were
not,  and  different  groups  usually coexisted without any significant
trouble.
    But as the Twilight fell and  The Long Night  grew steadily darker,
ethnic and cultural sub-groups on scores of planets dug up old cultural
differences  and  used them as a rallying point to increase the group's
sense of identity.  These reconstructed cultures were usually extremely
romantizised, often twisted almost beyond recognition,  but all of them
focused  on a past glorious grandeur and a coming similar glory for the
group.  Examples  are the  'truebrits'  of Cymbeline/Solomani Rim,  the
'inheritors'  of Scandia/Solomani Rim and the 'neo-germanics' of Funft-
reich/Diaspora.  Often an old forgotten language were reconstructed and
made the national language at the same time,  usually at the expense of
the anglic that had been the universal language of  The Terran Confede-
ration  and  The 2nd Empire.  On  some  planets anglic lingered on as a
second language,  on others it was vigorously suppressed.  Many planets
were renamed at the same time.
    Many  planets in the Domain of Deneb and beyond it was colonized by
neo-nationalists.  When their planets were reintegrated into  The Third
Empire  there  were usually groups that preferred emigration to staying
under the new regime. Thus Caledonia/Glisten was colonized from Duncan/
Alpha Crucis,  Ghandi/Lanth  from  Cathay/Vega and  Olympia/Lunion from
Athene/Ultima.
    Opinions about neo-nationalism is sharply divided.  On some planets
it  led to a greater sense of community,  prevented polarization of the
society  and  propably  to  a greater or lesser extent saved the planet
from regression or destruction.  On others,  especially on planets with
more  than  one dominant group,  it led to balkanization,  wars and de-
struction.
[Last update for this entry 109-1085]


NEO-NATIONALISM: See NATIONAL REEMERGENCE.

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The 'last update' bit is something I came up with to inform players how
recent their information were. With electronic or holographic storage
individual entries can be updated seperately. Whenever you get access
to a reputable library data purveyor you have your computer run through
his data and update any item with a newer date. Some items gets updated
fairly frequently, other items rarely.


      Hans Rancke
University of Copenhagen
     [email removed]