Sunday 11 November 2018

The Day After The Revolution

Poul Anderson, Harvest Of Stars, 39, 42.

Poul Anderson describes political upheavals realistically, giving proper attention to details and consequences:

the militia and most Sepo units stop fighting;

the Avantist leaders flee;

some claim asylum as the North American government in exile at the World Federation capital, Hiroshima;

the Liberation junta claims to be the interim government in the North American capital, Futuro;

the Federation Assembly discusses whether to recognize the new North American regime and will probably do so after an election;

meanwhile, the Federation Council accepts the junta's invitation for the Peace Authority to restore order and provide relief;

the Liberation Army is organized and disciplined but small;

the Chaotics, formerly united only against the Avantists, now split into their factions;

scores are settled;

citizens who had a stake in the Avantist order are revengeful;

the economy is wrecked;

probably, the current cooperation between the provisional government and the Federation Council will become entrenched and will then expand internationally into a new rational order more viable than Avantism because it is responding to a demand, not ideologically imposed.

Anderson thinks his way through to an unexpected outcome.

1 comment:

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

Unfortunately, as Anderson showed in this "thinking thru," one of the consequences of the revolution was the increased dominance of the World Federation. I would have preferred to weaken or lessen its power. But, as you said, Anderson considers all possibilities, bad as well as good.

Sean