The concept of "irredentism" links three Andersonian timelines. See here.
Chunderban Desai refers to planets won by Terra from Ythri long ago:
"'The territory is long ago assimilated to us. Irredentism is idiocy.'" (p. 235)
Ivar foiled Aycharaych's plot. Could he have remained on the run and led an Aenean liberation movement free from Merseian manipulation? This would have been difficult especially since most Aeneans based their hopes on the illusory Return of the Ancients.
In any case, Ivar makes his choice and Anderson rounds off the narrative with the tadmouse singing and Jaan walking a steep upward path.
It is good that the Technic History incorporates different outcomes in "Outpost of Empire" and The People Of The Wind. I think that we should reconsider the larger cast of characters in the latter work.
12 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
I think you are missing an important point: it would not have really MATTERED to Aycharaych nd Merseia if Ivar had managed to lead a rebel movement not controlled by them. Because if any revolt led by Ivar had succeeded, he would still have been furthering their goal of weakening and splitting apart the Empire. And the Long Night would have come closer.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
But my only question was whether he could have done it.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
Granted, but the Merseians would have been pleased if Ivar had gone down that road! And offered him "help," for their own self-serving reasons.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
They would. He would have had to refuse the help.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
Or Ivar might have taken "help" from the Roidhunate, and ended up being a Merseian puppet if any rebellion he led had succeeded.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
If he had accepted "help," then he would have become a puppet so my question was whether he could have continued the struggle without accepting "help." (I think I know what the answer but here I am just clarifying what the question was.)
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
If, in this hypothetical rebellion, Ivar had declined Merseian "help," and since the Domain was hostile to attempts at splitting apart the Empire, the only "help" he could have sought would be by hiring barbarian mercenaries. And these barbarians would have demanded TERRITORY as their pay. That truly would have made Ivar the enemy of all civilization!
Recall how Flandry castigated the would be usurper McCormac for hiring barbarians in THE REBEL WORLDS.
No, absesnt the religious fervor of a Cosmenosist jihad, I can't see Ivar leading a successful rebellion, or deserving to.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
Independence had become a Lost Cause:
no help from Ythri;
no acceptable help from Merseia or barbarians;
the illusion of the Ancients' return shattered;
life in Empire not too bad post-Snelund;
Desai arranging as much autonomy and local self-government as possible.
That is what Ivar capitulated.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
Exactly! For most planets within it, life in the Empire was not too bad, most of the time. Which is about as much as we can hope for from any gov't, whatever form it took.
Ad astra! Sean
The problem for Ivar is that, on its own, his planet can't realistically hope to succeed in a secessionist revolt.
Making a rational appraisal of your chances is incumbent on anyone who wants to start a fight.
There's a word for people who don't: stupid. "Too stupid to live", in fact. Fighting in those circumstances is only justified if the enemy intends to kill you anyway.
As an additional incentive, in an interstellar empire, if you make a planet ungovernable the empire can simply pull out its personnel and drop an asteroid or two on your head.
And then you'll be sorry -- briefly. The empire can recolonize after the dust-clouds settle.
The Warsaw Ghetto uprising is an example of "we're going to die anyway, might as well take some of the bastards with us". That was perfectly rational.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
I agree, however reluctantly, Ivar made the rational decision: he would not try to lead a hopeless secessionist revolt. He finally faced hard, unpalatable (to him) facts about Merseia and the Domain. And resigned himself to accepting the Empire.
As for the degree of force needed for suppressing a revolt, your comments reminded me of Vice Admiral Lavrenti Kutuzov, whom we see in Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle's THE MOTE IN GOD'S EYE, set during the Second Empire of Man in the Co-Dominium timeline. Some time before the events of that story, Kutuzov was faced with problem of how to suppress a revolt on a planet before it spread other worlds. His solution was to sterilize the planet, leaving the rebel held cities protected by force fields to die of starvation. The rebellion was suppressed and it did not spread to other planets.
The court of inquiry which investigated Kutuzov's handling of the rebellion concluded, apparently with some distaste or reluctance, that he had acted legally, within the scope of his powers. But Kutuzov was ever afterwards regarded by many as a brute.
But I do understand your point: if you are going to win a war or suppress a revolt, hard measures will often be necessary. Which is exactly what happened during the later phase of the US Civil War, as harsh means were used to break the Confederacy.
Ditto, what you said about the doomed Jews of the Warsaw Ghetto who fought the Germans.
Ad astra! Sean
Post a Comment