Two Organizations

Having mentioned organizations in future histories, we should contrast Poul Anderson's Psychotechnic Institute with Isaac Asimov's Second Foundation. In Asimov's Foundation series, Hari Seldon is able to devise a science of society merely because the human population of a colonized Galaxy is large enough to have become mathematically predictable whereas Anderson's Valti synthesizes and extends existing relevant disciplines.

Following Valti, the Psychotechnic Institute significantly increases the practical understanding of individual psychology and physiology and of social dynamics whereas, following Seldon, the Second Foundation makes an impossible leap from predictive psychohistory to a mixture of hypnotic and semi-telepathic mental powers.

The Institute advises government and is overthrown by a revolution whereas the Second Foundation, somehow manipulating populations without holding any direct political power, conceals even its existence from the rest of humanity.

See here.

Revolt In 2170

Revolt in 2100 is Volume III of Robert Heinlein's Future History whereas The Snows Of Ganymede is a volume of Poul Anderson's Psychotechnic History which was modeled on the Future History. In Revolt In 2100, the Second American Revolution led by the Cabal overthrows a theocracy whereas, in the Psychotechnic History, the Humanist Revolution of 2170 outlaws the Psychotechnic Institute. In The Snows Of Ganymede, some psychotechnicians try to make a comeback but are thwarted by members of the Order of Planetary Engineers. Organizations are a feature of some future histories. Psychotechnics was a genuine, if incomplete, science of humanity and returns later in that History.

Structurally, each of these Histories could be collected in two omnibus volumes.

The Future History
I. Pre-space flight Earth and the early interplanetary period, culminating in "Logic of Empire," which is set on Venus but which also refers to the Prophet Nehemiah Scudder on Earth.
II. The theocracy and subsequent history.

The Psychotechnic History
I. The periods of the UN and the Solar Union, culminating in "Brake," which shows social fragmentation and disintegration on Earth.
II. The period of faster than light interstellar flight.

Some Details In Three Future Histories

also after the Revolution, space travel is resumed and asteroids are moved to orbits between Earth and Mars where they are adapted as space stations for refueling and rescue.
-copied from here. 

Thus, in the original Future History, asteroids were adapted as space stations.

The Future History
(i) Technological advances and social changes on Earth.
(ii) The colonization of the Solar System.

(iii) The first interstellar round trip.

Tales Of The Flying Mountains
(i) A single technological advance leading to colonization of the asteroids which in turn leads to prosperity on Earth.
(ii) The first interstellar expedition.

Book Covers In Two Future Histories
See for yourself.

The Hidden Sun

The Old Ships
I have seen old ships sail like swans asleep
Beyond the village which men still call Tyre,
With leaden age o'ercargoed, dipping deep
For Famagusta and the hidden sun
That rings black Cyprus with a lake of fire;
-copied from here.

"...the balloons...swelled high enough to catch the light of the hidden sun and shimmer with it."
-Poul Anderson, Tales Of The Flying Mountains (New York, 1984), p. 48.

We compare Anderson's Tales not only with other future histories but also with a poem by James Elroy Flecker.

How Spacemen Walk

We have been comparing future histories. Shortly, I will compare passages in Poul Anderson's Tales Of The Flying Mountains (New York, 1984) and Robert Heinlein's Double Star (New York, 1957). The latter work is neither a future history nor a volume of one. However, every futuristic sf novel is potentially a volume of a future history. First, the text implies a history connecting its publication date to the date of its fictional events. Secondly, prequels, sequels and side-bars are always possible.

Thus:

Tales is a one-volume future history;
The Earth Book Of Stormgate is one volume of Anderson's History of Technic Civilization;
Double Star is a volume of a future history that has not been written.

Double Star has an interplanetary Holy Roman Empire whereas the Technic History has an interstellar Terran Empire;
the Holy Roman Empire has a Parliament whereas the Terran Empire is ruled by Imperial decree;
Double Star has native Martians whereas the Technic History has extra-solar colonists of Mars.

In Tales, Mike Blades hangs upside down from an asteroid, held by grip-soled boots. Then he:

"...stepped off toward the nearest entry lock with that flowing spaceman's pace which always keeps one foot on the ground." (p. 48)

In Double Star, an actor demonstrates first a ground hog's walk, then a spaceman's walk. In the latter:

"...feet sliding softly along the floor as if it were deck plates, weight carried forward and balanced from the hips, hands a trifle forward and clear of the body, ready to grasp." (p. 6)

Addendum: For a correction, see Comments.

Meanwhile, On Earth...

Although Poul Anderson's Tales Of The Flying Mountains (New York, 1984), about asteroid colonization, is a future history, it presents neither a time chart nor any intermediate installments recounting events on Earth. But that does not mean that there is no history happening. We must make inferences from what we are told.

In "Nothing Succeeds Like Failure," set before the end of the twentieth century, the head of NASA remains accountable to Senators and Congressmen who we assume, not having been told otherwise, still serve the United States.

In "The Rogue":

time has passed - we are at least well into the twenty first century;
a newly elected North American government deploys space battleships;
the Social Justice party ("Essjays") is in power;
there is a President and a Congress;
there are large corporations "'...like Systemic Developments...'" (p. 67)

That's all for now, folks, but I will keep an eye on Terrestrial politics.

Revolutions And Asteroids

Future histories can seem like a single collaborative project to envision futures. Here is a neat synthesis -

Robert Heinlein's Future History: revolutions;
Larry Niven's Known Space History: asteroids;
Poul Anderson's Tales Of The Flying Mountains: the Asteroid Revolution!

In the twenty first century of the Known Space Timeline:

"Colonization of the Belt.
"Third Mars expedition.
"Belt becomes independent government.
"Interstellar ramrobots launched; UN-Belt cooperation.
"Colony slowboats launched."
-Larry Niven, Tales Of Known Space (New York, 1975), p. viii.

Their titles make the two Tales collections sound like companion volumes. In both histories, the Belt launches STL interstellar craft. Niven's Belters did not need a revolution unless it occurred between stories and was not mentioned in the Timeline.

Discussing The Revolution

Poul Anderson, Tales Of The Flying Mountains (New York, 2016).

The pioneers of the asteroids became the elder statesmen of the first interstellar spaceship, Astra. Their skin is darkened and made leathery and their hair is whitened by sunlight through space helmets. Because of antisenescence, some of them remember the Asteroid Revolution over a hundred years previously.

Lindgren thinks that it is possible to pin down the root of the revolution which was the moment when the asterites realized that they had become a single nation. It was when the stations armed themselves which:

"'...implied a degree of sovereignty. Over the years, the implication grew.'" (p. 42)

When one Terrestrial nation had armed its space stations, the others demanded the right to be armed also. Missy Blades was present at the incident when the question of arming the stations arose and that is the next story after Interlude 1.

Future Historical Revolutions

Poul Anderson's Tales Of The Flying Mountains (New York, 1984) describes the Asteroid Revolution and thus is firmly in the tradition of Robert Heinlein's Future History.

Heinlein's Future History Chart refers to:

"Revolution in Little America";

 "Rebellion and independence of Venusian colonies";

Antarctican, American and Venerian revolutions ending interplanetary imperialism.

-Robert Heinlein, The Man Who Sold The Moon (London, 1963), p. 7.

That American "revolution" must be the beginning of the religious dictatorship as opposed to the Second American Revolution which ends the dictatorship.

Heinlein's "Concerning Stories Never Written: Postscript" (see here) refers to:

Martian and Venerian colonies breaking away from Earth;
the Second American Revolution.

When, in this Postscript, Heinlein refers to "...a counter-revolutionary underground...," he must mean that the Cabal, which will lead the Second American Revolution, counteracts the Prophetic revolution.

In Anderson's Tales, the planners of educational philosophy in the spaceship Astra are keen to pin down "...the root of the revolution..." (p. 41) and that is a subject for a further post.

Titles

The titles of future history volumes sometimes, although not always, impart pertinent information about their contents.

Robert Heinlein
The Man Sold The Moon: a far-sighted entrepreneur gets mankind into space.
The Green Hills Of Earth: this title expresses the homesickness of spacemen as they travel further into space.
Revolt In 2100: meanwhile, there has been social decay and dictatorship on Earth.
Methuselah's Children: scientific advances include longevity.
Orphans Of The Sky: an interstellar spaceship is lost.

Isaac Asimov
I, Robot: self-explanatory.

James Blish
They Shall Have Stars: the discoveries that are necessary for interstellar travel are made in the near future.
A Life For The Stars: a young man leaves the Solar System.
Earthman, Come Home: Earthmen dispersed through the galaxy still interact with their home planet.
The Triumph Of Time: everything ends.

Poul Anderson
Trader To The Stars and David Falkayn: Star Trader: interstellar markets.
Agent Of The Terran Empire and Rise Of The Terran Empire: interstellar imperialism.
Starfarers: interstellar travel.
Genesis: a beginning (although maybe not when we think).
Tales Of The Flying Mountains: asteroids, not planets, will be colonized.