Yes, they’re monarchies, but they’re not feudal societies. Well, the European ones aren’t, anyway. They’re modern industrialized capitalist states, but with royal window dressing (effectively).
As far as Britain goes, the monarch does retain the power to dissolve parliament, although it would only be used if the government became ineffectual. However, that’s just the situation we’re talking about. In every “galactic Empire” I’ve ever read in scifi, the head of state’s only real purposes are to provide a unifying force and to ensure that things get done. Most of the day to day work is done by satraps and local rulers who have near-complete autonomy.
Are you saying that Britain’s government is run based on the feudal system? Because while theoretically the monarch is the highest power in the country, in reality, what the queen wants doesn’t count for a hill of beans. It would even be possible for the British people to vote that Britain become a full-fledged republic and do away with ye olde feudal trappings, and the royal family would have no true power to stop it (besides emotional appeals to traditions and such).
Look, monarchy != feudalism. Feudalism is dead, and deservedly so. Any future society that tries to bring it back will be quickly obliterated by their more productive and better-organized neighbours. Barring, of course, some kind of post-apocalyptic future.
OK, Sinungaling, that’s twice in a row that I’ve raised the issue the issue of size affecting bureaucratic efficiency and twice in a row that you’ve ignored it. I’ll take that as victory.
I wasn’t arguing the point about size, I was arguing what you were saying about monarchy equaling feudalism. And having a really large empire doesn’t mean one’s government should also have an emperor and nobility, plus satraps, beys, or what have you. Look at the United States, it has, in effect, a global empire, and yet it has no landed gentry or supreme despotic ruler, and even its supposed client states have taken actions contravening its strategic objectives. And the continental United States would probably have disintegrated by now had it existed in previous centuries for being too large and unwieldy. However, thanks to railroads and telegraphs, and later telephones, radios, cars, and so on, the US of A has managed to keep its game together. Which is to say that modern technology has eliminated much of the problems of keeping a large state coherent and whole.
But wait, you point out, a galactic empire is much larger than even a really, really large country, and strung out all over the galaxy besides. However, that assumes that a galactic empire would even spring up in the first place. I see two major outcomes resulting from space colonization:
1.) No galactic empire would emerge, since the galaxy would be too big for one power to dominate. In that case, the situation would be rather like today, where different states vie with each other, all with their own agendas. The only difference is that instead of countries, you have planets and star systems struggling with each other.
2.) A galactic “empire” would come about, but unlike the Flash Gordonesque fantasies you see in fiction. Can you honestly see the descendants of French republicans, American plutocrats, Chinese communists, and whatever bringing about the Terran Star Empire, even with a completely impotent galactic potentate?
I think the first scenario is actually the more likely one. If there were to be a galactic “empire,” it would probably be more of a loose commonwealth of nations, each with their own objectives, but not actively fighting each other. Or perhaps it would be like the European Union as it is today, a federation of states, with closely integrated economies but with wildly differing foreign policies, and maybe with some sovereignty delegated to common institutions. Notice, though, that the EU has never been referred to as an empire, nor have any of the executives of its branches been called “emperor.” Anyway, these scenarios neatly take care of problems of galactic bureaucracy, since each state is responsible for its own administration, without any need for even a figurehead emperor to run things.
Really, I think that the institution of a galactic emperor would indicate a poverty of imagination on the parts of our descendants, and would attribute this to perhaps reading too much science fiction and not enough political science and history.
One thing to remember about the Star Kingdom of Manticore: it is a single-system “empire” in a universe of FTL travel, with the exception of Trevor’s Star and Basilisk, both of which can be quickly accessed via the Manticore Wormhole Junction.
The Protectorate of Grayson is a single-system.
Only the Anderman Empire is a true multi-system “empire,” although Weber has states that the “Empire” rests lightly upon the shoulders of the common person.
This would suggest to me the possibility of it actually being a democratic republic to some extent, with ultimate executive and cabinet power residing with the Imperial family. But I freely admit that I’m guessing, since Mr. Weber has yet to delve deeply into the subject of the Andermani.
On a side note: I always thought feudalism was more an economic system, and less a political one. Which came first, I couldn’t say, as valid arguments could be made either way on how one could have spawned the other.
Well, also the Peeps. But it’s not all that hard to have a multi-system crumbling shambles.
And the only political entity larger than the (People’s) Republic of Haven is the Solarian League, which is only barely united, and effectively governed system by system, by cumbersome, inefficient bueracracies.
Not anymore, Chronos. Since Tom Theisman blew Oscar St. Just’s brains all over his office’s wall with a pulser, the "Peep"les Republic of Haven has become just the Republic of Haven.
But yeah, the peeps were an empire in all but name; they still maintained all of the trappings (and the official fiction) of being a democratic republic, what with having elections and all.
What I meant to say was that the Andermani were the only true, “open” empire so far described in any detail in the HH universe.