Worldbuilding - Politics

Here is a masterpiece in world building. Written in 1965, and still read and filmed. Frank Herbert has done it right. And the first thing this book sells is the protagonist. His hero is epic. This is not just a 15-year-old tossed around by changes in his father's fortunes. If this was the case, the entire plot could be classed as a Young Adult novel and disappear into obscurity. However, Paul Atrides is somebody important. Mythical. Somebody about whom books have been written. The first paragraph of Dune is a quote about him from 'Manual of Muad'Dib' by the Princess Irulan. Even the book's author is important. He has other titles apart from Muad'Dib. He is a Duke's son and heir. He is descended from one of the Bene Gesserit, who are women of vast power and secret abilities. His mother's lineage is unknown at first, but appears important, and we are left to wonder. He is told he might be Kwisatz Haderach, who can look into both feminine and masculine path...

 Once again, back to Churchill: 'On the afternoon of July 27th, I attended a garden party at 10 Downing Street. There I met the Chief Commissioner of Police, Sir Edward Henry. We talked about the European situation, and I told him that it was serious. He then remarked that by an odd arrangement the Home Office [of which Churchill was the head at the time] was responsible, through the Metropolitan Police, for guarding the magazines at Chattenden and Lodge Hill in which all the reserves of naval cordite were stored. For many years these magazines had been protected without misadventure by a few constables. I asked what would happen if twenty determined Germans in two or three motor cars arrived well armed upon the scene one night. He said that they would be able to do what they liked. I quitted the garden party.' So, governing is done as usefully at garden parties as at official occasions. Possibly, the garden parties are there for the purpose of governing rather than partying. N...

I always thought that politics was chaotic, full of unexpected twists and turns, and reliant of the whim of those who run things. While it must be true to some extent, it seems that the overall course of events is quite predictable. There are rules of thumb. I'm still reading Churchill. And he occasionally mentions principles for running Britain. Some are just remarked on in passing, while discussing bigger things. For example, the 'traditional policy of opposing whatever Continental Power for the time begin was the strongest.' (p. 37) This explains the long history of England warring with France, then Spain, France again, and then Germany. It also reminds me of what Machiavelli said of the Roman policy: 'The Romans, in the countries they seized, did watch these matters carefully. They established settlements, supported the weaker powers without increasing their strength, crushed the powerful, and did not allow any powerful foreigner to win prestige.' (p.12)   I...

Back to Churchil. It is now 1911. Three years before the WWI starts. By this stage, three years before WWI started, England has decided that Germany will attack France through Belgium. Churchill talks about the Chief of General Staff: "The whole wall of his small room was covered by a gigantic map of Belgium, across which every practicable road by which the German armies could march for the invasion of France was painted clearly. All his holidays he spent examining these roads and the surrounding country." In the same year, Churchill sent a memorandum to the Committee of Imperial Defence.  These are the main points: "1. The decisive military operations will be those between France and Germany. The German army is at least equal in quality to the French, and mobilises 2,200,000 against 1,700,000. The French must therefore seek for a situation of more equality. This will be found either before the full strength of German army has been brought to bear or after the German arm...

  Churchill won a Nobel Prize. Not for anything to do with politics. For writing. He was a writer as much as a politician. He supported himself through writing (at least for a part of his life, after he decided that working as an officer cost him too much to continue). And he wrote well.  Among others, he wrote a history of - of WWI in five volumes - of WWII in six volumes - and of The English Speaking People in four volumes   So, having been stuck on how to write the political side of Ashen, I've decided to see what Churchill has to say.  His take on WWII is the most interesting, but the six volumes spooked me. Under the assumption that WWI is described in a single volume, I asked for the book for Christmas. As seen above, I was very wrong about the single volume. But the old edition is delightful, the book is very well written (I can see where the Nobel prize comes in), so off I went.      My main impression after reading half of the book:   Rul...