Terran Federation
|
|
- For other uses, see Terran Federation (disambiguation).
The Terran Federation is a fictional government from Robert Heinlein's science fiction novel Starship Troopers. It is not to be confused with the United Citizen Federation from the 1997 film of the same name.
| Contents |
The Beginning
In the 21st century, the Chinese Hegemony (the People's Republic of China and possibly other communist nations from that region), the United States of America, the United Kingdom and the Russian Federation were engaged in a bloody war (possibly the First "Space War"). During the chaos brought about by the war, a group of armchair politicians seized control of the United Nations in an incident known as the "Revolt of The Scientists". The reign of these "Scientists" was short lived. Shortly after the overthrow of the "Scientists", the Treaty of New Delhi was signed. This treaty did not provide for the liberation of the 65,000 POWs held by both sides. While some POWs were indeed released, others either escaped or died in the POW camps
In the aftermath of the war, the nations of Earth lay in chaos and ruin. During the chaos, small groups of vigilantes maintained order. These vigilantes were veterans of the wars, and quite likely former POWs. These veterans were wary of civilian politicians, because in their eyes, it was civilian politicians that brought about the chaos. In a few generations, the Terran Federation was established and its constitution was signed including a provision limiting the voting franchise to veterans.
Little is known about the years between the Federation's foundation and the Bug War (the events of the Novel) except that sometime between these two events there was a Second Space War. No details exist on the second space war.
Government
The Terran Federation is a representative democracy similar to the United States and the Roman Republic. The Terran Federation offers the right to vote to anyone willing to complete a two-year term of Federal Service. Which includes, but is not limited to, military service. The Federal Constitution states that anyone, man or woman, who fully understands the oath may serve despite any physical handicaps. It should be noted that Federation residents not holding the franchise right are neither discriminated against, nor shorted on legal rights, save for the power to vote.
Controversy
The concept of Federal Service is a rather controversial one among opponents of the book. To them the idea of limiting the voting franchise in any manner is akin to totalitarianism. The idea of the Terran Federation as a totalitarian police state is further propagated by the 1997 film adaptation. Wherein the Terran Federation (renamed the United Citizen Federation) is portrayed as a Fascist Dictatorship akin to Nazi Germany. This was likely because the director wished to satirize the concepts in the book.
Military
The Terran Federation is divided into three branches, the Army, the Navy, and the Marine Corps. The only branches we see in depth however are the Army and the Navy. The Mobile Infantry Corps is an elite fighting force similar to the US Army Rangers. The Mobile Infantry's job is similar to the Marine Corps' job. Their missions range from establishing beachheads, hit and run raids, and possibly capturing Starships. It is likely that the Army, like the United States Army, uses heavy artillery weapons such as Tanks (or perhaps Mecha). The Navy's job is to not only to drop and retrieve MI, but also may include establish Aerospace Superiority using Starfighters.
References
Starship Troopers, 1959. Robert A. Heinlein.
See Also
External Links
- ChrisW's Thoughts on Starship Troopers (http://www.kentaurus.com/troopers.htm) (A Fan Written Essay on the Novel)
- The Nature of Federal Service (http://www.nitrosyncretic.com/rah/ftp/fedrlsvc.pdf)(PDF File)