History Main / SlidingScaleOfLibertarianismAndAuthoritarianism

* The Hive from ''SidMeiersAlphaCentauri''

This article concerns the y-axis, which denotes whether society is totally governed by government (furthest 'top', 'authoritarianism') or by something(s) else (furthest 'bottom', 'libertarianism'). At the latter end of the spectrum one finds rule by corporation(s), or by collectives, or communes, or computer programs, or even nothing but individual people - or some combination of those things. The 'libertarian' end of the SlidingScaleOfLibertarianismAndAuthoritarianism contains its own SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism, with rule-by-corporation firmly at the cynical end and rule-by-individuals at the other: if every government agreed to legislate itself out of existence we could have corporate rule within hours (however ineffective initially), but even the most fervent anarcho-capitalists admit that our culture would have to change ''a lot'' for rule-by-individuals to work in practice even after a long transition period.

* Seriously, no arguments about the economics of this trope or RealLife examples: fictional works only. TheOtherWiki has [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_indices_of_freedom more than enough examples,]] and the FlameWar edits to show it.

This article concerns the y-axis, which denotes whether society is totally governed by government (furthest 'top', 'authoritarianism') or by something(s) else (furthest 'bottom', 'libertarianism'). At the latter end of the spectrum one finds rule by corporation(s), or by collectives, or communes, or computer programs, or even nothing but individual people - or some combination of those things. The 'libertarian' end of the SlidingScaleOfLibertarianismAndAuthoritarianism contains its own SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism, with rule-by-corporation firmly at the cynical end and rule-by-individuals at the other.

* Authoritarianism: rule by government, to the benefit of all society (furthest left) or the benefit of the one (furthest right)
* Libertarianism: rule by entities other than government, to those same ends.

[[AC:Most Libertarian]] -- Almost no rules.

[[AC:Authoritarian-Light]] -- More Control

[[AC:Authoritarian-Moderate]] -- For the good of the many.

[[AC:Most Authoritarian]] -- One organization controls the majority of life.

In Anglophone politics the x-axis of the political 'compass' concerns whether a society's total wealth should be owned by one person (furthest 'right'), equally divided among everyone (furthest 'left') or somewhere inbetween. Hypothetically, the former society would be the product of an invidiously individualistic value system, and the latter the product of absolute altruism.

One of the dimensions of politics is the libertarian/authoritarian axis.

* Libertarianism is about the individual having freedom to do whatever he likes. "As long as he isn't hurting anyone else" is often, but not necessarily, part of the description. In Western society, there tends to be a positive portrayal of such societies.
* Authoritarianism is about things being best if someone (preferably someone good) is running things for the good of all. The state will control things for the greater good. In modern Western society, these tend to be portrayed negatively, though they don't have to be; conservative collectivistic cultures like China or Japan tend to see it more positively.

'''Also please note:'''
* This does not refer to economic neoliberalism, which in the US is often referred to as "libertarianism", but is simply the absence of authority. [[note]](It may be worth pointing out that the term "libertarian" was originally coined by the French anarcho-communist Joseph Déjacque both to distinguish himself from the mutualist anarchism of Pierre-Joseph Proudhon and to [[LoopholeAbuse get around a ban on anarchist publications by the French government]]).[[/note]]
* This list refers to "libertarianism" only in the social sense, leaving arguments about economics out of it. And to limit the InternetBackdraft and disputed listings on this page, please list only societies in fictional works. No straight RealLife examples, please; Wikipedia has [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_indices_of_freedom plenty of those]].
* It's best to think of this as independent of concepts of political "left" and "right". Think of this as the up/down y-axis to the left/right x-axis.

* ''{{Traveller}}'' is an odd-ball compared to the other examples here. Despite its massive battleships and its lavish aristocracy the Imperium actually has a libertarian ideology and style of government, necessitated by the vast space it rules over. However the Imperial government will not take nonsense and can play pretty rough when it wants to. Local worlds vary in their "control rating" as do states outside the Imperium. Commerce is regulated but not particularly restricted and the Imperial law deals mostly with crimes regarding interstellar commerce (piracy, etc), crimes in specifically Imperial territory (normal crimes in a Starport), and crimes specifically against the Imperium (treason, murder of a Noble or his retainers while in Imperial service, etc), and so on. The Imperial government however interferes little in local customs unless it feels them [[MadeASlave outrageously abominable]] and even allows minor local wars to be fought as long as they don't make too much of a mess. It would probably be classed as libertarian normally but authoritarian at given times and places.

** The Patriarch of Ankh-Morpork is theoretically an absolute dictator who rules for life- but that's not necessarily a long time, as any Patriarch whose actions are Bad For Business eventually discovers.
* Most of [[Creator/RobertAHeinlein Robert A. Heinlein's]] "good" societies that aren't anarchist. Though given his [[DemocracyIsBad distaste for democracy]] most are government types that would normally be a bit higher on the scale.
** ''Literature/StarshipTroopers'': The Terrain Federation only allows military (and other risky forms of civil service) veterans to vote. However, unlike every real country that has service as a requirement for citizenship (i.e. Switzerland) it is not mandatory and they never institute a draft (Heinlein felt conscription was despicable). Rico's non-voting civilian parents were quite wealthy.

* The Ministry of Magic from ''Literature/HarryPotter'', although by the seventh book it's nothing more than a [[TheManBehindTheMan front organization]] for the (extremely authoritarian) Death Eaters.

* In the ''Jump 225'' trilogy, there's a social divide between "libertarianism" and "governmentalism," but this is largely illusionary because each individual can choose the government that they want to subscribe to, so even the governmentalist governments lack coercive and redistributive authority. There are some limited global taxes to ensure the functioning of the market economy, however (largely paid by large, old corporations or "memecorps"), and there's a statist Defense and Wellness Council that has authority over public safety. As the trilogy goes on, the DWC becomes increasingly authoritarian in their attempts to gain control of the [=MultiReal=] technology.

* Camor V, home of [[spoiler: a man who was genetically-altered to look like ]] Picard's long-lost illegitimate son, had been devastated during war with the Cardassians and also became a lawless hinterland filled with violent outlaws.

* The entire Tau philosophy in ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' is "for the greater good." This involves concentration camps and things for all who disagree on what the "greater good" may be. Ironically, in [[CrapsackWorld the setting]] they are one of the most progressive races.

* [[Creator/KenMacLeod Ken MacLeod's]] Literature/FallRevolution series gives us not one but two anarchist Utopias from the opposite end of the spectrum. One utopia is a capitalist utopia where [[CorruptCorporateExecutive corporations]] control everything, while the other is a communist utopia where directly trade with each other without bosses through co-operatives.

* [[Creator/KenMacLeod Ken MacLeod's]] Literature/FallRevolution series gives us not one but two anarchist Utopias from the opposite end of the spectrum. One utopia is a capitalist utopia where [[CorruptCorportateExecutive corporations]] control everything, while the other is a communist utopia where directly trade with each other without bosses through co-operatives.

* [[Creator/KenMacLeod Ken MacLeod's]] Literature/FallRevolution series gives us not one but two anarchist Utopias from the opposite end of the spectrum. One utopia is a capitalist utopia where [[CorruptExecutiveOfficer corporations]] control everything, while the other is a communist utopia where directly trade with each other without bosses through co-operatives.

* [[Creator/KenMacLeod Ken MacLeod's]] Literature/FallRevolution series gives us not one but two anarchist Utopias, although only one of them was Libertarian (the other was Communist). Technically the anarcho-communist utopia was just as libertarian as the free-market one in the original sense of the word "libertarian"; which was actually coined by an anarcho-communist all the way back in 1857.

* In''Literature/TheMoonIsAHarshMistress,'' Luna, both while it is "ruled" by a Lunar Authority which only expects grain exports from its citizens and lets them handle their own affairs otherwise, and during the period between freedom from the Lunar Authority and recognition by Earth.
**

* Nicely [[GenreDeconstruction deconstructed]] in ''JenniferGovernment'': instead of a privatised government being portrayed as a non-ironic MarySuetopia, the lack of rules (especially in [[CorruptCorporateExecutive business]]) is taken to the extreme of ''companies killing their teenage consumers to make their products seem cool''.
* In ''Literature/TheMoonIsAHarshMistress,'' Luna, both while it is "ruled" by a Lunar Authority which only expects grain exports from its citizens and lets them handle their own affairs otherwise, and during the period between freedom from the Lunar Authority and recognition by Earth.

* Data Angels from ''VideoGame/SidMeiersAlphaCentauri''

* The asteroid belt in ''WebComic/EscapeFromTerra''

* Rapture in ''VideoGame/BioShock1'' began as this, but unfortunately was run by a {{hypocrite}} ControlFreak and quickly began dropping down the levels when the leader felt his control over "his" city was threatened. By the time of ''VideoGame/BioShock2'', Rapture's in the "most authoritarian" category because its newest dictator holds the [[TheEvilsOfFreeWill exact opposite political philosophy to its founder]], and is also a ControlFreak.

* In an increasingly rare dystopia example, [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration Natasha Yar's home planet of Turkana IV]] was a [[CrapsackWorld near-lawless hinterland filled with factional warlords and roving rape gangs.]] Not a nice place for nice people, as evidenced by her [[NoSocialSkills gruff younger sister, Ishara.]]
* Camor V, home of [[spoiler: a man who was genetically-altered to look like ]] Picard's long-lost illegitimate son, had been devastated during war with the Cardassians and also became a lawless hinterland filled with violent outlaws.

* Carried to its logical conclusion in an early episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', when Springfield takes a self-help guru's message too far. Everyone only does what they want and waives any kind of responsibility. HilarityEnsues.

* Ron Swanson of ''Series/ParksAndRecreation'' is a self-described Libertarian. In his own words, "My idea of a perfect government is one guy who sits in a small room at a desk, and the only thing he’s allowed to decide is who to nuke. The man is chosen based on some kind of IQ test, and maybe also a physical tournament, like a decathlon. And women are brought to him, maybe... when he desires them."

* Slaad from ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' and proteans from ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'', fittingly for embodiments of chaos.
* Extropia in the game ''TabletopGame/EclipsePhase''.
** Libertarians colonize planetoids in the Asteroid Belt. ''Everything'' is based on the free market. When visiting, you are strongly advised to hire your own security, insurance, etc. A micro-credit system governs every interaction, and there is no central government, only slightly dominant companies.
** The Anarchists scattered across the outer solar system are only slightly less libertarian with a Post-Scarcity economy distributed by AIs but still no government. The Titanian Commonwealth is a slightly centralized direct democracy with the same economic model.

* ''{{Traveller}}'' is an odd-ball compared to the other examples here. Despite its massive battleships and its lavish aristocracy the Imperium actually has a libertarian ideology and style of government, necessitated by the vast space it rules over. However the Imperial government will not take nonsense and can play pretty rough when it wants to. Local worlds vary in their "control rating" as do states outside the Imperium. Commerce is regulated but not particularly restricted and the Imperial law deals mostly with crimes regarding interstellar commerce (piracy, etc), crimes in specifically Imperial territory (normal crimes in a Starport), and crimes specifically against the Imperium (treason, murder of a Noble or his retainers while in Imperial service, etc), and so on. The Imperial government however interferes little in local customs unless it feels them [[MadeASlave outrageously abominable]] and even allows minor local wars to be fought as long as they don't make too much of a mess. It would probably be classed as libertarian normally but authoritarian at given times and places.

* The Earth Alliance in ''Series/BabylonFive''. At first glance it is a respectable [[TheRepublic republic]] but there is many a GovernmentConspiracy. It slid up the authoritarian scale [[spoiler: after the assassination of President Santiago and inauguration of his Vice-President Morgan Clark]], becoming [[SecretPolice hardcore]] [[FascistsBedtime authoritarian]] [[PropagandaMachine and]] [[TwoPlusTortureEqualsFive Orwellian]] by late season three and season four.
* TheFederation from ''Franchise/StarTrek'', which tries to strike a balance between its ideals and combating enemy civilizations like the Borg.
** Exactly how far down this list they fall depends on your reading of Starfleet, which seems to have ridiculous levels of power, authority, and jurisdiction compared to real-world militaries[[note]]It can say it's not a military, but it has guns and a command structure[[/note]]. Civilian citizens are rarely seen exercising much freedom, but they're also rarely seen.
* The Planetary Consortium of ''TabletopGame/EclipsePhase'' is an oligarchy posing as a democracy controlled by the [[MegaCorp Hypercorps]].

* ''TabletopGame/BattleTech'' while most of the Successor States operate in ElectiveMonarchy, some of them are quite fair in their rule. In the Federated Suns nobles hold most offices but the commoners have rights and the ability to remove corrupt officials.

* The One State in ''Literature/{{We}}''

* The Hive from ''SidMeiersAlphaCentauri''
* Alpha Complex from ''TabletopGame/{{Paranoia}}'' -- only there, your pathetic lives belong to [[TheComputerIsYourFriend the Computer]].
* Formians from ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons 3.5''. (And BeePeople in general.)
* ''[[ComicBook/VForVendetta V for Vendetta's]]'' [[ANaziByAnyOtherName Norsefire]].

* The Imperium of Man from ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}''. However, the Imperium is, by necessity, hugely decentralized, on account of the huge number of worlds. Because of this, the Empire allows individual worlds a great amount of latitude in governance (each planet has a planetary governor, but the way each planet selects it's governor runs the gamut from free, open elections to TrialByCombat). The Imperium does, however, always enforce tithes (basically planetary taxes to the central government, including a quota of psychic humans) and religion, mainly in the persecution of heretics and psykers.
* The entire Tau philosophy in ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' is "for the greater good." This involves concentration camps and things for all who disagree on what the "greater good" may be. Ironically, in [[CrapsackWorld the setting]] they are one of the most progressive races.
* [[TheEmpire The Galactic Empire]] from ''StarWars''.

* In ''TabletopGame/EclipsePhase'' the Jovian [[strike: Junta]] Republic is essentially a Latin American military Junta on the moons of Jupiter. They're also one of the few polities in the solar system that attempt to make 20th century capitalism work with [[MatterReplicator Nanofabricators]].

* Data Angels from ''SidMeiersAlphaCentauri''

* Authoritarianism is about things being best if someone (preferably someone good) is running things for the good of all. The state will control things for the greater good. In modern Western society, these tend to be portrayed negatively, though they don't have to be; conservative collectivist societies like China or Japan tend to see it more positively.

* Authoritarianism is about things being best if someone (preferably someone good) is running things for the good of all. The state will control things for the greater good. In modern society, these tend to be portrayed negatively, though they don't have to be.

* JC Denton in ''VideoGame/DeusEx'' is moderately authoritarian at the beginning of the game, but he progresses into this. [[spoiler: He can be either very authoritarian or very libertarian depending on the [[MultipleEndings ending you choose.]]]]

* This does not refer to economic neoliberalism, which in the US is often referred to as "libertarianism", but is simply the absence of authority.

* The planet Anarres in ''Literature/TheDispossessed'' by UrsulaKLeGuin is a libertarian socialist society where a state, government, prisons, and even money don't exist. People do jobs simply because they want to help keep things running and the only punishment that exists is social stigma. However by the time of the novel it has become increasingly authoritarian which is what motivates the protagonist to leave.