United Federation of Earth

The United Nations
The United Nations was designed to be a toothless organization. It had no real Unification power or influence on World Affairs. It was a rubber stamp, symbolic only.

That was not to last forever.

A group within the governments of Earth were dissatisfied with the UN’s role in the globe. They wanted an alternative. Some of the most powerful men on the planet formed a organization in secret. Different in goals, and different in execution. They achieved power within the UN. Soon, the ‘Peacekeeping’ missions became more permanent, and the local volunteers were replaced by an elite, highly skilled occupation force.

It was no longer keeping the peace. It was seizure of land.

Unification Day
Unification was soon at hand. As the group inside of the UN overthrew the status quo, the occupational peacekeeping missions expanded. Representatives from opposing nations were imprisoned, and those who bent their knee to the the new Federation were rewarded with significant initial influence in the politics within it. Those who resisted were quickly crushed by the combined arms of the UF and its member nations, and forced into submission. The world’s nuclear weapons were taken from every government, regardless of membership in the Federation, and integrated into the fledgling Aerospace Division for arming ships and aircraft.The usurpers dissolved old borders, and formed their own government force.

The world was Unified, and resistance to the new status quo was futile.

Federalism
The United Federation, by name, is a federal state encompassing the entirety of Earth’s mass. Each Pre-Unification country has been merged into 6 “super-states,” with Antarctica remaining it’s own region. Each superstate is, in theory, autonomous. This is not truly the case, as federal law overrides and is often used to bypass regional law. In practice, the Federation acts more as an authoritarian unitary state. It is also democratically centralized. The Executive also appoints governors for each region.

In exchange for self-reliance and a few individual liberties, the people accept the authoritarian rule. Autarky is encouraged among the populace, and capitalism is a central factor. Citizens are viewed as cogs in the governmental and progressive machine.

Legislature, Judiciary, and Executive
Like several modern day states, the Federation has 3 branches of Government: The Federal Legislative Council, the Federation Courts, and the Federal Executive, each with their own responsibilities and roles.

Federal Legislative Council
The Legislature, as you would expect, drafts and passes bills, laws, and any form of regulation within the Federation. It consists of 21 representatives, 3 from each continental district. It is a unicameral body, with only the Federal Legislative Council drafting and approving laws. A bill can be presented by any representative, but it can only be passed into law by a ⅔ majority vote within the Council itself. This is not often an issue, as nearly every representative shares a similar world view after the Unification. They serve life terms. It is the highest organ of government within the Federation.

The Federation Courts
The Federation Courts, the judicial branch of the Federation, is not a Supreme Court as you see in the United States or Russia; it has no power of Judicial Review, and there is no Constitutional Court. The Federation operates on Code Law, so the Court is only for civil suits and criminal suits. They are not elected, and the conviction rate is upwards of 90%.

The Federation Executive
The Federation Executive is a singular individual tasked with executing the law and maintaining order within the Federation. The Executive Arm, however, is a bureaucracy with many personnel given their jobs based on merit and their skill. The Executive Branch also has the job of acting as a negotiator should Earth come into contact with any alien life, which has not happened yet. He or she is chosen by the Legislative Council. The Executive serves a life term, and commands the military in its entirety.

Elections and Appointments
The Federation is technocratic, authoritarian democratic state. Skill is highly valued among both the populace and its leaders. Elections are somewhat rare, as each elected individual serves a life term. The Legislative Council is the only elected position, and every other position within the Federation is not directly chosen by the citizens. The Executive is chosen by the Legislative Council and confirmed by a ⅔ vote. They then appoint the Governors of each district, who can then appoint local government officials, such as mayors or judges. The Legislature also appoints the judges of the highest appeals court. Power emanates down from the Legislative Council.

Local Government
The Local Level of government is not directly elected by the people. Rather, the Governor of each super district appoints executives of smaller regions within the state, roughly encompassing pre-Unification national boundaries. This lower-level governor is subject to the will of the super district Governor, but he or she is allowed to appoint whomever they wish to local positions such as mayors or judges. In all actuality, each governor is a puppet of the Executive.

For a Galactic Future
The United Federation Aerospace Command, or UFAC, is a compilation of all Space and Air Force programs of pre-Unification governments and Peacekeeping forces. It’s primary mission is constructing deep-space habitats, stations, and providing a localized air force for the globe.

It is also the main group tasked with scientific research and development for space technologies. Among these responsibilities, the group is in charge of all survey missions and deep-space exploration. A research team inside of UFAC designed and produced the first interstellar, slower-than-light ship engine. As a result, they have close ties to the Science committee. The UFAC Navy also patrols the Solar System regularly, training for combat exercises.

Combined Arms
After the Unification, the majority of the international armies and navies were integrated into the Peacekeeping force, then renamed to the United Federation Military Command. The UFMC encompasses every non-air or space activity with military value within the Federation itself. It has extremely close ties to Lionheart Security Services, who manufacture the group’s primary issue rifle, the LH23. Other businesses also have close ties the UFMC, and a large segment of the Federation industry is based on military research.

The Commander-in-Chief of the UFMC is the Federation Executive.

General Corporate Attitudes
The Federation is die-hard Capitalist and industrialist. Large corporations dominate the private sector, and most work is done through private means with state contracts. Small businesses are not uncommon, but they do not even rival the scale of the smallest corporation. Self-reliance is emphasized, so profits are high and a wealth inequality gap has grown between rural and urbanized areas. The rich often colonize stations through private corporations under Federation supervision.

Industry, Electronics, and the Military
The Industrial workforce of the Federation is intrinsically linked with the Military. The majority of Industrial spending goes to advancing military-related industries, such as weapons manufacturing, engine development, and spacecraft construction. Contractors like Lionheart Security Systems are so closely related with the military that their products are the only allowed to be used within the sector they sell to. Deep space stations are constructed in tandem with the military by private corporations as well. The famous Jupiter Trade Post was constructed by General Aerospace Architecture, a contractor of the UFAC.

Consumer Goods and Clothing
The Consumer Goods industry is largely monopolized by several large corporations, such as the North Sector Goods company and the Hokkaido Appliances Corporation. Clothing is less monopolized, but several large companies still hold a large market share.

The Bureaucrats
The Federation Bureaucracy is formed out of bureaucrats picked for their skill in their respective field. It is a highly meritocratic position, with the committees having high influence on the Legislature while forming laws. Think of State Departments. Some Committee examples are:

United Federation Council on Science, Progress, and Technology
A committee primarily used to advise the Legislature and Executive on all affairs referring to modern technology and scientific progress. This is by far the largest committee. They are in charge of the vast majority of space and survey operations, save for colonization.

UF Committee on Discipline, Internal Affairs, and Integrity
In the event of a corrupt individual or discourse within the government, the committee on Discipline and Internal Affairs steps in to eradicate the problem. Corrupt government officials are often tried and quickly found guilty, being imprisoned for the remainder of their lives with their reputations tarnished. It acts independently from any other government body, as to not politicize the crackdowns.

UF Ministry of Economic Regulation
The Ministry of Economic Regulation has become more of a symbolic Committee in recent years, with the only regulations being passed to ensure product quality and safety, rather than regulating market shares to monopolies.

UF Ministry of Justice
A Committee used to regulate the activity of the citizenry within the political sphere and within the domestic sphere. They often discredit large political movements that threaten stability, and illegal protests are often responded to by this group. They are also in charge of the police system. UF Solar Colonization Administration The primary force behind constructing habitats and colonizing wherever possible. It most often works with large corporations and the Science Committee, but does collaborate with other groups on occasion.

Language, Culture, and Beliefs
The official language of the Federation is English, however other languages are still natively spoken on occasion. Larger languages such as Spanish are not officially taught, but they are not illegal to speak and learn.

The Federation’s populace is largely militaristic and united with the government. Society pre-Unification was extremely divided, and the UF was legitimized through their efforts and bringing order and developing other regions of the world that were neglected by earlier governments. The biggest de-legitimizer of the government is corruption within the executive. Generally speaking, it has been violently rooted out in recent years. Corrupt officials have their already biased trials highly publicized, and the conviction rate for corruption is nearly 100%.

Unfortunately, not every member of society has been placated. There are several radical and militant groups still active within the UF, designated terrorist groups. Most of them are either disgruntled political opponents, but some are groups that resent the unification and wish to return to an old status quo.

The Federation also has a small number of distant colonies, but they have not totally succeeded due to the distance from the homeworld and time it takes to arrive. Only a few planets have been colonized, and deep space stations are the main colony structures.