Statism
Statism is a belief that a territorial monopoly called a state, should have ultimate control over various aspects of society. Statist regimes often control social policy and a segment of the economy, to some extent. Adherents to the philosophy of statism believe that there are certain social services which must be controlled by a state and cannot instead be offered in a voluntary context, by multiple participants.There are several tactics used by statists, especially in the modern day, to consolidate and maintain power, these tend to include:
- Edict is a complex set of legal codes, used to forcibly compel individuals to behave in a certain way. This tactic relies on the majority of the population being subdued and enforcers willing to violently impose the codes on the population.
- Legal Tender Laws are used to require that certain forms of money are used in the payment of taxes and often in general commerce. Often, these legal tender laws require that businesses and individuals use currency issued by the state. In the modern era, most currencies are fiat currencies which are generated in potentially unlimited quantity by the state or their designee.
- Taxation is used domestically as a way of confiscating resources, as well as a way of controlling the economy. States tax individuals and organizations at differing rates in order to slope the playing field, so that certain preferred parties can have a higher degree of success.
- Propaganda is used to manipulate the emotions of individuals, both foreign and domestic, in order to achieve a desired end.
- War is used to control other states, their resources and their population, as well as the domestic population of the state. This is done either through violence or the threat of violence. Domestic populations often support war because of the employment base created by warfare, as well as the propaganda used to drive people into war.
PersonalLiberty
