Colonialism in the 'Verse - Core, Border, and Rim

[Roger]

Colonialism in the 'Verse

        "Colonialism is the establishment, exploitation, maintenance, acquisition, and expansion of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. It is a set of unequal relationships between the colonial power and the colony and often between the colonists and the indigenous population."

        "Colonialism is a relationship between an indigenous (or forcibly imported) majority and a foreign minority. The fundamental decisions affecting the lives of the colonized people are made and implemented by the colonial rulers in pursuit of interests that are often defined in a distant metropolis. Rejecting cultural compromises with the colonized population, the colonizers are convinced of their own superiority and their ordained mandate to rule."

Sound familiar?  Although played out across the stars rather than the continents of Earth-That-Was, the 'Verse is still very much a colonial system with the Alliance operating much like the European Powers from the 16th to early 20th Centuries.  The very causes of the Unification War as well as current attitudes both favoring and opposing the Alliance tend to be grounded in colonial ideas.

Core Worlds
The Core worlds are the equivalent to the metropol, the distant metropolis, or the mother country. The Core and the Alliance are so connected that the terms are nearly inseparable. Although claiming to champion all of humanity, the Alliance clearly represents the Core. They fought a war to gain control of the outer territories and the Alliance military currently keeps the rebellious Border and Rim Worlds in line.

The Core Worlds are the heart of the entire colonial system. They are highly urbanized, heavily populated, technologically advanced, industrialized, militarily powerful, and wealthy. The Core controls the rest of the 'Verse thanks to these great advantages, and through its control of the 'Verse it increases its own power. For the most part, the Rim is dependent on expensive imported goods ranging from basic tools and machinery to life saving pharmaceuticals and supplements. Meanwhile the Core imports vast quantities of raw materials and foodstuffs from the Rim to sustain its own quality of life.


Rim Worlds
The Rim worlds are the backwater colonies in the 'Verse. Far and away from the civilized Core, they exist on the periphery and for the most part are not part of the Alliance and its system by choice. A very bloody war was fought for Independence and even now years after defeat the Rim still chafes under Alliance rule and some even talk of rebellion once more.

The Rim Worlds are of more importance to the system than one might originally think. They are very rural, have small populations, survive with limited technology, typically have little to no industry, have no more military power than an impromptu militia, and tend to be destitute. They are dominated by the Core from direct intervention in the form of laws, military patrols, and federal inspectors to indirect economic dependency. Although both Core and Rim exchange goods, the Core is by far making out with the better deal.


Border Worlds
As the name suggests, Border Worlds occupy a middle ground between the two extremes. The term "border" does not reflect the proximity but rather the economic, social, and political position of the world (though it sometimes does reflect border in terms of proximity as is the case with Persephone).

The Border Worlds are the facilitators of colonialism, the middlemen that deal with both Core and Rim moving goods back and forth between the two. Border Worlds tend to be a healthy mix of rural and urban, have sizable populations, have some advanced technologies, have burgeoning industry and military power, and tend to be of average prosperity. One could say they are "the best of both worlds" as they find a middle ground and make their profit from a middleman's take off the system.

During the war, the Border planets were often at the center of the fighting. Naturally, the funnels of trade and supply were important strategic targets, and those Border Worlds held by the Independents were the backbone of their industrial power and meager population base. From an ideological position though, the Border tends to side with the Rim. The Border still feels the oppression from the Core. In the war, the "leadership" of the Independents often came from the Border Worlds. Perhaps there was idealism there or maybe it was just the middleman trying to advance, corner the markets, and start a new more beneficial system for themselves. Those few Border Worlds that remained "loyal" likely did so only due to their physical proximity to the might of the Core.



Colonialism - Good or Bad?
In the modern age it tends to have a negative reputation. Colonialism exploited people against their will and furthered the equality divide between nations and people. The colonies tended to be kept underdeveloped and poor, technologically backward except for what advances were needed to be productive, and politically repressed often by force.

However, the colonial system was not all bad, a point which many people forget yet anyone with a pro-Alliance character has likely rationalized. Although colonies are controlled politically, the home country protects them from external threats (Reavers, slavers, pirates) and from internal conflict (civil wars, crime, and numerous independent planets fighting each other in mini-wars). Although not all technologies are shared, there are still some technologies and advanced equipment which are introduced to these place. The economic exchange and development of transportation hubs do tend to favor the Core, but it is still economic growth.

In the end one must truly ask whether the Rim would be better with or without the Alliance. Does the Alliance do an adequate job protecting the Rim from threats? Could the Rim advance technologically better on its own or through free trade? Could the Rim develop faster economically and become more prosperous on its own? Is Independence and self government worth it no matter what would be given up? Those are the questions you have to ask yourself. How you answer determines where you fall in the conflict.



Core Worlds

• Bernedette
• Londinium
• Sihnon
• Liann Jiun
• Gonghe
• Osiris
• Valentine
• Bellerophon
• Ariel

Border Worlds

• Rubicon
• Santo
• Albion
• Persephone
• Pelorum
• Jiagnyin
• New Melbourne
• Greenleaf
• Paquin
• Boros
• Athens
• Hera
• Verbena
• Beaumonde

Rim Worlds

• Everything Else

Nota Bene
This thread was written for the time period of the series Firefly, not for our current time period which is post Alliance Hegemony. Notably, it discusses the Alliance as the sole government and raises questions about the legitimacy of their rule. The general concepts of the thread remain relevant in our current setting even if parts of the thread are dated.