Urum

An urum is a sovereign state based upon a specific culture and/or ideology. They replaced geographic nations after the collapse of the first global government. Modern urums are arranged into a strict hierarchy meant to provide checks and balances to power.

Definition
Unlike conventional nations, which were defined by geographic borders, an urum is a monoculture state where all citizens are bound by a common lifestyle. An urum may be based purely on political ideologies (such as libertarianism) or on any other shared cultural identity (such as tribal/ethnic heritage). Urums vary in size and influence, with populations ranging from the hundred billions to the thousands. They were designed to provide all cultures with independent sovereignty, and to prevent any one superpower from dominating less influential societies.

The Fall of Nations
In the early days of humanity, traditional nations were locked in a constant state of conflict as they jostled for power. Rival kingdoms gave way to empires, and empires gave way to full-fledged superpowers. After a long campaign of diplomacy and military domination, the Andurran Republic became the first global nation. Andurran philosophy promoted equality, unity, and scientific advancement. They wanted to purge the world of corruption and barbarism. Under Andurran rule, previously underdeveloped regions of the world were given industry, education, and healthcare. The global budget was well-organized and ran a surplus almost every year. The standard of living rose worldwide.

Within ten years of achieving global dominance, the Andurran Republic began to collapse.

Despite the increased prosperity, the Andurran parliament fell into stagnant chaos as influential social groups lobbied for greater power. Organizations supporting libertarianism were at constant odds with proponents of socialism. Groups that clung to traditional morals could never reach an agreement with progressives. For every ideology, there was an equally influential opposing viewpoint. Social organizations bought out politicians with campaign endorsements, and with at least two equal forces tugging in opposite directions, the government came to a standstill. It was not long before civilization suffered the consequences of political stagnation, and unrest followed. Multiple violent revolutions cropped up around the world, especially in regions that had only recently come under Andurran influence.

Cultural Sovereignty Movement
It became evident to the great thinkers of society that the collapse of Andurra would result in the creation or re-institution of many smaller nations. The cycle of global domination and collapse would be doomed to repeat itself when these nations began to vie for power. People began to search for alternatives.

When it was determined that cultural organizations, promoting specific ideologies, had been responsible for the ultimate stagnation in government, an idea was formed. The Andurran government had become little more than an ineffective middle-man standing between these rival social groups. Why not cut out the middle-man? Why not give cultural groups sovereignty and force them to act respectable rather than buy out politicians to do their dirty work?

It was thought that with the advent of global internet, people felt less loyalty for their immediate neighbors and instead preferred the company of like-minded individuals. Geography was no longer a dividing factor for most of humanity. It was culture and ideology that caused segregation. An added bonus was the promise of greater peace. Wars were traditionally fought over territory and culture, and by adopting a system that placed less emphasis on land and ensured that all cultures were guaranteed their freedom, wars would potentially be few and far between.

Long-term views on the future of humanity were also taken into consideration. Although their space program was floundering in the political stagnation, there had been plans to explore the surface of Dimash - the neighboring planet. Would colonists on another planet respect a government that was based trillions of miles away? Would planets form their own governments and find themselves at odds with one another? Could conflict be avoided if people were unified by ideology rather than location? A socialist was a socialist no matter what planet they were born on, after all.

Essays on the concept of cultural sovereignty were posted online for all to see, and a movement was born. The earliest proponents of cultural sovereignty were younger citizens who had grown up in a world where social organizations had more obvious influence that the global government. Using the internet as a tool of unity, they formed and congregated into mulitiple digital 'tribes' that supported specific ideologies. The most popular groups gained over two hundred thousand followers in one evening. Within a week, membership had entered the millions.

The popularity of this new movement began to outshine the lobbying organizations that had sent Andurra into ruin, and by the end of the year, the Andurran Republic was forced to acknowledge the rise of 'cultural states' - bound together by philosophies rather than geography.

The Foundation of the First Urums
Once the cultural sovereignty movement gained credibility, the concept was further refined into a functional state known as an urum - an old Andurran word that referred to a 'family' of individuals bound by mutual love rather than blood.

The first urum to properly structure itself and declare self-sufficiency was Urum Kankal, based on libertarian principles. Each new urum had its own system of government and tentative laws, most of which were formed throughout the digital movement. Urums originally registered with the Andurran Republic, acting as sovereign states, but all had declared their independence within twenty years, finally resulting in the total collapse of Andurra.

While geographic location was not a factor in the early days of the urums, people migrated to specific regions - ones that initially had a high concentration of citizens from one urum - over the next fifty years. Worldwide demographics were permanently shifted and new provincial territories were created to accomodate the changes.

Creation of the Hierarchy
The years following Andurra's collapse saw the rise and fall of many young urums - an early period of uncertain transition. A handful of urums, specifically ones with broad ideologies, gained more members and, by extension, became substantially more powerful than their contemporaries. The first minor conflicts began to occur between these influential states.

Seeing instability in a world without clear leaders or organization, the urum hierarchy was developed to keep civilization in order and provide checks and balances to power. Every urum was ranked by their influenced and structured within a greater hierarchy. This hierarchy made the distinction between superpowers, major powers, and lesser powers. Sets of rights and responsibilities were created for each rank, ensuring that no superpower could grow too tyrannical or too dominant, and that even small urums could have a say in how they were treated by their rivals.

With the hierarchy in place, urums experienced continual growth and, relatively speaking, prolonged periods of peace.

The Colonization of Space
Urums expanded their territory to other planets as space-faring technology became more advanced. Humanity was no longer bound to just one planet, but, as predicted by early thinkers, civilization remained united under the urum system. New urums were created on equally new colonies as cultures were reshaped by exotic environments. Other large urums successfully controlled multiple planets, pushing their populations into the hundreds of billions.

The hierarchy remained stable, with urums rising and falling in influence over time. Most changes to the structure of the hierarchy were peaceful affairs, with waning powers more than willing to step down in rank. On rare occasions, when two or more urums contested their rank within the hierarchy, large-scale warfare took place. These conflicts were considered a "once in ten generations" occurrence. Such conflicts would include the Midnum Genocide and the Blockade of Eshduri.

Current Events
The urum hierarchy continues to provide humanity with a stable, relatively peaceful organizational structure. Humanity has now colonized over 230 planets, moons, and other settlements. The hierarchy is currently in a period of stagnation and political tension due to the controversial leadership of High Urum Sakir. A peace treaty, a change in leadership, or a war of ascension is expected to occur in the near future.