Garganism

Without a leader, there are no people. Without a people, there is no Empire. Without an empire, there is no purpose. Without a purpose, a leader is needed.
—Gargan the Conqueror

The crest of Gargan's Empire.

Garganism, also called Imperial Garganism was the official ideology of Gargan's Empire, first developed by Gargan the Conqueror and Sandro Moore during the early days of the Gargan Unification War. Described as a set of political and philosophical doctrines, Garganism as a school of thought was adopted by the Empire and even outside its borders by Garganese expatriates. Official adherents to the ideology were called Garganists, or Garganese when referred to followers within the Empire.

Terminology

The term Garganism was first coined by its author, Gargan the Conqueror. Derived from his self-appointed title of Gargan, Garganism as a term was not in official use until well after the Gargan Conquests. Before that, the set of ideas and political doctrines put down by the Gargan were simply regarded as a "New Order".

History

Garganism had its origin in ancient Sith thought. Gargan the Conqueror, the founder of Gargan's Empire and one of the creators of Garganism was once a Sith Lord of the reconstituted Sith Empire during the Cold War called Darth Errol, who was well-involved in the politics and infighting of the Sith Empire's reigning Dark Council. According to Errol, the Sith were destined for defeat because of the gruesome infighting and lack of any military or political cohesion. The Sith Emperor was an apathetic warlord who cared little for governance of the Sith Empire and left it to rot to the machinations of his underlings. To Errol, if any autocratic Empire was to be successful it needed to have a strong military leader who suffered no opposition. The only way to cultivate a fanatical following and maintain any sense of centralized power, according to Errol, was to create the illusion of its leader being backed by a mysterious, all-powerful divine force. To maintain that illusion, the leader needed to possess extraordinary, divinely-ordained powers himself. All of these thoughts and ideas were eventually set into the Red Sun Scrolls.

Ideology

Garganism rose as a result of the perceived lack of political stability in either the Sith Empire or the Galactic Republic. Both states suffered extensive infighting and were essentially governed as loosely-organized oligarchies. Followers of Garganism regarded democracies as ineffective, peaceful co-existence with disparate cultures as destructive, and disunity as disruptive. To foster a sense of unity, Garganism emphasized close familial and cultural bonds, religious devotion, ultranationalism, patriotism, and the assimilation and erasure of un-Garganist cultures. Garganism also emphasized the importance of military supremacy and order, and sought to centralize political and military power into a single governmental organ. Through Garganism, a militaristic, authoritarian, and stratified society was fostered, with a clear hierarchy and gender roles.

Military

The military saw a central focus in Garganism. To Garganists, no true nation could survive without a strong military. Funding and taxes were poured almost exclusively into the construction and expansion of the military. A military adhering to Garganism were essentially taught that sacrifice was the highest attainable virtue a serviceman could achieve. No quarter was to be given, and if a soldier was to be sacrificed or left behind to achieve a strategic goal - then so be it.

Gender roles

Garganism was a predominantly patriarchal ideology, with clear and defined guidelines detailing the disparate qualities and weaknesses of both sexes. A sense of male chauvinism was fostered partly because of its militaristic origins. Only men could join political offices or attain leading positions within the military. Women, while still considered important members of society, were mostly relegated to serve non-military or custodial functions. Women were heavily discouraged from joining the military, and there was a clear gender gap between servicemen.

The leaders of a Garganist state were exclusively male and Force-sensitive. Followers of Garganism believed men were inherently better at leading than women, and it was genuinely believed that the biological properties of men were better suited for matters of warfare or physical labor. Coincidentally, mentally-demanding roles were seen to be better suited for women, who almost exclusively were made up of physicians or support staff.

Assimilation

Standing at the core of Garganist belief stood the concept of assimilation. To adherents of Garganism, there was only one culture - that being the Tyrrhan culture. Those who wished to either live in Gargan's Empire or commit themselves to Garganism had to shed virtually every aspect of their former cultural identity. It was custom for them to be given new names of Garganese origin, and Garganist converts were forbidden from contacting non-Garganist friends or family, unless with the intent to convert them. During times of warfare, newly-conquered people were forcibly assimilated and underwent rigorous reeducation programs meant to streamline them into faithful warriors of the Gargan.

Converts were not allowed to gain an official citizenship within a Garganist state unless they were able to both converse in Garganese on a fluent or near-fluent level and recite the Red Sun Scrolls from memory.

Religious beliefs

Adherents of Garganism were virtually all followers of the Cult of Ur in some form or another. Garganists believed in the existence of Ur, a cosmic deity who was responsible for the creation of the Universe and of the Force. The Force, according to Garganists, was part of Ur's life force which he gave freely to a select few members of society known as the Ur-Touched, who were Force-sensitive. The Ur-Touched were the only people able to gain the uppermost position of leadership, which was either as a member of the Order of Gargan or the Gargan himself.