Political ideologies in Castadilla

Formal political ideologies in Castadilla are aligned based upon the left-right political spectrum, an axis used to classify political positions in relation to their emphasis on either social equality or social hierarchy. Most Castadillaans identify as at least one of four main ideologies: socialism, liberalism, conservatism, and nationalism; it is very common for one to identify as being any combination of two of the four main ideologies, with political polarisation being largely miniscule for the most part thanks to the four ideological groups more or less cooperating with each other during the era of the provisional government after the end of the Velvet Revolution.

Castadilla, alongside Pelaxia, have often been called the "cradle of socialism", and the main subsections within modern Castadillaan socialism include Velvetine Socialism, Cabacero Socialism, and even various flavours of socialist-aligned social democracy; the former two having emerged from the Velvetine faction of the Velvet Revolution while the latter developed throughout the latter half of the 19th Century and had gained prominence as the left-wing faction of the anti-Pascualist opposition groups which were formed in the late 1940s. Castadillaan liberalism traces its lineage back to the late 18th Century as the result of the initial egalitarian ethos of early Delepasian nationalism (not to be confused with Delepasian exceptionalism) as well as constitutionalism and even republicanism; in recent years, Castadillaan liberalism has been closely aligned with neoliberalism. Conservatism in Castadilla mostly emerged as a response to the rise of liberal ideologies in the early 19th Century and has historically enjoyed close relations with the Catholic Church, and in the present is most often associated with christian democracy. Modern-day Castadillaan nationalism is most commonly associated with various flavours of Delepasian exceptionalism, though more moderate and less exclusionary forms of nationalism do exist across the political spectrum with the most prominent being Castadillaanism.

The earliest instances of political ideologies in what is now Castadilla began with the emergence of Delepasian nationalism in the late 18th Century which challenged the long-standing notion that the colonists of the Viceroyalty of Los Rumas were Pelaxians. The rise of the nascent Delepasian identity would lead to the emergence of constitutionalism and even republicanism as calls for Delepasian self-government began to emerge. The latter years of Pelaxian colonial rule and the brief time that the Delepasian Kingdom had existed would see Delepasian nationalism split into new ideologies, including royalism, national constitutionalism, and national republicanism. In the years following the collapse of the short-lived Delepasian Kingdom, foralism and confederalism became the predominant ideologies of the new confederation. The rise of the Estado Social in the mid-1920s would see the rise of Pascualism as well as the institutionalisation of Delepasian exceptionalism; modern forms of liberalism, conservatism, and socialism would develop in response to Pascualist rule with all three ideological groups committing themselves to promoting a more democratic form of government. The finalisation of the development of the modern political ideologies in Castadilla would end in the late 1990s after the end of the Velvet Revolution, with Velvetine Socialism and national conservatism being some of the most prominent ideological developments.

With the fusion of ideologies being predominant throughout Castadilla's political history and with Christianity being a predominant religious identity across all the political spectrum, the easiest way to determine political leanings is through one's chosen theological movement; those who adhere to a more fundamentalist or even traditionalist form of Christian theology are generally more likely to be national conservative or a Delepasian exceptionalist, those who adhere to a less dogmatically political form of Christian theology tend to be identify with the political centre, and those who subscribe to liberationist forms of theology tend towards the political left.

History

Early Delepasianism

The earliest instances of formal political ideologies in what is now Castadilla first emerged in the late 18th Century after the end of the Carto-Pelaxian Commonwealth in 1792. With the loss of modern-day Cartadania during the partitions and thus the end of the perceived privilege that the Cartadanians had held, the colonists in the Viceroyalty of Los Rumas began to assert themselves politically with the rise of Delepasian nationalism. Early Delepasian nationalists, such as the famed poet and author Juan Guerrero who coined the term "Delepasian" in 1797, were largely influenced by the Kilikas Enlightenment and thus professed early liberal ideas such as constitutionalism and even republicanism; many early nationalists wanted a "crowned republic" where a liberal government is established on the basis of popular sovereignty with a meritocratic political elite who would be in charge of leadership while the monarch served as a purely cultural and symbolic figurehead with no political power. This stood in direct opposition to long-standing notion that the colonists in the Viceroyalty identified as being Pelaxians, a notion that was supported by opponents of Delepasianism who were still loyal to the monarchy and the old aristocracy.

Delepasianism, particularly the radical "pure republican" faction, first entered into mainstream Pelaxian politics during the years of the First Pelaxian Republic. Although a form of nationalism, Delepasianism was closely-aligned to the beliefs of the staunch Pelaxian republican and Enlightenment thinker Luciano Valera who happened to be one of the three leaders of the First Republic; for many early Delepasianists, Valera's views were in support for Delepasian representation in the Pelaxian government, and many prominent officials during the First Republic, such as famed proto-socialist thinker Ernesto Chavez, were Delepasian. Delepasianism was the first major ideology in what is now Castadilla, and it served as the foundation for modern forms of socialism, liberalism, conservatism, and even nationalism in Castadilla.

Late colonial era and Delepasian Kingdom

The end of the First Pelaxian Republic and the restoration of the Girojon monarchy in 1814 saw the rise in counter-Enlightenment thought in opposition to the liberal ideals that were championed for the past decade. This new ideological thought, while it took in certain ideas from early Delepasianism such as nationalism and constitutionalism, was very supportive of the Girojon monarchy, the old aristocracy, and the Catholic Church, seeing all three institutions as being a core aspect of the social hierarchy in Pelaxia. These new conservatives, known as "Modern Royalists" or simply as "Royalists", still saw potential in some of the ideas that have emerged from the Enlightenment, but they still called for these ideas to be tempered and moderated to ensure a stable and orderly society. They did, however, believe that Delepasians were entitled to their own government, a new kingdom that would serve as one half of a real union between them and Pelaxia known as the Pelaxio-Delepasian Union. The Royalists saw this proposal for a "dual monarchy" to be the only way to ensure Delepasian loyalty to the Pelaxian crown while also giving them full authority to handle their own internal affairs without running afoul of future policies made in Albalitor.

Delepasianism itself would be split into two new liberal camps. Moderate liberals, who have emphasised constitutionalism over republicanism, would be known as "National Constitutionalists". National Constitutionalists still advocated for popular sovereignty and meritocracy, but under a "liberal monarchy" wherein the monarch's power shall be limited by a constitution and that power will instead be in the hands of the meritocratic elite, who would handle the day-to-day governance. Unlike the Royalists, who still wished to remain as close to the Pelaxian crown as possible, the National Constitutionalists called for an independent Delepasian state that would either be under a personal union with Pelaxia or under the rule of a cadet branch of the Girojons; the former option would necessitate the retention of the office of the Viceroy as representative of the Pelaxian monarchy while the latter would see the office of the Viceroy be renamed to Prefect to the Crown. The status of aristocracy in the new Delepasian state would be debated upon, but most National Constitutionalist factions were largely hostile to the idea of establishing a new aristocracy.

The more radical camps of Delepasianism, those who have emphasised republicanism over constitutionalism, would be become the "National Republicans". Like the National Constitutionalists, the National Republicans advocated for a liberal, independent Delepasian state governed by the principles of popular sovereignty and meritocracy. Unlike the National Constitutionalists, however, the National Republicans called for a republican form of government modelled after the triumvirate republic that ruled the First Pelaxian Republic; they did, however, made some modifications to their ideal form of government through inserting additional checks and balances which would have ensured orderly governance without the instability that had plagued the First Republic. The National Republicans were themselves split into multiple factions ranging from moderate liberals who were not unlike the National Constitutionalists to more radical liberals and even proto-socialists; most of these proto-socialists, inspired by the philosophy of Ernesto Chavez, were the forefathers of utopian socialism, an umbrella term used to derisively refer to pre-Marxist forms of socialism.

These three ideological currents were predominant throughout the latter years of the colonial era and especially during the brief Delepasian Kingdom which came into existence after the Pelaxian monarchy was abolished permanently in 1852. The intense rivalry between the three groups would prove to be the kingdom's downfall, however, with the kingdom collapsing three months after its formation.

Foralist era

During the early decades of the Delepasian Confederation, two main ideological currents would emerge which are roughly correspondent to the ideological leanings of the previous Kingdom. Royalists and right-leaning National Constitutionalists were a part of the "Foralist" faction. Foralists advocated for a decentralised state with wherein each region is granted autonomy based on a compilation of laws that are tailored around that particular region's cultural identity; foralism has its basis in the medieval age and was largely seen as an alternative to more modern forms of decentralisation. Basically, the regions are conceded a large amount of autonomy by the confederal government based upon traditional cultural customs found in the area. Because foralism was the ruling ideology throughout the Confederation during its first years, this meant that most regions have embraced mondernised versions of the laws that were found during the years of Caphiric hegemony, albeit with some changes such as changing the annual tributes to the hegemon into monthly taxes to the confederal government as well as shifting ultimate authority from the hegemon (or confederal government) to the regions.

Left-leaning National Constitutionalists and National Republicans were a part of the "Confederalist" faction. Confederalism in the Delepasian context sought to replace the foralist system with a confederation, essentially swapping out the largely asymmetrical forals in favour of more egalitarian constitutions which do permit regional variations in law so long as it does not come into violation of the confederal constitution which they had wished to draft. The Confederalists were the hallmark of the latter decades of the 19th Century as Delepasia under their rule began to phase out the medieval-inspired laws in favour of modern Occidental laws and were instrumental in forever separating the Delepasian political sphere from the Catholic Church; society, however, would not be secularised so easily as Foralists began to accept the new Confederalist system relatively quickly compared to their Royalist forefathers when confronted with early liberalism.

Rise of Delepasian exceptionalism

The beginning of the 20th Century saw the emergence of a new development within Delepasian nationalism. This new form of nationalism refers to the Delepasian people as ordained hegemons of Vallos based on the principle of divine right and that they may achieve this role through key values which make the Delepasians great. These were the beginnings of Delepasian exceptionalism, a current of Delepasian nationalism which would influence both Delepasian and Castadillaan politics for many years. Ultranationalism, Traditionalist Catholicism, and Integralism were the main principles of the nascent ideological current. Although Delepasian exceptionalism was originally developed from the frontierist spirit that the early Delepasian settlers in what is now Navidadia had embraced, the overall romanticism which had emerged proved to be highly attractive to many Delepasian nationalists and was seen as a prelude to a sort of renaissance period for Delepasians even though Navidadia was never a member of the Delepasian Confederation.

It was also during the emergence of Delepasian exceptionalism that the Confederation would face an immense economic crisis which had came after the end of the First Great War. For many, the collapse of the Delepasian economy was largely blamed on liberalism and socialism, the two ideologies being accused of spending far too much money on "vanity projects" instead of contingency plans even though the economic crisis was largely the result of factors that were outside of anyone's control. Nonetheless, Delepasian exceptionalism began to receive mainstream acceptance amongst average Delepasians who looked for anything that could solve their economic woes. To them, their saviour would come in the form of noted economics professor and traditionalist intellectual Fernando Pascual who was appointed Minister of Finance by the Rosarian government so that he could solve Rosaria's unstable and collapsing economy; he was not only able to balance the Rosarian budget he was also able to produce a budgetary surplus for the republic. This seemingly miraculous economic recovery was more than enough to convince the entirety of the Confederation membership to appoint Pascual as President of the Forals in 1922, making him the first known Delepasian exceptionalist to hold a leadership role in the Delepasian Confederation.

Estado Social

Main article: Estado Social (Castadilla)

See also: National Renewal Party

Main ideological groups

Socialism

Main articles: Socialism in Castadilla and Velvetine Socialism

Liberalism

Main article: Liberalism in Castadilla

Conservatism

Main article: Conservatism in Castadilla

Nationalism

Main articles: Delepasian exceptionalism and Nationalism in Castadilla

Other ideologies

21st State Movement

Main article: 21st State Movement

Satirical ideologies

Main article: Commarcho-capitalism

See also

• Catholic Church in Castadilla
• Politics of Castadilla