The hierarchy
Inheritism is the belief that if any one person has all of the following characteristics, he or she is eligible to take power in the government:
- A strong backing of the majority of the people (60%+)
- Confidence and ability to make quick, rational decisions upon short notice.
- Extended knowledge of society, politics and economics.
Each "high roller", as they are called, spends a year in term or until a more acceptable candidate rises onto the social stage. Every time a new ruler is ready to take power, they can do so without public approval or consent. No official laws are to be instituted during the presence of this policy.
The Beginnings of Inheritism
The first record of this belief to be brought into effect is in Larissa, a small city-state in Greece, in around the time of Alexander the Great when a man named Amyntas came to power and instituted this policy. The rule of Inheritism lasted for 40 years until Alexander the Great began his conquest of the known world.
Alexander's campaign in Greece was coming along flawlessly until it came to a halt at Larissa, where a new leader, named Isocrates, had begun building an army for this exact reason. On July 2, 336 B.C.E., Alexander arrived at Larissa and shouted the famous line to Isocrates, who observed from the safety of his city: "I mean you no harm. That is my army's job." The siege lasted for 2 weeks with neither side refusing to surrender. When the siege approached the one month mark, Alexander gave up and marched onward toward Thermopylae. To this day, the reason why Isocrates let Alexander march on mainland Greece is still unknown. It is suggested that he planned on having Alexander adopt his policy of Inheritism and rule Larissa in his image.
Foreign Policies Adapt
The spread of Inheritism began in ancient Greek times but after the Hellenistic period, surrounding nations soon adopted this policy. From Islam to Rome to China, Inheritism appealed to millions of political officials across
Spread of Inheritism
Eurasia. Rome began instituting this policy in AD 21 under Augustus Caesar's command. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire in AD 476, the ideas of Inheritism began traveling East toward the Middle East, where Islam was beginning to take a foothold in the region. Muhammed and later followers began following this policy in many different regions of their vast empire. One of these places is India, where Inheritism shows its "darker" side.
Rebellion after rebellion swells the country to over 100,000 deaths per month. Regardless of killings, India retains a high population count of 192 million. In 1255, Indian troops began to converge on the Chinese outpost of OTL Bhutan. They succeeded in this task and again set forth Inheritism as a law. Word of this policy and its (then) effectiveness reached the Chinese Emperor who then tested it on a village known as Xiping. The results came back successful with 2% chance of civil unrest. The Emperor then installed the policy to all of China a year later.
Disruption and Corruption
Inheritism lasted for 8 more centuries, staying the top policy for tens of civilizations. However, in 1387, an Indian Ruler by the name of Rahul Tiwari had been in power for 3 months and began to have second thoughts about Inheritism. He was a devout Hindu and saw "unnecessary flaws and unfair regulations" with the system. He believed the policy was unfair to those that sat at the bottom of the social pyramid. Tiwari convinced thousands of followers to abandon Inheritism and return to a state of traditional Hinduism in India. An influx of outrage surfaced in Greece, the original birthplace of Inheritism. For centuries, they retained the policy without question and believed India needed a wake-up call in order to see that Inheritism is the most stable policy.
India responded with an ultimatum for Greece and her allies: surrender India to traditional policies or India will invade Greece. Many think that this is the worst possible choice for India to make, as India will then have to deal with lack of economic aid from China and its neighboring Inheritist subordinates along with possible political and social meltdown. Greece refused the war offer and instead allowed India to remain traditionally Hindu. Since the so-called "Levant Extreme" incident, India's government remained religiously dominated. In the 20th century, India retained tradition and refused to industrialize with the rest of the world. Despite large armies and faith in Hinduism, India has not gained any land gain whatsoever since 1255 during the invasion of Bhutan.