Konsi-Thang Cartel (Ætas ab Brian)

From Alternative History

History of Rome-After Ætas ab Brian

Nations to speak of

The Cartel following the success of its invasion of Dai Viet 2190(1437)

It was interesting to note that the Cartel was able to rule the citizens so poorly and still earn it profit, since it was thought by many that by having the majority of its citizen-consumers poor, a corporation could not survive. Unfortunately, corporations, like their Human cousins, are able to plan far enough ahead in the future to guarantee survival at the cost of anything around them. Konsi and Thang could easily survive because of their monopolies of all industries. By outlawing independent production of any goods, citizens had to purchase corporation products necessary for life. Konsi-Thang evidently were not based on the consumer, but on the producer, and only those things that proved profitable were manufactured. Products produced for in-country use were not given warranties and had a short-lived life expectancy before they needed to be replaced. Maintenance was almost nonexistent for citizen products.

Security personnel were by far the highest (sometimes only) paid employees. The true owners of the corporation were the only ones earning more. Workers were paid perhaps enough to buy food and a few commodities, but also had to pay land taxes. With all land privatized and owned by Konsi-Thang (therefore they could be considered state-owned), once the life savings of a family were spent, they were declared as trespassers and jailed for a short time. After all property of the family or individual was seized, analyzed for value, and sold; they were transported to Konsi-Thang’s human resources constructed apartments where they experienced a warped sense of socialism:

• They no longer paid land taxes
• Were given jobs deemed best suited for them or those highest in demand (usually miners, farmers, and assembly-liners)

• Those with technical experience were usually given corresponding jobs rather quickly; universities and academies received very few students once the Cartel was in power

• Received inoculations against contagious diseases;
• Cataloged for viable organs for after death
• Submitted to yearly marrow and monthly blood donations
• Pay resumed at a reduced rate and included market shares of the company-these pretty much acted as currency to encourage all citizen spending to stay within the nation
• Pregnacy became regulated in a very basic eugenics(or dysgenics) programme. Only those fufilling the required 'government' stipulated character traits, physical and intelligence levels, and 'mental attitudes' were allocated pregnancy licence(s).

On the confirmation of an illegal pregnacy, the offenders were first assessed for the desired traits, if they failed, the feotus (or whichever stage it had reached by the time of discovery) became a supply for stem cell applications. If the offenders did pass, the mother was placed in the 'care' of an agency to allow the child to be born, then raised by Cartel appointed instructors. For the duration of the pregnancy the mother was given a job at the agency requiring as little strain as was available. The father was demoted in one way or another at his job and resumed work. At the terminus of the pregnacy, the mother was also demoted in her previous job or allocated a new one if it was no longer available. Offenders who failed the assessment were sterilised. Repeat offenders who passed the assessments were sterilised on the 3rd offense (just so they didn't totally waste the Human resources).

With the present generations answering to the phrase "A job for every person." (each person's job was chosen based on their skills), Human Resources was hard at work for the next generation to answer to "A person for every job." (each person educated and conditioned for the jobs predicted being required).

It is a bit interesting that Konsi-Thang technically allowed manumission of both the nation's new and old slaves. It is not simply an arduous journey up a muddy hill to 'freedom', as it is also easy to work one's way into a glass ceiling. The conditions in the Cartel bred the first organised movements of combined 'citizen'-slave kaslati actions. These ideas of course leaked out to the rest of the world, inspiring slaves to act like terrorists instead of simply revolting as a demonstration. Several powerful Konsi-Thang officials were assassinated over time, though none of those carrying out the assassinations survived afterwards for more than 12 hours. If the assassins survived the actual murder, they were soon discovered by the authorities after. Of course, this didn't stop officials playing the backstabbing game from funding and occationally harbouring Kaslati cells.

The Teledeturbo towers defending the nation drew quite a large amount of power. Some had their own power plants, but many derived most of their power from the existing civilian systems. Poverty, famine, crime, and disease manifested (moreso than normal) in the cities with reduced, and sometimes no, power.

Although the Konsi-Thang Cartel was the first corporate nation, for all time it was the most successful and stable. Not even the most powerful Corporate-African states could sleep so soundly at night.

Corporate rule was considered a type of cleptocracy by most of the world.