World government in fiction
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In both science fiction and utopia/dystopian fiction, authors have made frequent use of the age-old idea of a global state and, accordingly, of world government.


Overview

In tune with Immanuel Kant's vision of a world state based on the voluntary political union of all countries of this planet in order to avoid colonialism and in particular any future war ("Idee zu einer allgemeinen Geschichte in weltbürgerlicher Absicht", 1784; "Zum ewigen Frieden", 1795), some of these scenarios depict an egalitarian and utopian world supervised (rather than controlled) by a benevolent (and usually
democratic Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...
) world government. Others, however, describe the effects of a totalitarian regime which, after having seized power in one country,
annexes Annexation (Latin ''ad'', to, and ''nexus'', joining), in international law, is the forcible acquisition of one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. It is generally held to be an illegal act ...
the rest of the world in order to dominate and oppress all mankind. One major influence was Edward Bellamy's '' Looking Backward''. The best-known advocate of world government was H. G. Wells. He describes such a system in '' The Shape of Things to Come'', ''
Men Like Gods ''Men Like Gods'' (1923) is a novel, referred to by the author as a "scientific fantasy", by English writer H. G. Wells. It features a utopia located in a parallel universe. Plot summary ''Men Like Gods'' is set in the summer of 1921. Its pr ...
'' and '' The World Set Free''. Some writers have also parodied the idea: E. M. Forster's ''
The Machine Stops "The Machine Stops" is a science fiction short story (12,300 words) by E. M. Forster. After initial publication in ''The Oxford and Cambridge Review'' (November 1909), the story was republished in Forster's ''The Eternal Moment and Other Storie ...
'' (1909) and Aldous Huxley's 1932 novel '' Brave New World''. Wells himself wrote '' The Sleeper Awakes'', an early vision of a dystopian world. World government themes in science fiction are particularly prominent in the years following World War II, coincident with the involvement of many scientists in the actual political movement for world government in response to the perceived dangers of nuclear holocaust. Prominent examples from the
Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...
era include '' Childhood's End'' (1953), ''
Starship Troopers ''Starship Troopers'' is a military science fiction novel by American writer Robert A. Heinlein. Written in a few weeks in reaction to the US suspending nuclear tests, the story was first published as a two-part serial in ''The Magazine of F ...
'' (1959), ''
Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...
'' (from 1966), the ''
Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...
'' story '' The Enemy of the World'' (1968) and Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons (1968) Later references to a unified world government also appear however in post-Cold War science fiction television series such as '' Babylon 5''. The concept also appears frequently in science fiction anime, whether in the form of a strengthened United Nations or an entirely new organizations with world
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. Examples of anime with this premise are '' Macross'' (adapted in America as the first part of Robotech) and '' Gundam''.


President of Earth

President of Earth (also known as President of the World) is a fictional concept or character who is the leader of Planet Earth. Examples include the following: * In DC Comics, superhero
Bart Allen Bartholomew Henry "Bart" Allen II is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. A speedster (fiction), speedster, he first appeared under the alias Impulse and later became the second Kid Flash and the fourth Flash (c ...
had a presidential grandfather President Thawne;
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, the second Invisible Kid, went on to serve as President of Earth. * A poem titled "The President of Earth" by author David Kennedy (born 1959), in a book with the same title. * A fictional character in a fictional universe in ''
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'' holoprogram on USS ''Voyager'''s holodeck * Gerry Anderson's 1960s
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puppet shows, via their '' TV Century 21'' comic and episodes of '' Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons'', featured a World President as head of a unified World Government. * In the 1968 film '' Barbarella'', Barbarella is sent out by the President of Earth. * In ''
The New Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an anthology television series which was constructed from September 27, 1985 to April 15, 1989. It is the first of three revivals of Rod Serling's acclaimed 1959–64 television series, and like the original it featur ...
'' episode " Lost and Found" and the
Phyllis Eisenstein Phyllis Eisenstein (February 26, 1946 – December 7, 2020) was an American author of science fiction and fantasy short stories as well as novels. Her work was nominated for both the Hugo Award and Nebula Award. Early life Eisenstein was born Phy ...
1978 short story of the same title upon which it was based, a woman named Jenny Templeton (
Akosua Busia Akosua Gyamama Busia (born 30 December 1966) is a Ghanaian actress, film director, author and songwriter who lives in the United Kingdom. She played Nettie Harris in the 1985 film ''The Color Purple'' alongside Whoopi Goldberg. Family and early l ...
) will someday be elected the first president of Earth, presumably in the 21st century and will eventually be called "The Great Peacemaker". * In '' Babylon 5: In the Beginning'', the president of Earth orders all available ships to form a line around the planet in a vain attempt to stave off the final Minbari obliteration of the human race. This, the Battle of the Line, is the final battle of the war. * In ''
Futurama ''Futurama'' is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the adventures of the professional slacker Philip J. Fry, who is cryogenically preserved for 1000 years a ...
'' (which is set in the 31st century), the position of President of Earth is held by
Richard Nixon's Head This article lists the many characters of '' Futurama,'' an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the adventures of a ...
, preceded by "Earth President McNeal". * In ''
Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...
'', several future timelines – most notably the 26th century's Earth Empire – have a President of Earth. In the first such story, ''Frontier in Space'', the President's world government is specifically based on the United States government. The Doctor is assigned President of Earth by the United Nations, with full control over the planet's armies, in the episode " Death in Heaven" – a role he resumes in " The Zygon Invasion" / " The Zygon Inversion" and later " The Pyramid at the End of the World". * In Space Battleship Yamato 2202, Earth is governed by the Earth Federation under the rule of a President, who is seen in Episode 2. *In fiction the 2019 novel. The First President of Earth, Bill Buchanan becomes the first president of earth. *In the season finale of the second season of The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants, George and Harold write a comic where Earth is ruled by a President. However, they learn from the superintendent that Erica Wang (one of their classmates) beating a recent obstacle course will help her become President of Earth in the future. The superintendent is actually Erica from the future. *In the 2015 video game Citizens of Earth, players play as the newly elected Vice President of Earth.


World governmental organizations in fiction and popular culture


Democracy

* Indian science fiction show of the 90s
Captain Vyom ''Captain Vyom'' is an Indian television series aired on DD National in 1998. It was directed by Ketan Mehta and starred Milind Soman. Plot By 2123, humans have conquered the solar system and established space stations on several planets. The ...
showed a world government with the capital at New Delhi. * Global Defense Initiative (a powerful military branch of the UN) in the '' Command & Conquer'' series of video games. * The Confederation in Peter F Hamilton's ''
Night's Dawn Trilogy British author Peter F. Hamilton's ''The Night's Dawn Trilogy'' consists of three science fiction novels: '' The Reality Dysfunction'' (1996), ''The Neutronium Alchemist'' (1997), and ''The Naked God'' (1999). A collection of short stories, '' ...
'' (or more specifically GovCentral and most planetary governments, some even stretch across multiple systems). * The Unified Earth Government (the root of the United Nations Space Command) in the '' Halo series'' is an interplanetary government. * The United Earth Federation in the video game '' Supreme Commander'' is a Martial Government that rules all of Earth and several other planets in the galaxy. * The Government of Earth is the fictional world government in the animated science-fiction comedy series ''
Futurama ''Futurama'' is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the adventures of the professional slacker Philip J. Fry, who is cryogenically preserved for 1000 years a ...
''. It is also supported by D.O.O.P. (an interplanetary equivalent to the United Nations). * United Earth, also known as the New United Nations, was the governing body of Earth in the ''
Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...
'' franchise. It was formed after Earth made first contact with
Vulcans Vulcans, sometimes referred to as Vulcanians, are a fictional extraterrestrial humanoid species in the ''Star Trek'' universe and media franchise. In the various ''Star Trek'' television series and films, they are noted for their attempt to l ...
and was later a political subdivision of the United Federation of Planets. Membership status within the United Federation of Planets were granted to planetary nation-states on the condition that the civilization independently developed faster-than-light capabilities and achieved planetary unification. * The Earth Alliance in '' Babylon 5'' was founded in 2085 as a democracy, and conquered most nations who refused to join by 2150. * The Earth Federation in the '' Gundam'' anime series, formed as a response to widespread famine, disease and war. It forced most of the earth population into space colonies. * The Terran Confederation in the '' Wing Commander'' universe, is a federal republic formed in 2416. * The Terran Federation in Robert A. Heinlein's ''
Starship Troopers ''Starship Troopers'' is a military science fiction novel by American writer Robert A. Heinlein. Written in a few weeks in reaction to the US suspending nuclear tests, the story was first published as a two-part serial in ''The Magazine of F ...
'', formed by a group of veterans after the collapse of national governments around the world. Only those who have served in the military are allowed to vote and hold political office. * In ''
The Forever War ''The Forever War'' (1974) is a military science fiction novel by American author Joe Haldeman, telling the contemplative story about human soldiers fighting an interstellar war against an alien civilization known as the Taurans. It won the Nebu ...
'' by Joe Haldeman, the United Nations is a world government, who carefully controls food resources and officially endorses homosexuality to control overpopulation. * In Gerry Anderson's
Supermarionation Supermarionation (a portmanteau of the words "super", "marionette" and " animation")La Rivière 2009, p. 67. is a style of television and film production employed by British company AP Films (later Century 21 Productions) in its puppet T ...
TV franchise, in which series such as '' Fireball XL5'', ''
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'', '' Thunderbirds'', '' Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons'', '' Joe 90'' and '' The Secret Service'', would feature the World Army, the World Navy and the World Air Force. There was also the World Aquanaut Security Patrol (The W.A.S.P'S), the World Space Patrol (W.S.P), World Intelligence Network (W.I.N) and Universal Secret Service (U.S.S). All run by a World Government (overseen by a world President) located in the world capital Futura City. * In his scurrilous novel New Shoes, RD Le Coeur has the president of earth as Bernado Bohemoth Beelzebub who the alien visitors come seeking on Earth. . * In Orson Scott Card's " Shadow of the Giant", Peter Wiggin becomes Hegemon over the Earth. * " Mobile Suit Gundam Wing" is set in a world run by the Alliance. * In '' Martian Successor Nadesico'', Earth and several lunar and Martian colonies are governed by United Earth, with a united military force called the "United Earth Allied Forces". * In ''
Planetes ''Planētes'', "Wanderers", lead=yes is a Japanese hard science fiction manga written and illustrated by Makoto Yukimura. It was serialized in Kodansha's ''seinen'' manga magazine ''Morning'' between January 1999 to January 2004, with its ...
'', a Japanese anime, "INTO" International Treaty Organization is a type of world government. * In the manga '' Eden: It's an Endless World!'' A supranational organization "Propater" which grew within NATO and the UN, and eventually took them over. Propater controls much of the world, including Japan, the US, much of Europe and South America. Later this organization became " United World The Federation of Earth". * In ''Appleseed'' (manga), after World War III the planet is supervised by a utopian city called Olympus. The Central Management Bureau, more commonly referred to as Aegis in the manga, is the political organization that runs the city-state of Olympus. Aegis is looking after the whole planet, other than total disarmament and the supervision of trade and economy, every country is pretty much free to do as they please. * In video game '' Deus Ex: Invisible War'' takes place in 2072, twenty years after the original, in a world being rebuilt after the destruction of global infrastructure at the hands of the first game's protagonist, JC Denton. The World Trade Organization somehow forms a global government, creating modern city-states, known as enclaves, in which the majority of the game takes place. * In ''
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'', Earth is united under one government, with a united military force known as the United Forces of Earth (UFE). * In '' Space: Above and Beyond'', Earth and its colonies are under the rule of the Secretary-General of the United Nations. * In ''
Neon Genesis Evangelion , also known simply as ''Evangelion'' or ''Eva'', is a Japanese mecha anime television series produced by Gainax and animated by Tatsunoko, directed by Hideaki Anno and broadcast on TV Tokyo from October 1995 to March 1996. ''Evangelion' ...
'', the United Nations commands a military made up of the former Earth countries' militaries. * In the '' Expanse'' universe, the UN governs Earth and its immediate colonies (most notably Luna). * ''Killzone'' (series) – The UCN (United Colonial Nations) in the Killzone series essentially act as the United Nations. It presides over all the Earth-held colonies in space with Earth itself as its capital. Also, the ISA (Interplanetary Strategic Alliance), the main protagonists of Killzone, act as the UCN's "NATO" forces. Every UCN colony is allowed to have its own ISA military to defend itself in times of war, but they are all under (indirect) control of the UCN. * ''Dead Space'' (series) – The Earth Government Colonial Alliance, known also as Earth Government and EarthGov, is the executive branch of Earth and its colonies, responsible for administrating the territories that officially fall under its control. * Red City – Is a series from
Image Comics Image Comics is an American comic book publisher and is the third largest comic book and graphic novel publisher in the industry in both unit and market share. It was founded in 1992 by several high-profile illustrators as a venue for creator-ow ...
. The entire solar system has been united under one central government, and each planet acts like a state. They call it NSS (New Solar System). * ''Pacific Rim'' (film) – The United Nations were called upon to rally together following the 2013 and 2014 Kaiju attacks in San Francisco, Manila, Cabo and Sydney. When Jasper Schoenfeld presented the idea for the "Jaeger" in Seoul, South Korea's World Conference, September 15, 2014, the UN chose to set aside old rivalries for "the greater good" and collaborate to make the Jaeger Program possible. The "Pan Pacific Defense Corps" was established in late 2014. The United Nations served as the PPDC's primary benefactors and were involved in the approval of Jaeger manufacturing connected to the PPDC's higher ups. * '' Independence Day: Resurgence'' – Since the attack in the first film, it appears that the UN has become the governing body and defense force of mankind. * '' Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare'' – The United Nations Space Alliance (UNSA) is an international political organization that handles matters related to trade, travel, land claims and all efforts relating to human space colonization. Their military force is represented by the Solar Associated Treaty Organization (SATO). * '' Armitage III'' – The Earth Federation makes a treaty with Mars and creates One Nation for both societies. * '' Xenosaga'' – The Galaxy Federation, also simply known as the Federation and sometimes The Fed, is the body that governs nearly 500,000 planets throughout the known universe, and essentially rules and governs humanity in the T.C. era in Xenosaga. * ''
Zone of the Enders is a video game franchise created by Hideo Kojima and Konami that focused around combat in space with mecha called Orbital Frames. The original ''Zone of the Enders'' was released for the PlayStation 2 in March 2001. A sequel, '' Zone of the E ...
'' – The United Nations Space Force (commonly abbreviated UNSF) is Earth's primary military force. It is present in all Zone of the Enders media to date, and is composed of several different divisions with their own duties and jurisdictions. The UNSF is the military force maintained by Earth to protect their interests in the colonies, as well as acting a defense force for the colonies. * '' Altered Carbon (TV series)'' - The United Nations Interstellar Protectorate, also referred to simply as the Protectorate or the United Nations, is a sovereign interstellar colonial empire that spreads across a hundred-light-year bubble of human-inhabited space outwards from Sol. The unified human state is the direct successor of the intergovernmental organization founded in 1945, after World War II, which gradually evolved its mandate, stripping national governments of their prominence on the world (and later interstellar) stage to the point where it held sovereignty over all of humanity. * '' The Wandering Earth'' - In the future, the Sun has aged and is about to turn into a red giant, pushing the nations of the world to consolidate into the United Earth Government, a world government, to initiate a project to move the Earth out of the Solar System to the Alpha Centauri system, in order to preserve further human civilization. *In the grand strategy science fiction game '' Stellaris'', one of the fates of the human race is to become the United Nations of Earth, a unified planetary state most likely the successor to the UN of modern times.


Authoritarian

* The Imperium of Man in ''
Warhammer 40000 ''Warhammer 40,000'' is a miniature wargame produced by Games Workshop. It is the most popular miniature wargame in the world, and is particularly popular in the United Kingdom. The first edition of the rulebook was published in September 1987, ...
'' is a large sprawling empire spanning over a million planets. * The totalitarian Terran Federation from the British science fiction television programme '' Blake's 7''. * World Government in the Japanese
manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
and anime series '' One Piece''. * The Alliance in the ''
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'' universe is a result of a Chinese and American alliance.


Multiple types

* The novels and short stories of science fiction author
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frequently depict the existence of some variety of world government. The first such mention appears to be his short story 'Evidence', published in 1946; the story mentions that governments have formed four regions. In the next story, 'The Evitable Conflict', they have formed a Federation, created in 2044 CE, with an elected World Coordinator. His headquarters are in New York City. Regional capitals also exist. Later stories show how this union leads to planetary unions and eventually to the Galactic Empire. * The
United Earth Directorate ''StarCraft'' is a military science fiction media franchise created by Chris Metzen and James Phinney and owned by Blizzard Entertainment. The series, set in the beginning of the 26th century, centers on a galactic struggle for dominance amon ...
from the ''
StarCraft ''StarCraft'' is a military science fiction media franchise created by Chris Metzen and James Phinney and owned by Blizzard Entertainment. The series, set in the beginning of the 26th century, centers on a galactic struggle for dominance am ...
'' series is a government controlling Earth. Meanwhile, the Terran Confederacy and later the
Terran Dominion ''StarCraft'' is a military science fiction media franchise created by Chris Metzen and James Phinney and owned by Blizzard Entertainment. The series, set in the beginning of the 26th century, centers on a galactic struggle for dominance amon ...
control a number of the other planets that humans inhabit. * The
CoDominium CoDominium is a series of future history novels written by American writer Jerry Pournelle, along with several co-authors, primarily Larry Niven. Series Setting Formation of the CoDominium The point of departure of Pournelle's history is the ...
, from the ''CoDominium'' series by Jerry Pournelle is a union of the United States and the USSR which serves as world government. * Future timelines of ''Doctor Who'' repeatedly show a world government with space colonisation, usually under the name Earth Empire/Human Empire.


Corporatocracy

* The Buy-n-Large Corporation is a world government in the film '' WALL-E''. CEO Shelby Forthright (portrayed in live-action by Fred Willard) as leader of the world government proposed the plans to evacuate, clean up and recolonize the planet. However, he gave up hope after realizing he underestimated just how toxic the planet had become.


Artificial Intelligence

* The Thunderhead is a benevolent and all powerful artificial intelligence (Al) in the ''Arc of a Scythe'' book series by Neal Shusterman. The Thunderhead takes the place of all world governments in the year 2042 as a conscious version of today's internet. All of its decisions are in the best interest of humanity, and it makes no mistakes, however a human-run organization known as the "Scythedom" is deeply corrupt and threatens to ruin the peace created by the Thunderhead.


Unknown

* In Eoin Colfer's ''
The Supernaturalist ''The Supernaturalist'' is a science fiction cyberpunk novel by Irish author Eoin Colfer. The book was influenced by film noir and other predecessors of the cyberpunk Cyberpunk is a subgenre of science fiction in a dystopian futuristic setti ...
'', it is stated that all international boundaries were erased in a "one world" act.


See also

* World government *
United Nations in popular culture The United Nations (UN) has been depicted in film, television, literature, and other media which shape popular culture. Frequent depictions of the UN involve the organization itself, UN bodies and agencies, the UN headquarters, peacekeeping activ ...


References

{{science fiction Science fiction Science fiction themes Books about globalization Utopian fiction Dystopian fiction Government