How do you make your story's oppressive government interesting?

Because from above, the lies you tell your people seem so thin, you start wondering how long it'll take before they see through them.

For example, you tell your people the system works and is efficient, but every day your desk is filled with reports on problems and inefficiency, and no one, not even you, has any real overview.

You may have a lot of well-armed police officers, but if every civilian decided to resist the government, the police would be outmatched by their sheer numbers.

 

Yes. If the people have a strong will they can rise up and throw a dictator out of power. But why should the dictator fear that? What are the reasons for the people to have that strong will? Often the dictator is insulated from the struggles of its people. I think the foundation of story lies in the circumstances causing the people to become dissatisfied with the Government.

 

What was life like before the coming of the new government? Has the population been entirely pacified or is there a resistance movement afoot? An effective resistance.

 

There is a small resistance movement brewing. My idea was that a slave rebellion starts the whole revolution/civil war to come about.

EDIT: Idea! What if I had her do good stuff for the people? Initiate some reforms that make life a bit better, or designate vast swaths of arable land to farmers to yeild more crop production, thus people won't get hungry? Do things that'll make most people think, "She's not exactly the nicest ruler we've ever had, but she's a smart one, and cares for our general well-being."

If all she did was oppress everyone, and make life miserable, then...that's kinda counter productive, and makes it easier for the revolution to gain more and more followers.

 

A kinda good bad guy sounds neat. What if you took that to an extreme? Tyrina could be a genuinely good ruler, but she's held back by the 'oppression inherent in the system' and is more frustrated than evil--maybe the press/other nobles/corrupt leaders in the rebellion even try to make her appear evil by drawing attention to her outbursts and generally hotblooded nature?

Sorry if I took your idea and ran too far with it.

 

That's an interesting perspective. She's trying to do what's best, but ends up being painted as a monster for it? xD

So, she's all "What the hell, I'll just act out like they see me", but in reality, she's actually trying to help change the system?

 

their is also the chance she tries to do good but takes it too far. most dictators think they are doing a good thing, and in their own eyes are the good guys. maybe she has a policy of seizing land to make farms. she violates property rights but at the same time panders to the lowest level by taking land for them. think of parts of modern africa.

 

Yeah, basically. Now that I've thought about it more though, I'm not sure a villain who acts that way would be very believable, and they probably wouldn't count as a villain by that point anyway. Even tvtropes doesn't seem to have an article on exactly what I had in mind, so maybe it doesn't work out so well.

 

A good look at an evil empire based on somewhat good intentions would be Hugh Howey's Wool Omnibus.

This may sound a bit flaky but perhaps you could try to concentrate on what you want from your story before you go to sleep tonight. I find that sometimes the revelation will just pop up upon awakening in the morning. I haven't tried this with plot difficulties but I'm pretty sure it could help. The idea really should come from you.

 

Nice idea and relevant to a contemporary topic. Think Africa, Venezuela and America during an Obama second term

 

Hi,

My short answer would be motivate it. Show not just why the government formed but what about it made it seem so right at the time. Nazi Germany arouse out of the depression in Germany that existed prior to it. At the start it was about progress and a future, and throwing off the restraints of the impositions placed on it after WWI. The mess in Iran arose from a corrupt dictatorial western backed government that the people rejected as much as any great love of Islam.

Usually a government forms for one reason, and continues as long as that reason continues. It becomes tyranical when either that initial reason for it's existence goes away and it remains, or because it extends its grip into other parts of people's lives.

So with that in mind imagine the US shifting to a police state type government, after 9/11 and then continuing on that road as long as more and more attacks keep occuring. As long as people are still afraid of the attacks and terrorism, they won't perceive the curtailing of liberties and intrusion of the state into their lives as tyranical. But there comes a point where either the terrorists are defeated, or the intrusions go too far, and the government suddenly becomes a tyrany.

Cheers, Greg.

 

There's a saying about Mussolini's Italy: "At least the trains run on time"
Plus Hitler built the autobahn in Germany and little car most folks don't know got started by the Nazi's. It's name means "the people's car" and that little vehicle is known as Volkswagen.

Volk=the people in german.

 

By spending massive amounts of money on the autobahns and the military, the Nazis also boosted the economy and solved the unemployment problem. It's no coincidence they got so popular.

Lest someone thinks Nazism contains the solution to unemployment, they did it by borrowing from private companies. That, in turn, made it seem like a good idea to go to war, because it allowed them both to put the military spending to use, and to take control of the private companies.

 

In 1984, there was a lot of propaganda elements, which gave impression of a united society but it was ruled by fear much like nazi Germany. The leader was constantly on videos- preaching the way of the government. So although not actually doing anything, they were present in the story.


And just a quick note, personally I would change the name Devonians. Devon is a county or shire in England uk, and they are stereotyped in the uk for having 'farmer' accents. Unless you were going for something hobbit like?

 

^ Yeah, they're just placehold until I can figure out a better one.

 

You want a example of a oppressive govt.? Today is a great example you're living under one. Question how do free democratic or republic govt fall victim to a tyrannical oppression?

 

Evil empires are great. They go hand-in-hand with rebel groups...and by default Tyrina hates rebel groups. You can use the rebels to show aspects of this empire that empire characters can't (because they are so entrenched in their identity). Some ideas..

1) Consider having political parties and "free" elections. Dictatorships sometimes allow this to give the illusion of democracy and root out the dissenters. However, there are rumors of a rebel group operating inside one or more (or ALL) of the parties, perhaps even the Empire. It's so secretive, it's only a conspiracy theory.

2) Have the leaders of the "main players" blackmail/backstab/defect/start their own empire (not the same thing/not at the same time). Think about "Big Pharma" "Big Oil" "Big Tobacco," "Big Agriculture," etc.They have enormous political power because everyone needs their goods. Without them, we're doomed.