Syndicalism

***Syndicalism*** or the ***'Gran Syndicalist Movement'*** is a revolutionary ideological system that promotes increased union and guild control while also usually pushing for the elimination of self-interest groups, nationalism and species identity in favor of a single 'class' - the workers.

### History

#### Doctor Kiener

In the early 5000s as the galaxy grew more and more unstable, a practicing doctor named Mavera Kiener began to notice significant oppression of Industrial and Agricultural workers throughout the galaxy. Their representatives, being the unions, were often pushed down or outright ignored. The agricultural workers in many of the mid-rim colonies would slave away for those who lived on Coruscant, Corellia, and other planets, while the industrial workers would be heavily oppressed by large mega-conglomerates like Czerka.

Doctor Kiener would end up writing a thesis called the *'Gran Syndicalist Cause of Freedom'* on this, pushing for the idea of increased union control and the power to handle overreach. While Kiener never openly called for the overthrow of the Galactic Republic, Kiener's work would be memorialized as Syndicalist movements would garner more and more support as the galaxy grew more and more unstable.

#### Intermittent Period

##### Yellow Alliance

After Kieners thesis, the first 'Syndicalist' movement would end up being formed on a Hutt world called Uruthera. Calling themselves the 'Yellow Alliance', getting their name from their flag which was just a yellow sheet, the movement attempted to protect the workers from the oppression of Juntin the Hutt who was treating them like slaves, when they were in fact, free men and women. Initially Juntin found the movement amusing and allowed them to state their grievances which went unanswered. However when two of Juntins enforcers tried to have their way with one of the workers daughters, several Yellow Alliance members killed them both. Juntin responded by inviting the entire Yellow Alliance to a speech in which Juntin would give an apology. Instead Juntin had his enforcers gun down the entire movement, slaughtering nearly 17000 people there and then launching a massive campaign to wipe the Yellow Alliance out. Butchering entire villages and leveling even cooperating farms and towns if it was thought they might be lying. The total death toll was well into the millions.

##### Outrage

Following what would be called the 'Yellow Massacre' which made its way to headlines throughout the galaxy, a massive amount of outrage ensued. While nothing would happen to Juntin, the media attention on the Yellow Alliance caused people to research Doctor Kieners thesis, which prompted new Syndicalist movements to spring up, demanding more control for the unions and the end to corrupt overreach.

##### Mikhail Ryakov

Hailing from a wealthy family on Coruscant, Mikhail Ryakov was a professor at the Coruscanti Academy of Sciences and would investigate Doctor Kieners thesis about a year after the Yellow Massacre. Ryakov however did not believe Kiener was correct in many of his assertions. The main being that Kiener asserted that the governments such as the Republic or Hutts simply needed to cede control. Ryakov found this laughable, after spending nearly ten years with the upper class of Coruscant, he recognized the deep-seated corruption that plagued the galaxy.

Ryakov would instead choose to write the most famous - or infamous document regarding Syndicalism. The 'Gran Syndicalist Manifesto', a 247 page document calling for the abolishment of the Galactic Republic and every monarchy, government and organization that pushed for self-interest over others. Instead, there needed to be a new government, one that would be built on the foundation of the unions. Which would meet to coordinate the needs of their respective parties.

Ryakov would also call for the elimination of the Jedi and every other force user. As he put it -

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"If one possesses an inherent advantage over others, it is inevitable they will attempt to seize power away from the lower classes, the workers and the intellects. Therefore anyone - even entire species - who have such advantages, must be eliminated. After all, it is human nature to desire control."

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The 'Gran Syndicalist Manifesto' was published under the pseudonym 'Thomas Gokrich'. However, the aggressive language and wording of the document led to Ryakov being exposed as the author. This led to Ryakov losing his job, many of his friends and his lover. However Ryakov took this in stride, creating the 'Coruscanti Syndicalist Party' or (CSP) which would last a total of one year. A year after creation, on the eve of a demonstration, a large Jedi-led strike force from the Republic annihilated the group. Ryakov, his new wife and all of the party leadership were killed, the party being banned the next day.

The Republic claimed the CSP was a terrorist organization looking to overthrow the republic and that they had access to illegal and unregistered weapons. The truth of the accusations were heavily scrutinized and only further inflamed pro-Syndicalist and anti-Syndicalist sentiments.

Its due to this that Mikhail Ryakov is largely considered the 'Father' of Syndicalism.

#### The Revan Era

Throughout the rest of the millennium the Syndicalists would alternate between simply overreacting union supporters and outright villainous terrorists. When the turn of the millennium occurred, and the Great Krath Crusade followed, many of the Syndicalist gripes were put at the forefront. Abuse of both agricultural and industrial workers were commonplace on both sides. Once the Great Krath Crusade was over, the Neo-Crusade followed which brought even more death and destruction.

##### Thomias Varlin

On the edge of the republic is a rather large series of disunited planets rife with Hutt Crime lords, workplace abuse and government corruption. One of these planets was called Port L'Setha. A predominantly human planet was a large population of over 50 billion, but a massive amount of corruption sickened the world like an incurable rot.

Thomias Varlin was born to a lower class farming family on Port L'Setha. Working the fields, and making only around 10% of the value of the crops, the rest going to the corrupt government or the local crime lord, Varlin became increasingly fed up as he reached the age of 16. Finally when local government officials shot his brother and drug his sister off to prison, Thomias was done and wanted change.

Going to the planet's capitol, Thomias Varlin met several others who introduced him to the concept of Syndicalism. By the age of 20 Varlin had become one of Ryakovs most devoted followers. Thomias eventually met his wife who was also a devoted Syndicalist. Varlin at the age of 22, formed his own Syndicalist Party, calling it the Syndicalist Party of Unionists, or the SPU. Varlin would go onto being a major revolutionary and anti-government activist. Being the target of nearly 11 attempted assassinations from the government, Varlin also kept their headquarters moving around and de-centralized his movement to ensure they couldn't be wiped out so easily. Varlin early on saw that the need for violence was simply too much. To answer this, Thomias Varlin formed the Redshirts. An anti-establishment group of revolutionaries who would fight for the SPU. Varlin utilized the Redshirts to weaken the government and other criminal groups, including the local Hutt Crime Lord.

3979, after several years of going back and forth and a three year long military buildup, at the age of 25, Thomias Varlin declared the Port L'Setha government to be illegitimate and corrupt, and launched a violent coup. The coup devolved into open warfare for over a year. However with Popular Support, Thomias Varlin won against the government and declared the first 'True Syndicalist State'. While he opposed it, the Syndicalist Council voted to rename the planet to Varlingrad.

##### Sovereign Socialist Syndicalist Union

Thomias Varlin would eventually declare himself Gran-Secretariat of the Sovereign Socialist Syndicalist Union or SSSR for short with the express goal of spreading his 'revolution' to the neighboring star systems. Which he did. While the Galactic Republic struggled with Darth Nihilus, the SSSR annexed its neighbors, 'liberating' the people of those worlds and incorporating them into the SSSR. By the time Thomias Varlin would die of a brain aneurismm and the Galactic Republic could actually counter the new power, the SSSR controlled a territorial swath of nearly a thousand star systems.

#### Current Era

While the SSSR remains a significant power, it still fails to have the industrial power or population to properly counter the Galactic Republic, Sith Empire or the Dominion.

Even so, the SSSR isnt the only Syndicalist government in existence. Several smaller revolutions, inspired by Varling, some being successful, others not so. With the ideology outright banned in the Sith Empire and Hutts and under extreme scrutiny of the Republic.

### Ideology

Syndicalism comes in many forms, with often times massive differences in each variation. However certain similarities can be identified. Syndicalism pushes primarily the idea that things like species, religion and nationalities are simply arbitrary dividing lines that only cause to distract from the real issue of the oppression of the lower classes.

#### Kienerism

Kienerism is more of a pseudo-syndicalism. Following the doctrine of Doctor Kiener as laid out in his thesis, Kienerism simply pushes for increased trade union control and laws to protect workers against governmental abuse. Kienerism doesn't actually have a government or ideology assocated with it aside from that, and its the reason why Kienerists usually try to distance themselves from their more radical Syndicalist counterparts.

#### Ryakovism

Following in the footsteps of Mikhail Ryakov. Ryakovism is a revolutionary form of Syndicalism which pushes for the abolishment of non-Syndicalist states. Ryakovists follow the doctrine as laid out in Ryakovs manifesto.

Ryakovism pushes a government similar to that of a Republic, with instead of senators representing regions or land, they represent their various local unions. The government has a council led by a single popular strongman who are accountable to the Unions.

Ryakovism denounces the force as an unnatural abomination that will inevitably enslave the people of the galaxy. It also denounces all religions, especially those which are force based, as being the single greatest threat to the galaxy. Citing primarily examples of Sith but also Jedi injustice.

#### Varlinism

While in many ways Varlinism follows in the footsteps of Ryakov, Varlinism actually takes power away from the independent unions and instead centralizes it around the Grand Secretariat, a council of unionists led by the Secretariat who acts as the executive officer. Instead of having many unions representing various regions and groups, Varlinism has 1 union lead each field whether that be agriculture, industrial, science or economic.

Varlinism is often considered the 'Dictators Syndicalism' by other Syndicalists, however as Varlinism is the chief doctrine of the SSSR, it is easily the most powerful form of Syndicalism in the galaxy.