Essay - A Theory on the Rise and Fall of Micronations

A Theory on the Rise and Fall of Micronations

Scott Siskind - February 17th 2002

Originally published (with comments) in Hyperborea

First, let me divide micronations into two types, based on their structure, goal, and eventual method of death. These will be called T-type and L-type micronations. I do not believe it will be difficult to discover what T and L stand for, but I'm not going to go out and say it right off either.

A T-type micronation generates activity by creating a national structure of culture. I use culture in a broad sense here to refer not only to what we usually call culture but also a system of government, national symbols, and the establishment of certain national institutions like courts, diplomatic structures, and webpages.

An L-type micronation generates activity through debate of political issues. These may be ones that have bearing on the micronation in question, such as who should be Prime Minister or whether they should recognize a certain other nation, or it can be macronational issues like abortion and the death penalty. These usually have a complex parliamentary system (with or without a monarch) to squeeze every last bit of activity out of an argument.

Why are both of these types of countries doomed to fall? In a T-type micronation, the creation of national structures will eventually get nearly finished. There will always be more to do, but things will progress from the vital, like designing a flag and subdividing states, to the trivial, like amendments to correct grammatical errors in the Constitution and choosing a National Type Of Fish.

In some cases, the lack of things to do will make the nation go inactive. In others, it will make intranational tension expand to fill the activity void. States or other divisions will then revolt.

The resulting civil war may raise activity for a while, potentially enough to make the rebels lose, but it will always collapse back to pre-war levels. Finally, states will succeed in seceding or the country will collapse by the first process mentioned.

In an L-type micronation, issues will never necessarily finish being discussed. However, someone will almost certainly resort to the temptation to use ad hominem attacks, and feuds will ensue. Eventually, full-blown hatred will blossom between participants of the nation.

If this seems unlikely, just look at experimental examples - Cyberia, for one. These will feed upon themselves as all such feuds do until eventually people become perfectly willing to compromise the nation in order to get their petty revenge.

By this point, most "nice" people will have left in disgust, giving it the effect of concentrating vitriol. People will either get dual citizenship in other micronations and drift away or, if there are strong party systems, possibly rebel when they are out of power.

- Scott Siskind