SavRS Setting 02.01: Population
Population on Erde (Earth) in 2134 is apparently 80 billion! That is something like a 1000% growth rate after the war. In nearly 200 year, the Earth is overpopulated. Where is it in 2065? I struggled with aspect of the game, but instead of totally re-writing it out, I decided to think of ways that it is possible. Unfortunately, many of the policies that would lead to a population boom would based deeply rooted in the racist ideologies of the two powers. Racism in our world has slowly faded, and although not completely gone, it has been relegated to the ignorance it is. However, in a society that is as strongly based on racism and division of ethnicities as both the Reich and the Empire, I don’t see it fading as easily. Both the Reich and the Empire thrived on scapegoating other races for the problems. In writing this, in no way am I saying these are wise or good policies. These were horrible philosophies and ideologies.
From Wikipedia
The idea of eugenics to produce better human beings has existed at least since Plato suggested selective mating to produce a guardian class. The idea of eugenics to decrease the birth of inferior human beings has existed at least since William Goodell (1829-1894) advocated the castration and spaying of the insane.
However, the term “eugenics” to describe the modern concept of improving the quality of human beings born into the world was originally developed by Francis Galton. Galton had read his half-cousin Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution, which sought to explain the development of plant and animal species, and desired to apply it to humans. Galton believed that desirable traits were hereditary based on biographical studies, Darwin strongly disagreed with his interpretation of the book. In 1883, one year after Darwin’s death, Galton gave his research a name: eugenics.
Eugenics in the Reich – 1961 to 1989
During the war, Lebensborn (“fount of life”) was at the heart of the effort to increase the dominance of the Aryan genetic strain. An SS initiate association, it encouraged anonymous impregnation of “racially pure” women by approved men, creating a virtual birthing farm for the “racially pure.” These farms not only birthed “Aryan” children but also collected “desirable” children from all over Europe, literally kidnapping them and “re-educating them as proper Germans.” Himmler personally oversaw the kidnapping of thousands of Polish children to be “Germanized.” The Nuremberg Laws and the Law for the Protection of Hereditary Health, as well as policies like Action T4 were established prior and during the war to “clear the genetic lines of Germany” of impurities. These in many ways, are still in effect in 2065, although in different and more advanced forms.
Out of Lebensborn grew a continued desire to promote the genetics of the Aryan race. In the 1950s, the Reich researched new ways to promote/increase the Aryan race population while at the same time reduce the population of those they deemed “undesirable”. Concentration camps had grown too expensive to maintain and a public opinion nightmare if revealed (by seditious groups, usually). The Ministry of Health Services determined that public health could be used a veil to initiate a eugenics program. In doing, they would inject hidden stimulants with in “vaccines” required by the government that would increase birth rates within people of Aryan descent or uber while reducing birth rates in undesirables or Minder.
The Reich Ministry of Health Services set forth with an expansive immunization program. Strategically, the Ministry would spread engineered diseases specifically to manufacturer health crises to scare the public into trusting these immunization programs. Of course, the “outbreaks” took place in primarily ghettos of “undesirables.” Within these immunizations were in fact the vaccines for the diseases (given to the select subjects with “desirable” genetic stock) as well as various serums to that at least theoretically made the “Aryan” genetics dominant and the “lesser genetics” less dominant. Later, fertility drugs were added as “booster shots” to the select Minder population.
Much to the Reich’s surprise, their plan partially worked, and in fact worked too well. The population boom was massive in the late 20th Century – called the Uber Boom. But unexpectedly, the attempts to reduce the “undesirable” population never worked. The Minder population continued to proliferate at a normal and in some cases greater rate as well. As time passed, the rate of growth was so fast that not even the standard methods of concentration camps could keep up. Compulsory sterilizations didn’t seem to control it. Segregation and ghettos grew more and more common. New methods of chemically sterilizing select populations had limited effect.
The Reich’s eugenics program ended up as a virtual failure. Some suspect a resistance campaign against the Reichs eugenics plans while others blame bureaucratic mistakes in the application of select Minder populations. In the end, it only caused the largest population boom the world history that continues to this day. So effective was the fertilization, it almost seemed that humanity was changed on the genetic level to have multiple births and propagate at a faster rate. By 2065, the population has grown to 45 billion, including all the populations of the colonies.
The end result is a population that is divided. At the top are very white, very Aryan, very European dominated world – Uber Sexism is a thing of the past as Aryan women have been given equal prominence with men. Afterall, they are the life-wells of the Aryan race. This is considered the Elite of society and hold the high positions. Meanwhile, ethnicities “deemed undesirable” have meshed together to create a sub-society of genetic and ethnic “mutts” – Minder. Despite all the efforts of the Reich to thin the population, it continues to thrive in the lower levels of the cities, the ghetto colonies and the abandoned stations.
Today, you are either an uber (also known as an Elite or Edel) or an Minder (also known as köter or mutt). Uber rule the high castles and walk on the elevated walkways of the cities, ride the chauffeured contra-grav limos looking down at the grime of the lower levels. The Minder live in those grimey streets, abandoned asteroid mines or lowest levels of the stations. They perform the blue color work and some gray color work but rarely in trusted positions of power. They are always under the oppressive heel of the Uber.
Eugenics in the Empire
Far from being outdone by the German efforts, Japan incorporated many of its own eugenics policies to promote the birth rate of the Wajin race as well. White Europeans, African-descended and any other ethnicities were seen as lesser beings in their society, but there less effort to fully wipe the bloodlines out. They were willing to let nature take its own course. The National Eugenic Law of 1940 allowed for forced sterilization for “inherited mental diseases” in the beginning but as time went on, more and more “maladies” were included under this law (some less genetic than others).
Other Asian peoples – Koreans, Chinese, Southeast Asians – were eventually brought into the fold of Wajin (or Yamato people or people of Japan) as more and more Japanese proliferated among their people. Although officially, they are considered of the Yamato people, many “pure bloods” treat them as lesser beings but still above other ethnicities. Most believe that those from China, Korea, Southeast Asia and surrounding areas are not officially part of the Wajin society until they mate with a Wajin. This philosophy was particularly strong during the mid 80s during the reign of Emperor Norogumi until his untimely death in 2001. He encouraged the proliferation of the Wajin people into China and Southeast Asia with promise of noble position and influence. A very complex and massive aristocracy was born of this policy.