The Fulvan are unique among many members of the Star Confederation in that they occupy two seats in the Confederation Council: the Fulvan Hive and the Reform Fulvan. This is hardly a voting bloc, though, as the two governments loathe each other and will often oppose the other purely on principle, in addition to having vastly different goals and aspirations on the global stage.
The Fulvan Hive is the older of the two, and represents a conservative continuation of Fulvan society. It is communitarian and anti-individualistic, with a strong emphasis on Fulvans’ responsibilities to the Hive and their performance of dedicated functions within it. The Fulvans do not have an actual hive mind per se, nor do they have any sort of innate ability to connect with each other like the networked 11001001 do, but the traditionalist Fulvan Hive nevertheless sees that as an ideal to be strived for, with total interdependence between individuals, their community, and the state as the goal. The Hive is a hierarchy, with the oldest females of each community selecting a representative by consensus to report to the next highest level, all the way up to the Council of the Many and its head, the Many As One. The current Many As One, Rexepme Uymgo, has held the position for over forty years.
The Reform Fulvan state is newer, having broken away from the Hive during a vicious civil war called the Schism. It is highly individualistic, materialistic, and capitalistic, almost to a fault. The Fulvans who broke off to found the Reform Fulvan movement–officially the Republic of Free Fulvans–saw the collectivist nature of the Hive as repressive, and therefore reacted against it in the strongest possible terms. Reform Fulvans democratically elect their government, but take a strictly laissez-faire approach to regulation and economics. There is no social safety net, no government regulation of most industries, and no checks and balances on the role of money and power in governance. The current Premier, Yrava Iynqvzve, has been in power for thirty years and is currently serving his 8th consecutive term.
A 11001001 analyst once said that the two groups are a fascinating study in extremes; the average Reform Fulvan is wealthier than the average Hiver, but the Hivers have virtually no extreme poverty and the poorest Reform Fulvans live in a destitution that is difficult to fathom. Both groups have grudgingly tolerated the other as members of the Star Confederation but officially consider themselves the sole government of their people. This means that Fulvans can, and do, defect from one to the other.
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