Postimperialism
Postimperialism (Vistarian: Postimperialisme) is a political school of thought primarily developed by the Libertarian Party of Vistaraland in the 1980s and later co-opted by Vistari liberal and social democratic unionists. It argues that the system of 20th century imperialism had been abolished with the restructuring of the international order following the Great War, and instead the formerly present hierarchy of territorial entities will naturally progress either towards decolonization or the organization of a sovereign entity functioning as a transnational organization - referred to as a transnational or postimperial state.
Adherents to postimperial philosophy argue that in most cases, the latter creates conditions which enrich and empower former colonial territories through a paternalistic system of reform, utilising the previous colonial mechanisms to create constituent nations able to participate and take advantage of the pre-existing imperial structures. These nations within a postimperial state, rather than taking on the volatile postcolonial process of forming as an minor independent associate of their former imperial power, act as participatory actors within a unified unilateral foreign policy.
The school of Postimperialism formed as a reinterpretation of the Vistari system necessitated by the rise of revisionist understanding of Vistari imperial history by several liberal academics, known as New Imperial History. New Imperial History opposed models of religious expansion and the notion of a "civilizing mission for free trade" as being discriminatory retroactive justifications for Vistari imperialism - which they argued primarily relied upon economic interests and competition with powers such as Norgsveldet. This changing narrative posed a threat to the traditional foundations of Vistari nationalism, which presented the Vistari Keizerrijk as a unifying force for Vistaraland and its colonial territories to create a greater, more powerful imperial entity.
Concerns about the implications of New Imperial History as a doctrine emerged within the ranks of the Libertarian Party of Vistaraland - with the party having long-maintained the socially accepted stance of support for the Empire whilst also garnering considerable support from parts of the middle class that would be sympathetic to these liberal academics. Thus, while Imperial Conservative and Ademarist Democrat politicians chose to refute the emerging narrative, Libertarian leaders saw the need to adapt justifications for Empire to it.
While a number of Libertarians remained supportive of the notion that introducing free trade to its colonial subjects had greatly benefitted Vistari territories, party discussions began to forward critiques of the Imperial system and the powers invested into the Colonial Office. Deputy Leader Gerrit Linhart, in a speech made at the 1985 Party Conference, empowered the creation of a new narrative of Vistaraland as on a path to postimperial statehood, stating: