States of Power Civil War and Ideologies
Trigger and survive civil wars in States of Power. Switch ideologies, manage public order, and turn internal conflict into advantage.
The Four Ideologies
States of Power features four ideological paths: Democratic, Authoritarian, Communist, and Fascist. Each ideology shapes how your nation develops, which diplomatic relationships are available, and which economic modifiers apply. Switching ideology is possible through reform or civil war — but each path carries distinct advantages and risks.
Democratic nations receive trade bonuses with other democracies and suffer penalties when waging offensive wars. Authoritarian states have the most flexible diplomatic options and suffer minimal penalties for aggressive expansion. Communist nations benefit from a unique ability to revolutionary uprisings in other communist countries. Fascist nations gain bonuses to mobilisation speed and military recruitment at the cost of economic efficiency.
How Ideology Switching Works
There are two methods to change your nation’s ideology: peaceful reform and civil war. Reform is only available if your current ideology allows it and requires significant political capital accumulated over time. Civil war is always available as an option but is violent, disruptive, and unpredictable.
The civil war mechanic splits your country in two when triggered. One half retains the original ideology; the other half becomes the new ideology. Both factions start with a portion of your existing military, economic infrastructure, and territory. The resulting conflict plays out as a regular war on the campaign map.
Why Trigger a Civil War
Players most commonly trigger civil wars deliberately to access a different ideological tree that offers better strategic options for their current situation. For example, a Democratic nation facing an existential military threat might deliberately trigger a Fascist civil war to unlock the mobilisation speed bonus and conscription modifiers that Fascism provides.
The secondary reason is to exploit the mechanic for aggressive expansion. Triggering a civil war against a neighbour with a different ideology can be used as a casus belli to justify a war of intervention that would otherwise damage your diplomatic standing.
Managing Public Order
Regardless of which path you choose, public order is a constant management challenge. Low public order reduces factory output, slows recruitment, and eventually triggers spontaneous uprising events that can spawn hostile divisions in your hinterland.
Public order is affected by war exhaustion, economic hardship, ideological persecution, and the speed of territorial expansion. Conquering territory rapidly without integrating it carefully is a reliable way to destabilise even the strongest nation.
Strategic Recommendations
Do not switch ideology casually. Each ideological path is optimised for a specific playstyle: Fascism for rapid military expansion, Communism for revolutionary diplomacy, Authoritarianism for flexible opportunism, and Democracy for economic prosperity and defensive warfare. Choose the ideology that matches your strategic goals for the session.
Ideology and Economic Performance
Each ideology modifies your national economic parameters in addition to diplomatic options. Democratic nations receive efficiency bonuses in consumer goods production, reducing the economic penalty of high war support. Authoritarian regimes can extract maximum resource output from occupied territories but face penalties to factory efficiency. Communist economies can operate with lower consumer goods thresholds, allowing higher military production ratios. Fascist economies prioritise military output at the cost of civilian goods availability.
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the most common questions about States of Power.
Can I prevent a civil war from happening?
You can reduce the probability of spontaneous civil war by maintaining high public order and avoiding rapid ideological persecution. However, civil war is always available as a player-triggered action regardless of conditions.
What divisions do I get when a civil war starts?
Both factions receive a proportional share of your existing divisions based on the number of provinces each controls. The split is rarely equal — the faction controlling the industrial core typically starts with a significant military advantage.
Does changing ideology affect my technology tree?
No. The technology tree is universal regardless of ideology. Ideology affects economic modifiers, diplomatic options, and certain national focus bonuses, but does not unlock or block any technologies.