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[QUOTE]Originally posted by Guardian 2000: [QB] "I think" :p it is a bit unwise to attempt to use real-world economics of the 20th Century to guesstimate what would happen in the post-war Federation. In the 24th Century, mankind has evolved to the point that the basic necessities are so easily obtainable that economics as we know it is no more. I don't think you can put Federation economics on our current spectrum of communism - socialism - capitalism and get any clues from there. There is still trade, to be sure, and there are still some monetary forms, and a person can still become "embarrassingly rich" in the 23rd Century ("Devil in the Dark"[TOS]), but greed and the acquisition of things is no longer a driving force (ST:FC) . . . the population is free, comfortable, and happy. One must also consider what falls inside or outside the Federation. I'd imagine the Federation must have some sort of exchange system for trading with those (Ferengi, for instance) who have some sort of more classical financial system (I'm reminded of Crusher's cloth purchase from Farpoint). The miners of Janus from "Devil in the Dark" could have been a group outside the Federation economic system, getting Federation payment for their minerals. Of course, it may well be that, given how all we usually get to see is intra-Starfleet economics, the Federation civilians might still be using greenbacks, or euros. However, in the era of the replicator, I find this unlikely . . . not just because they could replicate most forms of physical cash, but also because the replicator (along with older technologies, such as those Kirk referenced in "Catspaw" that would have allowed him to make fantastic gems aboard ship) represents such a sea change in economic thinking. Goodbye, gold standard. Applying 20th Century economics to such a world is questionable, at best. Imagine, if you will, how those Old World kings and queens of the 15th Century would view our current system from their mercantilist perspective, our current economy so outside their experience that they would not understand it or be able to appropriately place it on whatever spectrum they might use, and you get an idea of my point. Now, I do agree that the Federation would be more likely to rebuild civilian infrastructure before rebuilding the fleet, provided that Federation security was maintained. However, I'd imagine that military reinforcement would only be second or third in the list of priorities, not tenth or twentieth. Almost every major Alpha and Beta quadrant power sufferred mightily, but there are some (Gorn, Tholian, etc.) who, as far as I know, were not involved, and some did not suffer as much as others. It would be best not to let them take advantage of their position. [/QB][/QUOTE]
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