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Originally Posted by Ilex  Touche, you are essentially correct. The government is technically republican with the voting base restricted heavily. However, there are definite elements of fascism in the world government as presented in the book. The summary execution of one of the minor characters without a real trial would be a prime example. |
Not heavily restricted. You just have to do something to earn the right to vote. ANYONE can do so, if they choose, which is not true of any democracy in all of history. Voting priveleges to date have always been restricted purely arbitrarily by conditions of birth.
As I recall there was one person executed in the book. He was in basic, ran away (which was stupid, you can ask for a discharge any time you want to with the caveat that you can't re-enter the service), raped and murdered a little girl, had a trial, was convicted and sentenced to death, they looked him up and found out that he was a run away from basic, meaning he was the M.I.s responsibility, so they sent him back for execution to be carried out by the military. Did you even read the book? Do you guys know what fasicsm is?
If you're referring to the guy who got whipped, which is was a standard punishment in that culture since they didn't have prison, he struck a superior officer in the line of duty, had an official field court martial following established procedures which are carbon copies of what was true when Heinlein was in the real military, received his punishment and got dishonorably discharged. Court Martial = military trial, incidentally. No one, in the entire book, was lawfully punished without benefit of a trial.