Imperial Colonial Service (Balakia)

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The Imperial Colonial Service (abbreviated as ICS) was a ministry in the government of the Balak Empire, serving as the bureaucratic arm of the Imperial government. The ICS was tasked with general oversight of the colonies, particularly in economic policy; its prime responsibilities were the setting of economic goals and recommendations for the colonies and the publication of reports to that effect, the encouragement of economic ventures in and migration to the colonies, the issuing of grants to colonial governments, and the providing of advice to the central Imperial government in matters of colonial policy.

The ICS operated in all Balak colonial possessions from the time of its founding to the dissolution of the Balak Empire.

History

Following the initial purchase of territories in Lahan from the declining Saruan Empire in 1868 and subsequent establishment of the South Herayan colony, the Imperial Colonial Service was founded in order to create a dedicated, streamlined, and modern colonial bureaucracy. Administration of Sonka was transferred to the ICS in 1875, three years after the ascension of Emperor Jimâşim I to the Balak throne.

As the Balak colonial empire grew, the ICS quickly became bloated and overextended. Economic mismanagement of the colonies resulted in a [tbd very bad thing] in Thuyo in [year]. Coupled with existing unrest further rising in the colonies, uprisings began across the Empire in 1886(?). With the ICS showing signs of struggling to handle the crisis themselves, a political solution was devised.

The implementation of the 1891 Constitution granted colonial possessions both representation in the Imperial Assembly's Common Council and a degree of self-government with their own local legislatures, quelling much of the unrest that was present. With direct administration now handled on a local level, the ICS was rendered obsolete in its capacity as an administrative body, and its responsibilities were subsequently narrowed from that of a colonial civil service to that of an advisory and oversight body. Emergency powers were retained which allowed the Service to exercise direct command over colonial economies with government approval, e.g. in times of war, and the Service's function of oversight kept it a powerful tool for surveillance and managing potential unrest.

The ICS remained de jure in operation until the official dissolution of the Balak Empire in 1963, although the granting of independence to the majority of former colonies effectively eliminated any power it held.

Structure

The ICS, headed by the Minister for Colonial Affairs, was subdivided into a number of subservices serving different functions.