Article 9 of the “Don’t Repeat History” Series
Smart Voting: Informed Citizens
The Free Republic of Liberland, founded in 2015 on a 7 km² patch of disputed Danube land between Croatia and Serbia, embodies libertarian ideals: minimal government, voluntary contributions, property rights, and blockchain transparency. By 2025, Liberland has stabilized governance with blockchain elections, launched a $30 million Danube revitalization plan, and has attracted over 700,000 citizenship applicants and is poised for global growth from just around 1,400 citizens. Yet, scaling of population growth and governance risks uninformed voting, undermining cohesion and enabling elite control, as seen in the flawed democracies of Athens (5th–4th century BCE) and the Lycian League (c. 2nd century BCE–43 CE). To ensure knowledgeable governance, Liberland must integrate civics training within DAOs, fostering active, informed citizen voting. This approach, supported by social incentives, avoids Athenian factionalism and Lycian elite capture, supporting 2025’s infrastructure and diaspora goals while preserving the “To Live and Let Live” ethos.
Athenian democracy pioneered direct participation, allowing citizens to vote on laws in the Assembly, mirroring Liberland’s blockchain referenda. By the 5th century BCE, Athens thrived culturally and economically, but uninformed voters, swayed by demagogues like Alcibiades, fueled factionalism—rich versus poor, democrats versus oligarchs—leading to disastrous policies like the Sicilian Expedition (415 BCE). The Lycian League, a decentralized federation in ancient Anatolia, offered proportional voting based on city size, balancing autonomy with unity against Persian and later Roman pressures. Yet, its lack of broad citizen education and a limited body of those that could vote allowed wealthier cities like Xanthos to dominate, weakening cohesion with other cities as a whole. By 43 CE, Rome officially annexed Lycia, exploiting its fragmented governance. Both cases warn Liberland: without informed citizens, decentralized voting risks chaos or elite control, especially as e-residency scales and Croatian disruptions push reliance on diaspora villages like ARK in Serbia.
Liberland’s 2025 context—blockchain elections, the Danube plan, and e-residency surge—demands informed voting to maintain cohesion. It also warns in a different context how disunity could allow Croatia to absorb the area Liberland sits on. Wealth-driven voting, where citizens with more Liberland Merits (LLM) wield disproportionate influence, risks Lycian-style elite dominance, as noted in my Article 4 appendix. Centralized education, like state curricula, contradicts Liberland’s ethos, while no training invites Athenian-style misinformation. Civics training within DAOs offers a voluntary solution: decentralized platforms host interactive modules, teaching libertarian principles and historical lessons, ensuring citizens can vote knowledgeably. Blockchain tracks completion via NFT badges, with equal access to prevent elite gatekeeping. Social incentives—prestige or blockchain credits for participation—encourage engagement, fostering a cohesive, informed populace without coercion.
Please note that I am still crafting the civics modules structure but this is my rough draft. DAO-based civics training, integrated into Liberland’s blockchain dashboard, should include four modules (1–1.5 hours each): non-aggression principle (NAP), governance, economy, and society. Module 1 covers NAP, using Athens’ censorship of Socrates to warn against suppressing dissent. Module 2 explains blockchain elections, citing the Lycian League’s proportional voting as a model but noting its elite bias and how such powers should be mitigated. Module 3 addresses voluntary markets, linking to Article 4’s DAO trusts to prevent wealth gaps. Module 4 emphasizes societal cohesion, using future Article 13’s free speech forums to unify diverse e-residents and citizens. Quizzes (80% pass rate, unlimited retakes) ensure understanding, with simulations (e.g., voting on a Danube project) teaching practical application. This mirrors Article 8’s civics for non-aggression rules, ensuring voters understand Liberland’s ethos, unlike Athens’ uninformed masses or Lycia’s elite-led councils.
In practice, DAO-based training supports Liberland’s 2025 goals. The $30 million Danube plan benefits from informed votes on funding, avoiding Athenian-style reckless policies. As citizenship applications are over 700,000 from all over the world and still climbing, the need for training fosters unity across cultures, preventing Lycian fragmentation, becomes more urgent. The potential of Croatian disruptions necessitate digital participation; DAOs enable global access, complementing diaspora outposts (Article 5) and blockchain treaties (Article 6). Sunset clauses on training content—updated every 5–10 years—keep modules relevant, avoiding rigid dogma. Civics training must be done by multiple DAO’s to avoid any state sanctioned monopolies. Blockchain automation reduces costs, unlike state education systems, scaling for a global e-citizenry. For example, an ARK village e-resident could complete modules to vote on land allocation, ensuring equitable decisions.
Critics may argue training adds complexity or risks apathy, but its voluntary nature and social incentives ensure engagement, unlike state sanctioned coercive curricula. Equal-access DAOs prevent elite control, unlike Lycia’s wealthier cities. Without informed voting, Liberland risks Athens’ chaos or Lycia’s annexation-like marginalization or how Somaliland has been ignored for decades by the international community. By fostering knowledgeable citizens through DAO-based civics, Liberland ensures governance stability, supporting its crypto-economy and diaspora growth.
By learning from Athens’ uninformed factionalism and the Lycian League’s elite capture, Liberland can build a voluntary voting system. Civics training within DAOs, backed by social incentives and blockchain transparency, ensures informed citizens, supporting 2025’s elections, Danube plan, and e-residency surge. This makes Liberland a beacon of knowledgeable governance, not a cautionary tale of division.