Summary
When players manage both a nation and its interconnected Populations and Ideologies inVictoria 3, nation-building decisions go beyond diplomacy and waging war against other countries. Now that players have to understand the delicate interplaybetween Populations and their political interestswhen enacting policies, options that diversify geographical locations such asLand Reformsneed to be taken with the right precautions in mind.
While there are only five Land Reform options inVictoria 3so far, each of them can affectthe overall balance of a player’s nationin different ways. Choosing the appropriate Land Reform at the right time or when pursuing certain objectives may give players exactly the boost they need to attain national supremacy.
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Effects
Production Method: Free Peasants (Subsistence), Publicly Traded (Subsistence, Agricultural) Political Strength: +25% Farmers
Interest Group Support
Approve: Rural Folk Neutral: Industrialists, Intelligentsia, Rural Folk, Trade Unions Strong Disapprove: Landowners
Gameplay in a grand strategy title likeVictoria 3shows how even a Land Reform can become more of a political move than a leadership maneuver, and this is exactly whatHomesteadingcan do for a nation. Key elements of note whenactivating this reformwould be the lack of any hard requirements, the boost in Political Strength for Farmers, and the apparent disapproval of Landowners.
At its core, Homesteading is best used to stop Aristocrats and upper-strata Pops from preventing players to enact reforms that they want to implement in the early game to build their overall foundations. Using this Land Reform in a nation where Aristocrats have a large say in nation-building can give back some level of control to players. However, gamers should anticipate some loss from the Aristocrats’ Investment Pool contributions with this activated.
No Command Eco Laissez-Faire, Interventionism
Production Method: Serfdom (Subsistence), Privately Owned (Subsistence, Agricultural) Political Strength: +50% Landowners
Strongly Approve: Landowners Disapprove: Industrialists Strongly Disapprove: Rural Folk, Intelligentsia, Trade Unions
The rather archaic nature ofSerfdommakes it seem impractical as a Land Reform at first glance for most nations inVictoria 3, especially when the setup of this grand strategy game is to precisely get people out of a feudal lifestyle. Moreover, Serfdom isn’t as useful in the late game due to the lack of lasting benefits. The +50% to Landowners and Privately Owned production methods can hurt the long-term economy.
However, players who begin with an underdeveloped nation may benefit from the immediate perks that Serfdom offers. When triggered, Serfdom gives the players more opportunities to capitalize on a growing Investment Pool to lock into better Industries, especially when combined with the Agrarianism Economic System.Once players grow their economies, moving from Serfdom into a more specialized reform system may prove beneficial for players later down the line.
Approve: Industrialists Neutral: Intelligentsia, Landowners, Rural Folk, Trade Unions
Unlike traditional takes on an agricultural system,Commercialized AgricultureinVictoria 3cements the potential of Agriculture as a business and therefore transitions the nation into a more commercialized region. At its core, implementing this Land Reform will sacrifice Political Representation for Workers on behalf of doubled Capitalist contributions.
When used correctly, this should theoretically help players achieve faster Industry growth. However, players do need to take note that Commercialized Agriculture is the most expensive Land Reform. They need 150 Employment and 900 Wages to implement Commercialized Agriculture, meaning players may need to plan their development more carefully if they want to maximize the growth Commercialized Agriculture offers.
Production Method: Free Peasants (Subsistence), Privately Owned (Subsistence, Agricultural) Political Strength: +25% Landowners
Approve: Landowners Neutral: Intelligentsia, Industrialists, Trade Unions Disapprove: Rural Folk
Players enjoying theirVictoria 3experience may find it difficult to commit to a Land Reform whenusing a developing country, especially with certain Pops having a larger stake in policymaking. In this regard,Tenant Farmersmay serve as a decent middle-ground between family-managed farms such as in Homesteading and the elites owning said farms as in Serfdom.
Using Tenant Farmers can provide players with a bit of breathing room should they have to rein in their Aristocrats without suffering too many consequences. Switching to Tenant Farmers still grants Landowners +25% Political Strength as opposed to Serfdom’s whopping +50%, while at the same time providing better comforts for lower and middle strata Pops. While not necessarily groundbreaking, Tenant Farmers can be a developed nation’s way of enacting tougher reforms on Landowners without outright annoying them.
Socialism, Command Economy, or Cooperative Ownership
Production Method: Free Peasants (Subsistence), Government Run or Worker Cooperative (Subsistence, Agricultural, Plantation) Political Strength: +25% Bureaucrats
Neutral: Rural Folk, Intelligentsia, Trade Unions Strongly Disapprove: Industrialists, Landowners
Similar to itsEconomic System counterpartsin Command Economy or Cooperative Ownership, enactingCollectivized Agricultureas a Land Reform is a player’s ideal move should they plan on a more Socialist playthrough. Players do need to take note of the immediate risks of enacting the reform, as this will put Industrialists, Landowners, and most of the upper strata Pops against them.
When used correctly, however, Collectivized Agriculture could lead to massive quality-of-life upgrades for the rest of the population. Using this in tandem with Cooperative Ownership can give players access to the best means of boosting the overall Standard of Living for their entire nation. It’s also tied with Homesteading as the cheapest Land Reform option. Likewise, using Command Economy with Collectivized Agriculture could leverage stronger gains for lower-GDP nations.
