Lovianization

Lovianization was a controversial policy of the Socialist Party of Seven which was implemented in the state by Anny Smith Peterson during her four terms as governor in the '60s and '70s. Lovianization advocated the deconstruction of ethnic identity throughout the state and the nation as a whole and their replacement with a homogenous Lovian identity. Various methods were employed to the end, particularly population redistribution, promotion of English-speaking schools, and most controversially, name changes. Economic incentives were used to encourage citizens to comply.

History
By the '60s, Seven's population was made up of a wide range of ethnic groups. The most numerous were as follows: Many of the Dutch and Scandinavians and some of the Russians admittedly spoke English as their native language, but in the '60s native speakers of English became a minority. This was due to the demographic effects of the 1956 famine, which had caused many American Seveners to move back to the mainland of the USA, and this had also caused the percentage of Russian Seveners to peak. Peterson feared this would lead to a return of the ethnic divisions of the early twentieth century, with two or three divided and autarkic communities in the state, which would be exacerbated by Davis Miller's liberalization policies which devolved power to the communities and removed restrictions on language teaching in schools.
 * Russians: 40%, inhabitants since 1880
 * Americans: 25%, inhabitants since 1903
 * Dutch/Flemish: 25%
 * Scandinavians: 5%, the first settlers, inhabitants since late 1870s.

Peterson was also influenced by the Marxist view that nationalism and socialism were incompatible, as ethnicity served to divide the working class rather than uniting it. Prior to the 1962 election, the Socialist Party published a pamphlet entitled 'Recommendations Regarding the Reduction of National Identity in Seven,' which suggested that the different ethnic and linguistic communities of Seven should be encouraged using legal means to comply with assimilation to a 'Lovian national identity.' Although this identity was ostensibly to be unique to Lovia, in practice it was very close to the existing culture of the American-Lovians. After Peterson was elected, implementation of these policies began.

Population redistribution
The first policies to be introduced were those of population redistribution. The fact Seven possessed a large public sector was exploited, with ethnic quota being set across the country in government-owned businesses, which forced American-Lovians to move to Novosevensk and Russian-Lovians to move to Kinley when the quota in their own towns were filled. In the private sector, which was centred around Kinley, businesses were rewarded with subsidies for moving operation to Novosevensk. Citizens who moved to a different settlement were given generous tax breaks for the next five years in return for 'the contribution their mobility makes to the state economy.'

English language
The English language was also encouraged over the others. By 1966 all secondary school teaching except for two hours a week was in English, as was half of primary teaching. Schools which did not meet these guidelines received no government funds and so were forced to demand fees from pupils. Those employed by the government in jobs dealing with the public (such as policemen or medical staff) were prohibited from using any language other than English in an official capacity. Finally, the infamous Foreign Writing Tariff created heavy taxes for the import of written material not in English, as well as on printing presses that produced such material.