I’m curious about what the living standards were like for everyday people before the Heresy, as the Imperium might have envisioned. Were there any basic rights or quality of life guarantees for these citizens? Or was it just a slightly better version of the grimdark life in 40k, with some improved rations and less pollution? Also, did the Emperor ever interact with ordinary humans, or would being near him drive them insane? If he did, how would he treat them?
3 Answers
According to some of the Siege of Terra novels, the Emperor was actively trying to restore Earth’s environment post-Unification Wars, but the ongoing conflicts made this super hard. The Great Crusade aimed to assist lost human worlds, though its success rate is debated. Overall, living conditions were still much better than in 40k, where it’s all about sacrifice for the Emperor’s glory.
It was essentially a mix of a wartime economy and social turmoil across all planets. Most were newly conquered with a blend of conflicting emotions from the populace. The main difference with 40k is that back then, while things were tough, there was a unified purpose under the Emperor. It wasn’t so divided like the 40k narrative where multiple factions are stepping on people’s necks.
In a sense, there wasn’t a formal ‘Human Rights Charter’ as we might think of it. Conditions were definitely improved compared to the 40k era. Nobility had less power than today, but issues like slavery and power abuses still existed. Some planets enjoyed better living conditions, largely due to the terrible struggles faced during the Age of Strife. So, yes, pre-heresy was better than 40k, but not by a huge margin.
Yeah, and while there were certainly still slaves, some nobles even used them to carry their capes around, which shows how petty things could get.
It’s true; even when the Emperor was working toward improvements, the infrastructure and social issues of the time still left much to be desired.
That’s right! The Emperor even made strides to reclaim the oceans, but as the Heresy kicked into gear, all this work got disrupted.