History Main / RepressiveButEfficient

* In ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'', the Fire Nation's monarchs, since Sozin until Ozai, are known as ruthless, tyrannical world conquerors, but even their adversaries admit that they're very efficient and competent rulers within their nation frontiers.
** In contrast to the [[FascistButInefficient cripplingly inefficient]] [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen Earth Queen]] and her [[SecretPolice Dai Li]], [[ANaziByAnyOtherName Kuvira and the Earth Empire]] in ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' are portrayed as much more effective in winning over the people and establishing order. She and her organization single-handedly made peace between all of the Earth Kingdom territories after the anarchy brought on by the Earth Queen's death and then quickly establishes herself as its new monarch, gathering nay-sayers and citizens of non-Earth Kingdom descent into re-education camps and developed [[StupidJetpackHitler spirit-energy-based super weapons]] operated on metalbending with intentions on taking back Republic City. Because of her intelligence and skill, Kuvira and the Earth Empire are arguably the largest threat in the entire series.

* Zig-zagged in ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends''. On the one hand, the Old Republic was a very long-lived, stable, and prosperous democratic society, while the various Sith Empires crumbled relatively quickly. On the other hand, post-Film/RevengeOfTheSith, everything becomes the other way round: various attempts to restore democracy result in a total mess again and again. The post-Palpatine [[ComicBook/StarWarsLegacy Fel Empire]] went through a long period of decline and internal squabbling but ultimately emerges, [[HegemonicEmpire loses its villain status]], and is shown as the more stable and responsible galactic state before reorganizing into TheFederation.
** Palpatine's Galatic Empire was this for a brief period of time. Assuming direct control of the Senate and weakening its {{Obstructive Bureaucrat}}s allowed for streamlined reforms and quick reconstruction efforts after the Clone Wars, earning a great deal of public support especially after [[FrameUp scapegoating the Jedi]]. However, Palpatine's megalomania quickly took over and once people weren't afraid of the Jedi, he began targeting "sympathizers" like the Wookiees and spreading FantasticRacism [[DividedWeFall to make the citizenry fear their neighbors]]. TheEmperor's tactics slowly devolved into FascistButInefficient with a ZeroPercentApprovalRating as people began to wise up to his heavy-handed mistreatment of them, with {{Doomed Hometown}}s popping up left and right.

* Zig-zagged in the ''Franchise/StarWars'' [[Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse Expanded Universe]]. On the one hand, the Old Republic was a very long-lived, stable, and prosperous democratic society, while various Sith Empires crumbled relatively quickly. On the other hand, post-Revenge of the Sith, everything becomes the other way round: various attempts to restore democracy result in a total mess again and again. The post-Palpatine Empire goes through a long period of decline and internal squabbling but ultimately emerges, loses its villain status, and is shown as the more stable and responsible galactic state.

* In ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'', Mr. House's rule of the UsefulNotes/LasVegas Strip is the closest thing the Mojave has to utopia: clean and orderly streets overseen by an incorruptible robot police force, universal access to food, clean water, and electricity, and full employment. Only thing is, the entire city [[OneNationUnderCopyright belongs to Mr. House outright]], and he finds democracy to be a patently ridiculous form of government. (In the ending where the PC sides with him, House hangs a lampshade on this trope, noting that his first order of business after taking over the whole Mojave will be to [[NoDelaysForTheWicked make the Camp McCarren monorail run on time]]). However, he's slightly more benevolent than other examples in that he has no intention of actively oppressing his citizens unless they prove to be a threat to his power and is otherwise [[BreadAndCircuses content to let them enjoy what Vegas has to offer]]... for the right price.

* ''Fanfic/WithThisRing'' contains some CrossOver snippets from an alternate version of Paul who ended up in the ''WesternAnimation/Thundercats2011'' universe with a yellow ring -- empowered by mastering and inspiring fear -- instead of orange, and even achieved yellow EnlightenmentSuperpowers. He hangs criminals and displays their bodies with signs describing their offences, he approves the execution of anyone spreading rumours that could undermine him, but he successfully organises the creatures under his care into a self-sufficient community, getting the farms operational again and enforcing cooperation. When King Lion-O finds him and complains about how he's a usurper, forcing people to work, etc, Paul waits for him to finish, then points out that until he stepped up, no-one was planting the fields.

* [[GovernmentConspiracy The Patriots]] of ''Franchise/MetalGear'' are primarily displayed as this, [[DeconstructedTrope but the details of it get a very thorough examination]], especially in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots''. They're a shadow government that control America, and by the time of ''4'', [[TheBadGuyWins they effectively run all the governments and media of the world]], acting behind the scenes and attempting to eliminate TheEvilsOfFreeWill through [[WarForFunAndProfit a global economy run by war]] -- not through the resources produced during or obtained by war, ''[[ForeverWar the practice of warfare itself]].'' As oppressive and cruel as they are, they're said to run the world with a semblance of stability by managing critical economic necessities such as water, electricity, communications, and transportation, with both President Johnson and Colonel Campbell stating that without the Patriots, the whole War Economy the world is now reliant on would go bye-bye, and [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt civilization as they know it would collapse entirely]]. A big part of ''4'' has Snake and his allies -- none of whom ''like'' the War Economy -- fighting to stop [[BigBad Liquid Ocelot]] from attempting to [[TakeOverTheWorld seize control of The Patriots]], as they're ultimately the LesserOfTwoEvils. However, there's still a major moral wrench that the characters highlight where the entire War Economy is itself its own apocalypse waiting to happen -- the world has been effectively brainwashed into investing more and more into [[WarIsHell an inherently destructive commodity]] that [[SunkCostFallacy they can't afford to back out of]], where even without Liquid's insurrection, the system was on a fast track towards cataclysmic implosion where ''nothing'' is valuable nor obtainable anymore. [[spoiler:In the end, all the heroes can practically seek to accomplish is to destroy the Patriots but otherwise leave their system intact -- [[NothingIsTheSameAnymore the highly technological world will never be the same as it used to be]], but at the very least, humanity regained the freedom to deescalate conflict and wean off the War Economy, and by the time of ''VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance'', things have very slowly, but significantly, began to settle down.]]

* [[GovernmentConspiracy The Patriots]] of ''Franchise/MetalGear'' are primarily displayed as this, [[DeconstructedTrope but the details of it get a very thorough examination]], especially in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots''. They're a shadow government that control America, and by the time of ''4'', [[TheBadGuyWins they effectively run all the governments and media of the world]], acting behind the scenes and attempting to eliminate TheEvilsOfFreeWill through [[WarForFunAndProfit a global economy run by war]] -- not through the resources produced during or obtained by war, ''[[ForeverWar the practice of warfare itself]].'' As oppressive and cruel as they are, they're said to run the world with a semblance of stability by managing critical economic necessities such as water, electricity, communications, and transportation, with both President Johnson and Colonel Campbell stating that without the Patriots, the whole War Economy the world is now reliant on would go bye-bye, and [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt civilization as they know it would collapse entirely]]. A big part of ''4'' has Snake and his allies -- none of whom ''like'' the War Economy -- fighting to stop [[BigBad Liquid Ocelot]] from attempting to [[TakeOverTheWorld seize control of The Patriots]], as they're ultimately the LesserOfTwoEvils. However, there's still a major moral wrench that the characters highlight where the entire War Economy is itself its own apocalypse waiting to happen -- the world has been effectively brainwashed into investing more and more into [[WarIsHell an inherently destructive commodity]] that [[SunkCostFallacy they can't afford to back out of]], where even without Liquid's insurrection, the system was on a fast track towards cataclysmic implosion where ''nothing'' is valuable nor obtainable anymore. [[spoiler:In the end, all the heroes can practically seek to accomplish is to destroy the Patriots but otherwise leaving their system intact -- [[NothingIsTheSameAnymore the highly technological world will never be the same as it used to be]], but at the very least, humanity regained the freedom to deescalate conflict and wean off the War Economy, and by the time of ''VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance'', things have very slowly, but significantly, began to settle down.]]

* [[GovernmentConspiracy The Patriots]] of ''Franchise/MetalGear'' are primarily displayed as this, [[DeconstructedTrope but the details of it get a very thorough examination]], especially in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots''. They're a shadow government that control America, and by the time of ''4'', [[TheBadGuyWins they effectively run all the governments and media of the world]], acting behind the scenes and attempting to eliminate TheEvilsOfFreeWill through [[WarForFunAndProfit a global economy run by war]] -- not through the resources produced during or obtained by war, ''[[ForeverWar the practice of warfare itself]].'' As oppressive and cruel as they are, they're said to run the world with a semblance of stability by managing critical economic necessities such as water, electricity, communications, and transportation, with both President Johnson and Colonel Campbell stating that without the Patriots, the whole War Economy the world is now reliant on would go bye-bye, and [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt civilization as they know it would collapse entirely]]. A big part of ''4'' has Snake and his allies -- none of whom ''like'' the War Economy -- fighting to stop [[BigBad Liquid Ocelot]] from attempting to [[TakeOverTheWorld seize control of The Patriots]], as they're ultimately the LesserOfTwoEvils. However, there's still a major moral wrench that the characters highlight where the entire War Economy is itself its own apocalypse waiting to happen -- the world has been effectively brainwashed into investing more and more into [[WarIsHell an inherently destructive commodity]] that [[SunkCostFallacy they can't afford to back out of]], where even without Liquid's insurrection, the system was on a fast track towards cataclysmic implosion where ''nothing'' is valuable nor obtainable anymore.

* The Patriots of ''Franchise/MetalGear'' are primarily displayed as this, [[DeconstructedTrope but the details of it get a very thorough examination]], especially in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots''. They are a shadow government that control America, and by the time of ''4'', the entire planet, running governments and media behind the scenes and attempting to eliminate TheEvilsOfFreeWill through [[WarForFunAndProfit a global economy run by war]] -- not through the resources produced during or obtained by war, ''[[ForeverWar the act of warfare itself]].'' As oppressive and cruel as they are, they're said to run the world with a semblance of stability by managing critical economic necessities such as water, electricity, communications, and transportation, with both President Johnson and Colonel Campbell stating that without the Patriots, the whole War Economy the world is now reliant on would go bye-bye, and [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt civilization as they know it would collapse entirely]]. A big part of ''4'' has Snake and his allies -- none of whom ''like'' the War Economy -- fighting to stop [[BigBad Liquid Ocelot]] from attempting to [[TakeOverTheWorld seize control of The Patriots]], as they're ultimately the LesserOfTwoEvils. However, there's still a major moral wrench that the characters highlight where the entire War Economy is itself its own apocalypse waiting to happen -- the world has been effectively brainwashed into investing more and more into [[WarIsHell an inherently destructive commodity]] that [[SunkCostFallacy they can't afford to back out of]], where even without Liquid's insurrection, the system was on a fast track towards cataclysmic implosion where ''nothing'' is valuable nor obtainable anymore.

* It's mentioned a couple times in ''Anime/DeathNote'' that Kira (a supernatural serial killer who kills criminals in order to try to create a better world) succeeds in dramatically reducing crime rates. An interesting example considering that it's only his method of killing that is supernatural; he relies on news reports to identify criminals, meaning that he kills mostly those that have already been apprehended by police. So it is ONLY the rampant use of the death penalty as a deterrent that achieves this effect, not any increase in efficiency of actually catching criminals. (Note that studies have shown that the death penalty is not an effective deterrent in RealLife; though granted, what Kira does is not capital punishment but outright summary spree murder.) [[spoiler: It's noted that when he dies, the crime rate slowly starts to return to normal; still, better than being [[AllCrimesAreEqual murdered for laziness]], which is where his disciple Teru Mikami ultimately wanted to take things.]]

** In the ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' episode "Patterns of Force," a lawless planet adopts Nazism as its [[PlanetOfHats hat]] with the justification that it was [[ArtisticLicenseHistory "the most efficient state the Earth ever knew."]] Their version of Nazism is treated in-universe as just as flawlessly efficient.
*** The episode was intended as a cautionary tale, to counter the then-common theory about the supposed efficiency of fascism making it viable as a system if only it could be stripped of its negative aspects like systemic bigotry, aggressive nationalism, and brutal draconian internal policing. The moral was that these abhorrent aspects are inherent to fascism and cannot be excised, and any attempt to implement a "benevolent fascism" will fail as it inevitably slides down the slippery slope across the Moral Event Horizon. Thus, the episode remains relevant even despite the "fascism is efficient" myth having since been debunked.
** In "The Trouble With Tribbles", in which the Federation and the Klingon Empire are competing for the right to settle a planet, Kirk concedes that whatever else the Klingons are, they are ruthlessly efficient.
** In the early ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' episode "Justice," the Enterprise crew encounters a Planet of the Week with this as its [[PlanetOfHats hat]]. The place initially seems to be a CrystalSpiresAndTogas utopia of peace, plenty, and [[FreeLoveFuture easy sex]], until it turns out that the [[AllCrimesAreEqual penalty for crimes as minor]] as [[FelonyMisdemeanor stepping on the grass]] is death. Picard even credits their [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans near-utopia]] to their draconian system of punishment in his PatrickStewartSpeech before [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech going on to conclude that it's not worth it.]]

* ''Series/PersonOfInterest''. In order to demonstrate to the [[BenevolentAI Machine]] that UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans, [[EvilCounterpart Samaritan]] drastically reduces the crime rate in New York and makes all the subway trains run on time for 24 hours. Having made its point, Samaritan then proceeds to show [[AIIsACrapshoot what happens when a machine god gets pissed off]].

* Played with in ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}''. While the Imperium's ruling body is often quite inefficient, it's unclear whether an empire spanning half the galaxy could be any more efficient under a less brutal and oppressive regime. What ''is'' clear is that whenever anyone tries to revert to a more benign, fair, and all-around humane form of government on even a single planet, the resulting lenience allows either Chaos or Genestealer cults to spread unchecked across entire solar systems. So while the Imperium may be somewhat inefficient when it comes to logistics--arguably more due to its sheer size than its system of government--it ''is'' brutally efficient when it comes to squashing the cults that threaten its existence.

* ''Franchise/MetalGear'': The Patriots are a shadow government that control America, and by the time of ''[[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots Metal Gear Solid 4]]'', the entire planet, running the government and media behind the scenes and attempting to eliminate TheEvilsOfFreeWill. As oppressive and cruel as they can be, however, they still run the world effectively and keep things stable, managing critical economic necessities such as water, electricity, communications, and transportation. President Johnson and Colonel Campbell both state that without the Patriots, civilization as they know it would collapse entirely, and a big part of ''[=MGS4=]'' has Snake and his allies fighting to stop Liquid Ocelot from destroying them, viewing them as the LesserOfTwoEvils.

[[folder:Film]]

In RealLife, this is [[FascistButInefficient averted]] ''at least'' as often as played straight. Authoritarianism is notoriously plagued by corruption, and even when dictatorships work relatively well, those that are based around a CultOfPersonality tend to crumble on their leader's death. It's noteworthy that in UsefulNotes/NaziGermany itself, the trains were in fact notoriously unreliable... not least because the Nazis promoted the use of automobiles and invested in the autobahns at the expense of trains and the railways even though Germany produced neither rubber nor oil and was one of the world's leading producers of steel and coal (on the grounds that [[TechnologyLevels automobiles were 'more advanced' and 'more modern' than trains]]). Consequently, they actually had ''fewer'' trains in 1939 than they had in 1914, and ran out of (unused) tires in mid-July 1941 after the second week of their campaign against the USSR. And, contrary to popular belief, Mussolini did ''not'' [[http://www.snopes.com/history/govern/trains.asp make the trains run on time]], his regime actually being [[FascistButInefficient the polar opposite]]. The place which actually had extremely punctual trains was [[UsefulNotes/TheRaj colonial India]] and it was only because the trains over there were designed to serve the colonial overlords only, not the general population. And they were extremely efficient at moving materials from the rural hinterlands to ports for shipment to factories in England. Remember also, that fascism came to power in countries that were already developed and that a good deal of its vaunted "efficiency" is blurred by the pre-takeover infrastructure continuing afterwards.

* In Season 2 of ''Machinima/FreemansMind'', Gordon concludes that City 17 is part of a fascist state because [[PoliceBrutality among other things]], the trains run on time to the point they don't even brake if someone's on the rails or gets run over.

* In ''Anime/LegendOfGalacticHeroes'', Yang (the go-to man for supporting democracy) says that while dictatorships are not inherently more efficient, they have the capability to do so if the leader decides to simply cut through the red tape with a razor.

In RealLife, this is [[FascistButInefficient averted]] ''at least'' as often as played straight. Authoritarianism is notoriously plagued by corruption, and even when dictatorships work relatively well, those that are based around a CultOfPersonality tend to crumble on their leader's death. It's noteworthy that in UsefulNotes/NaziGermany itself, the trains were in fact notoriously unreliable... not least because the Nazis promoted the use of automobiles and invested in the autobahns at the expense of trains and the railways even though Germany produced neither rubber nor oil and was one of the world's leading producers of steel and coal (on the grounds that [[TechnologyLevels automobiles were 'more advanced' and 'more modern' than trains]]). Consequently, they actually had ''fewer'' trains in 1939 than they had in 1914, and ran out of (unused) tires in mid-July 1941 after the second week of their campaign against the USSR. And, contrary to popular belief, Mussolini did ''not'' [[http://www.snopes.com/history/govern/trains.asp make the trains run on time]], his regime actually being [[FascistButInefficient the polar opposite]]. Remember also, that fascism came to power in countries that were already developed and that a good deal of its vaunted "efficiency" is blurred by the pre-takeover infrastructure continuing afterwards.

* Creator/BrandonSanderson likes to play with this trope, as part of his love of the MoralityKitchenSink. Tyranny is never preferable, but it can sometimes be a NecessaryEvil.

* [[http://marvel.com/universe/Genosha Genosha]] in the Franchise/{{XMen}} comics was originally a country where mutants were rounded up and enslaved, then the X-Men helped overthrow that government, and then much later Magneto took over. While mutants were slaves the country was prosperous; once they were liberated, the economy collapsed.

In RealLife, this is [[FascistButInefficient averted]] ''at least'' as often as played straight. Authoritarianism is notoriously plagued by corruption, and even when dictatorships work relatively well, those that are based around a CultOfPersonality tend to crumble on their leader's death. It's noteworthy that in UsefulNotes/NaziGermany itself, the trains were in fact notoriously unreliable... not least because the Nazis promoted the use of automobiles and invested in the autobahns at the expense of trains and the railways even though Germany produced neither rubber nor oil and was one of the world's leading producers of steel and coal (on the grounds that [[TechnologyLevels automobiles were 'more advanced' and 'more modern' than trains]]). Consequently they actually had ''fewer'' trains in 1939 than they had in 1914, and ran out of (unused) tires in mid-July 1941 after the second week of their campaign against the USSR. And, contrary to popular belief, Mussolini did ''not'' [[http://www.snopes.com/history/govern/trains.asp make the trains run on time]], his regime actually being [[FascistButInefficient the polar opposite]]. Remember also, that fascism came to power in countries which were already developed and that a good deal of its vaunted "efficiency" is blurred by the pre-takeover infrastructure continuing afterwards.

A subtrope of NoDelaysForTheWicked, which is when villains (individuals as well as groups) have an easier time dealing with logistics because of RuleOfDrama, whether there's [[JustifiedTrope an in-story explanation]] or not. Compare and contrast TheExtremistWasRight, which deals with a single character as opposed to a system of government. In settings where fascism is not only more efficient than more liberal forms of government, but more liberal forms of government prove fundamentally unworkable, it's because HobbesWasRight and DemocracyIsBad.

* ''Franchise/DragonBall'': Yes, Frieza is a ruthless, power-hungry, tyrannical GalacticConqueror, but his method of ruling through fear and intimidation was what held his empire together and kept things running. In fact, this is the entire reason Sorbet opted to resurrect him during ''[[Anime/DragonBallZResurrectionF Resurrection 'F']]'', because the empire was [[VestigialEmpire on the brink of collapse without Frieza to keep things in check]].
* It's mentioned a couple times in ''Anime/DeathNote'' that Kira (a supernatural serial killer who kills criminals in order to try to create a better world) succeeds in dramatically reducing crime rates. An interesting example considering that it's only his method of killing that is supernatural; he relies on news reports to identify criminals, meaning that he kills mostly those that have already been apprehended by police. So it is ONLY the rampant use of the death penalty as a deterrent that achieves this effect, not any increase in efficiency of actually catching criminals. (Note that studies have shown that the death penalty is not an effective deterrent in RealLife; though, granted, what Kira does is not capital punishment but outright summary spree murder.) [[spoiler: It's noted that when he dies, the crime rate slowly starts to return to normal; still, better than being [[AllCrimesAreEqual murdered for laziness]], which is where his disciple Teru Mikami ultimately wanted to take things.]]

* In ''ComicBook/SupermanRedSon'' the Man of Steel was raised in the Soviet Union rather than the Midwestern United States and thus grew up to be the ultimate enforcer and eventually supreme leader of the most successful PeoplesRepublicOfTyranny the world had never seen. At its height America and a handful of other nations were the ''only'' countries not enjoying a repressive but otherwise utopian socialist paradise, policed almost entirely by Superman himself, who has virtually eradicated crime, poverty and social injustice at the high price of freedom. [[spoiler: When ComicBook/LexLuthor finally defeats him and takes over the world for himself, he decides to model his- ''vastly'' even more successful- New World Order on the very one he just overthrew, save for a bit less equality and a bit more meritocratic elitism; his beef with Superman was never about capitalism or liberty or anything Luthor claimed to be fighting for- it was, as it always is, simply Luthor wanting to beat Superman at his own game for the sake of Luthor's own ego. It is also open to interpretation that Superman ''let'' Luthor win because he realized that Luthor would be a better ruler than he was, so long as he believed that he had finally defeated Superman.]]
* ''ComicBook/SecretEmpire'': When Hydra conquers the US in the first issue, there's an immediate montage of all the "benefits" to the country that Hydra's leadership has brought, which includes increased employment, a surge in the stock markets, negotiate new trade deals, and a rise in standardized test scores. Never mind that none of these things even make sense given the short time frame or the fact that Hydra did things like shunting Manhattan into an alternate dimension and destroying Las Vegas (killing millions of people). Creator/{{Linkara}}'s ''WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall'' review notes that the story buys into the lie that fascists often tell: That it is strong.

* In ''Literature/AnimalFarm,'' the titular farm (an obvious allegory for oppressive communist regimes) is said to be the most efficient farm at exploiting, subduing and disciplining animals... by Mr. Pinkerton, whose sincerity is dubious.

** In ''Literature/MistbornTheOriginalTrilogy'', the heroes spend the first book getting rid of EvilEmpire that rules their world, and the second book realising that they need to institute a ''new'' (albeit less evil) empire, because after a thousand years of tyranny their world isn't ready for constitutional monarchy right away.

* In ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'', the capital city of Ankh-Morpork is ruled by one Lord Vetinari, Tyrant. While there are MANY rival factions who would wish to take over, no one does because under Vetinari, everything works. Perfectly. When a rival ruler pops up, Vetinari usually just locks himself in the dungeon, until everyone realizes that it was so much better under him and he gets reinstated. Vetinari's authoritarian rule is explicitly contrasted against the fledgling democracy of neighboring city-state Pseudopolis (which has recently voted not to have to pay taxes). The main reason this works is that he mostly just persuades the various factions to work together instead of trying to do everything top-down, only rarely directly invoking his authority (and it's a recurring plot point that pretty much nobody in Ankh-Morpork pays taxes either).

* Zig-zagged in the ''Franchise/StarWars'' [[Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse Expanded Universe]]. On the one hand, the Old Republic was a very long-lived, stable and prosperous democratic society, while various Sith Empires crumbled relatively quickly. On the other hand, post-Revenge of the Sith, everything becomes the other way round: various attempts to restore democracy result in a total mess again and again. The post-Palpatine Empire goes through a long period of decline and internal squabbling, but ultimately emerges, loses its villain status, and is shown as the more stable and responsible galactic state.

* In the nightmarish, post-apocalyptic America of ''Literature/{{Victoria}}'', the most dangerous challenge to the titular [[DisasterDemocracy successor republic]] comes from Leader von Braun's [[PuttingOnTheReich Nazi-imitating]] faction in the Great Lakes region. The protagonists note that unlike the various other ravaging bands, hordes and would-be tyrants, but like themselves, his Party of the Will is building a real, functional state, and they are, for the most part, ruthlessly efficient and competent about it. If not for [[DecapitatedArmy their leadership getting taken out]] in a (borderline DeusExMachina) DeadlyGas attack, who knows if the Northern Confederation could endure a war with them.
* ''Literature/WatershipDown'': Being a rabbit version of a military dictatorship, the Efrafan Warren offers it's basic denizens very little freedom, even scheduling when rabbits can go above ground to eat. The Owlslafa are constantly on the watch and acting out can get a bunny mutilated. But it does achieve its Leader Woundwort's original goal of keeping it's rabbits safe, and even the predators are said by Captain Campion to avoid the place rather than tangle with the fighters there.

* Played with in ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}''. While the Imperium's ruling body is often quite inefficient, it's unclear whether an empire spanning half the galaxy could be any more efficient under a less brutal and oppressive regime. What ''is'' clear is that whenever anyone tries to revert to a more benign, fair, and all around humane form of government on even a single planet, the resulting lenience allows either Chaos or Genestealer cults to spread unchecked across entire solar systems. So while the Imperium may be somewhat inefficient when it comes to logistics--arguably more due to its sheer size than its system of government--it ''is'' brutally efficient when it comes to squashing the cults that threaten its existence.
** Examples of the Interex, Craftworld Eldar, and Exodite Eldar show that it might not be such a necessity. Imperium's tendency to choose the most grimdark solution for every problem bitten them on more than one occasion. Also, Codex explicitly states that the only faction susceptible to large scale Genestealer infestations is Imperium.

** Most notably is [[TheEmpire the Realm]], where you may be constantly under the heel of a ruling class of decadent [[SuperSoldier Super Soldiers]] but everyone is guaranteed enough to eat, foreign aggression is a non-issue, crime and supernatural incursions are swiftly dealt with, and even the ''weather'' behaves itself because the small gods knows that the Immaculate Order will show up to [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu kick their asses]] otherwise.

* In ''TabletopGame/BattleTech'', the Clans like to portray their society, which is a caste system with an planned economy where everything is run by and in support of the Warrior Caste as being the epitome of efficiency. In reality it's an absurdly wasteful system that foolishly wastes resources and lives due to insisting on TheSpartanWay as the only way to do things. For more than 100 years prior to their invasion of the Inner Sphere, the Clans had been economically and technologically stagnant.

* TheEmpire in ''Videogame/FinalFantasyXII'' may use overwhelming military force to get things done, but at the same time it's meritocratic and it's civilians live much better lives than those of Dalmasca.
* ''Franchise/MetalGear'': The Patriots are a shadow government that control America, and by the time of ''[[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots Metal Gear Solid 4]]'', the entire planet, running the government and media behind the scenes and attempting to eliminate TheEvilsOfFreeWill. As oppressive and cruel as they can be, however, they still run the world effectively and keep things stable, managing critical economic necessities such as water, electricity, communications and transportation. President Johnson and Colonel Campbell both state that without the Patriots, civilization as they know it would collapse entirely, and a big part of ''[=MGS4=]'' has Snake and his allies fighting to stop Liquid Ocelot from destroying them, viewing them as the LesserOfTwoEvils.

** Caesar's Legion is the game's main "evil" faction, and they certainly are quite evil. They do all kinds of terrible things such as rape, slavery, [[FelonyMisdemeanor banning alcohol]], you name it. However, even their strongest detractors will grudgingly admit that Legion-aligned merchant caravans are ''the'' safest out there, with zero danger of ever getting robbed, because ''nobody'' wants to make the Legion mad at them. One of your companions, Raul, also spent some time living in Arizona before the Legion conquered it. According to him, the Legion might be a bunch of tyrants, but they were a ''massive'' step up from "lawless, Raider-infested hellhole". For this reason he's practically the only companion that isn't vehemently anti-Legion. It's still a rather odd position for him to take, given that he's a ghoul, and the Legion is virulently anti-ghoul and super mutant. It's also averted in the game's endings where Caesar either didn't have his brain tumor removed leading to his post-game death or was killed by the Courier during the game, as without him to lead the Legion it quickly fragments into anarchy.

* Not ''quite'' a government, but in ''VideoGame/StardewValley'', there's no denying that the game's Walmart {{Expy}} gets things done. [=JojaMart=] is open 14 hours a day, every day, and their community development program is significantly faster, smoother and easier than restoring the community yourself with the help of [[spoiler:the local nature spirits]]. You do however miss out on a number of bundle rewards by taking this path though, and between their PredatoryBusiness tendencies and the game's pro-environment, anti-capitalist message, it's definitely ''not'' the morally superior option either.

* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'' has the Gem Homeworld being organized as having a strict caste-system that has all types of Gems assigned to a single purpose they must fulfill and never deviate from, leading to a galactic empire that runs like a well-oiled machine and has succeeded in colonizing several galaxies. To achieve this, any Gems who come out wrong or "Off-Colored" are rejected by Homeworld society and usually shattered on-site or banished underground. Despite this, the Gems that do fit within the system are shown to harbor great respect and admiration towards the Diamonds, the leaders of Gemkind, and believe them to be completely flawless beings.

* ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries'': Later in the series Superman finds his old enemies Mala and Jax-Ur have not only escaped the Phantom Zone, but have taken over a world. They claim they did it as repayment to the people for saving their lives, and even show Kal-El how efficient the planet now runs under their command. [[spoiler: It's all a scam, however, as the people despise the Kryptonians' despotic rule and Jax-Ur is using the planet's resources to build a Fleet of Conquest to take over Earth as well.]]

* ''ComicBook/SecretEmpire'': When Hydra conquers the US in the first issue, there's an immediate montage of all the "benefits" to the country that Hydra's leadership has brought, which includes increased employment, a surge in the stock markets, negotiate new trade deals, and a rise in standardized test scores. Never mind that none of these things even make sense given the short time frame or the fact that Hydra did things like shunting Manhattan into an alternate dimension and destroying Las Vegas (killing millions of people). Creator/{{Linkara}}'s ''WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall'' review notes that the story buys into the the lie that fascists often tell: That it is strong.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Stellaris}}'', Authoritarian ethos reduces food consumption and [[WeWillUseManualLaborInTheFuture increases slavery tolerance]]. It also unlocks autocratic goverment types, of which [[EmperorScientist Despotic Hegemony]] is probably the trope's epitome.

* TheEmpire in ''FinalFantasyXII'' may use overwhelming military force to get things done, but at the same time it's meritocratic and it's civilians live much better lives than those of Dalmasca.

* TheEmpire in [[Videogame/FinalFantasyXII]] may use overwhelming military force to get things done, but at the same time it's meritocratic and it's civilians live much better lives than those of Dalmasca.