Aragorn's Reunited Empire: Just a paper dream?

[Selmo]

We know that the population of The Shire increased rapidly after the War. leading to its expansion westwards into the Tower Hills. There's no reason to think that the same thing would not happen in the rest of Middle Earth.

Within Aragorn's lifetime, Gondor could recover much of its former strength. I don't think that the Kingdoms in the East would be much of a treat to Gondor. Many of their leaders died in the War, the people would no longer have a common purpose, there would be power struggles between new aspiring leaders and it would be a very long time before any one leader could become stong enough to command great armies. Without Sauron's promptings, would they have any incentive to risk another western adventure?

The powerbase for Aragon and his line in the Southern Kingdom would be secure for many generations.

Is the United Kingdom of Gondor and Eriador just a paper dream? No.
There hasn't been a central government in the North for a thousand years but the idea of the Kingdom has remained alive in the hearts and minds of the Dunadain in their hidden valleys, in the tales the Hobbits in The Shire and even among the people of Bree. With the onset of peace and a rapidly increasing populaton, these groups, together with other smaller settlements of hobbits and men that Tolkien only hinted at, could be pulled together into a Kingdom, further strengthened by immigrants from Gondor.

How long would the United Kingdom last? Not for ever.
After the War of the Last Alliance there was a time of peace and expansion but, because of the distance between the two, there was a need for sepparate administrations in Gondor and Eriador . Gradually, the links between the North and the South disolved, not through the actions of external forces but simply because of the difficulties of communication. The same thing would happen again.

[Tuor of Gondolin]

Some comments from above
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"The orcs no longer existed as rational creatures."
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Is there some "canon" stating this. Since the orcs (derived from corrupted elves and/or men) were rational creatures, why would they no longer exist. After all,
they survived past decimations, from the First through the Third Ages.

Also, while it's a grey area, I don't think Rohan can be considered a
vassal state, but more an equal ally (see Aragorn's comments to Eomer after his coronation).

Another strength to Gondor in the Third Age would be a reoccupied Moria.
And indications in LOTR are that at least South Gondor was fairly heavily
populated before and during the War of the Ring. Faramir might have had
his hands full moderating a land rush into Ithilien (imagine the adjudications
over claims to ancestors lands abandoned earlier versus squattors in the land).

If Karen V's Atlas of Middle-earth is accurate, there would be significant lands (and presumably peoples) for disgruntled Easterlings to draw on, and eventually ally with resurgent orcs against (as observed above) a
dangerously overextended empire (especially in Arnor borderlands).

[The Saucepan Man]

Originally Posted by Tuor of Gondolin

"The orcs no longer existed as rational creatures."
------------------------
Is there some "canon" stating this. Since the orcs (derived from corrupted elves and/or men) were rational creatures, why would they no longer exist. After all,
they survived past decimations, from the First through the Third Ages.

It's probably fairer to say that they were no longer "united" (to the extent that Orcs ever can be united) under single leaders save, presumably, at tribal level.

[Formendacil]

Another thing to note is that Aragorn was king for over 100 years. That's an entire century during which his kingdom was more or less at peace internally. All the indications were that throughout Elessar's reign, at least, Gondor suffered no civil war, no major famines, plagues, or invasions.

As regards the baby boom effect then, it could easily have been a several generation baby boom. There is certainly room for four, or five generations to be born in the span of Elessar's reign. So if the population doubled (to pick a number), thus having four children for every two adults, then the population of the United Kingdom would have been 16-32 times as much at the onset of Eldarion's reign than at the beginning of his father's.

With that sort of a population boom in Gondor, you could easily rebuild the dwindling population of that land, as well as send plenty of settlers north to the re-established kingdom of Arnor.

[Lalaith]

Lord Melkor, I'm extremly impressed by your grasp of Middle Earth geo-politics which far exceeds mine, but I feel you are starting from a premise that the various territories and kingdoms needed to be brought under Elessar's rule by force.
I think Tolkien's view was of a consenting federation. If you want an analogy, look at the European Union, after the fall of the Iron Curtain. No-one is forcing anyone to be part of it, but there's countries of the former Eastern Bloc, and now the near East: Turkey, Cyprus etc, clamouring to get in because the EU is prosperous and peaceful and by and large, it makes good economic sense to join.
Or, if you want to get more mediaeval, there was the Hanseatic League, which was a similar and most popular arrangement...

[davem]

Originally Posted by Lalaith

If you want an analogy, look at the European Union, after the fall of the Iron Curtain. No-one is forcing anyone to be part of it, but there's countries of the former Eastern Bloc, and now the near East: Turkey, Cyprus etc, clamouring to get in because the EU is prosperous and peaceful and by and large, it makes good economic sense to join.

Yeah - Fourth Age Gondor: funny money, straight bananas from Far Harad, a constitution that nobody wants, enough red tape to reach to Valinor & back a couple of dozen times, beaurocrats taking over the top six levels of Minas Tirith & spending half the week running things from Gondor & the other half from Arnor.

[Lalaith]

No-one is forcing anyone to be part of it