Political strategy

The political system in HoI3 serves three basic functions:

• Setting laws that broadly define how your government is run
• Selecting ministers that can provide bonuses for various aspects of diplomacy, combat, production, intelligence, etc.
• Managing the political parties of the government

Laws

• Civil Laws: In all cases, the most restrictive law possible.
• Conscription Laws:
  • Volunteer army: This can be used to cheaply and quickly build a reserve army. Typically used in combination with Minimal Training laws.
  • Service by requirement: In all other cases, the strongest conscription law possible is the best option.
• Economic Laws: In all cases, the strongest economic law possible. If money is short, sell supplies for money, the points from education are worth it.
• Education Investment Laws: In all cases, choose Big Education Investment. If money is short, sells supplies for money.
• Industrial Policy Laws:
  • Consumer Products Orientation: This is the best option for a nation at peace. [1]
  • Heavy Industry Emphasis: This is the best option for a nation at war.
• Press Laws:
  • Free Press: Useful in peace time for raising national unity.
  • Propaganda Press: Useful in war time for the counter-espionage bonus.
• Training Laws:
  • Minimal training: Useful for building Practical knowledge in the early game. Also saves considerable IC cost. Best for countries with High manpower and low IC.
  • Specialized Training: Provides for a concentration of force and indirectly conserves manpower, officers, and military leaders. Best for countries With IC and low manpower.

Ministers

Armaments Minister

When choosing between an Administrative Genius (+10% IC) and Military entrepreneur (+20% Supplies) the choice is pretty straightforward after a little thought. If the player nation spends more than 50% of IC on producing supplies choose the Military entrepreneur, less than 50% go with the Administrative Genius. Consider the following, a nation that has a notional 100 IC that assigns 25 IC to supplies would generate 175 supplies (25IC * 7 = 175). If the same country adds the 10 IC that it would gain from the Administrative Genius trait to supplies it would generate 245 supplies ((25IC * 7) + (10IC * 7) = 245). The same nation that chooses the Military entrepreneur would generate 210 supplies ((25IC * 7) + (((25IC *7) / 100) *20) = 210). The situation reverses itself if the nation were to assign 75% of its production to supplies with the resultant numbers being 595 supplies for the Administrative Genius ((75IC * 7) + (10IC * 7) = 595) and 630 for the Military entrepreneur ((75IC * 7) + (((75IC *7) / 100) *20) = 630). Other considerations that may be important to consider include that an Administrative Genius also increases the amount of resources the nation requires.