CHOAM
the galactic trade monopoly
CHOAM, the Combine Honnete Ober Advancer Mercantiles, was the vast commercial monopoly that governed nearly all trade across the Imperium. Its directorships were the true measure of political power, and its profits, many of them tied to the spice melange, sustained the Great Houses.
The Combine Honnete Ober Advancer Mercantiles, known throughout the Known Universe as CHOAM, was one of the major galactic organizations of the Corrino Empire and later the Atreides Empire. It was a gigantic monopoly encompassing all forms of commerce across the Imperium, and it controlled in practice all economic affairs of the cosmos. CHOAM relied on the Spacing Guild for transport, owing to the Guild's monopoly on faster-than-light travel, and its commerce touched nearly every product the Guild would carry, from art forms to technology and above all melange. Most economic ventures in the Imperium were conducted through CHOAM, in which the Imperial House, the Landsraad, the Bene Gesserit, and the Spacing Guild all held a stake.
Role in the Imperium#
CHOAM was the largest single source of wealth in the Old Empire. Because it controlled interplanetary commerce, influence within the combine became the central goal of political maneuvering, pursued both to receive dividends and to skim off profits. Directorships in CHOAM were the real evidence of political power in the Imperium, and they passed with the shifts of voting strength within the Landsraad as that body balanced itself against the Emperor and his supporters. A directorship was the key to wealth, with each noble House dipping from the company's coffers whatever it could under that power. So many Houses depended on CHOAM profits, and so great a proportion of those profits depended on melange, that control of the combine was inseparable from control of Arrakis, the sole source of the spice.
Structure#
The structure of CHOAM resembled that of a publicly held corporation. It consisted of shareholders, and, as in a public company, major shareholders were given directorships through which they led the board of directors. In this case, however, all shareholders were nobles drawn from the Landsraad, which comprised the Minor Houses, the Great Houses, and the Imperial House. The Great Houses predictably held the directorships, but the Emperor could give out and revoke directorships at his whim. The corporation's management and board were controlled by the Padishah Emperor and the Landsraad, with the Spacing Guild and the Bene Gesserit acting as silent partners.
Decline#
Under the God Emperor Leto Atreides II, CHOAM experienced a reduction of influence and power, as did every other organization under his long reign. During the Scattering, and later during the time of the Honored Matre invasion of the Old World, CHOAM saw its power slowly fade away.
Frequently asked questions
- What is CHOAM in Dune?
- CHOAM, the Combine Honnete Ober Advancer Mercantiles, was a gigantic monopoly encompassing all forms of commerce across the Imperium, controlling in practice all economic affairs of the cosmos. It was one of the major galactic organizations of the Corrino Empire and later the Atreides Empire.
- Who controlled CHOAM?
- CHOAM's management and board were controlled by the Padishah Emperor and the Landsraad, with the Spacing Guild and the Bene Gesserit acting as silent partners. All shareholders were nobles drawn from the Landsraad, and the Great Houses held the directorships, though the Emperor could give out and revoke directorships at his whim.
- Why were CHOAM directorships so important?
- Directorships in CHOAM were the real evidence of political power in the Imperium, since the combine controlled interplanetary commerce and was the largest single source of wealth in the Old Empire. A directorship was the key to wealth, with each noble House dipping from the company's coffers whatever it could under that power.
- How was CHOAM connected to melange and Arrakis?
- So many Houses depended on CHOAM profits, and so great a proportion of those profits depended on melange, that control of the combine was inseparable from control of Arrakis, the sole source of the spice. CHOAM's commerce touched nearly every product the Spacing Guild would carry, above all melange.
- What happened to CHOAM's power over time?
- Under the God Emperor Leto Atreides II, CHOAM experienced a reduction of influence and power, as did every other organization under his long reign. During the Scattering and later the Honored Matre invasion of the Old World, CHOAM saw its power slowly fade away.
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Sources
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Related entries
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