Law and government Hearts of Iron IV Guide
Last update: 29 June 2016
In the case of laws there are no restrictions on the time limit associated with implementing them, aside from meeting all of the requirements of the law itself. In this aspect the only limitation is the amount of political power you will be willing to spend on specific issue.
Below you can find all of the laws and representatives of the government that can be used to fill various positions.
Conscription laws
The main determinant of the conscription laws are the needs associated with army recruitment. Depending on the specific law, certain percentage value of total citizens will be available as human resources. You can change those laws at any moment you desire, provided that you have enough resources to do so and the global situation allows for that. Note the requirements associated with specific laws before you decide to implement it. Remember that by cultivating the ideology of fascisms and national focuses associated with it you will be able to get up to 7% of additional human resources.
Disarmed Nation
Icon | Description | Requirements |
 | Recruitable population 1% Cost: 450 | None |
Commentary: a very high cost that is disproportionate to its benefits, which are, quite literally, none. On the one hand 1% of total population is very little, unless you are playing as the USSR. On the other hand your main goal is to conquer the world - demilitarization is the last thing that you should be thinking about.
Volunteer Only
Icon | Description | Requirements |
 | Recruitable population 1.5% Cost: 300 | Lack of idea: Undisturbed Isolation Lack of idea: Isolation |
Commentary: if you start the game during the 1939 scenario, most of the countries will have the above law implemented. During the early stages of the game you shouldn't bother yourself with it, as there are more important things that you should be spending political power on. Note that you won't be able to implement this law if you've selected Isolation through national focuses.
Limited Conscription
Icon | Description | Requirements |
 | Recruitable population 2.5% Cost: 150 | Lack of idea: Undisturbed Isolation Lack of idea: Isolation |
Commentary: Just as in the previous law, if you've decided for the Isolation, you won't be able to implement this law in your nation. Note that 2.5% bonus is starting to give some real benefits and you should think about implementing this law around 1938. At the same time focus on the formation of the army, as well as its training.
Extensive Conscription
Icon | Description | Requirements |
 | Recruitable population 5% Training time +10% Cost: 150 | None |
Commentary: the first law from the conscription group that gives you negative modifiers. Quite a large recruitable population bonus, but at the same time slightly longer training time of your units. The law will most likely be used quite often in your country, mainly because of the lack of additional requirements and limitations.
Service by Requirement
Icon | Description | Requirements |
Recruitable population 10% Training time +20% Construction speed -10% Factory output -10% Cost: 150 | One of the following must be true: Current ruling party is Fascist Current ruling party is Communist All of the following must be true: At war Any enemy country has an estimated army strength ratio of 60% or more compared to this country. |
Commentary: in the case of the Service by Requirement you will be faced with additional requirements, and the number of negative effects aren't encouraging further expansion of recruitment. This law can only be implemented during the war, and if you are playing a fascism or communism nation. Note that you can increase the recruitable population to 10% only if the estimated army strength ratio of the enemy is around 60%. Increased recruitable population comes with longer training times and slower construction speed. Additionally, factory output will also be decreased. All of the above make the law quite unlikely to be used in a country - it's useful only when you were soundly defeated by the enemy and you start to lack people to create new divisions. As it was mentioned before, if you are playing as a fascism-oriented country, you should focus on gaining their national focuses associated with increased recruitable population - you will gain 7% without getting any negative effects.
All Adults Service
Icon | Description | Requirements |
 | Recruitable population 20% Training time +30% Construction speed -30% Factory output -30% Cost: 300 | All of the following must be true: At war Any enemy country has an estimated army strength ratio of 75% or more compared to this country. |
Commentary: A law increasing the recruitable population to 20% of total population of the nation. It doesn't require a country to have a specific ideology, but the negative effects are even harsher than before. Note the increased cost of implementing the law, which is twice higher than the previous laws. Additionally, the strength ratio is also changed - only if the estimated army strength ratio of the enemy is 75% or higher than yours, you will be able to implement this law.
Scrapping the Barrel
Icon | Description | Requirements |
 | Recruitable population 25% Training time +50% Construction speed -40% Factory output -40% Cost: 300 | All of the following must be true: At war Any enemy country has an estimated army strength ratio of 100% or more compared to this country. |
Commentary: the last law associated with conscription. The recruitable population is increased to 25% of total population, but the lack of selection increases the training time of units by half. Additionally, even harsher penalties are imposed on the construction speed and factory output. All of the above make this law quite an ineffective one, making army recruitment a difficult and lengthy process. You should avoid using this law as much as you can. Note that you will be able to implement this law only if the forces of the enemy are equal in strength to yours.
Trade laws
The following laws are associated with trade. Through individual laws you will be able to specify what portion of your resources will be send to external customers. The rule is simple - the more resources remain in circulation, the higher benefits you will receive. Different laws have different impacts on the economy. If you are manufacturing only a small amount of resources and you choose the free market, it won't really affect your economy but you will receive additional benefits. If you produce a lot of raw materials, after using the surplus of resources you can feel slight deficiencies associated with the goods that remain in circulation. It all depends on the amount of "customers" you will be able to find and whether large-scale sells won't affect the logistics of your country.
Closed economy
Icon | Description | Requirements |
 | Cannot export resources Cost: 150 | At war. One of the following must be a fact: 1. Current ruling party is Fascist 2. Current ruling party is Communist One of the following must be a fact: 1. Implemented idea: War Economy 2. Implemented idea: Total Mobilization One of the following must be a fact: 1. This country is not USSR 2. If this country is the Soviet Union it has not the 'Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact'. |
Commentary: In the case of this law you won't gain any additional benefits, as you will be completely blocking the market. Closed economy, however, has its uses, especially during the time of war. If you have a well-developed country that manufactures large quantities of resources, there's no need for you to open up the market. To implement this law you will need to meet a lot of different, quite harsh requirements. First things first, you must be at war, meaning that other modifiers will take on a different meaning. Additionally, your country must be of fascism or communism ideology, but you can't be playing as the USSR or Germany. You must also implement the laws stated in the table. During longer military conflicts you might end up in a situation in which your convoys are regularly sunk by the enemy - you should then close the market and keep the resources for yourself.
Limited Exports
Icon | Description | Requirements |
 | Resources to market 25% Factory output +5% Construction speed +5% Research time -1% Cost: 150 | One of the following must be a fact: 1. All of the following must be a fact:
2. All of the following must be a fact:
- Idea: Partial Mobilization - Idea: War Economy - Idea: Total Mobilization |
Commentary: In the case of this law you can limit the amount of resources send to the market to 25%. Thanks to a partial isolation you will be receiving additional modifiers associated with industrial and technological growth. However, if you want to implement the law, you must meet a series of requirements. If you are playing as a democratic country you must be at war, and any enemy country must have at least 20% more factories than your country has. If you are playing as a non-democratic country, you will be able to implement this law only if you are using partial or total mobilization. The above law is useful especially when you are preparing for war and you don't want to send all of the resources to the market as you need to recruit units. The -1% modifier to the research time won't give you much, but with other similar ones can make a difference.
Export Focus
Icon | Description | Requirements |
 | Resources to market 50% Factory output +10% Construction speed +10% Research time -5% Cost: 150 | None |
Commentary: In most cases the country you start with will have this law implemented from the beginning of the game. Half of the total amount of resources manufactured in your country will be send to the market. The law doesn't have any requirements to be implemented and is one of the cheapest ones. Export Focus gives you additional bonuses to factory construction speed and their output, and reduces the research time by 5%.
Free Trade
Icon | Description | Requirements |
 | Resources to market 80% Factory output +15% Construction speed +15% Research time -10% Cost: 450 | None |
Commentary: As part of the Free Trade up to 80% of raw materials are send to the export. You don't have to worry about it if you are focusing on developing your economy. Implementing this law is a very expensive process, which is why you must think about doing so. There are no requirements to implement the Free Trade and the modifiers you gain from it can significantly improve the economic and technological development of your country. The above law is the most effective when you are manufacturing law amount of raw resources and you want increased production and construction speed.
Economy laws
The following section contains descriptions of laws that can be implemented in a country to boost the management of resources. Depending on how much you are able to mobilize your country before the upcoming war, you will be able to gain series of benefits from it. Specific laws come with additional requirements that define whether you will be able to implement them. In contrast to the trade laws, in this case you will gain more by decreasing the consumerism of the country. Note that the War Economy law is the most expensive one, which is why you won't be able to use it during the early stages of the game.
Civilian Economy
Icon | Description | Requirements |
 | Consumer Goods Factories 30% Civilian Factory Construction Speed -30% Military Factory Construction Speed -30% Factory Conversion cost +30% Cost: 150 | None |
Commentary: Most of the nations you start the game with will start with this law implemented. As long as the law is active, 30% of your factories will be outside of your control and will be used to manufacture goods for civilians. Because of such "waste" of raw materials you will receive penalties to the construction speed of civilian and military factories, and the costs of converting them will be significantly increased as well. You should get rid of this law as quickly as possible, as it will be slowing your economy tremendously, and the fault rounding up model used in the game will cause 50% of your factories to manufacture consumer goods, not 30%.
Early Mobilization
Icon | Description | Requirements |
 | Consumer Goods Factories 25% Civilian Factory Construction Speed -10% Military Factory Construction Speed -10% Cost: 150 | One of the following must be a fact: 1. Current ruling party is Fascist 2. Current ruling party is Communist 3. At War. 4. World tension higher than 5%. |
Commentary: A reduced amount of factories manufacturing consumer goods. Although it's only a 5% reduction, it still gives more factories under your direct control. In this case the penalties aren't as severe as in the previous law, but they still negatively affect the development of the economy. The requirements that need to be met to implement the law are also crucial. As a fascist / communist country you will be able to do that from the very beginning, but if you are playing as a democratic or non-aligned one you will need to wait for the war, or until the world tension rises enough. In this case you won't really benefit from this law, which is why you should wait unlit one of the remaining ones can be implemented.
Partial Mobilization
Icon | Description | Requirements |
 | Consumer Goods Factories 20% Military Factory Construction Speed +10% Factory Conversion cost -10% Cost: 150 | One of the following must be a fact: 1. Current ruling party is Fascist 2. Current ruling party is Communist 3. At War. 4. World tension higher than 15%. |
Commentary: In this case you can notice another reduction of the consumer goods factories. The costs of implementing this law are the same as with the previous one, but this time you can finally see some industrial benefits. However, you must meet the requirements to implement this law. As a fascist / communist country you will be able to do that from the very beginning, but if you are playing as a democratic or non-aligned one you will need to wait for the war, or until the world tension rises enough. If you don't have enough resources to implement the next law, you can decide for the Partial Mobilization. You will receive some additional beneficial modifiers which will boost the development of your country, while on the other hand the requirements aren't that difficult to meet.
War Economy
Icon | Description | Requirements |
 | Consumer Goods Factories 15% Military Factory Construction Speed +20% Factory Conversion cost -20% Cost: 450 | None |
Commentary: The most expensive law from this group, but most importantly the only one without any requirements. If you are able to accumulate enough political power to implement it, this law will boost your economy tremendously. In this case the amount of consumer goods factories are reduced, and the additional modifiers should be easy to notice. This is the recommended law for any nation, regardless of the situation on the map.
Total Mobilization
Icon | Description | Requirements |
 | Consumer Goods Factories 10% Recruitable population -3% Military Factory Construction Speed +30% Factory Conversion cost -30% Cost: 150 | One of the following must be a fact: 1. At war 2. Any enemy country has at least 50% more factories than your own. |
Commentary: One of the cheaper laws, but aside from beneficial modifiers it comes with a penalty. Additionally, there needs to be a war, or an enemy must have at least 50% more factories than you have if you want to implement it. Using Total Mobilization will significantly increase the factory construction speed, but it will reduce the amount of recruitable population by 3%. You must be very careful when implementing this law to not decrease the recruitable population value to a negative one. It's really hard to find a good moment to implement this law. This should be used rather as a curiosity, or when you have already achieved all of the military focuses.
Political advisors
Through the government panel you can select up to three politicians to the government. Those are divided into two groups, in which one concentrates on a specific ideology, and the second one on the economy. In each government you should use the following: 1 politician assigned to ideology and 2 to the economy. This is mainly due to the modifiers that you will be able to get from the first group. There's no point in using two political advisors associated with ideology, as the bonuses you will gain from that are mutually exclusive.
Ideology
Information | Benefits |
Fascist Demagogue Cost: 150 | Daily Fascist +0.10 |
Communist Revolutionary Cost: 150 | Daily Communist +0.10 |
Democratic Reformer Cost: 150 | Daily Democratic +0.10 |
Commentary: Depending on your political preferences and the external factors you can use the above political advisors to keep the current ideology intact, or to gradually shift it towards another one. As it was mentioned earlier, you should only use one ideology advisor at a time. The modifier gained through the use of the above will give you a 1% increase of a given ideology each 10 days, which is quite a large modifier. If the political advisor can't achieve a specified goal on his own, you can help him with a national focus.
Economy
Information | Benefits |
Captain of Industry Cost: 150 | Civilian Factory construction speed+10% Infrastructure construction speed+10% Refinery construction speed+10% |
Armaments Organizer Cost: 150 | Civilian to Military Factory conversion cost-20% |
Quartermaster General Cost: 150 | Air Base construction speed +15% Naval base construction speed +15% Rocket Site construction speed +15% Radar Station construction speed +15% Nuclear Reactor construction speed +15% |
Commentary: A very large range of enhancements for your country. It all depends on what you currently need. Remember that you can decide for two advisors, or even three of them if the current regime in your country is stable and you aren't planning to change it. During the early game the Captain of Industry is the most important one and you should start by selecting this advisor. The remaining economy advisors are closely associated with war and military conflict. Increased speed of construction given by the Quartermaster General will be useful during any stage of the game and especially when you are pushed to defense. You should also note the Armaments Organizer who will significantly decrease the costs of converting civilian factories into military ones. As it was mentioned before, all of them will give you various benefits depending on the actual situation on the map - selecting them is up to you.