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Social policies are a new concept in Civilization V. They act as a kind of civic system for government systems. New social policies are acquired with Culture, each policy costing a bit more than the previous. The amount of cities, except for puppets, also increases the cost of social policies. If a player manages to completely explore five tracks of social policies, they can start building the Utopia Project and achieve the cultural Victory. However, as social policies become 30% more expensive with each founded or annexed City, this victory is very hard for a large empire to attain.

With the addition of the Gods and Kings expansion, a player's choice of social policies can drastically impact its standings with another civilization once the Industrial Era comes around. Civilizations that choose the same Industrial Era policy track (Order, Autocracy, or Freedom) will become friendlier, while civilizations with different policy tracks will become more hostile.In the Brave New World expansion, the social policies have been updated, with the inclusion of Exploration and Aesthetics policy trees. Order, Autocracy, and Freedom have been excluded, but one of these can be adopted once you either build 3 Factory or reach the Modern Era. Likewise in Gods and Kings, a player's choice of Ideology can drastically impact its standings with another civilization.

Social policy treeEdit

Click on a policy to be taken to its description.

Template:Social policty tree BNW

TraditionEdit

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The Tradition branch is available right from the Ancient era.

Adopting Tradition greatly increases the rate of border expansion in cities and also grants 3 Culture in the Capital.

Adopting all Policies in the Tradition tree will grant +15% Growth and +2 Food in each city.a free Aqueduct in your first four cities.{{{3}}}

Policy	Effect	Requirement
Aristocracy	+15% Production when building Wonders and +1 Happiness for every 10 Citizens in a City.	None
Oligarchy	Garrisoned units cost no maintenance and cities with a garrison gain +100%+50%{{{3}}} Ranged Combat Strength.	None
Legalism	Provides a free culture building in your first 4 cities.	None
Monarchy	+1 Gold and -1 Unhappiness for every 2 Citizens in the Capital.	Legalism
Landed elite	+10% Growth and +2 Food in the Capital.	Legalism

LibertyEdit

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The Liberty branch is available right from the Ancient era. It originally could not be active at the same time as Autocracy, but it has now been allowed.

Adopting Liberty provides 1 Culture in every city.

Adopting all policies in the Liberty tree will grant a free Great Person of your choice near the Capital.

Policy	Effect	Requirement
Collective rule Republic{{{3}}}	Speeds the training of Settlers by 50% in the Capital and a free Settler appears near the Capital.+1 Production in every City and +5% Production in cities when constructing Buildings.{{{3}}}	None
Citizenship	Tile improvement construction rate increased by 25% and a Worker appears near the Capital.	None
Republic Collective rule{{{3}}}	+1 Production in every City and +5% Production in cities when constructing Buildings.Speeds the training of Settlers by 50% in the Capital and a free Settler appears near the Capital.{{{3}}}	Collective ruleRepublic{{{3}}}
Meritocracy	+1 Happiness for each City you own connected to the Capital and -5% Unhappiness from Citizens in non-occupied Cities.	Citizenship
Representation	Each city you found will increase the Culture cost of policies by 33% less than normal. Also starts a Golden Age.	Citizenship

HonorEdit

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The Honor branch is available right from the Ancient era.

Adopting Honor gives a +25%+33%{{{3}}} combat bonus against Barbarians, and notifications will be provided when new Barbarian Encampments spawn in revealed territory. In addition, it gives additional Culture for the empire from each barbarian unit killed.

Adopting all policies in the Honor tree will grant Gold for each enemy unit killed.

Policy	Effect	Requirement
Warrior code	+15% Production when training Melee units and a Great General appears outside the Capital.	None
Discipline	+15% combat strength for military Units which have another military Unit in an adjacent tile.	None
Military caste	Each City with a garrison increases empire Happiness by 1 and Culture by 2.	Discipline
Military tradition	Military Units gain 50% more Experience from combat.	Warrior code
Professional army	Gold cost of upgrading Military Units reduced by 33% and +1 Local City {{{3}}} Happiness from every defensive building (Walls, Castle, Arsenal, Military Base).	Military caste

PietyEdit

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The Piety branch becomes available in the Classical era. It cannot be active at the same time as Rationalism.

Adopting Piety reduces the time to build Culture buildingsShrines and Temples{{{3}}} by 15%.50%.{{{3}}}

Adopting all policies in the Piety tree will reduce the Culture cost of future Policies by 10%.provide a 20% discount on purchases of all religious units and buildings with Faith and Holy Sites provide +3 Gold and +3 Culture.{{{3}}}

Policy	Effect	Requirement
Organized religion	+1 Happiness Faith{{{3}}} from Monuments, Temples, and Monasteries.Shrines and Temples.{{{3}}}	None
Mandate of heaven	50% of excess Happiness added each turn to the amount of Culture that may be spent on Social Policies.	None
Reformation	Culture increased by 33% in all cities which have built a World Wonder and the empire immediately enters a Golden Age.	Organized religion
Theocracy	Temples increase a cities Gold output by 10%.	Organized religion
Free religionReligious tolerance{{{3}}}	Gives 1 free Social Policy and +1 Culture from Monuments, Temples, and Monasteries.Reduces the Culture cost of future Policies by 10%.{{{3}}}	Mandate of heaven & Reformation

PatronageEdit

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The Patronage branch becomes available during the Medieval era.

Adopting Patronage makes your Influence with City-States degrade 25% slower than normal.

Adopting all policies in the Patronage tree will make other players' Influence with City-States decrease 33% more per turn than usual.

Policy	Effect	Requirement
Aesthetics	Resting point for Influence level with all City-States is increased by 20.	None
Philantropy	Gifts of Gold to a City-State generate 25% more Influence.	None
Scholasticism	All City-States which are Allies provide a Science bonus equal to 25% of what they produce for themselves.	Philanthropy
Cultural diplomacy	Quantity of Resources gifted by City-States increased by 100%. Happiness from gifted Luxuries increased by 50%.	Scholasticism
Educated elite	Allied City-States will occasionally gift you Great People.	Aesthetics & Scholasticism

CommerceEdit

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The Commerce branch becomes available during the Medieval era.

Adopting Commerce boosts Gold output in Capital City by 25%.

Adopting all Policies in the Commerce tree will grant+1 Gold from every Specialist.Trading Post and double Gold from Great Merchant trade missions.{{{3}}}

May purchase Great Merchants with Faith.{{{3}}}

Policy	Effect	Requirement
Naval tradition	+1 Movement and +1 sight range for naval combat units. A Great Admiral appears. +2 Movement for all Great Admirals.{{{3}}}	None
Trade unions	Maintenance paid on Roads and Railroads reduced by 33%. Harbors and Seaports gain +1 Gold.	None
Mercantilism	Purchasing items in Cities requires 25% less Gold. +1 Science from every Mint, Market, Bank and Stock Exchange.{{{3}}}	Trade unions
Merchant navy	+3 Production in all coastal Cities.	Naval tradition
Protectionism	+1+2{{{3}}} Happiness from each Luxury Resource.	Mercantilism

RationalismEdit

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The Rationalism branch becomes available during the Renaissance era. It cannot be active at the same time as Piety.

Adopting Rationalism boosts Science gained from research agreements by 50%.grants +15% Science while the empire is Happy.{{{3}}}

Adopting all Policies in the Rationalism tree will grant +1 Gold from Science buildings.2 free Technologies.{{{3}}}

May purchase Great Scientists with Faith.{{{3}}}

Policy	Effect	Requirement
Secularism	+2 Science from every Specialist.	None
Humanism	+1 Local City {{{3}}} Happiness from every University, Observatory and Public School.	None
Free thought	+1 Science from every Trading Post and +17% Science from Universities.	Secularism
Sovereignty	+15% Science while your empire is Happy.+1 Gold from Science buildings.{{{3}}}	Humanism
Scientific revolution	Gives 2 free Technologies.Boosts Science gained from Research Agreements by +50%.{{{3}}}	Free thought

FreedomEdit

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The Freedom branch becomes available during the Renaissance eraIndustrial era{{{3}}}. It cannot be active at the same time as Order or Autocracy.

Adopting Freedom increases the rate at which Great People are born by 25%.

Adopting all Policies in the Freedom tree will increase the base yield from Great Tile Improvements by 100% and length of Golden Ages increased by 50%.

May purchase Great Artists with Faith.{{{3}}}

Policy	Effect	Requirement
Civil society	Specialists consume only half the normal amount of Food.	None
Constitution	+2 Culture from each World Wonder.	None
Universal sufferage	Combat Strength of Cities increased by 33%.	None
Democracy	Specialist Population in Cities produce half the normal amount of Unhappiness.	Civil society
Free speech	8 units are maintenance free.	Constitution

AutocracyEdit

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The Autocracy branch becomes available during the Industrial era. It originally could not be active at the same time as Liberty, but it has now been allowed. Instead, it now cannot be active at the same time as Order or Freedom.

Adopting Autocracy reduces Unit Gold Maintenance costs by 33%, allowing an empire to field a larger military. Receive 10 Culture as plunder for each point of Culture produced in captured city.{{{3}}}

Adopting all Policies in the Autocracy tree will grant a 20%25%{{{3}}} attack bonus to all Military Units for 3050{{{3}}} turns.

May purchase Great Generals and Great Admirals with Faith.{{{3}}}

Policy	Effect	Requirement
Militarism	Gold cost for purchasing units reduced by 33%.	None
Police state	-50% Unhappiness in Annexed Cities.+3 Local City Happiness from every Courthouse. Build Courthouses in half the usual time. The effectiveness of enemy spies is reduced by 25%. Your counterspies have a 25% increased chance of catching enemy spies.{{{3}}}	Militarism
Populism	Wounded military units deal +25% damage than normal.	None
Fascism	Quantity of Strategic Resources produced by the empire increased by 100%. All Great Generals receive +2 Movement.{{{3}}}	Populism & Militarism
Total war	+15%+25%{{{3}}} Production when building Military Units and new Military Units start with 15 Experience.	Police state & Fascism

OrderEdit

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The Order branch becomes available during the Industrial era. It cannot be active at the same time as Autocracy or Freedom.

Adopting Order increases 1 Happiness for each City.

Adopting all Policies in the Order tree will grant +1 Food, Production, Science, Gold, and Culture per city.

May purchase Great Engineers with Faith.{{{3}}}

Policy	Effect	Requirement
United front	Militaristic city states grant units twice as often when you are at war with a common foe.	None
Nationalism	15%25%{{{3}}} attack bonus when fighting in friendly territory.	None
Planned economy	Factories increase a cities Science output by 25%. Build Factories in half the usual time.{{{3}}}	None
Socialism	Gold maintenance costs of Buildings reduced by 10%15%{{{3}}}.	Planned economy
Communism	+2 Production per City and +10% Production when constructing Buildings.+1 Production for every Mine or Quarry.{{{3}}}	Socialism

Civilization V
Lists Buildings Civs Improvements Promotions Resources Social policies Technologies Terrains Units Wonders	Eras Ancient Classical Medieval Renaissance Industrial Modern Atomic Future
Concepts City-states Culture Happiness Faith Food Production Gold Great people	Guides etc. Achievements Mathematics Modding Major patches