The Affiliation is a fictional institution in author Stephen King’s The Dark Tower series. A political and military alliance, the Affiliation serves as ruler and protector of the Baronies.
Due to civil wars that broke out in the baronies west of New Caanan, the Affiliation’s stability was threatened. Years of these civil wars allowed John Farson to exploit the Affiliation’s weaknesses by claiming that the barons of the In-World baronies had no right to rule over the common people. Farson’s supporters included failed Gunslingers, who resented the political system that exiled them, and members of the lower classes of society. Farson was eventually successful in his attempt to destroy the Affiliation.
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References
Flamini, Anthony. The Dark Tower: Gunslinger's Guidebook. Marvel Publishing, Inc., 2007.
Furth, Robin. Stephen King’s The Dark Tower: The Complete Concordance. Scribner, 2006. ISBN 0743297342