Most of my worlds, and I think most worlds created by most writers have pretty obvious Good Guy/Bad Guys in them. Its not uncommon for one group to be named something like the 'Desrucion', or some other slight twisting of a negative word.
I'm going to try to show a slightly more complicated world, but first a little history.
1. One of the factors in the downfall of the Roman Republic was how the City Senators got the vote on war. Everyone paid for war, but the loot from that war went to the City Senators and not just the empire wide elite.
This system made it wise, in the short term, if you were a city senatorial family, to boost your status and fortunes at the expense of those outside the city of Rome. Plus, without limits on interest, you could raise taxes, have the poor guys go into debt to you to pay taxes, and get them coming and going.
2. Paul Johnson, in Modern Times, talked about Weimar Germany and hyper-inflation. He counted it one of the greatest thefts in the history of mankind, and yet no one objected. Hyper-inflation lets those with real assets but heavy debts pay off their debts with cheap or near worthless money. The rich factory owner in debt up to his eyeballs is suddenly the free and clear owner of his factory, and the small lenders who the banks had gathered the money together for his investment have just been cheated.
Both examples help show how you can use government power to rig the market. If you draw any parrallels to the modern day where the politically connected (like the UAW) get to rip off the unconnected (you and me) then congratulations, you're paying attention.
World:
Imparadon Province used to be the League of Seven Cities, now there are five cities and two piles of ash. The Raksto Tribune, who led the armies which conquered the League by the order of the Benevolent God Among Men, the Raksto Emperor, has insisted that he wishes to bring peace, prosperity, and joy back to the countryside he so recently devastated.
Zau is a city on Lake Callim, in the north of the Leaguelands, or the Imparedon Province.
Most of the Province is dry countryside, suited for the growing of grapes, and goats, olives, and barley with little natural transit routes. Travel is done in late fall when its cool enough to be bearable, and when the winter rains have not yet turned the earthen roads to mud.
Zau was always more cosmopolitan, having a river with several waterfalls that led to the ocean, is not a great port city, but compared to the other cities, it was practically London in some other world to stretch a point. This made it less trustworthy, which was a fair judgment on the other League cities parts as it was less trustworthy. Said judgment was used as an excuse by the Zauians for their selfish behavior.
Of course, Zau was more vulnerable. The coastline of the Imparedon Province is a singularly unfriendly place, filled with uncharted rocks, and mountain cliffs that dive into whirlpools. Few live there, but some primitive tribes known for disliking outsiders except as ornaments for spears. Zau's trade to the Raksto Ocean showed the path to it, and offered something for the Raksto Navy to threaten.
So, Zau fought...a little bit, and then surrendered very quickly, and suggested that it was 'time to get back to business'. Two burnt cities later, and the rest of the League joined Zau in surrender.
And now, to benefit the Province, the Tribune is set to build a great canal from the ocean up to Zau. He points out that this will open up the interior, and allow much more trade in, and thus benefit everyone.
Of course, it will also allow troops to move into the Province with far greater ease. And it will strengthen the Zauians who are allies of the Tribune. And as the last measure, the Tribune is charging a fairly steep tax on all surviving cities to pay for two-thirds of the cost of this great canal which will replace the waterfall strewn river from Lake Callim to the Raksto Ocean.
The result is that the other League cities are going to have to pay to build the chain forged for their neck, and to elevate people they claim are 'gutless traitors'. Meanwhile,the Zauians affect not to understand why the rest of the League is so irritated and restive at this marvelous idea.