AHC: Global Overpopulation Problem

Historically, there has been a streak of doomsday in human thinking, where it was theorized that the human population would explode far past the food supplies and other commodities needed to support it. Massive famine, starvation, and general despair would follow. Due to continued human innovations, this has not occurred. The overpopulation fears of the 18th century were dealt with by the Agricultural/Industrial Revolution. And modern concerns of the "population bomb" were dealt with through GMO foods, and such factors as the average number of children a family has dropping.

The challenge is to have a global overpopulation crisis.
 
Historically, there has been a streak of doomsday in human thinking, where it was theorized that the human population would explode far past the food supplies and other commodities needed to support it. Massive famine, starvation, and general despair would follow. Due to continued human innovations, this has not occurred. The overpopulation fears of the 18th century were dealt with by the Agricultural/Industrial Revolution. And modern concerns of the "population bomb" were dealt with through GMO foods, and such factors as the average number of children a family has dropping.

The challenge is to have a global overpopulation crisis.

Have a couple of close calls with nuclear anhilation. Drop some atomic bombs in Korea or French Indochina or some other backwater area. Make the Soviet Union have a more proactive policy when it comes to spreading the global revolution...that could include large numbers of soviet troops fighting alongside their communist counterparts or giving independent nuclear command to allied countries.

Some occasional skirmishes with Soviet Union would help drive paranoia around the world. Maybe have a small conflict occur around Berlin shortly after WW2, allied intervention in the Hungarian Revolution, Soviet and American air forces fighting during the Israeli-Arab wars, etc...

A hotter Cold War could cause many nations to do what Mao did and encourage their population have as many children as possible in anticipation of nuclear war. By 2010 the population is close to 12 billion people and still rapidly expanding...droughts that occur IOTL would put large strain on the global food supply.
 

jahenders

Banned
The biggest contributing PODs would probably be:
- China decides that their best path to power is growth, doesn't institute a one child policy, and instead encourages people having kids as a patriotic duty
- Stronger church influence in Europe and N. America limits the spread of abortion and contraception and encourages large families
- Governments in Europe and N. America encourage people to have kids as a way of maintaining advantage


Historically, there has been a streak of doomsday in human thinking, where it was theorized that the human population would explode far past the food supplies and other commodities needed to support it. Massive famine, starvation, and general despair would follow. Due to continued human innovations, this has not occurred. The overpopulation fears of the 18th century were dealt with by the Agricultural/Industrial Revolution. And modern concerns of the "population bomb" were dealt with through GMO foods, and such factors as the average number of children a family has dropping.

The challenge is to have a global overpopulation crisis.
 
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