Due Opposition: Behind the Curtain, Part 1
Frankly, this timeline is pretty much dead. It might not be the last time it theoretically comes up with me, it wasn’t the first. It largely was a retooling of a roleplay from the middle of 2019 into a coherent story, given America in it was such a categoric mess that I always wanted to take a second approach to it. But first,
-The Original Story (Roleplay Canon)-
It was 1972, the world is mildly different. The USSR’s eastern block stretches to the Atlantic, Israel is Soviet aligned and the UAR is American aligned. Barr Goldwater is President, succeeding (these times are approximations given there was never a direct canon for them, but it’s probably safe to assume) Walt Disney (1953-1957), Hubert Humphrey (1957-1965), and Richard Nixon (1965-1973).
Now, a critical thing to understand before I introduce this next segment is roughly the structure of the roleplay, which is really just a nation game but literally everyone called it a roleplay there so I am keeping with that. Each Superpower has a triumvirate of players, one playing the Head of Government, one playing the Economy Minister, and one playing the Security Minister. China was counted among them for some reason, and I (Security Min) alongside with two other players who will never come up again because they were practically rubber stamps controlled China for the large majority of the roleplay.
The Soviets were controlled by a collective of community elders, who stayed in control for the near entirety of the roleplay until like the very very end, but largely went inactive in the second part. They also had a communist clone of Reagan as their economy minister (which has no relevance but is a fun note). Now, America, America was something else.
America had immensely high turnover and rotation, over the course of the roleplay America went through at least 10 player changes, though some of those were players returning. The First was perhaps the most consequential, but it needs some set up first.
In the very start of the roleplay, still 1973 period, China invaded Taiwan. Literally just, immediately. Now, I didn’t expect it to work, there were really high expectations of Nuclear War despite it being so soon, and the server (though not the staff per say) was seemingly more than willing to jump into the fire. None the less, we somehow staved off nuclear war on day 3 (in other such situations in other Roleplays, we were not always so lucky), and China got to keep Taiwan.
Now, obviously, this was an escalation of the highest order, so I decided to try and reconcile with the Americans. Barry Goldwater thus came to Beijing for a ‘Mao Day’ celebration, a totally made up holiday which made no sense then and even less now, but I was stupid back then so, well, that’s what happened to happen.
(Just re-read it, honestly this might have been in reverse order, but I legitimately have no idea, it’s really a mess, ok?)
Now, in the middle of the meeting with my security minister character, one of the Chinese Gang of Four, Barry Goldwater’s player, the US Head of Government player, just outright quit. They would come back later, but for now they were gone. So, what happens, what do the other US players decide to do? Barry Goldwater just dies. Outright spontaneously dies. In Beijing. The Capital of a Superpower Rival. In the Cold War.
Yea so essentially they unintentionally created a diplomatic crisis that involved China supposedly killing the US President. We pretty much had to hand wave that in de-escalation because no one wanted to do that crisis. But back at home, well, Defense Minister Curtis LeMay decides to take action. He does a bloody coup and declared himself ‘Regent’ of America. This lasts about a week in universe, before William E. Miller is sworn in because of course this bloody pissed off the Populace. LeMay bloody flees to the UK which was under Enoch Powell for some reason. That kinda got lite-retconned later though, like a lot of things will, but not by the admins so it’s technically in ‘canon’ still.
Now, William E. Miller steps in. Around this time, the African Union comes into existence. They won’t be relevant for a while but it’s worth mentioning. (This is the alternate time period for the Taiwan invasion, given its when it was rendered on the map). Now Miller does stuff, brings back the gold standard, the economy bloody collapses into a recession, and then a snap election happens, where Reagan for some reason defeats Carter and Ford as a third party. He wins a Snap Election as a Third Party. Now that gets voided alongside the recession, but Reagan for some reason still remains President anyways.
I legit cannot find what Reagan does other than more recession, which also still voided because “the US does not need more problems”, which was fair enough all things considered. But, the 1976 election is coming up. Democrats and Republicans merge for some reason, and George Wallace wins their nomination. He selects Edward Brooke (African-American Senator from Massachusetts… yes, George Wallace picks him.)
Ethiopia at this time has collapsed into an at least 8 way civil war. Additionally, around this time, Britain is inactive again. The Gang of Four in China are out with Mao, and Xi Zhongxun comes in. Over time he practically becomes Paramount Leader of China, and is my ‘main character’ essentially. Nigeria is getting absolute hammered with nation building and good leaders. Their player is literally the one person in the Roleplay who was born in Africa, and by god they were amazing at nation building.
Now, back in America, George Wallace defeats Michael Harrington and Jesse Helms in an absolute landslide. Harrington literally gets no votes in the roleplay vote (which we used ftmp to decide quite a few elections in that time). Harrington gets about 2% of the Popular vote and no states, Helms gets the Deep South n/i Georgia, Wallace gets the remaining 500 electoral votes and 72% of the Popular Vote.
Now, so Wallace is President. He ends Goldwater Austerity, he bans the Klan as a Terrorist Organization, cuts taxes, and gets the power do declare war. Additionally, he commits to trying to de-militarize space exploration. Now, in the canon of the roleplay, Space isn’t the new frontier without militarization, it’s filled with Kill-Sats. So, Wallace, tries to do that. It goes nowhere.
Wallace also de-regulates the Airlines, does pro-Union stuff, and lowers taxes on Businesses, while killing the ‘Great Society’ that Humphrey made. At this time, Nigeria goes communist. Half of the Alt-Nato splits off and forms the ‘Delian League’, and Wallace suddenly collapses down to an approval rating of 23%
Additionally at this time, Pablo Escobar now rules Colombia. He’s actually a kinda ok leader and literally rules it for the rest of the roleplay. He basically becomes friends with Everyone.
So, Wallace bloody resigns. Just like that, he’s out of there. Mind you, those approval rating drops were done by the Player. Now, Edward Brooke is America’s first black President. At the same time, the same player who collapsed Ethiopia is now Mexico. They declare they reject the Monroe doctrine, and invade Guatemala, who America promises to back.
They then withdraw from Guatemala. The Republican Democrats collapse, and the economy goes into a recession. AGAIN. The RDs somehow lose like, 70% of the Senate, despite that not being how the senate works. America tries to blackmail Spain’s Pinochet expy into rejoining them, but he just gets overthrown. Also, there is a literal race war. Crime has increased by 20% due to the recession.
Pablo Escobar starts giving out Motorcycles as gifts.
Mexico at this point, declares all Americans “Persona Non-Grata” not actually understanding what that means, and essentially says all Americans must leave no matter what or we will arrest you. Additionally, America tried to sell good portion of its Navy to China, before coming to their senses. But, back in Mexico, America gives an ultimatum to them to stop being stupid.
Mexico then has a military coup, and backs off, and throw the old President out of a helicopter. The US also gave the UAR nuclear weapons, causing a crisis after they demand a ceasefire ‘or else’.
Now, a critical point about Nukes, or as they were supposed to be called in universe, Atomics, given the word ‘Nuclear Weapon’ was never supposed to be developed. They are not the world killers of our time, but lower capacity, interpreted to be just a very powerful bomb instead of how we interpret nukes.
India at this time seizes all American assets, while China talks up to Guam to try and take it. Xi Zhongxun goes to the Andes to chill with Escobar in his bunker. His son, he who will not be named gets one of his first mentions, being put in control of the mainland while he’s there.
Then, Tel Aviv gets nuked, alongside some places in Yemen and Alexandria in response. Sadat kills himself, and the UAR collapses under Soviet invasion, while the Suez is destroyed. More nations seize American assets, and America launches a preemptive invasion of Mexico. Mexico tries to nuke Austin, and fails. Mexico tries to recruit people to fight for them.
Xi and Escobar start a Pizza chain. The Internet is created by Nigeria, and it’s called Leninet
Then, Brooke glasses Mexico. He literally obliterates all of Mexico. This gets retconned, but it’s aftermath is still canon and Mexico barely ever gets mentioned again, so it might as well be canon still. Brooke gets threatened with impeachment, and then goes on live TV, apologizes, and then commits suicide on live television.
Ted Kennedy becomes President, and frankly, I’d rather let the roleplay directly speak for itself here;
‘Ted Kennedy's Declaration:
"I have done all I can, but federal order has eroded, I announce the end to the United States of America, we have tried all our might, but we shall never recover."’
He then flees to the Soviet Union, and gets overthrown. China invades the American Pacific. America doesn’t actually dissolve, and General Frederick Weyand gets invited by Congress, establishing a military dictatorship, and suspending elections. He then gets overthrown by General Bernard Rogers, who restores the Secretary of State (Adlai Stevenson III being the most likely option.) as President, and becomes the Vice President. This is around 1980, still the term of George Wallace who resigned around 1978-1979.
Rogers then forms the ‘United Government Association’, effectively a one party group. He forms a technocratic cabinet and institutes a lighter form of Dictatorship following totally arresting the old cabinet. America denounces the Chinese occupation of the islands, which become their own autonomous puppet state (which was never recognized on the map but was 100% canon), and a good bit of immigration to America theoretically happens due to a deal.
Rogers reforms JSTO remnants, the aforementioned NATO replacement, into a pseudo EU. He then goes about doing economic recovery executive orders, essentially a Psuedo New-Deal, while reforming the US’ Government. He meets with the Governors, and formed a committee for them to directly discuss with the President. I’ll note this is the most coherent part of America by far given it was largely run by one player.
America is mildly authoritarian at this point, semi-censorship in the press, there is martial law, and the National Guard grows and grows as an organ of the state, but it isn’t outright tyrannical.
A ton of Arcade games start coming around this time, roughly 1980-1981 from China and Nigeria. It is even subsidized by some governments. The EUSR is founded in Europe, which will be important later.
Back in the Pacific, Guam becomes the playground of America and China, who fight over it. Chinese Marines land on it’s shores, there’s a very big standoff that’s lasts way too long, threats of nukes, and they agree to withdraw. Then a nuclear bomb is accidentally dropped off the coast. The Pacific Occupied Areas are given de-jure full independence as the Pacific Republic, while America admits Guam and the Occupied Land as the State of Pacifica in it’s aftermath. A Referendum is held on their fate, and the Option of Independence wins out ftmp.
Now, some critical backstory which I need to mention. America intervened in South Africa, which was an absolute mess I won’t get into, but they also intervened in Mozambique, where the current US player, behind Rogers and all, had General Jack D. Ripper from Doctor Strangelove, actually exist.
Now, Rogers tries to re-ignite America abroad and at home, but it grows to be increasingly authoritarian. He forms the NUO, which consists of Republicans and Democrats, who are back to being the major parties, because frankly they ignored most of the pre-1980 Bull other than American instability, which is fair enough in my opinion. But, by 1983, the NUO had utterly swept the House and Senate, and controlled most of American politics, to the point of being able to amend the ineligibility clause out of the constitution.
But despite being widely popular beyond the authoritarian side, which was especially growing under the influence of General Ripper, there was opposition. Especially in California. Jerry Brown essentially became the face of the resistance, actively refusing to work with the Rogers administration. So Rogers federalized their, and other resistant states’ National Guards. And that flurry grew and grew. So come 1984, the election being forced by the rebellious states, with Jerry Brown challenging him.
In the Out of Universe Vote, Rogers lost by an absolute landslide. He literally got no votes. In Universe, Rogers beat him handedly, with Ripper as his new VP. Things, as their player said, regardless of his authoritarianism were looking. Then Rogers was assassinated. Ripper blamed Indian communists for taking Air Force One hostage, and that was that. Jack D. Ripper became General-President of the United States.
Ripper was a tyrant, pure and simple. He had no shade of benevolence. He tried to turn the USA into a unitary state, and quickly, it all fell down. The West of the country seceded into the ‘Free States of America’, though officially they were still the USA. The South soon breaks too, Florida, Oklahoma, Louisiana, as well as Colorado and Utah.
And, well, then Bill Cosby happens. I’m not going to elaborate on this too much until later, but he takes over New Jersey and Part of Pennsylvania declaring a MonBol Empire. It is important for the future so I must mention it, but yes it is horrible and it is utterly stupid.
Long story short, America goes into civil war, and then Ripper does what Ripper must do. Order the atomic bombing of the FSA with the full utilization of the American Arsenal. The FSA returns fire. The FSA in the aftermath gains the remaining Governors to their side. Ripper is killed in a coup, and the remaining NUO government members flee to Hawaii under Robert Gates. America is scared by Nuclear Fire.
Now, the exact following is lost to time, the Channel where it happened was deleted so I can’t retel it properly, but, America collapses after a failed constitutional convention.
So there it is, the Post Americana as I like to call it. IDK is Cosby, for the record. Now, this isn’t where it ended. But I’m going to retell the events in a less chronological manner now, and cover the events outside America first.
Venezuela, suffering from Mexico and Ethiopia syndrome, becomes part of Colombia, still ruled by Pablo Escobar. Over the Roleplay, Brazil and Portugal were unified in the Lusitanian Confederation. Mexico eventually unified again.
In Europe, the EUSR and USSR split eventually, with the Hardliners forming the Valencia Pact (Spain was invaded at a point in time). I forgot to mention this as well, but there was a small nuclear war between the USSR and America that destroyed some cities, and the Moscow suburbs but no one ever acknowledged it beyond when it happened so it is barely relevant.
Yugoslavia had a player, but they did nothing internationally relevant. Italy eventually joined up with the JSTO successor which was led by Japan, and ended up a Monarchy again, albeit as a Democracy. Britain eventually ended up having a player but their story is more interestingly covered in the end slides which I’ll post below.
China eventually had a power struggle between me and another player after Xi Zhongxun died. Eventually both of us shot each other, and the admin took over for the end.
Africa legitimately had so much winning in the end, even French Rhodesia somehow became not racist.
But, in America, the story was messier. The FSA/USA remnant on the Pacific Coast was relatively stable, it eventually reunified with the Hawaii Government, but I downright reject that as non-canon. The South had some chaos go on with Harrington coming back to lead the UFA and then invading them before their player (the same player who was Goldwater btw) rage quitting and giving their nation over to Cosby, who then invaded the south.
Eventually, while it isn’t represented on the Final Map, Cosby was defeated and was overthrown from within while also being invaded by the JSTO successor in the Carolinas.
New England collapsed in on itself because William Luther Pierce came into power and they had a race war, but that became non-canon.
In the South, the Meridional Federation was eventually formed between Texas, the American Republic, and Florida with Austin becoming the center of it. Honestly I just headcanoned that New Orleans survived and that Edwin Edwards of all people ended up forming it.
But, in 2005, the roleplay ended. It kinda just limped along at that point, it had been over a month since it first started. And that was that. Now, the end slides and end map, which cover them better than I can. I didn’t make them, for the record.
-JustStars
“The world, once split between the tripolar powers of the People's Republic of China, the Soviet Union, and the United States, has experienced drastic restructuring through the past thirty years. Nations have been born, lived, and died, and both fallout and true progress have spread across the world's winds.
Though space is still scarred by the remnants of the last era's kill-sats and debris-fields, piece by piece, Humanity has begun to clean up its orbital lanes and make them safe once more. Competing megaprojects have more or less replaced the atomic tensions of the early 70s and 80s, as the liberalization of the Soviet Union and fall of the United States lead to significant de-escalation.
However, all is not well. In North America, fallout from the disastrous Second American Civil War has scarred the continent forever. No more shall Lady Liberty raise her torch - the American identity is dead, and likely shall be forevermore. Numerous other nations bear the scars of atomic war as well, from the savannas of Zimbabwe, to the fields of Ukraine.
From the stagnation of the old powers rises new pillars of humanity, such as the European Union of Socialist Republics in Western Europe, and the West African Federation. The future seems bright for these nations, as they stride forth to solve the mistakes of history.
There was no apocalypse, but perhaps something did rise from the ashes that were foreseen. It was not the Sozialistische Weltrepublik that Karl Marx saw, but rather a new, brighter Humanity.
May the new world finally forgive the sins of the past.” - from the Original
Original
