The Great Tribulation - World War III in 1975

I always miss the african perpective/situation in such scenarios. I can imagine that there will be many european regugees who will cross to north africa or go to South Africa and Namibia.
 
The USA without electricity meaning no fuel, pesticides, vaccinations... if 5% of the population can survive they got lucky.

But then it is too dystopian future for those who'll survive. I don't want to create fall of humanity, just a regress of civilization and fall of organized states.

South American economies are dependent on American and European goods. So probably they're gonna to collapse

And they will.

No single warhead failure would save a Soviet city. Multiple warheads are aimed at each one with time separation (to reduce fratricide) to make sure the rubble of the rubble is destroyed.

Parts of cities could be less damaged than others. Aiming an ICBM could be difficult.

I'm not sure what SIOP 1975 had, but SIOP 1961 had over a gigaton worth of USAF warheads for the Moscow Metro area, and that wasn't counting any USN Polaris efforts

Moscow will become either a lake or a small sea.

I’m interested

I'm happy to hear that.

I always miss the african perpective/situation in such scenarios. I can imagine that there will be many european regugees who will cross to north africa or go to South Africa and Namibia.

Those with strong economic links with the West or East will see collapse and reformation into more natural states (not those straight lines in the sand created by the colonialists). After that, Africa and Asia will regain their importance of the past. Without further interventions and foreign-sponsored coups parts of Africa will be more successful.
 
So, I decided to post some images of post-war world (most of them I found on AH Maps and Graphics threads).

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Gwendolen of Morganwg Dynasty, Queen of Gwynned, Grand Duchess of Powys, Ceredigion and Sir Benfro (1992)

Breakdow of the United Kingdom resulted in the Welsh Civil War, where rivalling factions of Republicans, Communists and Military Junta fought each other until 1978. After the Dyfed Armistice, a former Welsh officer of the British Army and late successor of the military junta government assumed name of Hu Gadarn the Second and crowned himself as the King of Gwynned and Grand Duke of Powys. After his death on 1989, his only daughter, Gwendolen assumed the throne as the new Queen.


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Arthur II, King of Rhos and Tegeingl, Duke of Rhufoniog and Protector of Dyffryn Clwyd (1989).


Member of original military junta that defeated republicans and communists, Arthur assumed identity of mythical Arthur who had returned to save his people from oppression. Ruling from the Noerth-East Wales, he was one of the most successful post-Fall kings on the British isles, second only to the Morganwg dynasty in his quest for stability in Wales. His son and heir presumtive, Llyr married Princess Gwendolen Morganwg, creating an alliance between two countries.


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Rhiannon, princess of Dyfed (1991)

Daughter and heir to the Duchy of Dyfed, Seisyllwg and Garfynydd. Her father, Rhydderch established the state from the remnants of southern Wales and defeated repeated attempts of Gwynned-Rhos invasions. Contrary to the neo-feudalism of northern Wales, Dyfedian population is mostly free and egalitarian due to lack of nationalization of the land that did happen in the north.

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Druidess at Stonehedge (1989)

Post-fall Britain saw resurgence of druidism and other local religions. Modern Commonwealth of Britons occupies ares of former Wiltshire and Gloucestershire.​
 
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Solofonantenaina Leriva, Divine Overlord of San Monique Analamanga Divine State with the White Enchantress of Nuka. (1991)

Following nuclear bombing of Madagascar capital city by the Soviet single warhead, collapse of the state and post-Fall plague that wiped out more than half population of Madagascar, Solofonantenaina Leriva started a campaign to unite central part of the island with the help of his enchantress who he had claimed has divine knowledge of the Nuka goddess. Possibly referenced to nuclear weapons - enchantress husband was a nuclear physicist.​
 
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Raymond Franz, last surviving member of the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses. (1975)

Raymond Franz, supervised organizational affairs of Jehovah's Witnesses since the World War 3 to his death on 1979. Despite short tenure in power, his influences caused Jehovah's Witnesses to abandon their stance on the blood transfusion and understanting of the Great Tribulation as the period of post-apocalyptic nuclear war, reconstruction of the world by the worldly people and, finally, Second Coming of Jesus Christ, which will end all world's governments. Prophecy of 1975's end of the world has brought many followers since 1976 to 1979.​
 
1976

10 F drop in the temperature in the Northern Hemisphere fuels harsh winter of 1976, causing major problems for nations that suffered the least during the nuclear war, causing fall of government in Mexico (where immigration crisis due to major shift of population from the former United States occurs) and other countries across Latin American and Africa.

Vast areas of United States, Soviet Union, Asia and Europe are irradiated.

Several nuclear reactors in the US and the Soviet Union suffer meltdowns, causing them to explode and produce even stronger radiation levels. Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant and Three Mile Island accidents have rather nasty effects on the local survivor populations and remaining state administration.

In a devastated Cuba, remaining Posadists establish People's Commune to create true communistic state on the ashes of the capitalist world. Surprisingly, only Havana, Santiago de Cuba, Camaguey and Guantanamo had been nuked by the US forces, leaving rest of Cuba to high radiation leves and contamination.

In Canada, Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Quebec City and parts of the Corridor had been nuked, leaving only 25% of Canadian population alive anfter two days in December.

Great Britain ceases to exist, leaving various groups to claim the land and power over the remnants of population.

"In Germany, the towns are only two kilotons apart." Western Germany was subjected to massive Soviet nuclear bombardment, while Eas Germany received American nukes, leaving around 10% of Germans alive.

In Poland, American nuclear bombardment of Vistula area left western parts of the country devastated. 20% Poles survived.

Yellowstone was hit by a nuke. Nothing has happened yet.
 
I watched Threads today. I think that my description of immediate results of the nuclear war could be, an probably were, too optimistic. I don't even know if I want to write nuclear dystopias anymore.
 
10 percent of the population in Germany is way too optimistic 5% would be a miracle. A modern civilization cut off from electricity will go down to 10% of the population within a year tops even without the effects of radiation and the direct death toll of the bombs (maybe a bit more in the 70s). The rest of the world will lose 90% plus of medication, most spare parts for whatever industry they have, trading and communication nets will be massively reduced...
 
Chapter I
The Year of Great Tribulation was the hardest time period humans ever had to suffer. For long time prophecised as the end of Babylon the Great by various religious leaders of pre-war war, it was only a certainty that two great ideologies of the world - communism and capitalism, both of them armed with the most deadly weapon ever conceived, will try to destroy each other. Since 1920s, progressive ideology of full equality have been fighting against belief of the personal liberty of few - a class of those who dispose capital and thus, are the power within a state. For more than fifty years, old order was fighting new one. But never ever won the war. Capitalists of the Western Hemisphere launched massive, nuclear strike against the Eastern Hemisphere, with opposing side responding in the same kind. Now, thirty years after the accident, remnats of old order shift the blame on computer malfunction, but we, new socialists of America know the truth! Onward comrades, for the new Soviet Union!

- Mariela Castro, leader of the Free American Movement. (2005)


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There is, for certainty, no man to bear the full guilt for starting nuclear apocalypse that the world had to suffer in late 1975. But the man who ordered the first strike is known for history due to his own admission of responsibility and several witnesses' testimonies from both his personal bunker. George H.W Bush, President who was never elected, appointed by the never elected President, who was appointed by the never elected President and former US Ambassador to the United Nations was the man at the helms of the nation. Sure, he was a very patriot and very sane person in the world of Cold War madness, assassinations and mass demonstrations. But he was fed by the anti-communist propaganda and false reports, caused by either insane subordinates or computer errors. One of them, caused by the malfunctioned chip in the NORAD computer, sentenced whole world to even greater madness, mass death and sufferring. Tiny piece of faulty electronics, who could be chosen as the TIME's Man of the Century, if TIME existed after the war, changed the world forever.

1975 saw succession of three Presidents in the United States. In the summer of the year, Gerald Ford took a trip to Salzburg, Austria to meet with Egyptian President, Anwar Sadat. Steps on the Air Force One would later prove that the trip was a mistake, as Ford, descending from the plane fell from the stairs, unluckly broke his neck and died. His successor, Nelson Rockefeller was shot on September 5 by Lynette Fromme, a member of the cultish Manson family. Bush, nearly shot by another cult member, Sara Jane Moore just two weeks later was announced dead by the major TV stations across the world, leading to even more panic and despair inside American society. All three men that occupied the White House were never elected, yet they were completing a term of disgraced Richard Nixon, who was still alive.To make things worse, Soviet First Secretary, Leonid Brezhnev drank few drinks more than usual, took a car and crashed it on a Moscow streetlamp, rendering him unconscious for the duration of world crisis. His direct successor, Second Secretary Mikhail Suslov was a long-term opponent of detente and decided to make American pay for the worldwide chaos.

Things quickly spiralled out of control. In Kentucky, images of wheelchaired woman, who led a anti-busing demonstration, being beaten to death by policemen was widely publicized by the American conservatives and other, anti-liberal elements of the society. John Lennon, famous singer and long-time opponent of Nixon administration for his stance on the Vietnam War, was deported from the United States in October. Ronald Reagan, former Governor of California shot and killed 20-years' old man holding plastic replica of a gun, sparking yet another costroversy. Portugal fell to the communist forces, Soviet naval commander, captain of the third rank Valery Sabin took a frigate and fled to Sweden which, after quiet encouragement from the CIA, refused to extradite mutineers or return precious (for the Soviet technology) ship resulting in the international scandal in which Soviet Air Forces bombed Swedish port in which the frigate was held. Meanwhile, North Korea invaded again - renewed conflict turned into much nastier place when both sides began to throw a WMDs on each other - Chinese used chemical weapons while Americans started to use tactical nuclear weapons to stave off potential fall on Peninsula to the communist hands. Two nuclear power plants in Eastern Bloc - in Greifenwald and Leningrad either suffered a partial meltdown or lost coolant and produced significant radiation - sparking fears of American sabotage. In the end, just before Armageddon, Berlin was blockaded and civillian airplane with Americans onboard shot down by the Soviet anti-aircraft artillery.

When NORAD officials announced that 1,100 Soviet ICBMs are heading towards the Continental United States, Bush had no other option than to believe them. However, to make things worse for a mental health of the American leadership, shortly after ordering a full second strike, NORAD ceased to show incoming missiles. But it was already too late for any changes. In fact, Soviets were prepared for nuclear war, with evacuation of main cities being started and more ICBMs being rolled for the launchpads. Events were pretty quick - Aerican warheads fell on the Soviet Union, China and their allies. Soviet warheads fell on the United States, China, Great Britain, France, Belgium and other NATO allies and their sympathizers. Most of Chinese warheads fell on the Soviet cities, but some of them were spared for India, Japan and South-East Asia. Britain and France nuked Soviets, which only added misery for the millions of people. In the end, there was no victor.

Mikhail Suslov's bunker was never uncovered - it is currently under the Lake of Moscow. Bush survived the strike and fell into massive depression when he learnt about his mistake. Queen Elizabeth and the British government were obliterated, just like most of the leadership of affected countries. Luckily, Cuba was hit only in Havana, Santiago de Cuba and Guantanamo with some of high-ranking officials surviving the war. One of them was Mariela Castro, future leader of the Free American Movement - neofeudal, dictatorial state composed from the survivors of high radiation doses received by the local population.​
 
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