jan 1, 1985 - 1985: Puzzling Pieces

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General Overview

Two years after Doomsday, little has improved. In fact much has worsened, especially in the Northern Hemisphere. Food shortages are absolute. Starvation has killed another 200 million people. Cannibalism of the dead is not uncommon, and some roving gangs of former military units even kill people for food. In wide parts of the world, anarchy is predominant and most attempts to reinstate order, even on the local level, fail. Self-justice, clan fights and warlordships are common.

But, nonetheless, the first signs of a will to withstand the immediate threat of total extinction emerge. In a few regions, surviving nations and remaining governing bodies reluctantly start cooperating with similarly devastated neighbors.

Europe

Similar to Portugal on the Azores Islands, the provincial government of the Spanish Canary Islands, together with the POLISARIO rebels in the former colony of Western Sahara, declare a government. The new nation is to be called País del Oro (The Golden Land). This later becomes widely known as the first post-Doomsday country gaining sovereignty.

The Irish government maintains martial law and implements rationing of fuel to maintain the precious resource's availability to agriculture. Therefore, food supplies are at adequate levels. Formal discussions at the national government level begin to lay in principle an agreement on the formation of the Celtic Alliance. Mass starvation is a great worry even though vast swathes of land have been turned over to food production, including public parks and areas bordering the seashore. The Scottish Islands come under further stress by an influx of refugees from the greater Glasgow area, especially from the north of the city. The refugees tell of mass death and destruction of property with marauding hordes. There are reports of cannibalism and clan feuds as well as mutated births. Radiation sickness is now the main killer of people across the Celtic Alliance.

North America

Canada

Canada, or the Canada Remainder Provinces, manages to hold onto democracy by holding elections. Clyde Wells is the first Prime Minister elected after Doomsday. However Canada still faces numerous problems, such as starvation, disease, and the rebellious Saguenay.

The former French colonial islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon, cut off from their mother country, petition Canada for support and become a protectorate.

United States

Especially because of the near-total absence of television, radio and telephone communications, the situation on the ground in the former United States was believed to be, at best, chaotic and medieval, and at worst, a total wasteland with nothing alive at all.

This was truly the case in some areas, such as southern California; New York City; lower Michigan; northern Missouri and eastern Kansas; and much of Florida.

In other areas, people were not only surviving, but building a foundation for their future.

Throughout the year, city-states throughout the former U.S. established themselves as independent entities, and in some cases began to build alliances that would one day lead to the formation of new nations. These city-states included Asheville, Cape Girardeau, Davenport, Dodge City, Elizabeth City, Hattiesburg, International Falls, Iowa City, Joplin, Lincoln, Missoula, Muncie, Nacogdoches, Scottsbluff and Tyler. Some newly formed nations, such as Kentucky, Virginia and Vermont, were stabilizing their governments and societies and caring for their people the best they could. Some state governments, particularly in Utah and Wyoming, were on their way towards establishing independence.

And, some new nations formed out of the ashes of the former United States.

On January 7, delegates gathered in Greenville, SC, for a constitutional convention. On March 8, the signed document was on its way to the districts. Also, in March, representatives of counties from the former states of Delaware, Maryland and Virginia met to discuss the future of their region; on May 3, delegates signed the constitution of the United Counties of Delmarva.

Surviving cities and towns in western Texas and southwestern New Mexico formalized their association, declaring their independence and drafting a constitution. The representatives of the various towns signed that constitution on July 4 in Midland, and the Republic of West Texas was officially born.

Unfortunately, a fledgling relationship with Mexico was shattered in December after a misunderstanding on the part of the Mexican military led to the severing of ties between the two countries, and a policy of isolationism on the part of the West Texas government that would last more than two decades.

Oceania

Throughout the year, nuclear submarines begin returning from all over the Pacific and Indian Oceans.

In September comes ANZUS Order 011/1985, the Resolution on the Status of Samoa. The American Provisional Authority agrees to share power with the Samoa Governing Committee. American Samoa is made a commonwealth. The Order and the new constitution based on it are ratified the following year.

On November 6th, 1985 the USS "Benjamin Franklin" (SSBN-640) becomes the fifth American nuclear submarine to arrive in ANZUS territory thus far. Nearly running out of food, the “Franklin” enters the harbor of Cairns.

On November 18th, 1985, a great relief is felt at the response of the American carrier USS “Carl Vinson” and a small accompanying fleet from the harbor of Papeete, Tahiti. It was feared that all carrier groups had been destroyed by direct nuclear attacks. But, apparently Soviet subs did not find the Vinson carrier group, so it was not destroyed. Therefore it had been able to set course south to escape the radiation in the Northern Hemisphere. On December 8th the Vinson group arrives in Brisbane.

South America

In the Southern Hemisphere, radioactivity has spread to Brazil, southern Africa, and northern Australia. There is no "On The Beach" scenario; these areas suffered little permanent damage. However, the destruction of trade and violent weather patterns causes them much hardship.

Costa Rica's government leaves the Central Valley, by now a battleground between Sandinistas and Contras, including local Costa Rican supporters. A government-in-exile is established at Limón on the Caribbean coast.

In November, the Volcano Ruiz erupts in Colombia, causing landslides that erase a whole town from the map. Rescue services are completely unprepared, therefore raising the death toll.

Rest of the World

Sub-Saharan Africa is in worse shape than the rest of the world. The loss of American, European and Soviet aid has plunged most of the African nations into chaos and starvation. The economy of the Union of South Africa collapses. Even under martial law, rioting runs rampant as it becomes apparent that the white minority is shifting food and fuel rations to primarily whites, while black South Africans starve. When guards abandon the Robben Island prison, members of the ANC rescue Nelson Mandela on August 17th, 1985, but the joy is short-lived as Mandela dies in a bombing raid by the South African Air Force on a Pretorian black neighborhood.

After a few months of de facto civil war, the GAM gains control over the city of Aceh and quickly gathers support, as well as more soldiers, among the Acehnese. In October 1985, they re-establish a Sultanate Government, headed by then-monarch Hosein di Tiro, maintaining order based on the harsh enforcement of Islamic law, known as the Sharia.

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