North American Union (1983: Doomsday)
From Alternative History
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| Capital: | Billings | ||||
| Largest city: | Saskatoon | ||||
| Language: | English, Lakota | ||||
| President: | Ronald Tussing | ||||
| Independence: | 1997 | ||||
| Currency: | US Dollar, Canadian Dollar | ||||
The North American Union (NAU) is an economic and political alliance made up of survivor communities across the Great Plains region of the United States of America and Canada.
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[edit] History
[edit] Doomsday and after
Due to the concentration of nuclear missile silos around the Great Plains area, Doomsday caused large devastation to the area. Nuclear strikes happened in North Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, and Colorado. The strikes on the silos forced the following cities in the area to be abandoned:
- Great Falls, MT
- Helena, MT
- Lewistown, MT
- Minot, ND
- Cheyenne, WY
- Sterling, CO
Like most places in the continental United States, Doomsday caused the collapse of state governments, except for Wyoming. The remnants of the state government, rallying around Governor Edgar Herschler, were able to reestablish control at Torrington, Wyoming. Fort Laramie was also recommissioned as a fort to be used for the training of the new state militia. The state government of Wyoming had sporadic contact with the remnants of the federal government at Mount Weather until the facility was abandoned in May 1984. Afterward, the Wyoming state legislature voted to give Governor Herschler expanded emergency powers to get the state through the crisis. One of his first acts was the Strategic Hamlet Initiative. The initiative called for the creation of walled settlements to protect farmers and ranchers from the increasing number of hungry refugees. The communities of southern Montana also adopted such a system as they looked toward Wyoming for advice and aide.
One of the unique phenomenon of the area was the creation of "nomadic clans." As the effects of Doomsday became apparent with the loss of plant life and a horrible harvest, many farmers and their families and close friends took to the road with their horses, cattle and other livestock to seek better pastures for their animals. Feeding themselves "off the hoof", these clans grew as they took in refugees who had certain skills that would be needed. The emergence of this new lifestyle was most apparent among the Sioux/Lakota of North and South Dakota. Only a few months after Doomsday, the Sioux returned to their old nomadic lifestyle, with a twist. Almost immediately they began raiding communities in the Dakotas demanding tribute for Sioux "protection." As the Sioux empire grew it became necessary for a central government to better organize the various Sioux tribes activities. Thus in 1984 at North Eagle Butte, South Dakota, the Republic of Lakotah was declared.
Meanwhile in the Great Plans Canadian provinces, nuclear strikes on Calgary, Regina, and Winnipeg caused similar chaos that was being seen elsewhere in the United States and Canada. As local communities struggled to survive, populations of expatriate Americans reached across the border to seek help from American communities. Doomsday had brought a spirit of cooperation between the surviving communities along the US/Canada border.
[edit] The Lakotah War and the reestablishment of the USA
As Lakotah consolidated its control in the Dakotas, there were continued calls by Lakota leaders to expand into old Lakota territory in Nebraska, Wyoming, and Montana. Russell Means, an important leader in Lakotah, was particularly adamant about this. The only obstacle, however, was the growing power of the State of Wyoming which had managed to remain relatively united after Doomsday and was now begining to expand its influence into fractured Montana. Some Wyoming organized expeditions father north to find out what happened to Canada even came into contact with the various Canadian survivor communities on the Great Plains. Lakotah analysts all agreed that unless Lakotah struck soon they would be unable to defeat Wyoming.
In 1986, Wyoming was dealt a harsh blow by the death of Governor Edgar Herschler. The death of the man who had taken the state, however, would signal even worse times for Wyoming. In 1987, increased raids by nomads coming out of Lakotah territory rocked the communities of Montana, Wyoming and Nebraska. Distracted by the raids, Wyoming and the other communities were unprepared when in May 23, 1986, Lakotah "war bands" attack neighboring towns signaling the official start of the Lakotah War.
[edit] The Treaty of Morgan
[edit] Lakotah joins the NAU
[edit] Tensions with Utah
[edit] Contact
[edit] Economy
The economy of the NAU is primarily agricultural. Many towns and cities had to relocate most of their populations to local farms and ranches. These farms and ranches have been transformed with defensive walls built to protect against Lakotah raids during the Lakotah War. Today these farm and ranches are the center of life in the NAU. Only recently have the towns and cities began to grow again and light industry has increased.
Technological progress has been slow, as the country concentrates more on building up former prosperity.
[edit] Foreign Relations
The NAU has only recently established contact with the rest of the world thanks to the arrival of a WCRB sponsored expedition from the Municipal States of the Pacific. There are already plans among the NAU leadership to build a safe trade route to reach the MSP. Some plans include reopening old railroad lines between the two areas.
Territory disputes between Utah and the NAU over the former territories of Idaho and Wyoming has kept things tense between the two nations but so far it has remained short of all out war.
[edit] Military
The NAU requires all member nations to maintain a strong, professional militia force. The militias are equipped with old American and Canadian weapons, along with some new weapons built since Doomsday including the NAU Standard Automatic Rifle (SAR). The NAU Mounted Police (NAUMP), made up of members of the former Royal Canadian Mounted Police, is the elite force of the NAU and keeps peace along the member nations border while also keeping brigands in check.
[edit] Member nations
[edit] Provisional Government of the United States of America
Following the Lakotah War a large number of American survivor communities held a new constitutional convention, reestablishing the United States of America. Though the Constitution was adopted as is, the new government has declared itself only a provisional government that will give authority back to the existing federal US government if they ever came into contact with them. In 2009 the USA learned that the surviving American government disbanded itself in 1995. So far the current USA government has shown little interest in changing the current status quo.
The USA is divided into 9 states:
- Montana
- Kootenai
- Absaroka
- Wyoming*
- Nebraska*
- Kansas
- Idaho*
- Lincoln
- Colorado
* Disputed in whole or in part by another entity.
[edit] Provisional Government of Canada
Like the USA, the Provisional Government of Canada adopted its old style of government with the possibility of turning control back over the surviving Canadian government. Since contact in 2009, the Provisional Government of Canada is hoping to enter into negotiations with the Canada Remainder Provinces in hopes of reuniting the nation. Exactly how this would effect Canada's position in the NAU is still up in the air.
Canada is divided into 2 provinces:
- Alberta
- Saskatchewan
The largest city in the NAU, Saskatoon, is located in the province of Saskatchewan.
[edit] Republic of Lakotah
The Republic of Lakotah declared independence shortly after Doomsday. It is a confederation based on libertarian principles. Though it serves as a homeland to the Lakota people, there is a substantial minority of non-Lakota who live in the borders. It is confined mostly to old American states of North and South Dakota, though there was an attempt to expand their borders during the Lakotah War. Many of the old tribes have reclaimed their old territories, some even returning to a nomadic lifestyle. Non-Lakota towns have autonomy within the republic as long as they pay a yearly tribute to the Tribal Council.
[edit] Associated Nomadic clans
Some survivors in this part of North America adopted a nomadic lifestyle in an effort to survive the aftermath of Doomsday. They have evolved into clans made up of several large extended families. Their wealth comes from their large herds of animals who they take to different pastures during the years, following them in the few remaining motorized transports or horse-drawn wheeled tents based off the yurt design used by Central Asian nomads (this became popular thanks to a history professor who joined a nomadic clan after Doomsday).
During the Lakotah War several clans fought as mercenaries on both sides of the war. Afterward, a few clans moved west and challenged the Hells Angels of the MSP for control of the area. Those few who remained eventually all became associated members of the NAU.
Member clans (named after their patriarch/matriarch):
- Johnson
- Balis
- Carmichael
- Williams
- Holt
[edit] External links
- "Republic of Lakotah" article on Wikipedia
- Nukewatch has maps showing the locations of nuclear missile silos in the states that now make up the NAU.
[edit] See also
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