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1983: Doomsday is a featured timeline, which means it has been identified as one of the best alternate histories produced by the alternate history community. If you see a way this alternate history can be updated or improved without compromising previous work, please say so on this page's talkpage.

Welcome to the Portal Page for the 1983: Doomsday ATL.

1983 Doomsday's logo

This timeline explores world history after Doomsday - September 26th, 1983.

A worldwide nuclear exchange caused by a minor incident obliterates half of human civilization, changing the world forever. This ATL covers everything from the direct aftermath up to the present worldwide situation.

This is a "live" timeline, which means that its story continues to unfold NOW, in real-time. See the Live Content section for the latest news and updates.

This is also a collaborative timeline, produced by a team of contributors. If you want to join us in developing this world, we warmly welcome your additions.

Before making major edits or additions to this ATL, please read the Editorial Guidelines and discuss your ideas on the 1983: Doomsday talk page.

Introduction[]

The World of 1983: Doomsday as of 2023. Suggest changes at the World Map Changelog.
Magnify-clip
The World of 1983: Doomsday as of 2023. Suggest changes at the World Map Changelog.

The Point of Divergence of 1983: Doomsday is September 19th, 1983, on which a seemingly unimportant decision to send an ambitious Soviet colonel to a training seminar, taking the place of an indisposed colleague, has global implications.

This decision leads to a different outcome of a well-known, though often underestimated, event that took place in the darkness of the early morning of September 26, 1983.

In our timeline, Colonel Stanislav Petrov was the watch officer on duty that day at the Serpukhov-15 bunker near Moscow, monitoring for a US missile attack on the Soviet Union.

Suddenly, the computer-based warning systems reported several US nuclear missiles approaching Soviet territory. In our timeline, Colonel Petrov believed the information to be false and did not alert the Kremlin to the data he was receiving. Given Cold War tensions at the time, such information would likely have convinced the Soviets that the US had launched a first strike in an attempt to "cut off the head," and they would have been forced to launch their nuclear weapons in the false belief that it was a counterstrike.

In our timeline, since the events of that night have become widely known, the moment has often been considered the closest that the USSR and USA ever came to a nuclear war. Colonel Petrov has been honored as one of the few true "world saviors," and several investigations have proven the great seriousness of this highly dangerous event that may have lead to apocalyptic consequences.

This timeline explores the results after Colonel Petrov was sent to another installation before September 26, 1983. The officer now on duty on September 26th considered the alert to be accurate and immediately contacted his superiors. Within minutes, the leaders ordered a massive retaliatory strike against the West. The Americans naturally reacted by launching a strike of their own, this one all too real. By the time the first alerted missile was proven to be a false alarm, it was too late. Thousands of nuclear warheads soon detonated over targets worldwide. In a preemptive attack, the Soviet Union also launched missiles against the People's Republic of China, which responded as best it could with a counterattack against the USSR.

The results of this total nuclear exchange came close to the predicted worldwide destruction and "nuclear holocaust." Close to a billion people were killed initially, and another billion died in the environmental disaster that followed shortly thereafter.

With the world largely devastated, and most of the Northern and parts of the Southern Hemisphere in ruins, the estimated 800 million survivors in these areas desperately tried to keep together what is left of human society. They would face challenges that were seemingly impossible.

After suffering some years of absolute horrors following Doomsday, a handful of regions, territories, and countries managed to stabilize and overcome the basic problems of food, clean water, and medical supplies. As time passed and the recovery continued, new (sometimes surprising) alliances formed. A new, fragile world order emerged from the ashes. Initial hopes of some survivors for a united mankind (or at least a permanent end to warfare and destruction) quickly proved false. Indeed, the world is still very far from fulfilling any utopian vision. Famine, disease, and lack of resources continue to spark conflicts in many parts of the world, threatening to wipe out the decades of slow recovery.

Now, 41 years after the devastating "Doomsday" event brought mankind to the edge of total extinction, a few bright moments have spread the hope for a more peaceful future for mankind, such as the foundation of the new "League of Nations" on September 26th, 2008. The world order is dominated by a set of regional blocs - above all a unified Commonwealth of Australia and New Zealand and South American Confederation - which have proved able to master the challenges of the era and intervene internationally. Mankind's total extinction, at least, seems to have been avoided.

Nonetheless, new dangers to this fragile world have emerged all around the globe, threatening much of what has been achieved within the last 41 years...

WCRB NewsHour- World Headlines[]

For all news, please refer to our WCRB Newshour Main Page

November[]

September November 27, 2023 - Nintendo expands to Victoria DD1983 Victoria Civil - VICTORIA CITY, Victoria
Japanese gaming company Nintendo has opened new offices In Victoria City this afternoon. A leader in the industry, Nintendo of Victoria is the company's first branch to be located outside of the Asia-Pacific region. Nintendo hopes to expand its market to the growing video game industry in the Americas and is also considering a branch in Argentina.

September[]

September 25–26, 2023 - The world observes the 40th anniversary of the Doomsday Event - Blue globe icon
Forty years on from the outbreak of the Third World War, people around the planet paused to reflect on what it means and how the world has changed. The anniversary was commemorated in countless different ways in different nations and communities. The page on the Doomsday 40th Anniversary gathers reports and dispatches from around the world to give a rich picture of this momentous event.

September 9, 2023 - Death of Mangosuthu Buthelezi, leader of KwaZulu 35 years - KwaZulu flag 1977 - ULUNDI, KwaZulu - The Kraal confirmed the death at the age of 95 of Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi, the longtime political leader of the KwaZulu kingdom. Buthelezi led the Zulu nation for decades both before and after the fall of apartheid. He is considered the architect of the kingdom's independence and one of the people most responsible for bringing about the modern South Africa. For much of Buthelezi's career, he ruled as a dictator; on the other hand, he was praised around southern Africa for permitting KwaZulu to transition to a democratic government. Ten years ago he stepped down from power entirely, holding on only to his ceremonial posts as chief of a tribe and advisor to the king. Rebel and pawn, dictator and democrat - Buthelezi nonetheless is revered in KwaZulu. On news of his death, radio stations throughout the kingdom played "Mangosuthu," a quiet 1983 tribute song by the most famous Zulu singing group, Ladysmith Black Mambazo. The same group is expected to perform at the former prime minister's state funeral next week. The king has declared the intervening time to be a period of national mourning.

September 9th, 2023 - 6.9 Earthquake rocks Morocco, thousands dead or missing - Flag of Morocco MARRAKECH, Kingdom of Morocco - Rescuers dug through rubble for survivors in collapsed houses in remote mountain villages of Morocco on Saturday, in the wake of the country's deadliest earthquake for more than six decades, which killed more than 1,000 people and ruined several towns including Amizmiz. The quake that struck in Morocco's High Atlas mountains late on Friday night damaged historic buildings in Marrakech - the nearest city to the epicentre - while most of the fatalities were reported in mountainous areas to the south. Given the divided country had already ravaged by wars in recent years has led to the dispatch of aid workers from the surrounding areas to minimize loss of life and insecurity.

September 8th, 2023 - Republic of Lincoln applies to East American Alliance - Flag of Lincoln State LINCOLN, REPUBLIC OF LINCOLN - League of Nations correspondents in the city of Lincoln have reported of recent news that Lincoln's President Whistler has sent and received delegations regarding joining the East American Alliance. This comes as a staunch surprise to politicos watching the strides the long-neutral nation has undertaken in the years following its split from the other surviving state governments of the central United States. It is unclear what the timeline or outcome of these talks shall be, although some speculate its timing coincides with widespread reactions to the Republic of Superior's annexation of International Falls and the Torrington-based United States' annexation of the previously occupied Republic of Jefferson.

September 8th, 2023 - South American Confederation weighs lifting ban on North American agricultural imports DD1983 SAC Flag - MONTEVIDEO, URUGUAY:The Confederate Constitutional Assembly of the South American Confederation convened on Friday to weigh the possibility of lifting the "Lima Agreement", which froze the import of all agricultural products from North America and West Panama due to the fear of nuclear contamination of these products. The Venezuelan, Chilean, Brazilian and Argentinians all voted in favor of lifting the ban, with the Venezuelan representative bringing in radiographic studies on the near-zero risks posed, while Brazilian delegates remarked on the Mexican lack of agricultural ban for this region. Representative Camilo Eehevarria of Ecuador voted to oppose in conjunction with the Parguayan, Peruvian and Bolivian delegation, remarking [in Spanish] "while many of the other representatives here stand to gain financially from flooding our nations' ports with tainted meat, the risks posed to our children are incalculable." Ultimately, the session ended in a dead lock, with the Assembly voting to re-convene on the matter the following month, as it invites the presenting assemblymen and women to speak again on the matter.

September 8th, 2023 - The Greek parliamentary elections of 2023 - DD1983 Greece Civil CHALCIS, Hellenic Federation: The Greek parliamentary elections of 2023 occurred in September 8th, and were the 2nd national elections held following the end of the nationalist-led era in the country. Since 2017, a socialist-led coalition has been in charge of the country, in a coalition with Christian Democrats, Pacifists and the ecologist party. The socialist party faced a downfall, and in the 2023 elections, it was replaced by the conservative and right-wing New Democracy, which led a right-wing coalition goverment with the Christian Democrats and 5 Nationalist MP's (members of the parliament) who split from the Nationalist party (Hellenism Movement). The new coalition still supports Greece's participation in the Atlantic Defence Front but maintains a more conservative and patriotic stance on social and national issues.

Recent additions[]

These are our newest confirmed and proposed additions to the timeline. Take part in the discussion on the talk page!

Recently Confirmed Additions (Canon)[]

Work in Progress (Proposal)[]

Proposals are marked with the Proposal template {{ddprop}} and posted to the discussion page.

Adoptions[]

The following articles have recently been adopted following the project's guidelines.

Reviews[]

Use the {{ddreview}} template to put articles under review.

Contributors[]

This ATL is maintained and coordinated by the different branches of the WCRB - World Census and Reclamation Bureau DD1983 WCRB Flag

Because of the excellent regional articles, and to honour the large amount of work done for those articles, each registered user taking care of a special region will be awarded a WCRB identity/command post/character if they want one.

Current list of active contributors[]

Current active editors are:

  1. 1234chernobyl
  2. Arstarpool
  3. CentraleuropeDD
  4. DasBull$
  5. Daeseunglim
  6. DeviouslyDeviant (talk)
  7. Dieua-Artio (talk)
  8. Emperor of Trebizond
  9. F1geek
  10. False Dmitri (talk)
  11. Ficboy
  12. Firestarthegodcat
  13. Foothillball
  14. ForsakenPear (talk)
  15. Fxgentleman (talk)
  16. Goldwind1
  17. GryffindorKrypton
  18. Imperium Guy (talk)
  19. Katholico
  20. Kelothan (talk)
  21. Lordganon
  22. Mal3ssio97
  23. MrFo7871
  24. Piotr Heat
  25. Renaultlouis
  26. SigmaHero045
  27. Sir Ross (talk)
  28. TheCrimsonOracle
  29. Thewolvesden
  30. Tok'ra Operative
  31. Trainor90
  32. Tullin
  33. UniversetheWorldbuilder
  34. User:Vinicius rosendo (Talk
  35. WhiteChocolateFan
  36. Mass
  37. Snolfdagoat
  38. Czechia man

Would-Be Contributors[]

We ask new contributors to do the following:

  1. First read the Editorial Guidelines. They explain the rules for adding to the timeline.
  2. If you have questions, ask an active contributor; see the above list. If you're on Alternate History Wiki's Discord, you can find us on #1983-Doomsday.
  3. Introduce yourself on the 1983: Doomsday Talk Page and explain any new proposals you have.
  4. Understand the Conventions of this Wiki before creating a new page.
  5. Play nice and have fun!

Principal Content[]


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