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Revision as of 23:43, 3 January 2020

This article/file/person had been nominated for the 2011 Stirling Awards.

MP Featured article This is a featured alternate history!

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.

1983ddworldmap

The 1983: Doomsday World

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

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

This is a "live" timeline - 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 welcome your additions.

Before making major edits to the articles within this ATL, please take some time to read the Editorial Guidelines

Introduction

The Point of Divergence of the 1983: Doomsday timeline is September 19th, 1983, on which a seemingly unimportant decision to send an ambitious Colonel of the USSR to a training seminar (taking the place of an ill-plagued colleague), has global implications.

This decision leads to a different outcome of a well-known, though often underestimated, event that took place on 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 counter strike.

Consequently, since in our timeline the world now knows about this event, it is now often considered to have been the moment closest to a nuclear war between the USSR and the USA during the Cold War. Colonel Petrov has been honored as one of the few true "world saviors," and several investigations have proven the seriousness of this event.

This timeline postulates the results after Colonel Petrov was sent to another installation before September 26, 1983. The officer now on duty on September 26th considers the alert to be accurate and immediately contacts his superiors. Within minutes, the leaders decide to launch the whole Soviet nuclear arsenal. Logically, the Americans react by launching as well. By the time the first alerted missile is proven to be a false alarm, it is too late. Thousands of nuclear warheads subsequently detonate over targets worldwide. Surprisingly, the People's Republic of China was attacked by Soviet nuclear missiles as well, and part of their arsenal is launched in response at the USSR.

The results of this total nuclear exchange are close to the forecasts of almost complete worldwide destruction and the "nuclear holocaust" as predicted by many scientists of this time. This results in as many as a billion people killed initially, and another billion in the subsequent 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 try to keep together what is left of human society. They are facing challenges that are seemingly impossible.

After an incredibly horrifying first few years post-Doomsday, a handful of regions, territories, and countries stabilize and master basic problems such as food and medical supplies. As time passes and the recovery continues, new (sometimes surprising) alliances are formed. A new, fragile world order emerges from the ashes. Initial hopes of some survivors for a united mankind (or at least warfare and destruction being ended forever) quickly prove false. Indeed, the world is light-years away from any Utopian imaginations. Famine, disease, and lack of resources provoke conflicts and wars in large parts of the world, thus devastating all the carefully achieved recovery.

As some surviving and newly formed nations (particularly a unified Commonwealth of Australia and New Zealand and a South American Confederation) prove able to master the problems and even intervene internationally, mankind's extinction finally seems to have been avoided.

Now, 30 years after the devastating "Doomsday" brought mankind to the edge of total extinction, a few moving moments have spread the hope for a more peaceful future for mankind, such as the foundation of the new "League of Nations" September 26th, 2008.

Nonetheless, new dangers to this fragile world have emerged all around the globe, threatening much of what has been achieved within the last 30 years...

WCRB NewsHour- World Headlines

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

October 5th, 2019: Republic of Leicester defeated by OBN coalition  83orgbritnatflagpropRepublicOfLeicesterINDEPENDENCEFLAG LOUGHBOROUGH, Republic of Leicester - The radical and unrecognized government of the Republic of Leicester was at last unthroned from its seat in Loughborough. The allied forces of Newolland, Cleveland and Woodbridge marched across the East Midlands into the town of Loughborough, temporary capital of the republic while preparations to rebuild the city of Leicester were underway, and put a forceful end to the unrecognized socialist state. The former ceremonial county of Leicestershire is now completely under Newolland's control, a huge victory for Chancellor Nick Boles and the Expansionist Party of Newolland.

January 6th, 2019: Leicesterian military occupies Hinckley, Bosworth and south Blaby  RepublicOfLeicesterINDEPENDENCEFLAG Republic of Leicester - The Leicesterian Armed Forces along with a scientific research unit has ventured into the uncontrolled areas of Ashby de la Zouch and Coalville, along with Hinckley, Bosworth and Blaby, areas which have slowly recovered from the bombing of the city of Leicester in 1984. These areas, says President of the Republic Sean Sheahan, have been "safely" occupied and incorporated into the Republic of Leicester.

February 10th, 2018: Leicester declares independence from Newolland! RepublicOfLeicesterINDEPENDENCEFLAG Newolland flag 2011 EAST LEICESTERSHIRE, Newolland - The radical left-wing armed militia known as the Sons of De Montfort has succeeded in gaining the creation of a nation-state separate from Newolland, also occupying territory from southern Cleveland, establishing a socialist republic paying homage to the former English ceremonial county of Leicestershire, known as the Republic of Leicester. Despite the city the new state owes its name to being destroyed, the country and its fierce armed followers have vowed to expand its borders across the East Midlands and regain "Fair Leicestershire", as the nation's Premier Peter Soulsby has declared. He proceeded to proclaim in a public speech:

"This is a new beginning, the rebirth of our old home and the rise of socialism on the island of Britannia. Corieltauvi, rejoice! Workers of the world, unite!"!

July 4th, 2017: Lehighton Liberated by Reading and Susquehanna military forces File:Us-pa-be.gif File:Susquehanna National Flag.png LEHIGHTON, Pennsylvania - Following a fierce campaign against raiders in former Carbon County, Reading and Susquehanna forces have manage to liberate the last major stronghold of the raider forces in Eastern Pennsylvania. The remnant of the raiders and gangs officially surrendered to the combined forces leaders, and were taken into custody. Personnel from both the Reading and Susquehanna Red Cross are in the city assisting survivors, and engineers are inspecting damaged buildings and beginning repairs to severely damaged structures.

Survivors were processed and attempts were made to check them against records held by law enforcement agencies in Susquehanna, Reading, and State College, as well as any pre-Doomsday records that survived.

October 1st, 2015: Reunification talks between North Pennsylvania and State College begin Flag of Pennsylvania FRANKLIN, North Pennsylvania - Following mutual popular sentiment between the populace of the two North American survivor states being acknowledged by their respective governments, Governor Young invited delegates from the Provisional Government of Pennsylvania at State College to begin discussing the feasibility and fine points of arranging such a union. This comes with staunch protesting by the rural Amish population, many of whom believe the destruction of the United States was an act of God, and that no unification to further reconstitute its former member states should be undertaken. It is unknown to what degree this would coincide with a planned economic union bringing much of Northeastern North America into an economic and military alliance.

October 1st, 2015: Buffalo Ward achieves full self-governance File:83DD-NiagaraFallsFlag2.png BUFFALO, Niagara Falls - Residents of the Buffalo Settlement celebrated today as the Transitional Government officially handed over power to the newly elected officials. The city, which was struck by a nuclear missile on Doomsday and largely destroyed, is the first to have been rebuilt under the United Communities' Restoration Committee. Initially re-populated by 1500 former residents and their descendants, the city has grown to a population of about 5000 in the past two years, as more former residents and re-settlement enthusiasts have taken up the offer of affordable residency in the Settlement Limits. Buffalo has opted to remain in Niagara Falls for the time being, becoming the Falls' 10th Ward.

June 2nd, 2015: Elections in Susquehanna File:Commonwealth of Susquehanna Flag.png BLOOMSBURG, Susquehanna - The citizens around the Commonwealth of Susquehanna went to the voting booths today to choose the national leaders who will decide the next five years of the nation's history. The Press Enterprise and Susquehanna Broadcasting Company covered the elections live from the General Assembly Building in Bloomsburg. Officials from the United Communities were in Bloomsburg, Danville and Hazleton to oversee the elections and prevent voter fraud. The Republican Party was expected to win, which they did, capturing the Governorship by four percent, and 2350 votes. In a surprise turn of events, the Libertarian Party did fairly well, winning 14 percent (8225) votes, and Schuylkill County. Lou Barletta was reelected governor of the Commonwealth of Susquehanna. Overall, for the Senate and House elections, the Republican Party lost a single seat in the House, the Democrats lost a seat in the Senate, but picked one up in the House, and the Libertarians gained a seat in the Senate.

March 6th, 2015: A University for Volkstaat - Afrikaner Vryheidsvlag SPRINGBOK, Volkstaat: Following some seven years of construction, the University of Springbok has finished construction and stands completed. A great source of pride for the locals, the university marks a step in the right direction for education within the region. Volkstaat is acknowledged to have some of the best minds of former South Africa and it is hoped through the medium of the university their knowledge can finally be passed onto the next generation.

As it is too late to begin an academic year, the first academic year shall begin in early 2016. For now, applications to the university are offically open, and students can apply to either first or second year entry. There are hopes the University will see applicants from other nations in the region, and eventually allow for the sharing of research in the field of engineering and other sciences.

January 1st, 2015: Accession to the United Communities File:Commonwealth of Susquehanna Flag.png File:83DD-NiagaraFallsFlag2.png NAVY ISLAND, Niagara Falls. At midnight, Susquehanna officially gained an honorary member seat in the United Communities. Governor Lou Barletta championed this as "The first step in regaining our position on the International stage." Canada had supported the nation's admission, as has the other Pennsylvanian survivor states, eager to gain another allied vote. Saeguney opposed it, pointing to Susquehanna's hostility to the nation.

January 1, 2015: Happy New Year! - From the depths of the Amazon to the icy north, and from the land down under to the empty quarter, fireworks go off around the globe early this morning as a new year is marked.

Recent additions

To spread the word of the ongoing discussions and the content being established the additions can be marked here as "Proposal" or Confirmed/Canonized Content. Take part in the discussion on the talk page of the timeline!!!

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Principal Content

Extras: Images, Statistics, Figures, etc.

Contributors

This ATL is maintained and coordinated by the different branches of the WCRB - World Census and Reclamation Bureau Flag WCRB v1

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 he wants one.

Would-Be Contributors

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  1. Please read the following QSS and QAA and the Editorial Guidelines. Understand them before contributing. If you have questions, ask another contributor. If you cannot abide by them, thank you for your interest in our timeline, and good day.
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    1. Please detail any proposal you would have for us as well.
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