Post, post apocalyptic scenario

CLAWS

CLAWS

CLAWS

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So, there was a global catastrophe (zombies/no more power/aliens) that sent the whole world into turmoil. After a 5 year (or longer if you want) struggle we successfully manage to exterminate all zombies/send the aliens packing/turn the power back on.

The question is after 5 years (or longer) of societal breakdown where 99.99% of earths population has been living on the edge of survival, how does the population rebuild? Do lawyers attempt go back to their self important titles, bankers attempt to go back to their desks and big bonuses, Presidents/Prime ministers/Premieres try to re-establish their office(s)?

5 years of everyone pretty much being on the same level, eating, fighting (or running) shoulder to shoulder. Would some of us try and go back to things pre-apocalypse or would we work to rebuild something better for everyone as opposed to returning to the divisions we have today? If the latter then how soon do you think it will be before it deteriorates back to the former?
 
I'd imagine the military would establish some form of government. I'd trust that the British military would eventually put back the original democracy, as I'd like to think of most people in this country as inherently civilised.
 
I don't believe humanity would be in a position to formulate a single leadership/party. There would be factions and coups and there would be in-fighting and we'd still never get anywhere.
 
I have watched a lot of Ray Mears, I'm fairly certain after 5 years of living off the land I would have put on weight and be happy.
 
Gilly said:
I don't believe humanity would be in a position to formulate a single leadership/party. There would be factions and coups and there would be in-fighting and we'd still never get anywhere.
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we would likely end up like a lot of africa and the middle east with tribal feuds ruining everything for everyone and religious nutters
 
I would assume eventually control of the areas would be taken by those with the largest stock of arms and the greatest following. I guess I better get hoarding!
 
I thought of this question whilst watching Revolution and Walking Dead (not at the same time).

I think if we had fought off a common enemy - zombies, aliens - then solidarity amongst the population might stick around for quite a while (quite a long while I hope), but will eventually deteriorate as people split off into factions.

If it was something as simple as restoring power/fuel to the world then how long before Mr. Bigshot lawyer/accountant/banker/doctor/business man pipes up and says they want what is theirs, thereby kicking off a chain reaction amongst other like minded people?

Would we need someone akin to the god-emperor of mankind from Warhammer 40k to step in, whoop some serious bums and then establish some kind of rule over the globe?
 
If most of the population is still alive then the military would help restore order and help bring in government. But if there were scattered groups then I guess that merging of communities would bring some form of government followed by a slow process of expansion leading to the formation of new states. This latter process would not be a peaceful evolution as communities would want to rule over their neighbours.
 
If a lot of the population was decimated, it could well turn back into a feudal medieval period, with small states and kingdoms springing up all over the shot. I love this type of stuff tackled in fiction, S.M Stirling's 'Dies the Fire' book series does a good job at giving you an idea what it could be like and mirrors a 'power gone out' scenario, but with the added factor that things no longer explosively combust (like gunpower, explosives or petrol). Cue people grinding swords out of vehicle leaf springs and making their own little conclaves and duchys, eventually turning into a medieval-style society.

Another series I'm currently reading is the Horseclans collection by Robert Adams, mostly following a nomadic soceity after a massive nuclear war, which slowly turns settled. Quite good reading, even if there are some fantastical elements to it (telepaths, sabretoothed cats, undying humans). Some of the books follows a guy called Milo (an undying) as he develops the Horseclans from a group of orphaned children, directly after the bombs went off.
 
Given we have shelves being cleared when there is an extended cold snap, or a petrol protest, leading to panic buying at the pumps, I think its pretty safe to say that any post-apocalytpic situation, people are going to fight for the resources and its that which ultimately will cause the death of society. If the government or whoever else is in charge can't supply it, then things will go down hill fast.
 
If anything it would get worse, a serious threat has a tendency to unite people. Once that disappears power struggles and general anarchy would reign until one group gained enough power to put the others down.

It depends what we are allowed to assume survives the 5 years, if there is any form of military I imagine that would be by the far the dominant power. Hopefully the higher ups would be bright enough to understand that a country or even just a smaller region needs structure and people who know what they are doing.

CLAWS said:
Do lawyers attempt go back to their self important titles, bankers attempt to go back to their desks and big bonuses, Presidents/Prime ministers/Premieres try to re-establish their office(s)?
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This line is ridiculous, lawyers, politicians, financial experts and in general academics may not be perfect people but they know how to run countries and keep them running for the most part, those are the people we WANT standing up and taking charge, not some group of thugs with the biggest sticks.
 
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You will all bow before my and my amazing combat prowess from having watched Samurai Champloo and owning a collection of ultra rare katanas imported from Japan. :cool:
 
ScoTTyBEEE said:
I'd imagine the military would establish some form of government. I'd trust that the British military would eventually put back the original democracy, as I'd like to think of most people in this country as inherently civilised.
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that's even more depressing that the decimation of 99% of the population.

B@
 
Humans would quickly get back to fighting for money, power and religion and end up killing eachother again in the process.
 
arknor said:
we would likely end up like a lot of africa and the middle east with tribal feuds ruining everything for everyone and religious nutters
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This seems unlikely after five years. The tribalism present in parts of the world didn't pop up overnight, it's deeply rooted. Just as our nationality is deeply rooted within us. It would therefore take several generations for tribalism to take root.

The exception to this being the ethnic minorities who are already a society unto themselves, they would prove something of an ulcer for the rest of us.
 
XeNoN89 said:
Humans would quickly get back to fighting for money, power and religion and end up killing eachother again in the process.
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What use is money in a post-apocalyptic world? Haven't you played Fallout? Bottle caps are the currency of choice!
 
Redgie said:
What use is money in a post-apocalyptic world? Haven't you played Fallout? Bottle caps are the currency of choice!
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Not money in the current sense, but currency of some kind, it could be bottle caps or goats who knows :p

Also i forgot Land!
 
I believe we would begin as syndicates, anarchy collectives.

Then merge more and more, as we merged power would somehow end up in the hands of certain people who would tell us it is still a democracy.

People would spout reasons such as trade for materials and food, because they yearn to consume what they don't already have.

The people in power would dictate to the weak, control them, manipulate them, and more mergers would take place to shift power from the masses unto them.

Eventually, just as today, they would become essential dictators, too smart to let the masses become educated, rise up and stop them with what little power they had left. Knowing the limits to which they can abuse the masses to their own selfish ends, slowly gaining more and more power.

In a simple, jumpy, model anyway.
 
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