The Collapse of the United States

The collapse of the USA in the Cyberpunk timeline was a multifaceted catastrophe, beginning in the 1990s and accelerating into the 2000s and 2020s, driven by economic devastation, environmental degradation, global conflict, and political corruption.   The Crash of '94 marked a critical turning point, as millions of Americans lost their life savings from pensions and investments, leading to widespread homelessness. Many perished from violence or exposure on the streets, or from internal betrayals within families as desperate individuals sought to fund chemical escapes from their pain. While some families adapted to clan-like living, and a few managed to survive, the death toll reached millions. Simultaneously, the disappearance of both the World Bank and Stock Exchange severed the US government's ability to borrow money. Federal bonds were cashed in at such an unprecedented rate that the government struggled to print money fast enough, causing the dollar's value to plummet and accelerating the economic decline.   In parallel with the economic woes, environmental conditions within America and globally severely degraded by the late 20th century due to corporate exploitation and shortsighted policies. Acid rain and changing climates hindered crop growth, soil fertility, and irrigation. This culminated in the 1998 dustbowls of the Midwest, which obliterated a significant portion of crops, forcing many farms out of business. By 2000, once-profitable fruit-growing regions in California, Texas, and Florida had become economic wastelands. Adding to the global instability, the 1997 Mideast Meltdown resulted in a nuclear exchange that rendered most of the Middle East uninhabitable, severing global fuel supplies. Furthermore, a 1997 toxic spill in the Pacific Northwest wiped out salmon populations, crippling the local economy.   The growing violence and unrest across America prompted a desperate response from the executive branch, with military reserves increasingly deployed in a Herculean effort to control the chaos. However, this struggle proved futile as the unrest was not confined to impoverished areas and could not be isolated. Despite valiant efforts that may have saved millions, it was ultimately insufficient. Martial Law became a defining characteristic of this period. The military was not fully committed until August 1996. On Saturday, August 17, President James Richard Allen was assassinated during a California campaign stop, leading Vice President Harold Harrison Hunt to assume the presidency. Hunt, under the influence of the clandestine "Gang of Four," gained free rein to advance their plans. The Collapse left millions homeless and decimated most government structures outside of Washington, D.C. The United States Military Forces were recalled to home soil to enforce order, establishing Martial Law. This included shoot-on-sight curfews in major cities like New York, Chicago, and San Francisco, and notably led to the "Houston Incident," where over 2,000 citizens were slaughtered by military artillery bombardments on the Gang of Four's orders.   The streets of many US cities were covertly regulated by federal forces such as the DEA, INS, the Federal Prison system, and paramilitary services secretly provided by Megacorporations. Their lack of uniforms or badges fueled public perception that the US government had devolved into a gang of thugs, prompting protests and resistance from local governments and their allies. State Militias and National Guard units engaged in counterattacks against these paramilitary groups, and the imposed Martial Law was frequently interrupted by subsequent major events.   As conflict escalated, states began to consider secession. New York and Texas initiated this process by refusing to pay taxes to Washington as part of economic strikes. This rebellion evolved into economic blockades, with states protesting the federal government by obstructing the flow of goods at their borders. The impasse turned violent when a paramilitary police unit, loyal to the Gang of Four, seized control of San Francisco, resulting in street battles between residents and federal forces. The governor of California called upon the National Guard, which sided with the city. In retaliation, federal paramilitary forces attempted to capture Sacramento, the state capital. Consequently, California declared Washington's authority null and officially withdrew from the union. The United States Armed Forces, having long regretted supporting the Gang of Four, refused to participate in these wars of secession, even when California authorities destroyed passes connecting the state to northern Nevada and Arizona. At this stage, more states rejected federal authority and declared themselves "Free States." The armed forces further defied the Gang of Four's order to reclaim the country, allowing the Free States to maintain their independence.   Desperate to regain popularity and control, the Gang of Four orchestrated the Second Central American War on January 15, 2003, invading Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. This conflict proved to be a complete disaster, costing thousands of American lives. In 2003, Tesla Johanneson of WNS Media exposed secret NSA transcripts of the First Central American War, revealing the Gang of Four's involvement. This exposé triggered heavily armed mobs, supported by disillusioned military units and mercenaries from both US and EuroTheatre megacorps, to storm the Capitol. Members of the Gang of Four fled, but were hunted down; some escaped, while others, like President Hunt, were killed – Hunt himself was set afire by a cheering mob at the edge of the Florida swamps. With the Speaker of the House hospitalized and the next three in succession refusing the position, the presidency fell to Secretary of Defense, John Seward. The fall of the Gang of Four paved the way for much-needed reforms.   However, the path to stability remained rocky. Tesla Johanneson was assassinated in Cairo, Egypt by NSA operatives in 2004, leading the US to abandon a planned return to civilian government and extend martial law for another four years. Efforts to restore democratic rule were further halted by the assassination of presidential appointee Henry Jacobi on November 5, 2005. Evidence strongly implicated Mantoga, Inc. in the instigation. On November 17, 2005, the corporation was given four hours to exit the United States; upon their refusal, the US military launched "Operation Big Stick" and ultimately destroyed them in what became known as the Mantoga Incident.   For some, the collapse ended with the first election in 2008, but the profound shock of the global Crash and the escalating power of corporations caused both global and the US governments to steadily lose authority. This culminated in the outbreak of The Fourth Corporate war in 2021, after which the Network, along with the US and Japanese governments and international trade, completely collapsed, forcing the world to rebuild from scratch.