There are forms of authoritarian and repressive regimes within different groups of people and locations. During the Pre-Apocalypse History, there was mass political corruption and democratic backsliding on Earth. After the first Nuclear Apocalypse, there were new factions formed into different governments. Some of them are authoritarian, while some are corrupt. The regimes are sometimes considered dystopian.
Pre-Apocalypse Governments[]
Washington, D.C., the seat of the U.S. Government.
Before the first Nuclear Apocalypse, there was mass political corruption and democratic backsliding within the U.S. Government. Charmaine Diyoza and the United Liberation Army fought against the U.S. Government for their own corruption and their abuse of power. The Tree Crew members were violently suppressed by the riot police, sent by the Wallace Administration, headed by Dante's grandfather, who was president at that time.
According to the television news, the Wayne County Internment Camp, owned by the corrupt U.S. government, was mentioned.
After the Nuclear Apocalypse, the Alpha Station, which was formerly owned by a corrupt U.S. Government, blew up Polaris and forced other space stations to form the Ark.
It was implied that the Mountain Men and Sky People were descendants of a corrupt government.
According to Diyoza's journal[1] and Callie Cadogan, they implied that there are some countries that have political corruption, not just the United States.
Many Sky People on the Ark, thought that it was politics that led to the Nuclear Apocalypse, with news outlets reporting China was responsible. A select few knew that it was actually A.L.I.E. behind it all. John Murphy told Titus that the Sky People were taught that the Nuclear Apocalypse was caused by politics and trouble between various countries as no one knew any better. And after A.L.I.E.'s defeat, everyone have presumably discovered the truth.
Sky People/The Ark[]
The Ark
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The Council of the Ark.
- Main article: Council
After the first Nuclear Apocalypse, the Ark was created and later became an authoritarian regime in the future, where all crimes are punishable by death. Life on the Ark was not easy, as every resource was valuable and wasting resources was a Crime unto itself. Medical supplies were carefully tracked, food and water was rationed, and even the oxygen breathed was closely monitored. Strict steps were taken to ensure of the survival of the human race, including limiting couples to only one child and punishing all crimes committed by adults with death. Families were permitted one child only to reduce population, and giving birth to additional children born was a capital crime for both parents. Despite the authoritarian laws, the Ark still have democratic elections to vote for the Chancellor.
Mountain Men/Mount Weather[]
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Mount Weather
The Mountain Men
In Mount Weather, the Mountain Men was known for capturing many Grounders to use them for the Cerberus Project and the Harvest Project. They were descendants of a corrupt U.S. Government and U.S. Military officials. Dante Wallace had been president of Mount Weather for a long period of time. His father was president before him, implying that the title of president is inherited, meaning that Mount Weather is authoritarian with no elections. The government appeared to be patriarchal. There are some Mountain Men who opposes both the Harvest Project and the Cerberus Project. Those who oppose, include Vincent Vie, his wife, and others.
Sanctum[]
- Main article: Primes
Sanctum
The Primes
Despite Sanctum being a peace-loving utopia, their leaders, known as the Primes, are corrupt cult leaders, who are killing innocent Hosts for immortality and to stay in power. To do this, the Primes began their lies and a cult of personality in Sanctum to trick people into believing them as gods and giving up their bodies as a sacrifice through a ceremony known as Naming Day. In Sanctum, there are strict rules and the Primes must always be obeyed. The Primes are willing to suppress and silence anyone who gets in their way. They will also suppress anyone who opposes them. They created a false religion and a society based on a cult religion. Nulls are people who are being discriminated against in Sanctum, due to not having Nightblood and not being carriers of its gene, thus they are forbidden from having children, while a Prime named Josephine Lightbourne wanted to get rid of Nulls to prevent them from further "muddying" the bloodline by creating Oblation: offering Null infants to be killed by the plants and trees. To prevent a rebellion, the Primes sent Adjusters to kill any non-believers and brainwash those who still believe to make them stay loyal to them. Their enemies are the Children of Gabriel, a rebel militia group, dedicated to fighting against the Primes and ending their reign.
Disciples[]
The Disciples
The Disciples are a theocratic regime, who are strict and militaristic. They are the descendants of the Second Dawn, a doomsday cult that survived the first Nuclear Apocalypse and used the Anomaly Stone to travel through the Temporal Anomaly to Bardo. After arriving on Bardo, they discovered the Bardoan texts, which led the Disciples to believe in Transcendence. Despite the fact that Transcendence is real, the Disciples mistranslated the information in the Bardoan texts and instead of preparing for a test, they believe that they are preparing for a Last War that will determine humanity's fate. They went through strict training, reducing their emotions. The Disciples are a military regime dedicated to their cause. If they are not devout or strong enough, they are sent to the prison on Skyring. Breaking a commandment such as not taking a day of rest is enough to trigger this. "Absolution Day" is when the Disciple prisoners are returned to Bardo to atone for breaking the law. Murder and killing of a Disciple is punishable by death or 20 years imprisonment on Skyring, possibly because those who kill are considered a threat to humanity and their Transcendence. It can also be a life sentence.
Known Regime Leaders[]
Notes and Trivia[]
- Ironically, throughout the seasons, the characters compare the different regimes with other regimes.
- Callie Cadogan compares the ancestors of the Disciples with the ancestors of the Mountain Men.
- Russell, Simone, and Clarke compares Sanctum and its people with Mount Weather and its inhabitants.
- Gabriel Santiago and Bellamy Blake compares the Sanctumites' false gods to the Disciples' own false god.
- Bellamy compares Sanctum's Naming Day dance party to the Ark's Unity Day dance party, where Octavia Blake was arrested during that event.
- Clarke compares the Ark's structures to Mount Weather.
- Other characters compare different regimes to other regimes.
- The ancestors of the Mountain Men, and the Alpha Station that blew up Polaris, were from the same corrupt U.S. Government at the time of the first Nuclear Apocalypse.
- Throughout the seasons, many regimes has faced resistance and rebellion from different opposition groups.
- Before the first Nuclear Apocalypse, the United Liberation Army fought against the U.S. Government for their own corruption and their abuse of power.
- The Second Dawn ancestors of the Grounders split and defected from the Second Dawn ancestors of the Disciples.
- The Sky People were attacked by Diana Sydney's Rebellion, while Marcus Kane launched a coup against Chancellor Charles Pike, during the Arkadian Civil War.
- The Delinquents formed their own militia within their group against the other Sky People who are about to come to Earth.
- The Mountain Men faced opposition from some of their own people, led by Maya Vie's father, Vincent Vie, and his wife.
- The Primes faced opposition from the Anti-Prime rebels, known as the Children of Gabriel. After learning the truth of the Primes, some of the Sanctumites turned against the Primes.
