History Main / DisasterDemocracy

* In RobertAHeinlein's ''TunnelInTheSky'' the stranded students' mistake is NOT establishing a democracy but making their government too complicated to suit primitive survival conditions. In another book ''Starman Jones'' the stranded passengers turned colonists are advised to write out a Mayflower-like compact straight off or they are not likely to survive.

* In RobertAHeinlein's ''A Tunnel In The Sky'' the stranded students' mistake is NOT establishing a democracy but making their government too complicated to suit primitive survival conditions. In another book ''Starman Jones'' the stranded passengers turned colonists are advised to write out a Mayflower-like compact straight off or they are not likely to survive.

* Great Britain went one better: it held a general election towards the end of WorldWarII (between the defeat of the Nazis and the defeat of the Japanese) in which WinstonChurchill was swept out of office.

* In the NovelsOfTheChange, just about everyone resorts to some variety of monarchy when gunpowder and electricity stop working, but Corvallis sticks to its American roots and has the university committee arbit all decisions. This makes it something of a HiddenElfVillage.

* The worlds of [[ChronoTrigger Zeal]] and {{Xenogears}} end up like this: The BigBad killed everyone on the planet except for a few aristocrats and scientists from the "evil" country and the elders, farmers, laborers, etc. from the "good" country, and they are pretty much forced to cooperate and learn from each other in order to avoid total extinction of both cultures. It should be known that in ''Xenogears'' your party has in its ranks the (illegitimate) son of the president of one of the largest countries in the game, the exiled prince of another, a man who once took orders directly from an emperor, and a GuestStarPartyMember who happens to be the leader of the second-largest religion in the world, but all of them are [[RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething too busy saving the world]] to hide in an enclave, worrying about who will call the shots.

If the group is much, much larger, then the survivors will band together and try to organize. It usually happens in a CosyCatastrophe (or at least a slightly less hellish one), because the people have a need for a civil leader apart from the hero(es) who lead the "armed forces". The elected mayor or president can call upon the powers of GoodRepublicEvilEmpire to rally the people, as opposed to their enemy(ies) who use fear. Unless DemocracyIsBad, in which case this becomes a pointless waste of time that gets people killed for not simply letting the hero lead them.

**** This is why the Republic Of Dave always turns into the Genocide of The Republic of Dave for me.

-> "Had every Athenian citizen been a Socrates, every Athenian assembly would still have been a mob."
-> -'''James Madison'''

-> "Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard."
-> -'''[[HLMencken H.L. Mencken]]'''


Humanity has seen better days. The EndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt has wiped out a good chunk of people, and the government has been reduced to a post office worker and a marine. In this situation where survival is imperative, what do the survivors do? Hold elections!

[[AC: {{Literature}}]]
* ''{{Lord Of The Flies}}'' has an election between two of the boys. Despite the more level headed candidate getting in, ultimately things descend into chaos.
* Similar to ''LordOfTheFlies'', the ''{{Gone}}'' series features a population of children coming together to survive after all the adults suddenly disappear and they find themselves trapped inside a giant ethereal dome. The first book features an AffablyEvil young man stage a quasi-peaceful takeover of things only to be deposed when his corrupt "government"'s dirty secrets are exposed and things turn violent.

* ''{{The Stand}}'' has a pretty lengthy scene dealing with this, as the new Boulder residents have their CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming as they vote to re-instate the US Constitution. Then they actually have to get down to the nitty-gritty of running the place and the protagonists ultimately form a ruling council with MagicalNegro Abagail at its head, because she's the reason everyone settled in Boulder in the first place.

[[AC: LiveActionTV]]

* ''GilligansIsland'' had an election, they elected Gilligan.
** Which is why they [[TooDumbToLive deserve to die.]]

[[AC: RealLife]]

* Mere trifles like the Second World War or the Civil War do not stop the US from holding presidential elections, though in both cases the incumbent was re-elected. (In the Civil War at least, that was not a foregone conclusion: Lincoln was ''extremely'' unpopular for most of the campaign, until the tide began to turn late in 1864.)

* Great Britain went one better: it held a general election towards the end of the Second World War (between the defeat of the Nazis and the defeat of the Japanese) in which Winston Churchill was swept out of office.

* In ''{{Fallout}} 2'' the United States government, which lives inside an abandoned oil rig and is thus called "The Enclave", holds presidential elections just like in the times before the nuclear war. However, it is hinted that there is only one candidate who would rule for years.
** In ''{{Fallout}} 3'' [[spoiler: John Henry Eden]] didn't even try this and he can be talked into killing himself because of it.

** There's also the New California Republic, which is a tribal village made up of Vault 15 survivors turned US {{Expy}}. By [[FalloutNewVegas New Vegas]] it has grown exponentially, having taken all of California through aggressive expansion and is looking to colonise [[VivaLasVegas the Mojave Wasteland]].

* In ''AllMannerOfBad'', the survivors are led by competent and benevolent 'dictator' Raul. When Heller is dissatisfied with being ordered around by a former employee [[TheIllegal without a green card]], he calls for elections. [[spoiler:Raul wins, of course.]] It helps to point out that [[strike:most]] ''all'' of their human antagonists are part of "kingdoms'' led by psychotic madmen and women.

-> -'''H.L. Mencken'''

** There's also the New California Republic, which is a tribal village made up of Vault 15 survivors turned US {{Expy}}. By [[FalloutNewVegas New Vegas]] it has grown exponentially, having taken all of California through aggressive expansion and is looking to colonise [[LasVegas the Mojave Wasteland]].

* In ''{{Fallout}} 3'' [[spoiler: John Henry Eden]] didn't even try this and he can be talked into killing himself because of it.
** Likewise Dave, of the Republic of Dave, asks that you help with the election. The five voters are inclined to vote for Dave, but the player can perform some election fraud to get somebody else elected, who immediately declares himself dictator for life.
*** This is why the Republic Of Dave always turns into the Genocide of The Republic of Dave for me.

*** Oddly inspiring in its way

** Subverted in that general elections were suspended for the duration of the war and the incumbent parliament continued to serve in this time. They made an all-party government for a reason. And Japan couldn't seriously be called homefront. V-E Day was the deciding threshold.

** Corvallis is more of a city-state run by philosopher kings (the Faculty Senate) in the manner of Plato's ''Republic'' rather than true American democracy. Iowa's state government is probably closer, but it [[spoiler:falls prey to dictatorship, experiences at least two internal coups, and ultimately takes on the trappings of monarchy right down to having a hereditary dynasty in charge.]]

** Corvallis is more of a republic run by philosopher kings in the manner of Plato's ''Republic'' rather than true American democracy. Iowa's state government is probably closer, but it [[spoiler:falls prey to dictatorship, experiences at least two internal coups, and ultimately takes on the trappings of monarchy right down to having a hereditary dynasty in charge.]]

** Corvallis is more of a republic run by PhilosopherKings rather than true American democracy. Iowa's state government is probably closer, but it [[spoiler: falls prey to dictatorship, internal coups, and ultimately takes on the trappings of monarchy right down to having a hereditary dynasty in charge.]]

** Subverted in that general elections were suspended for the duration of the war and the incumbent parliament continued to serve in this time. They made an all-partisan government for a reason. And Japan couldn't seriously be called homefront. V-E Day was the deciding threshold.

* In TheWalkingDead, the survivors attempt multiple forms of governing themselves. They eventually settle on electing a triumvirate. It works. [[ItGotWorse For a while.]]