History

Notes on History

The 21st Century

The 21st century was a time of the decline of nationism and the rise of both supranational blocs and transnational corporations. Humanity began to expand into the solar system, establishing industrial centres on Luna, outposts in the Belt and a colony on Mars. Late in the century the Second Industrial Revolution gripped the world as rapid advances were made in nanotechnology.

The Fourth Persian Gulf War

The EF first asserted its power in the occupation of the Saudi and Iraqi oilfields following its liberation of Iraq from Iranian occupation.

The Rise of the Eurasian Federation

The nations of Europe formed the European Federation in 2014. This grew into the Eurasian Federation, the most powerful nation in recent history.

The Brazilian War

The United States absorbed the Canadian and Mexican economies in the treaty of Spokane. The susequent American optimism was soon destroyed, however, by its involvement in a major war in South America.

Exploration of Sol System

The EF space agency mounted a human return to Luna early in the century. Later international cooperation paved the way for a substantial Lunar presence and the journey to Mars. The first landings on Mars took place in 2031.

The American Alliance

In 2039, NAFTA and the South American Union confederated to form the US-dominated American Alliance.

Colonisation of Mars

The UN established a permanent colony at Port Robinson in 2045, and full-scale colonisation began shortly thereafter. Initial preparations for a terraforming operation were made.

The Decline of Nation-States

The power of the larger multinational corporations began to rival that of nations. These corporations, the transnationals, soon began to dominate many nation-states. The old states fragmented, and supranational blocs grew above them.

Outposts in the Belt

A consortium of corporations and the United Nations Space Agency established an outpost at Ceres to oversee mining operations in the main asteroid belt. Many smaller habitats soon followed.

War, Famine and Pestilence

The increasing population of Earth (which had reached 10 billion by the end of the century), the decrease in easily exploitable resources and human-induced climate change lead to widespread starvation, epidemics and many small-scale conflicts.

Gaianist Philosophies

Traditional religion continued its decline; at the same time a number of Gaianist philosophies became popular. These emphasized respect for the environment and humanism.

The Second Industrial Revolution

Society was reshaped as drastically by nanotechnology as it was during the first Industrial Revolution in the 19th century.

Orbital Republics

As a by-product of the power-struggle between transnats and nations, several orbital habitats became independent states within the UN. Chief amongst these were the cities at the Earth-Moon Lagrange points.

Discovery of Extrasolar Planets

Dozens of extrasolar planets had been discovered in the late 20th century, but it took decades to make images of nearby rocky planets. Nitrogen/oxygen/water biospheres were discovered in several nearby systems.

The Hellas Revolt

The cities of the Hellas basin rebelled against the authority of the UN and the transnats. The short-lived Hellas Confederacy was soon crushed by transnational forces.

The 22nd Century

The 22nd century was a golden age on Earth. The hegemony of Eurasia enforced a peace that lasted for most of the century. In space, the transnats continued with the development of Mars and the Belt. The exploration of the stars began, first with robotic probes and then with colony ships. Dolphins and whales were recognised as sentient. A cure for ageing was discovered.

The one cloud hanging over Sol System was the increasing imperialism of Earth. The transnats tightened their grip on Mars leading to popular unrest and extensive violent resistance. At the end of the century Solar society was almost shattered when this unrest erupted into the War of Martian Independence.

Development of Mars

Following the 'pacification' of the world by transnat security forces, the development of Mars began in earnest. A beanstalk was constructed and full-scale terraforming operations started.

Development of Cis-Lunar Space

Terran heavy industry moved into orbit, cities and habitats proliferated in the Clarke belt, a trio of beanstalks were built on Earth and one on Luna. The population and economy of Cis-Luna boomed.

Exploration of the Stars

Explorer 1, the first interstellar ramrobot, began its journey to Alpha Centauri, in 2110. Its report, describing a very Earth-like world, arrived in 2127. The rest of the century saw probes sent to many other nearby stars.

Immortality Treatments

Effective strategies for minimising and then eliminating ageing were invented. These were almost completely suppressed on Earth, but were widely used elsewhere in Sol System; many on Earth considered such treatments immoral.

Eurasian Hegemony

As the American Alliance declined, the EF became the only major government on Earth. For much of the century the Federation enforced a Pax Europa.

Interstellar Colonisation

The favourable report from Explorer 1 lead to a human colony being established in the Alpha Centauri system. As reports of more promising garden worlds trickled back to Sol, further colonyships were sent out.

Artificial Intelligence

Human and superhuman level artificial intelligences became common towards the end of the century. For reasons that are still unclear, many of the previously non-sentient AIs awakened into consciousness during a few weeks in 2172.

Belt Development and Independence

The Belt-based corporations built a colossal industrial base among the asteroids. The Ceres Combine eventually bought out most of the main Belt assets of other corporations, setting up a de facto independent state.

The Martian Underground

As the corporations tightened their grip on Mars in the decades after the failed Hellas Revolt, an underground culture flourished outside the transnat cities.

Corporate Nuclear Rivalry

The Golden Age of the mid 22nd century began to crumble under the weight of corporate rivalries by the 2150s. Soyuz-Mikoyan tested its first nuclear weapon in 2155, and soon all of the metanational corporations and the Belt Zaibatsus were engaged in an arms race as the System slid towards chaos.

Cetacean Sentience

True contact was established with several species of cetaceans and their sentience was recognised. Many dolphins began to make use of neural interfaces and waldoes; the whales refused, but opened up an interesting dialogue with humanity.

The Decline of Eurasia

As the power of the orbital corporations increased, that of the Eurasian federation waned. The EF was eventually party to the Vienna Accords, which handed over all territory beyond Earth to the UN; the alternative was for it to be completely dominated by the transnats. The UN became a pan-solar government, but an ineffectual one.

System: 2190

Human civilisation broadened in scope, becoming a culture spread across Sol System. This civilisation was still dominated by Earth, but Cis-Luna, Mars and the Belt were all becoming more important.

The Martian War

The Martian Unrest had been rumbling ever since the earlier Hellas Revolt of 2097, with occasional sabotage and theft by members of the underground. In the 2190s it flared into open war. The conflict was to become the most bloody in history.

Active Unrest Begins

In 2194 several underground groups began trying to provoke the transnats into becoming even more oppressive. They hoped that this would lead to the flashpoint that would ignite a true revolution.

Escalation of Resistance

Transnational responses to the Resistance raced out of control, leading to a staggering number of civilian casualties. The Martian response was equally savaged. Mars became a planet-wide warzone.

War Enters its Second Year

The Ceres Combine declared its support for the Martian Rebels. Martian saboteurs took the war to Cis-Lunar space, bombing weapons factories and shipyards. Eventually the Resistance collapsed the Gabon-Artsutanov beanstalk.

The Tide Turns

The Resistance began to win the struggle on Mars. Transnat forces began to exterminate all those of less than unquestionable loyalty. The resistance collapsed the Pavonis beanstalk. In Cis-Luna Earth nations began to take pot-shots against the transnats.

Shiva

A radical Belter group directed an asteroid, renamed Shiva, against Earth. The impact in mid-Pacific on 22 February 2201 and subsequent environmental disruption killed billions of people. The Cis-Lunar habitats retaliated with kinetic weapon attacks on the Belt. The war was effectively over.

Peace

On 1 Jan 2203 the war was formally ended, and the long task of rebuilding began in earnest. Ceres began an extensive aid programme on Earth.

The 23rd Century

The Birth of a Free Mars

As the War came to an end on Mars, the many rival resistance groups began to cooperate to build a new, free Mars.

Collapse and Recovery

The aftermath of Shiva caused crop failures, global climate changes and the partial collapse of social order and infrastructure.

Disgovernance of Eurasia

The Eurasian government was disassembled by the Ceres Combine zaibatsus as the easiest target for their attempts at social engineering on a shattered Earth.

Dark Days in Cis-Luna

The near total cessation of trade with Earth plunged the Orbital habitats and Luna into a crisis, for both depended on the planet below for food. A massive self-sufficiency programme eventually dispelled the threat of famine.

System:2230

The Martian War had been the first truly Pansolar War, a sociopolitical phase transition that radically altered the balance of power in the System.

Belt Dominance

The abundant riches of the main belt asteroids enabled the massive economic growth of the Belt, which became the dominant power of Sol System. The power of the Ceres Combine itself declined as the habitats and factions exploded into cultural and morphological diversity.

Development of the Outer System

In the aftermath of the War of Martian Independence, the colonies on the Galilean moons of Jupiter formed the Jovian League. At about the same time the colony on Titan became important to the Belt as a source of nitrogen.

Resumption of Interstellar Colonisation

With the emergence of some degree of stability, several Belter and Cis-Lunar groups turned their attention once more to the extrasolar systems. Colonies set out for Zeta Tucanae, DM+19 279, Beta Comae Berenices and Beta Canum Venaticorum.

First Contact with the Soos'Aer

On Elysium, the fourth world of Tau Ceti, humanity first met an intelligent extraterrestrial species: the aquatic, pack-hunting Soos'Aer.

The Archipelago

By the mid 23rd century there were thriving colonies at Midgard (Alpha Centauri), Elysium (Tau Ceti), Cybele (Eta Cassiopei) and Esperance (DM+56 2966). The colony at Delta Pavonis was struggling.

The future of Ad Astra