Second American Civil War (Renegaxze)

The Second American Civil War (January 15, 2050 – April 17, 2052) (also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States and United Commonwealth fought between the Union (Conservative states that remained loyal to the right-wing Capitalist dominated U.S government") and the Commonwealth (Leftist states that voted to secede due to voter suppression laws). The central cause of the war was the impeachment of 50th United States President Michael Kentala (C-FL), Particularly after his conviction by the Senate on January 15, 2050, when tens of thousands of his supporters stormed Capitol hill and attempted to take the lives of multiple Democratic congressmen.

The Great American Schism

During the 21st century, political division in America was on the rise. Disunion came after Ron DeSantis (R-FL) won the heavily disputed 2028 United States presidential election after the Conservative majority Supreme Court ruled in favor of his defeat of incumbent President Bernie Sanders (D-VT) based on allegations of illegal voting in multiple swing states. Fearing the spread of voter suppression laws, an initial eighteen left-leaning states declared their secession from the country to form the United Commonwealth in December 2028.

Despite the Commonwealth insisting that they had no intention of starting a war, U.S. leaders were unsure of how to proceed. Congress was divided on whether to recognize Commonwealth independence, or take military action to keep the Union together. With the support of hardline Republican Senators, President DeSantis made clear that he wanted to take military action in order to “prevent the spread of Socialism”. However, their moderate counterparts along with any remaining Democratic Senators staunchly opposed provoking war. Senator Jon Ossoff (D-GA) would state that “Although it pains me to see this Union break in such a manner, we cannot turn our guns on a peaceful movement,” predicting that “In time, the Union may repair itself.” On January 31, 2029, by a vote of 29 - 27, the Senate voted in favor of recognizing Commonwealth independence. And so, on February 1, DeSantis reluctantly publicly recognized the sovereignty of the new nation. This was followed by all U.S. allies officially recognizing the U.C. as a legitimate nation.

The Two-state Era

By 2036, the Commonwealth was already recovering from an initial economic recession caused by a lack of farmers. Poverty in the burgeoning nation was far lower than its Union counterpart, and the popularity of the Socialist party exploded as a result. Seeing the new nation thrive, leftists who had remained in the Union finally began to immigrate to the North, with as many as 3 million Americans migrating from 2036 - 2040.

In the year leading up to the 2036 United Commonwealth general election, Counselor Roberts was still immensely popular among Commonwealth citizens, many of whom began calling for her to run for a third term. As a result, the U.C. ratified the 34th Amendment, which abolished executive term limits on the condition that seven out of ten Americans approved of the leader. As Roberts’s approval rating at the time was 81%, she was considered eligible for a third term, which she easily secured. Although this was good news for the Commonwealth, right-wing news outlets in the U.S. used this development to stir up anti-North propaganda, painting the nation as a “left-wing totalitarian Socialist state”. In particular, FOX news anchor Tucker Carlson would compare the Commonwealth to “the evil communist USSR led by Stalin,” souring relations between the two nations.

That same year, Josh Hawley (R-MO) was elected 49th President of the United States. Following his inauguration, he pledged that he would “do everything in his power to destroy Socialism on this continent. Immediately, Hawley would begin strengthening the U.S military by cutting spending on education and healthcare. His aggression caused concern in the Commonwealth, but no violent conflict was started. In addition, American allies, such as Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and New Zealand condemned President Hawley’s military spending, calling it a “threat to peace in North America”. In response, Hawley called these nations “ungrateful Socialist states, hellbent on destroying America.”

Meanwhile, in the North, Roberts announced that she would not seek a fourth term as Counselor. With the 2040 election approaching, a relatively new, yet popular candidate emerged in Aurora Merrick (S-ME). She would win in a landslide in the election, becoming the youngest head of state in American history at the age of 38. She would do her best to distance the Commonwealth from the “dangers of Capitalist-Fascism”.

With the Commonwealth growing increasingly prominent in world politics, the United States became increasingly worried that they would spread Socialism across the world to “destroy America”. In 2044, with Republicans slowly being revealed to be ineffective, the far-right of the country rallied behind Constitutionalist Michael Kentala (C-FL), a Floridian businessman who claimed to me “Socialism’s worst nightmare”. Emboldened by his hardline stance, many extremist Republican leaders, such as Marjorie Taylor Greene (C-GA), Lauren Boebert (C-CO), and Matt Gaetz (C-FL) joined the Constitutionalist Party leading up to the election and rallied behind Kentala, many drawing comparisons between him and former U.S. President Donald Trump (R-FL). In addition, Kentala also gained the support of multiple right-wing militia groups, such as the Proud Boys, the Oath Keepers, and the Ku Klux Klan. While he publicly distanced himself from the KKK, Kentala openly supported the tactics of the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys, painting them as “the new American revolutionaries”. With voter suppression laws in effect across the United States, Kentala narrowly defeated his Republican and Democratic opponents, becoming the 50th United States President-elect, and ending the 192 year-long reign of the two dominant U.S. parties.

The Kentala Presidency and Euro-American Split

Following Kentala’s inauguration, the United States began rapidly shifting it’s policies even farther to the right. The Mexican border was almost entirely closed off to foreigners, and illegal immigrants, as well as some legal ones were detained at ICE facilities. First and second generation immigrants, both legal and illegal, were denied citizenship with the ratification of the 29th Amendment. Any first or second generation immigrant who already had citizenship was stripped of it. First and second generation immigrants were also denied the right to vote with the passage of the 30th Amendment. In addition, United States foreign policy became increasingly hostile, and a deep mistrust developed between the country and its allies. Anti-Kentala protests flared up across Western Europe, particularly in Germany, due to the president’s pseudo-fascist policies that were reminiscent of Adolf Hitler’s regime. The American military presence in these countries began facing mass protests by local Europeans, who grew increasingly sympathetic towards the United Commonwealth and its Socialist policies. In response, Kentala called the protesters “socialist sympathizers” and “enemies of America” and also claimed that he would authorize the military to use force on the protesters if they felt threatened. This further increased tensions as thousands more protesters gathered in Europe. At a U.S. military base near Frankfurt, over 3,000 protesters gathered with signs that said “Go Home America!” The present soldiers were intimidated by the growing crowd, and decided to use flashbangs and tear gas to disperse the protesters. This enraged the German government, who demanded that Kentala withdraw all military presence from the country at once. Kentala refused, calling German President Karl Dietrich a “traitor socialist” and threatening military action unless Germany called back the protesters. In response, the British, French, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese governments reprimanded Kentala, promising to stand with their fellow Europeans. Kentala still refused to back down, threatening to go to war with all of Europe, stating “I’ll burn all of Europe to the ground to destroy socialism once and for all.” Knowing that none of them could take on the United States alone, the members of the European Union met in Brussels in December, 2047, to discuss possible solutions. French President Clarisse Aubine suggested European federalization, an idea that had been discussed commonly within the last decade. Fearing war would break out, Counselor Merrick called an emergency meeting of the UN in New York. There, it was decided to remove all United States military presence in Europe. Kentala reluctantly complied, but also rebuked the UN, stating that “America will have no part of this socialist New World Order”. Following this, the United States officially withdrew from the United Nations, declaring a policy of “America first”.

American Fascism and Kentala's Impeachment

Within the United States, particularly in the states of Texas, Arizona, and Georgia, anti-Kentala protests began to break out, with racial minorities (mostly blacks and latinos) protesting Kentala’s white supremacist policies. In response, right-wing militias became active in suppressing these protests, often with violence. Playing an increasingly large role in regulating American politics, and realizing their shared goals, the right-wing militant groups of the country decided to combine to form the “Constitutionalist Army of America”, or CAA. With membership in the hundreds of thousands, and also having been officially endorsed by President Kentala, the CAA would play a massive role in putting down any left-wing protest in the United States.

In December 2049, whistleblowers within the U.S government leaked the existence of concentration camps, in the deep Southern countryside. This prompted the FBI to conduct an investigation. Kentala denied their existence, but on December 18, the FBI discovered a concentration camp, codenamed “Camp Foxtrot” in the remote areas of the Arizonan desert, where racial minorities, leftists, and illegal immigrants were being brutally tortured and executed by the hundreds. Immediately, Counselor Merrick emotionally called for the impeachment of President Kentala, calling him a “Nazi dictator” and a “black eye in American history”. Despite the House of Representatives being controlled by Republicans, Speaker of the House John Marcus (R-NC) called the development “completely and totally un-American” and drafted Articles of Impeachment. By a narrow vote, on January 7, 2050, Kentala was impeached on charges of corruption, human rights violations, and crimes against humanity.

Following the hearing, Kentala appeared on national television urging his supporters to “remain steadfast” and to “increase pressure on the politicians who are trying to destroy the country.” During the impeachment trial on January 14, over 2,000 Kentala supporters stormed Capitol Hill, forcing the Senate to evacuate. After the situation was de-escalated by the National Guard, members of the mob claimed that if Kentala was convicted, they would “rain hellfire upon the Socialists that betrayed them”. Nevertheless, the following day, on January 15, the trial resumed. As more details about the concentration camps reached the public, even Republicans became disgusted with the President’s actions, and it looked increasingly like Kentala would be convicted. On January 10, the states of Idaho and Montana seceded from the United States and were admitted into the United Commonwealth. Even Vice President Andres Parker (C-TX) resigned following the riot, saying that he had “been considering it ever since the camps were discovered” and that he “regrets ever associating with him [Kentala]”. Constitutionalists argued that the only people in those camps were “dirty traitors” and that they “deserved it”. However, on a historic 35 - 17 vote, Kentala was convicted on all charges, becoming the first President in American history to be removed from office.

Hostilities commence: The First Battle of Washington

Within an hour, thousands of Kentala supporters, including over a thousand members of the CAA descended upon Capitol Hill. Once again, Congress was evacuated as the National Guard and Capitol Police were dispatched to hold off the gathering mob. When the two sides first encountered, the rioters began verbally assaulting the guardsmen, calling them “traitors” and “agents of Antifa”. As tensions increased, the guardsmen began aiming their weapons at the crowd, yelling at the Capitol police to use tear gas on the mob. However, the policemen refused, with some even going up to take selfies with the rioters. As the mob began throwing rocks at the guardsmen, the tension grew evermore palpable, until an armed Constitutionalist charged at the guardsmen, causing them to open fire, killing the rioter. Seeing this, the CAA returned fire with other rioters continuing to throw rocks and other objects. Seeing the violence break out, the Capitol police chief declared the National Guard to be “traitors to America” and ordered the police force to defend the mob “in the name of our country”. At first, the police tried to de-escalate the situation, but with both sides refusing to back down, the Capitol Police returned fire on the National Guard, who had to fall back until reinforcements arrived, at which point the guardsmen engaged in a fierce firefight with the police and insurgents, killing 201 people. Following this, the insurgents were driven out of Capitol Hill and many fled the city.

The War Begins: The Second Battle of Washington

The United Commonwealth was horrified at the violent turn of events and began calling for peace. Counselor Merrick would meet with the now President John Marcus in New York to discuss the situation. The two leaders would make a joint address to the nation, calling for the violence to end and the arrest of Kentala. However, this caused even more CAA insurgents to rise up across the country, with hundreds of thousands of them storming the streets of multiple state capitals across the country. Kentala was then placed under house arrest.

By early February, over 900,000 CAA insurgents were in active rebellion across the United States. In addition, police forces across the country had pledged their allegiance to Kentala. On February 8, 50,000 CAA insurgents invaded D.C. and engaged with the National guardsmen stationed there. The guardsmen fought hard, but were no match for the overwhelming numbers of insurgents. As they attempted to retreat, the insurgents fired on them from all sides, splitting them up into smaller pockets. Eventually, each pocket was completely encircled by the much larger insurgent force, which continued to grow throughout the day. Despite the guardsmen’s pleas of surrender, the insurgents shot and killed the entire force of 10,000 stationed there, in what would become known as “The Washington Massacre”. Following this, the insurgents freed Kentala from house arrest. The former head of state would address the nation that same day, claiming that President Marcus was illegitimate and that he [Kentala] was the true President. He declared that any and all traitors to America would be “slaughtered like dogs”, and that that included the United Commonwealth. His speech inspired Constitutionalists across the country, millions of whom would join the CAA. It also inspired CAA insurgents stationed at American concentration camps to ramp up their activity, as executions reached tens of thousands each week.

The Commonwealth enters the conflict: The Battle of Camp Foxtrot

Now conscious of the horrifying concentration camps of their southern neighbor, the United Commonwealth, despite their antiwar stance, made preparations to find and liberate the camps as swiftly as possible. Beginning in February, 2050, Merrick would dispatch satellites to locate camps from a high enough altitude that they wouldn't be detected. On February 12, she secretly ordered Commonwealth soldiers to enter Arizona from Nevada to find and liberate Camp Foxtrot. The next day, the task force of 500 troops located the camp and received orders from Merrick to capture it. The troops advanced on the camp and engaged with the 2500 CAA insurgents stationed there. A bloody fight ensued, with half of the Commonwealth soldiers losing their lives, as well as 80% of the insurgents, but after an hour of fighting, Camp Foxtrot was captured and liberated by the Commonwealth.