The “Great Struggle” is a hypothetical culmination of redevelopment: a period of uncertainty and violence not seen since the Burnout. Over the decades, every faction in America has tried to avoid, or delay it. 

“Great Struggle” is a term coined by Olson Steinz in a 2034 discussion with Tara Endell about greed and future generations. Olson’s clan, the Slates, was situated North of the already fierce competition between the Triumvirate and the Blue-Column for strip-sites and access to the Ohio River. This “competition” was largely strategic; both sides were clamoring for space and resources that were far greater than their current needs. 

Tara noted that she had seen this phenomena before. The consensus among settlement-leaders across the country was that their groups would eventually become nation-states that would have to defend themselves from equally powerful rivals. Olson projected that by the end of the Hungry Years, America’s geopolitical situation would resemble continental Europe (many powerful and distinct states vying for territory and influence). 

Using the Europe-analogy, Tara hypothesized what a World War equivalent might look like. She proposed that the factions in America were too ideologically diverse to ever merge into politically-aligned blocs for a large conflict. Instead, she argued that there would be a sort of “Continental Free-For-All”. Tara stated that this type of conflict would be drastically worse than a massive war between a handful of alliances, as there wouldn’t be any governing bodies strong enough to form a consensus on when the fighting could stop. 

Olson agreed, calling this scenario a “Great Struggle in civilization’s twilight, between the desperate and suicidally determined, where only the most brutal shall endure, and be victor over twisted steel, ash, and ghosts.”

This depiction has since proliferated through the ethos and nightmares of every group in America as the absolute worst scenario that can ever happen.

In the decades after Olson and Tara’s fateful conversation, the Great Struggle has taken on even greater dimensions. It is no longer viewed just as a political conflict motivated by resource-scarcity or greed. The Great Struggle is a symbol of generational revolt, class warfare, and cultural solidarity. Should the Great Struggle ever happen, the very soul of the country would hang in the balance.