Survivalism
is a movement of individuals or groups (called survivalists or
preppers) who are actively
preparing for emergencies, including possible disruptions in social
or political order, on scales from local to international. Survivalists
often acquire emergency medical and
self-defense training, stockpile food and water, prepare to become
self-sufficient, and build structures (e.g., a
survival retreat or an
underground shelter) that may help them survive a
catastrophe.
Anticipated disruptions may include:
- Clusters of
natural disasters, patterns of apocalyptic planetary crises, or
"Earth
Changes" (tornadoes,
hurricanes,
earthquakes,
blizzards,
solar storms, severe
thunderstorms,
floods,
tsunamis).
-
Anthropogenic disasters (chemical
spills, release of
radioactive materials,
nuclear or
conventional war, oppressive governments).
- The general
collapse of society caused by the
shortage or unavailability of resources such as electricity,
fuel, food, or water.
- Financial disruption or
economic collapse (caused by monetary manipulation,
hyperinflation,
deflation, or
depression).
- A global
pandemic.
- Widespread chaos or some other unexplained
apocalyptic event.
History
The origins of the modern Survivalist movement in the United Kingdom
and the United States include government policies, threats of
nuclear warfare, religious beliefs, and writers who warned of social
or economic collapse in both non-fiction and
apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction.
The Cold War era
Civil Defense programs promoted public atomic bomb shelters,
personal
fallout shelters, and training for children, such as the
Duck and Cover films.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) has long
directed its members to store a year's worth of food for themselves and
their families in preparation for such possibilities.[1]
The current LDS teaching advises a three-month supply.[2][3]
The
Great Depression that followed the
Wall Street Crash of 1929 is often cited by survivalists as an
example of the need to be prepared.[citation
needed]
1960s
Basement family fallout shelter, circa 1957
The increased inflation rate in the 1960s, the US monetary
devaluation, the continued concern over a possible nuclear exchange
between the US and the Soviet Union, and the increasing vulnerability of
urban centers to supply shortages and other systems failures caused a
number of primarily conservative and
libertarian thinkers to suggest that individual preparations would
be wise.
Harry Browne began offering seminars on how to survive a monetary
collapse in 1967, with
Don Stephens (an architect) providing input on how to build and
equip a remote
survival retreat. He gave a copy of his original Retreater's
Bibliography to each seminar participant.
Articles on the subject appeared in small-distribution libertarian
publications such as The Innovator and Atlantis Quarterly.
It was during this period that Robert D. Kephart began publishing
Inflation Survival Letter[4]
(later renamed Personal Finance). For several years the
newsletter included a continuing section on personal preparedness
written by Stephens. It promoted expensive seminars around the US on
similar cautionary topics. Stephens participated, along with James
McKeever and other defensive investing, "hard
money" advocates.
1970s
In the next decade
Howard Ruff warned about socio-economic collapse in his 1974 book
Famine and Survival in America. Ruff's book was published during a
period of rampant
inflation in the wake of the
1973 oil crisis. Most of the elements of survivalism can be found
there, including advice on food storage. The book championed the claim
that precious metals, such as
gold and
silver,
have an intrinsic worth that makes them more usable in the event of a
socioeconomic collapse than
fiat currency. Ruff later published milder variations of the same
themes, such as How to Prosper During the Coming Bad Years, a
best-seller in 1979.
Other newsletters and books followed in the wake of Ruff's first
publication. In 1975,
Kurt Saxon began publishing a monthly
tabloid-size newsletter called The Survivor, which combined
Saxon's editorials with reprints of 19th century and early 20th century
writings on various
pioneer
skills and old technologies. Kurt Saxon used the term survivalist
to describe the movement, and he claims to have coined the term.[5]
In the previous decade, preparedness consultant, survival bookseller,
and California-based author Don Stephens popularized the term
retreater to describe those in the movement, referring to
preparations to leave cities for remote havens or survival retreats
should society break down. In 1976, before moving to the
Inland Northwest, he and his wife authored and published The
Survivor's Primer & Up-dated Retreater's Bibliography.
For a time in the 1970s, the terms survivalist and
retreater were used interchangeably. While the term retreater
eventually fell into disuse, many who subscribed to it saw retreating as
the more rational approach to conflict-avoidance and remote
"invisibility". Survivalism, on the other hand, tended to take on
a more media-sensationalized, combative, "shoot-it-out-with-the-looters"
image.[5]
One of the most important newsletters on survivalism and survivalist
retreats in the 1970s was the Personal Survival ("P.S.") Letter
(circa 1977–1982) published by
Mel
Tappan, who also authored the books Survival Guns and
Tappan on Survival. The newsletter included columns from Tappan
himself as well as
Jeff Cooper, Al J. Venter, Bill Pier,
Bruce D. Clayton, Rick Fines, Nancy Mack Tappan, J.B. Wood, Dr. Carl
Kirsch, Charles Avery,
Karl
Hess, Eugene A. Barron, Janet Groene,
Dean
Ing, Bob Taylor,
Reginald Bretnor, and C.G. Cobb. The majority of the newsletter
revolved around selecting, constructing, and logistically equipping
survival retreats.[6]
Following Tappan's death in 1980, Karl Hess took over publishing the
newsletter, eventually renaming it Survival Tomorrow.
In 1980,
John Pugsley published the book The Alpha Strategy. It was on
The New York Times Best Seller list for nine weeks in 1981.[7][8]
After 28 years in circulation, The Alpha Strategy remains popular
with survivalists, and is considered a standard reference on stocking
food and household supplies as a hedge against inflation and future
shortages.[9][10]
In addition to hard copy newsletters, in the 1970s survivalists
established their first online presence with
BBS[11][12]
and Usenet
forums dedicated to survivalism and survival retreats.
1980s
Interest in the first wave of the survivalist movement peaked in the
early 1980s, with Howard Ruff's book How to Prosper During the Coming
Bad Years and the publication in 1980 of Life After Doomsday
by Bruce D. Clayton. Clayton's book, coinciding with a renewed
arms race between the
United States and
Soviet Union, marked a shift in emphasis in preparations made by
survivalists away from economic collapse, famine, and energy
shortages—which were concerns in the 1970s—to nuclear war. In the early
1980s, science fiction writer
Jerry Pournelle was an editor and columnist for Survive, a
survivalist magazine, and was considered influential in the survivalist
movement.[13]
Ragnar Benson's 1982 book Live Off The Land In The City And
Country suggested rural survival retreats as both a preparedness
measure and conscious lifestyle change.
1990s
Interest in the movement peaked again in 1999 in its second wave,
triggered by fears of the
Y2K computer bug. Before extensive efforts were made to rewrite
computer programming code to mitigate the effects, some writers such as
Gary North,
Ed Yourdon,
James Howard Kunstler,[14]
and Ed Yardeni anticipated widespread power outages, food and gasoline
shortages, and other emergencies. North and others raised the alarm
because they thought Y2K code fixes were not being made quickly enough.
While a range of authors responded to this wave of concern, two of the
most survival-focused texts to emerge were Boston on Y2K (1998)
by
Boston T. Party, and Mike Oehler's The Hippy Survival Guide to
Y2K. Oehler is an
underground living advocate, who also authored The $50 and Up
Underground House Book,[15]
which has long been popular in survivalist circles.
2000 to present
A town near the coast of
Sumatra lies in ruin after the 2004 Indian Ocean
earthquake and tsunami.
The third wave of survivalism began after the
September 11, 2001 attacks and subsequent bombings in
Bali,
Madrid, and
London. This resurgence of interest in survivalism appears to be as
strong as the first wave in the 1970s. The fear of war,
avian influenza, energy shortages,
environmental disasters and global
climate change, coupled with economic uncertainty, and the apparent
vulnerability of humanity after the
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami and
Hurricane Katrina, has once again made survivalism popular.[16]
Preparedness is once more a paramount concern to many people who seek to
stockpile supplies, gain useful skills, and develop contacts with
like-minded people to learn as much as possible.
Many books have been published in the past few years [2008-2012]
offering survival advice for various potential disasters, ranging from
an energy shortage and crash to
nuclear or
biological terrorism. In addition to the 1970s-era books,
blogs and
Internet forums are popular ways of disseminating survivalism
information. Online survival websites and blogs discuss survival
vehicles, survival retreats, emerging threats, and list survivalist
groups.
Economic troubles emerging from the credit collapse triggered by the
2007
US subprime mortgage lending crisis and global grain shortages[17][18][19][20]
have prompted a wider cross-section of the populace to prepare.[19][21]
James Wesley Rawles, the editor of SurvivalBlog and author of
the survivalist novel
Patriots: A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse was quoted
by the New York Times in April 2008, stating: "interest in the
survivalist movement 'is experiencing its largest growth since the late
1970s'". In 2009, he was quoted by the Associated Press as stating:
"There's so many people who are concerned about the economy that there's
a huge interest in preparedness, and it pretty much crosses all lines,
social, economic, political and religious. There's a steep learning
curve going on right now."[22]
The advent of
H1N1 Swine Flu in 2009 piqued interest in survivalism, significantly
boosting sales of preparedness books and making survivalism more
mainstream.[23]
Events such as the
2010 Haiti earthquake, the
2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami have revitalized the survivalist
community.
These developments led
Gerald Celente, founder of the Trends Research Institute, to
identify a trend that he calls "neo-survivalism". He explained this
phenomenon in a radio interview with
Jim Puplava on December 18, 2009:[24]
"When you go back to the last depressing days when we were in a
survival mode, the last one the
Y2K of course, before the 1970's, what had happened was you only
saw this one element of survivalist, you know, the caricature, the
guy with the
AK-47
heading to the hills with enough ammunition and pork and beans to
ride out the storm. This is a very different one from that: you're
seeing average people taking smart moves and moving in intelligent
directions to prepare for the worst. (...) So survivalism in every
way possible. Growing your own, self-sustaining, doing as much as
you can to make it as best as you can on your own and it can happen
in urban area, sub-urban area or the ex-urbans. And it also means
becoming more and more tightly committed to your neighbours, your
neighbourhood, working together and understanding that we're all in
this together and that when we help each other out that's going to
be the best way forward."
This last aspect is highlighted in The Trends Research Journal:
"Communal spirit intelligently deployed is the core value of
Neo-Survivalism".[25]
A number of popular television shows and movies have also emerged
recently to capitalize on "today's
zeitgeist of fear of a world-changing event."[26]
Preppers gained unwanted attention after the 2012
Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.[27]
This was in part because the debate that ignited over the
Second Amendment revealed much of their mentality concerning what
they perceived to be growing oppression in the United States and the
potential for armed resistance against a tyrannical government.
Outline of scenarios and outlooks
Survivalism is approached by its adherents in different ways,
depending on their circumstances, mindsets, and particular concerns for
the future.[28]
The following are characterizations, although most (if not all)
survivalists fit into more than one category:
- Safety preparedness oriented
Learns principles and techniques needed for surviving
life-threatening situations that can occur at any time place. Makes
preparations for such calamities as structure fires, dog attacks,
physical confrontations, snake bites, lightning strikes, car breakdowns,
third world travel problems, bear encounters, flash floods, home
invasions and train wrecks.[29]
- Wilderness survival emphasis
Astronaut
Susan J. Helms gathers firewood during winter survival
training.
Stresses being able to stay alive for indefinite periods in
life-threatening wilderness scenarios, including plane crashes,
shipwrecks, and being lost in the woods. Concerns are: thirst, hunger,
climate, terrain, health, stress, and fear.[29]
Prepares with: knowledge, training and practice.
Survival kit often includes:
water purifiers, shelter, fire starters, clothing, food, medical
supplies, navigation, signaling gear, and a heavy-duty survival knife.
- Self-defense driven
Concerned with surviving brief encounters of violent activity. Focus
is on personal protection and its legal ramifications, danger awareness,
John Boyd's cycle (also known as the
OODA
loop—observe, orient, decide and act), martial arts, self-defense
tactics and tools (both lethal and non-lethal).
- Natural disaster, brief
Lives in tornado, hurricane, flood, wildfire, earthquake or heavy
snowfall areas and wants to be prepared for the inevitable.[30]
Invests in material for fortifying structures and tools for rebuilding
and constructing temporary shelters. May have a custom built shelter,
food, water, medicine, and enough supplies to get by until contact with
the rest of the world resumes.[29]
- Natural disaster, prolonged
Concerned about weather cycles of 2–10 years, which have happened
historically and can cause crop failures.[18]
Might stock several tons of food per family member and have a heavy duty
greenhouse with canned non-hybrid seeds.[31]
- Natural disaster, indefinite/multi-generational
Artistic depiction of a cataclysmic meteor impact
Possible scenarios include:
global warming,
global cooling,
environmental degradation,[19]
warming or cooling of gulf stream waters, or a period of severely cold
winters caused by a
supervolcano, an
asteroid strike, or
large scale nuclear proliferation.
- Bio-chem scenario
Concerned with the spread of fatal diseases, biological agents, and
nerve gases. Examples:
swine flu,
E. coli 0157,
botulism,
dengue fever,
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease,
SARS,
rabies,
Hantavirus,
anthrax,
plague,
cholera,
HIV,
ebola,
Marburg virus,
Lhasa virus,
sarin,
and VX.[32]
Might own NBC (nuclear, biological and chemical) full-face respirators,
polyethylene coveralls, PVC boots,
nitrile gloves, plastic sheeting and
duct
tape.
- Malthusian
An increase in human population affects available fresh water, food,
health-care, environment, economics, consumerism, and spread of
diseases. Some[who?]
warn that this will result in a
Malthusian
population crash.[33]
- Monetary disaster investors
Believe the
Federal Reserve system is fundamentally flawed. Newsletters suggest
hard assets of gold and silver bullion, coins, and other precious-metal
oriented investments such as mining shares. They are preparing for paper
money to become worthless through hyperinflation. As of late 2009 this
is a popular scenario.[34][35][36][37]
- Biblical eschatologist
These individuals study
End
Times prophecy and believe the
Savior
is going to
return soon, and that the final battle with Satan on the Plains of
Megiddo might occur in their lifetime.[38]
Most believe that the
Rapture
will follow a period of
Tribulation, though a smaller number believe that the Rapture is
imminent and will precede the Tribulation ("Pre-Trib Rapture"). There is
a wide range of beliefs and attitudes in this group. They run the gamut
from pacifist to armed camp, and from having no food stockpiles (leaving
their sustenance up to God's providence) to storing decades' worth of
food. A small subset are
Messianic Jews.
- Peak oil doomers
The
doomers are convinced that
peak
oil is a genuine threat,[39]
and take appropriate measures,[40]
usually involving relocation to an agriculturally self-sufficient
survival retreat.[41]
- Rawlesian[42]
Followers of James Wesley Rawles, the best-selling author of
survivalist fiction and non-fiction books.[43]
Adherents often prepare for multiple scenarios with fortified and
well-equipped rural survival retreats.[44]
Most are politically conservative.[citation
needed] Nearly all place an emphasis on both being
well-armed as well as being ready to dispense
charity in the event of a disaster.[40]
Most take a "deep larder" approach and store food to last years. They
emphasize practical self-sufficiency and homesteading skills.[45]
- Medical crisis oriented
Has a complete medical pack in house and car.[29]
Donates blood and is active in the
Red Cross. Has taken
CERT,
EMT, and
CPR courses, knows vital signs, and stockpiles medicines. Concerned
with vehicle accidents and emergencies involving injuries. Focus is on
helping family, friends, and community survive medical emergencies.
Common
preparations
A Red Cross "ready to go" preparedness kit
Common preparations include the creation of a clandestine or
defensible retreat, haven, or
bug out location (BOL) in addition to the stockpiling of
non-perishable food, water, water-purification equipment, clothing,
seed, firewood, defensive or hunting weapons, ammunition,
agricultural equipment, and medical supplies. Some survivalists do
not make such extensive preparations, and simply incorporate a "Be
Prepared" outlook into their everyday life.
A bag of gear, often referred to as a "bug
out bag" (BOB) or "get out of dodge" (G.O.O.D.) kit,[46]
can be created which contains basic necessities and useful items. It can
be of any size, weighing as much as the user is able to carry.
A "72-hour kit" may be assembled, which contains essential emergency
items. In most community emergency situations, it will take at least
three days (72 hours) for help to arrive.[citation
needed] Therefore, there should be three days'
worth of food, water, and personal items for each member of the family.
The 72-hour survival kit also includes a
first aid kit, important telephone numbers and papers, as well as
plans for outside contact and rendezvous. There are also 72-hour
isolation kits that include using a 5-gallon bucket as a toilet, tablets
for water purification, and personal hygiene supplies.
The American Red Cross recommends keeping such a 72-hour supply of
essential items in case evacuation is needed.[47]
They recommend a 2 week supply of such items, including water, in order
to ride out a disaster in the home.[47]
Suggestions for building these kits are available from the Red Cross
website.
The most ardent survivalists aim to remain
self-sufficient for the duration of the breakdown of social order,
or indefinitely if the breakdown is predicted to be permanent (a "Third
Dark Age")—a possibility popularized in the 1960s by Roberto Vacca of
the
Club of Rome. Some survivalists[who?]
allow for the contingency that they cannot prevent this breakdown, and
prepare to survive in small communal groups ("group retreats") or
"covenant communities".
Changing concerns and preparations
Survivalists' concerns and preparations have changed over the years.
During the 1970s, fears were economic collapse, hyperinflation, and
famine.
Preparations included
food storage and survival retreats in the country which could be
farmed. Some survivalists stockpiled
precious metals and
barterable
goods (such as common-caliber ammunition) because they assumed that
paper currency would become worthless. During the early 1980s, nuclear
war became a common fear, and some survivalists constructed fallout
shelters.
In 1999, many people purchased
electric generators, water purifiers, and several months or years
worth of food in anticipation of widespread power outages because of the
Y2K computer-bug.
Instead of moving or making such preparations at home, many people
also make plans to remain in their current locations until an actual
breakdown occurs, when they will—in survivalist parlance—"bug out" or
"get out of Dodge" to a safer location.
Religious beliefs
The Horsemen of the Apocalypse, depicted in a
woodcut by
Albrecht Dürer (ca. 1497–98), ride forth as a group,
with an angel heralding them, to bring Death, Famine, War
and Plague unto man.
[48]
Other survivalists have more specialized concerns, often related to
an adherence to
apocalyptic religious beliefs. Some
New Agers
anticipate a forthcoming arrival of catastrophic
earth changes and prepare to survive them.
Some
evangelical
Christians hold to an interpretation of Bible
prophecy known as the
post-tribulation rapture, in which Christians will have to go
through a seven-year period of war and global dictatorship known as the
"Great
Tribulation". Jim McKeever helped popularize survival preparations
among this branch of evangelical Christians with his 1978 book
Christians Will Go Through the Tribulation, and How To Prepare For It.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has an official
policy of food storage for its members. This is a hedge against
unemployment and prolonged sickness, and is focused more on
self-reliance than survivalism. The policy is referred to as "Provident
Living" in official Church publications. It has existed throughout the
Church's history, and has evolved to reflect changes in threats to
personal independence.[49]
The current food storage minimum for LDS members is one year, but at one
point the minimum was 7 years.[50]
The
Branch Davidians, an offshoot of the
Seventh-day Adventist Church, were known for their belief in a
coming apocalypse and the adoption of some survivalist practices.[citation
needed]
The
2012 phenomenon has mystical or religious underpinnings, or both.
Mainstream emergency preparations
People who are not part of survivalist groups or apolitically
oriented religious groups also make preparations for emergencies. This
can include (depending on the location) preparing for earthquakes,
floods,
power outages, blizzards,
avalanches,
wildfires, terrorist attacks,
nuclear power plant accidents,
hazardous material spills, tornadoes, and hurricanes. These
preparations can be as simple as following Red Cross and U.S.
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recommendations by
keeping a first aid kit, shovel, and extra clothes in the car, or by
maintaining a small kit of emergency supplies, containing emergency
food, water, a space blanket, and other essentials.
Mainstream economist and financial adviser
Barton Biggs is a proponent of preparedness. In his 2008 book
Wealth, War and Wisdom, Biggs has a gloomy outlook for the economic
future, and suggests that investors take survivalist measures. In the
book, Biggs recommends that his readers should "assume the possibility
of a breakdown of the civilized infrastructure." He goes so far as to
recommend setting up survival retreats:[51]
"Your safe haven must be self-sufficient and capable of growing some
kind of food," Mr. Biggs writes. "It should be well-stocked with seed,
fertilizer, canned food, wine, medicine, clothes, etc. Think
Swiss Family Robinson. Even in America and Europe, there could
be moments of riot and rebellion when law and order temporarily
completely breaks down."[19]
Survivalist
terminology
Survivalists tend toward using military acronyms such as
OPSEC and
SOP, and terminology common among peak oil adherents and
gun culture. They also use terms that are unique to their own
lexicon—some key survivalist terms and acronyms include:
- Alpha strategy: The practice of storing extra consumable items,
as a hedge against inflation, and for use in barter and charity.
Coined by John Pugsley.[52][53]
- Ballistic wampum: Ammunition stored for barter purposes. Coined
by Jeff Cooper.[52][54]
- BOB:
Bug-out bag.[52][55]
- BOL: Bug-out location.[52][56]
- BOV:
Bug-out vehicle.[52][57]
- Contrapreneur: Someone who foolishly invests in a declining
market. Coined by James Wesley Rawles.[52]
- Crunch: A general term for a major, long-term disaster.
- Doomer: A peak oil adherent who believes in a
Malthusian-scale societal collapse.[52][58]
- EDC:
Everyday carry. What one carries at all times in case disaster
strikes while one is out and about. Also refers to the normal
carrying of a pistol for self-defense, or (as a noun) the pistol
which is carried.
- EOTW: End of the world[59]
-
Electromagnetic pulse (EMP) - an extreme level of
electromagnetic energy sufficient to burn out computer chips that
may be caused by solar flares or by atmospheric nuclear explosions.
Such an event would disable the Internet, telephones, computers, and
devices that rely on computer controls, including automobiles, the
electrical grid, and household appliances.
- Goblin: A criminal miscreant, coined (in the survivalist
context) by Jeff Cooper.[52][60]
- Golden horde: The anticipated large mixed horde of refugees and
looters that will pour out of the metropolitan regions WTSHTF.
Coined (in the survivalist context) by James Wesley Rawles.[52][61]
- G.O.O.D.: Get out of Dodge (city). Fleeing urban areas in the
event of a disaster. Coined by James Wesley Rawles.[52][62]
- G.O.O.D. kit: Get out of Dodge kit. Synonymous with bug-out bag
(BOB).[52][63]
-
Pollyanna or Polly: Someone who is in denial about the
disruption that might be caused by the advent of a large scale
disaster.[52][64]
- Prepper: A synonym for survivalist that came into common
usage during the late 1990s. Used interchangeably with
survivalist much as retreater was in the 1970s. Refers to
one who is prepared or making preparations.[65]
- SHTF: Shit hits the fan. A term used generically by survivalists
to describe disaster situations.[52][58]
- TEOTWAWKI: The end of the world as we know it. In use since the
early 80s.[52][66]
- WTSHTF: When the shit hits the fan. A term used generically by
survivalists to describe disaster situations.[52][67][68]
- WROL: Without rule of law. Describes a potential lawless state
of society.
- YOYO: You're on your own.
Controversy
Despite a lull following the end of the Cold War, survivalism has
gained greater attention in recent years, resulting in increased
popularity of the survivalist lifestyle, as well as increased scrutiny.
A
National Geographic show interviewing survivalists,
Doomsday Preppers, was a "ratings bonanza"[69]
and "the network's most-watched series",[70]
yet Neil Genzlinger in
The New York Times declared it an "absurd excess on display and
at what an easy target the prepper worldview is for ridicule," noting,
"how offensively anti-life these shows are, full of contempt for
humankind."[71]
Gerald Celente, founder of the Trends Research Institute, noted how
many modern survivlists deviate from the classic archetype, terming this
new style "neo-survivalism"; "you know, the caricature, the guy with the
AK-47
heading to the hills with enough ammunition and pork and beans to ride
out the storm. This [neo-survivalist] is a very different one from that"[25]
Preppers gained unwanted attention after the 2012
Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.[27]
Perceived
extremism
In popular culture, survivalism has been associated with
paramilitary activities. Some survivalists do take active defensive
preparations that have military roots and that involve
firearms, and this aspect is sometimes emphasized by the mass media.[28][72]
Kurt Saxon is one proponent of this approach to armed survivalism.
The potential for societal collapse is often cited as motivation for
being well-armed.[73]
Thus, some non-militaristic survivalists have developed an unintended
militaristic image, and the term survivalism has been used to
signify unrelated
right-wing reactionary paramilitary activities.
Government preparedness efforts and training
The government of
Switzerland with its long-standing
militia
system, mandatory construction of fallout shelters in all
newly-constructed multi-unit housing, and its network of
reduit
fortresses is one of the best prepared.[citation
needed] An earlier civil defense effort in the
United States during the 1950s and 1960s fell into disrepair by the
1970s. These preparations included the designation of structures as
official fallout shelters, and duck and cover drills in schools. A
booklet released by the
Executive Office of the President of the United States shortly after
the start of the cold war called Survival Under Atomic Attack
depicts the nature of the early civil defense initiatives.
The U.S. government civil defense program was minimal during the
1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, despite efforts by Christian writer Gary North
to lobby the government to resume civil defense efforts and build
fallout shelters.[citation
needed] Gary North co-wrote a book Fighting
Chance to advocate for the return of the civil defense program. A
renewal of U.S. government interest in preparedness and training did not
happen until after the
September 11th attacks and Hurricane Katrina. This renewed interest
is typified by
Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) organizations.
Survivalism
worldwide
Individual survivalist preparedness and survivalist groups and
forums—both formal and informal—are popular worldwide, most visibly in
Australia,[74][75]
Austria,[76]
Belgium, Canada,[77]
France,[78][79]
Germany[80]
(often organized under the guise of "adventuresport"
clubs),[81]
Netherlands,[82]
New Zealand,[83]
Russia,[84]
Sweden,[85][86][87]
the United Kingdom,[88]
and the United States.[19]
Other groups related to survivalism
Adherents of the
back-to-the-land movement inspired by
Helen and Scott Nearing, sporadically popular in the United States
in the 1930s and 1970s (exemplified by
The Mother Earth News magazine), share many of the same
interests in self-sufficiency and preparedness. Back-to-the-landers
differ from most survivalists in that they have a greater interest in
ecology
and
counterculture. Despite these differences, The Mother Earth News
was widely read by survivalists as well as back-to-the-landers during
that magazine's early years, and there was some overlap between the two
movements.
Anarcho-primitivists share many characteristics with survivalists,
most notably predictions of a pending ecological disaster. Writers such
as
Derrick Jensen argue that industrial civilization is not
sustainable, and will therefore inevitably bring about its own collapse.
Non-anarchist writers such as
Daniel Quinn,
Joseph Tainter, and
Richard Manning also hold this view.
In fiction
Survivalism and survivalist themes have been fictionalized in print,
film, and electronic media. The survivalist genre was especially
influenced by the advent of nuclear weapons and the potential for
societal collapse in wake of a Cold War nuclear conflagration.
See also
Concepts
Authors
Other
References
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Further reading
The text of some classic survival books and other writings from the
1950s through the 1980s can be found online: