Draft:Republic of Gilead

The Republic of Gilead (or Republic of Galaad, sometimes simply Galaad or Gilead) is a fictional country featured in Margaret Atwood's novel The Handmaid's Tale and its adaptations, including the television series The Handmaid's Tale and other works inspired by the original writing.

It is depicted as a totalitarian theocratic state with Christian inspiration, where women have no rights. Gilead was formed after a coup in the United States by religious extremists who exploited the fragile balance in American society following a disastrous war that resulted in a significant amount of toxic waste being released into the air and a sudden drop in birth rates.

One of the main objectives of the Republic of Gilead is procreation, aimed at increasing the population. Society is divided into rigid castes based on gender, social status, and, most importantly, fertility.

Its territory roughly corresponds to that of the United States of America, being its historical evolution; however, some areas have become completely uninhabitable. Alaska and Hawaii have remained loyal to the Congress, maintaining their independence.

Etymology

The name Galaad is the same as the place in the Bible where the Midianites fought Gideon, while in the Arthurian cycle, Sir Galahad is the one who finds the Holy Grail.

History

At the end of the twentieth century, the world is ravaged by a ruinous war and a sudden climate change due to the toxic waste it generated. In the United States of America, the birth rate has drastically dropped due to toxic waste and radioactivity, and the population has reached zero growth. More and more Americans, tired of the situation, begin to protest increasingly violently. To quell internal revolts without interference from possible international communities, the superpowers decide to sign an "Agreement on Spheres of Influence," stating that each state is free to manage the situation with the means it prefers.

Then, in the USA, a group of biblical fundamentalists, exploiting the situation and the precarious balance of society, carries out a coup, killing all members of Congress, the Supreme Court, and then the President himself. Once in power, all women are fired, currency is abolished, shops are closed, multinationals corporations are expelled, and a regime called the Republic of Gilead is established, where the sole purpose is procreation.

All those who cannot reproduce by choice or physical condition, such as homosexuals, priests, or infertile women, are sent to the Colonies, terrible labour camps, killed, or forced to perform the most menial jobs, like the Marthas. The only women who can lead a dignified life even without being fertile are the Wives, the partners of the Commanders, who hold power in Gilead.

Numerous religious congregations such as the Quakers, Catholics, and Protestants will revolt against the regime by allying with the American left and feminists. There will be many internal conflicts in Gilead, mostly between the army and the rebels.

In the recent second novel of the series, The Testaments, the fall of Gilead is discussed, which seems to occur in the mid-twenty-first century, although it is not specified when. The fall of the regime is mainly due to the enormous corruption of the ruling classes, the continuous exodus of handmaids to Canada, and the infiltration of the resistance, known as Mayday, within the establishment.

Society

Gileadian society is divided into rigid castes based on gender and fertility.

Leaders

At the top of the Gileadian hierarchy are the Commanders, those who hold power. Although currency has been abolished, their economic superiority is evident. For their merits, they are entitled to a luxurious villa, where they reside with the Wives, and a nice car. They dress in black.

Female Classes

The Wives are the spouses of the Commanders. They are mostly infertile but also very beautiful, which is the reason for marriage with the Commanders. Moreover, marriages are arranged, and only the daughters of the Commanders can marry the Commanders in turn; consequently, there is very little social mobility between castes. They dress in blue. Those of them who are sterile have children through the Handmaids.

The Handmaids are fertile women assigned to the Commanders, from whom they take their names (the Handmaid of Fred will be called Offred). They are the ones who take care of procreation and are therefore national resources. The Gilead regime asserts that if the wives cannot give birth, then their servants can do it for them, namely, the Handmaids. They base this rule on the passage from Genesis 30:1-4.

When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children, she became jealous of her sister. So she said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I’ll die!”

Jacob became angry with her and said, “Am I in the place of God, who has kept you from having children?”

Then she said, “Here is Bilhah, my servant. Sleep with her so that she can bear children for me and I too can build a family through her.”

So she gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife. Jacob slept with her

(Genesis 30:1-4)

The Handmaids unite with the Commanders once a month in the so-called Ceremony, a ritual copulation overseen by the Wives, who have the task of ensuring that the ceremony remains such and does not become intimate or affectionate sex. The Handmaids, in fact, must not bond in any way with the Commanders. They dress in red and study in the Red Centres, supervised by the Aunts.

The Aunts are sadistic paramilitary nuns who teach the Handmaids everything there is to know to have children in the best possible way. They dress in grey or brown.

Missionaries of the Republic, the Pearl Girls are women who, to become Aunts, go on missions in foreign states, gathering prostitutes and homeless women by promising them a better life in Gilead.

Then there are the Marthas, maids of the Commanders and the Wives, who take care of household chores. Only the richest houses have one, and they are a sort of social status symbol. They dress in green.

Finally there are the Econowives, wives of the less affluent social classes, who, if sterile, cannot have children. In fact, they do not benefit from the Handmaids. They dress in striped garments combining all the previous colours.

Male Classes

Besides the Commanders, who are at the top, Gilead has other male classes, each with specific roles and ranks:

• Angels: These are the soldiers of Gilead. They fight in the ongoing wars at the frontiers and maintain order internally. They can be rewarded with promotions or the right to a Handmaid if they prove themselves. Many Handmaids come from women captured in war and assigned to Angels as rewards.
• Guardians: They are a sort of low-ranking police force and also perform menial tasks like driving or guarding buildings. They have little authority but are still part of the state apparatus. Guardians can aspire to become Angels.
• Eyes: Secret police agents, scattered throughout society, tasked with spying and denouncing anyone who disobeys the regime. Their presence instills constant fear, as anyone could be an Eye.
• Economen: Men of the lower classes, often poor, who have little to no power. They are assigned Econowives (who must handle household chores, sex, and childbirth all by themselves) and usually work in manual or industrial jobs.
• Commanders-in-training (Cadets): Young boys born into elite families, educated to become future Commanders. They are raised in strict schools with strong ideological indoctrination.

Economy and Currency

With the establishment of Gilead, the use of money was abolished and replaced by vouchers and ration cards. People shop only in state-run stores where everything is labelled with symbols to facilitate understanding by women, who are forbidden from reading or writing.

International trade is limited and tightly controlled. Gilead mostly trades with countries willing to overlook its human rights violations, exporting natural resources or using Handmaids as bargaining chips in secret agreements.

Religion

Gilead is officially a Christian theocracy, but it enforces an extremist, distorted interpretation of the Bible. The regime cherry-picks scripture to justify its oppressive laws, particularly those concerning women's roles and reproduction.

The state has eliminated all other religions and persecuted religious minorities, including Catholics, Quakers, Baptists, and Jews. Religious services are mandatory, and public displays of piety are expected.

Justice and Punishment

Justice in Gilead is swift and brutal. Crimes, including minor transgressions like reading or disobedience, are harshly punished. Public executions, hangings, and mutilations are common, used as a tool of terror and control. Bodies of the executed are displayed on the Wall as a warning.

Trials are rare and lack any semblance of fairness; the regime's interpretation of divine law is final.

Technology and Communication

Access to technology is heavily restricted. Computers, mobile phones, and the internet are forbidden for the general population. The state uses technology for surveillance and propaganda, while women are completely cut off from any means of communication.

All media is state-controlled. Books are banned or censored, except for the Bible (in the regime’s version), and literacy among women is illegal.

Territorial Extent of Gilead

The territory of the Republic of Gilead roughly corresponds to that of the former United States of America, although it is not known how much of the country is actually under the regime's control. Some areas have become uninhabitable due to radioactive contamination and environmental disasters.

Alaska and Hawaii did not fall under Gilead’s control and remained loyal to the old American government in exile. Canada continues to exist as an independent country and serves as a refuge for defectors, especially Handmaids, rebels, and those persecuted by the regime.

There are constant border tensions between Gilead and neighboring countries, and military conflicts are ongoing in various zones, especially in the so-called "war zones" where the regime seeks to expand its influence or crush resistance.