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# The government develops a [[weapon of mass destruction]] ("[[Project X]]", "Project Xylophone", "The Thompson Harmonizer"), intended to assert its authority by main force. This weapon is not nuclear, nor chemical, nor biological, but apparently is ultrasonic in nature.

# The government develops a [[weapon of mass destruction]] ("[[Project X]]", "Project Xylophone", "The Thompson Harmonizer"), intended to assert its authority by main force. This weapon is not nuclear, nor chemical, nor biological, but apparently is ultrasonic in nature.

# No such thing as [[gun control]] exists, or if it is attempted, it fails. The spontaneous strikers who take their inspiration from John Galt's speech set up armed camps in various forest regions.

# No such thing as [[gun control]] exists, or if it is attempted, it fails. The spontaneous strikers who take their inspiration from John Galt's speech set up armed camps in various forest regions.

The most likely span of the years of the great strike is 1917-1929, with the novel's major action taking place in the last three years of this period. This novel, then, qualifies as an [[alternate history]] of the United States of America, and of the civilized world. In this version of history, the United States did not intervene in the War of the Reds and the Whites in [[Russia]], and probably did not participate in the [[First World War]]. That War probably ended with every country on earth, except America, becoming a [[Communist]] state. In addition, [[prohibition]] cannot have occurred, because [[alcoholic drinks]] flow freely in many settings.

The most likely span of the years of the great strike is 1945-1957, with the novel's major action taking place in the last three years of this period. This novel, then, qualifies as an [[alternate history]] of the United States of America, and of the civilized world. In this version of history, the United States did not intervene in the War of the Reds and the Whites in [[Russia]], and probably did not participate in the [[First World War]]. That War probably ended with every country on earth, except America, becoming a [[Communist]] state. In addition, [[prohibition]] cannot have occurred, because [[alcoholic drinks]] flow freely in many settings.

Politically, the United States would have been in the hands of the proponents of [[Progressivism]], which was in fact a potent-enough force in the election of 1912 to field a [[Third Party|third party]] candidate for President ([[Theodore Roosevelt]]) who actually out-polled the losing major-party candidate in that race, [[William Howard Taft]]. In this version, perhaps, [[Woodrow Wilson]] does not have his stroke, or if he does, the [[Republican Party]] does not succeed in having a man as President for more than a single term, and their un-named incumbent loses to [[Mr. Thompson]], who is still serving as President when the "looters' system" fails. (Mr. Thompson does not appear to be a parody of [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] or any other known American political or other historical figure; he is merely a type and in fact is described as almost deliberately nondescript.)

Politically, the United States would have been in the hands of the proponents of [[Progressivism]], which was in fact a potent-enough force in the election of 1912 to field a [[Third Party|third party]] candidate for President ([[Theodore Roosevelt]]) who actually out-polled the losing major-party candidate in that race, [[William Howard Taft]]. In this version, perhaps, [[Woodrow Wilson]] does not have his stroke, or if he does, the [[Republican Party]] does not succeed in having a man as President for more than a single term, and their un-named incumbent loses to [[Mr. Thompson]], who is still serving as President when the "looters' system" fails. (Mr. Thompson does not appear to be a parody of [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] or any other known American political or other historical figure; he is merely a type and in fact is described as almost deliberately nondescript.)