The New California Republic (NCR) of the Fallout series is significant, with 140 years of history and being the biggest nation to rise since the Great War. The NCR is all about old-world values like liberty, law, and democracy and their flag is directly inspired by the state flag of California. Those that throw their lot with the NCR typically get luxuries others in the wasteland do not, such as healthcare, rules, protection, government, and a stable economy.
Such a powerful stabilizing force in the wasteland was not made in a day. The birth of the NCR began with a vault, Vault 15. It opened 20 years after the Great War and while some occupants split off into raider tribes which would later become the Khans, Vipers, and Jackals, those that remained would begin to form the NCR. From there, it grew into a huge nation and later set its eyes on expansionism.
From The Vault To Shady Sands
Like all other vaults, Vault 15 had a secret agenda to experiment on human behavior. Luckily for Vault 15, the experiment was rather merciful in comparison to others. Only individuals of radically diverse cultures and ideologies were placed in the vault, and it was planned to gather data on their interactions due to their differences. When the vault opened, the population made various distinct communities. The one that would eventually become the NCR used Vault 15's GECK to create the self-sufficient village of Shady Sands.
By 2161, the village got to grow its own crops and have a brahmin herd. At the time, they tried to stay isolated but Khan raiders and radscorpions kept attacking them. These issues were fixed by the Vault Dweller, and one hundred years later Shady Sands was no longer just a village. Its prosperity and trade outreach slowly made the community become the biggest settlement in New California. As their influence spread, they began to bounce the idea around of forming a nation.
Becoming A Nation
The idea of becoming a nation caught on, and wastelanders gathered in support. The NCR was then born in Shady Sands in 2186, led by Aradesh, who was the leader of Shady Sands. They started off with a trial council government and began to draft a constitution. Three years later, the Republic was made with the creation of five states around five large settlements. These settlements were the Shady Sands, Los Angeles, Hub, Dayglow, and Maxson.
The NCR is well in both expansion and development. They provided security from wasteland threats and offered good standards of living to their growing population. They hit 700,000 citizens in less than a century and managed to secure water and electricity from Hoover Dam. In 2196, Aradesh died and leadership over the nation was passed to his daughter, Tandi.
Under Tandi, the NCR has an infrastructure renaissance. They built forts, cleared roads, and began to trade outside the Republic. By 2241, the NCR became known as the largest political power in the wasteland. Tandi won every consecutive election until her death in 2248. Since the death of Tandi, the NCR has had many conflicts.
The Conflicts With The NCR
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With the death of Tandi, Vice-President Joanna Tibbett rose to office but was removed five years later by vote. She was replaced by Wendell Peterson, who committed to 17 years of warfare for expansion in the Mojave. This campaign was called the Pacification of the Mojave. In 2271, the NCR and Desert Rangers signed the Ranger Unification Treaty, which merged the two together.
Further expansion hit a wall when the NCR got further into the Mojave wasteland due to Mr. House and the Legion. The NCR managed to negotiate with Mr. House, and they created the Treaty of New Vegas. The treaty allowed the NCR to move into the region but leave the Strip alone. The treaty also dictated that five percent of Hoover Dam's energy go to the Strip. However, the citizens of the regions were not all happy with the treaty. The Followers of the Apocalypse openly opposed the NCR's expansionism, despite helping the Republic in the past. This made the NCR withdraw all support for the Followers.
The rising power of the NCR caught the attention of the Brotherhood of Steel and the two factions saw each other as enemies due to differing opinions on how technology should be handled. Between NCRs expansion and differing values, the Brotherhood battled against the rangers. The NCR managed to push the Brotherhood into a retreat in the Mojave. In 2274, the two had another battle which the NCR once again won.
The Legion began a brutal war with the NCR over control over the Mojave, constantly attacking their outposts and any settlements under their banner. They had the First Battle of Hoover Dam against the Legion and lost 103 soldiers but ultimately won and forced the Legion to retreat. Since then, the NCR campaign has been stuck between a rock and a hard place. The Mojave consumed the lives of soldiers while it failed to produce any tax revenue. Citizens grew increasingly impatient with lacking development and the NCR lost one thousand of their troops annually to their many enemies.
Their old enemy, the Khans, also still lived. The NCR made an unpopular move to attack the tribe at Bitter Springs but realized too late that it was the home of their families of women and children. Many innocents were gunned down by the NCR, and it got converted to a refugee camp. The massacre was kept as hidden as possible but was one example of many where the NCR and the citizens of the Mojave did not get along. Freeside especially did not like the NCR, as their troops often came to their town drunk and down on their luck from partying in New Vegas.
Fallout: New Vegas is available on PC, PS3, and Xbox 360.