Out of the 13 districts in The Hunger Games, District 2 was arguably the most loyal to the Capitol. It was located quite close to the latter, in the eastern part of the Rocky Mountains. It was dotted with several small villages, each of which was based around a mine or quarry. Most of the workforce comprised either masonry workers or coal miners. According to the first film’s official tie-in media, District 2’s seal comprised a block of stone, surrounded by a hammer, chisel, lightning bolts and the ever-watchful eye of the Peacekeepers.
Having enjoyed more luxuries than other districts, District 2 was the last one to join the Second Rebellion, only after a clash in the last installment of The Hunger Games (unofficially referred to as the Battle of District 2).
Why Was District 2 Loyal to the Capitol?
After the supposed downfall of District 13 towards the end of the Dark Days, District 2 served as the main hub of the Capitol’s military power. While other districts were under the impression that it continued to specialize in mining and stone-cutting, it was also tasked with the production of weaponry. A military compound was established inside a virtually impenetrable mountain (formerly a mine), nicknamed the Nut, which was right in the center of the district. In addition, Peacekeepers (the Capitol’s gendarmerie) were recruited and trained in District 2. Over time, the district also became the Capitol’s main source of Peacekeepers.
Due to District 2’s loyalty during the war, it was rewarded with better living conditions, as compared to most of the other districts. Hence, it developed quite a positive relationship with the Capitol. Some of the citizens would even give their children names from ancient Rome (like ‘Brutus’), which were also common in the Capitol (such as ’Seneca Crane’).
However, this preferential treatment did not exempt the district from the Hunger Games. It actually considered it an honor to fight, and viewed the Games simply as an opportunity to achieve fame and glory. In fact, the tributes would often volunteer if their names were not drawn during the reaping. Although it was technically illegal to prepare children for the Games before the tributes arrived at the training center, District 2 faced no consequences for doing so (which is why it was also known as one of the ‘Career districts’). Being more “ruthless” and “Capitol-friendly”, the tributes were also popular choices among the sponsors. As Katniss Everdeen described the District 2 tributes she competed with:
Cato. Clove. Brutus. Enobaria. I’ve seen their eagerness. I’ve seen their bloodlust, too.
By the time of the third Quarter Quell, District 2 (along with Districts 1 and 4) had the largest pool of victors.
Who Won the Battle of District 2?
After the 74th Hunger Games, Districts 1, 2, 5, 9 and 10 did not participate in the uprisings against the Capitol. By the time war broke out, the rebels in District 2 managed to capture the outer villages, while the Nut remained under loyalist control. When Katniss arrived, along with other soldiers from District 13, a meeting was held with Commander Lyme, a former victor, to discuss various strategies for overtaking the Nut. The latter explained how previous attempts had failed, and any effort by Katniss may not sway the loyalists either:
This isn't like the rest of Panem. Support for the Capitol runs deep here.
Eventually, Gale Hawthorne proposed an idea: instead of gaining control of the Nut, they could try disabling it. Bombs could be placed in avalanche paths, which would bury the entrances of the Nut, along with its inhabitants. After some opposition to the fact that all workers would be killed in the attack, it was finally decided that a train tunnel would be left open to give the survivors a fair chance to surrender.
The plan succeeded: the Nut collapsed after the bombing, forcing the survivors to make their way out through the tunnel to the city square (where the rebels were waiting to take them captive). When Katniss was about to give a speech on the steps of the Justice Building, two trains arrived, filled with armed loyalists. She rushed to help a wounded passenger, but he immediately pulled a gun on her. She asked the others to hold their fire, and told the man, “We’ve got every reason to kill each other. So do it. Make the Capitol happy. I’m done killing their slaves for them.” As Haymitch Abernathy urged her through an earpiece, she went on to state how necessary it was for all the districts to remember who the real enemy was, and unite against the Capitol.
However, her monologue ended abruptly when someone from the crowd shot her. While she was taken back to District 13 to recover from her injuries, the loyalists surrendered, and District 2 finally allied with the rebels. The destruction of the enemy’s air force in the Nut was a turning point for the rebels, who then prepared for their final attack on the Capitol.
The Hunger Games
In a Dystopian future, food has become the world's most valuable resource, and children must fight to the death in a televised event in order to win resources for their home districts. When Katniss Everdeen volunteers to take her sister's place, she sets in motion an uprising to change the world. Based on the hit YA novels by author Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games quickly became a phenomenon with four star-studded movies based on the original series and a prequel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, released in 2023. The series has featured performances by Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence, Donald Sutherland, Woody Harrelson, Peter Dinklage, and Rachel Zegler.
