It was a daunting task, but I’d do it just to see the smug look on his face evaporate when I showed him up. “We started the term by going over the conditions that led to the Great Depression, and the political and social backdrop of the 20’s and 30’s,” I started off. “We spent a little time on prohibition, because it was stupid, and not enough time on the birth of organized crime. Who doesn’t like to talk about Al Capone? Right guys?” I looked around the room and got a few laughs and nods of encouragement. Before Miller could rip me a new one, I continued. “We discussed the New Deal and FDR coming to power, then transitioned into the start of World War 2.” As a history teacher, Miller was naturally a history buff, but in particular, he was a military history buff. It was one of those interests we sadly had in common. We’d spent nearly a month on those six years.
“We reviewed the German Stalemate, Hitler’s obsession with the occult, and his eventual assassination in 1953.” Learning about how Germany singlehandedly fought the allied nations to a standstill at its borders was fascinating.
Even with Eisenhower’s D-Day invasion, and the retaking of France, the allies had never been able to advance far into Germany without getting rebuffed. Tales of Ubermacht were prevalent in those days, but Allied commanders attributed it to crack SS and paratrooper regiments held in reserve until the last second. They’d only learn the truth half a century later.
The German Stalemate was the time between the armistice in 1945 and Hitler’s death in 1953. In that time, the Third Reich basically became a pariah state at the center of Europe. Allied armies remained on the continent; surrounding, and blockading Germany from receiving anything from armaments to the latest body soap. It was eight years of tension; not only between Germany and the world, but also the USSR and USA. The two superpowers – with vastly different political ideologies – were itching to extend their spheres of influence, but didn’t feel safe with Germany still in control of a powerful military force. While history scholars argued about the overall effect of the German Stalemate on the late 40’s and early 50’s, they all agreed it put off the coming Cold War for nearly a decade.
“After the Stalemate, we discussed the reintroduction of democracy into Germany, and the intricacies of Communism and Capitalism. We discussed the reconstruction of Europe, the skirmishing in Korea, the revolution in Greece, the leadup and eventual American involvement in Vietnam, and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan; as well as the breakup of the colonial empires over that thirty-year time period,” I checked the topics off with my fingers.
“Then we hit 1985 and the Revelation.” The entire class sat up a little straighter. Despite the historical significance of WW2, the death of fascism, the Cold War, Communism vs. Capitalism, and all the other crap that happened in the middle portion of the twentieth century; without a doubt, the most important issue of the last half-century was the Revelation.
December 2, 1985, a Monday, and a day that would change the world. All across the world there was a giant coming out of the closet. It had nothing to do with being gay, but everything to do with being different.
“Overnight we saw the world change,” I could feel the class hanging on my every word. “By December third, we knew all the myths and legends were true; at least to a degree,” I added the disclaimer to the statement because there was still a lot of ongoing discussion on that point thirty-five years later.
Magic existed; witches, wizards, warlocks, sorcerers, and medicine men were real; while a bunch of other Harry Potter-like motherfuckers had been manipulating the primal chaotic forces of nature for millennia. Creatures born of magic and humanity, revered as ancient gods, and etched in fantasy, stepped into the light to finally shared their stories. I wanted to say “creatures that go bump in the night”, but there were a fair number of those “creatures” sitting all around me, and I was already ankle deep in shit with Sally. There was no reason to have the whole class think I was a racist.
“After going over the Revelation in-depth, we spent the last few weeks reviewing the worldwide ramifications, changes in society, cultures, and laws; specifically, the Worldwide Registration Act (WRA).” I shook my head along with most of the class. If you agreed with the WRA you would for sure be labeled a racist. Although, the idea of race had drastically changed recently.
Most people considered the WRA a giant infringement on people’s individual rights. It was simple enough legislation. Across the world, no matter the nation, everyone was registered into pre-approved categories at birth. For instance, if you were a dragon hatchling, the box for dragon, and the indicated subspecies, was initialed on the birth certificate of your home nation. The hatchling and its parents went home with the certificate, but the information was digitally stored in a United Nation’s database. Since the program spanned the planet, the UN was given ownership, the responsibility, and the power that came with it.
The WRA also established an international standard for what was, and wasn’t, acceptable for the newly discovered supernatural species. Rules and regulations were laid out for everything from appropriate magic use to acceptable breeding space for large, endangered creatures on public land. To enforce those laws, and ensure everyone registered appropriately, an enforcement division was created. That division was not liked by many, and calls to defund it were constant.
People tried to hide or circumvent the WRA’s requirements. It didn’t matter if you were
