4. Finishing a Term
Now that the CCA was showing signs of success, President Romulus Peace was able to focus on more items that a President must consider, especially foreign relations.
A World War
The United States was involved in World War III against the People's Republic of China, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and Cuba. When the Peace War arrived on American soil, the US was too pre-occupied with this war. The whole war started when China attacked Japanese soldiers of the coast of an island that has been a sovereignty dispute between China and Japan since the existence of both lands back near medieval times. The US had a pact formed with Japan after World War II to protect them in the case of military conflict, as the island nation was forbidden from forming a large military after that war that caused a lot of harm. Since the US joined in, as a democratic nation, all of the Cold War disputes between democracy and communism came to head, causing alliances to back up both sides. There were the Allies: United States, United Kingdom, France, Brazil, and Germany. The other side, which was China, Korea, and Cuba, was called the Asian Front.
When the Peace War dissolved the US government, putting the government into the Capitol's hands, the war was stalled on the Allied front. All of the US troops were locked down after the coup d'état, in the possibility of having the order restored. Once the military signed the oath to Panem, the troops were dispersed. Peace felt that abandoning the war would mean a broken promise to Japan, even though the Capitol wasn't to be held responsible. He felt that this was necessary to prove his trustworthiness as a leader. Plus, he had a fear of being fully attacked financially if they pulled out, like the Soviet Union was when it pulled out of World War I, forced to give land and money to Germany.
But, Panem's presence was short lived. The soldiers were worn out from lockdown, and they had no official orders coming from the Capitol because of the focus on domestic issues. The final straw was when on June 29th, 2055, China sent a nuclear airstrike to hit the closest cities to the Great Lakes within Panem's borders. Cuba followed by attacking the whole eastern seaboard of the state of California. These attacks led to a major rise of sea level and lake level, as well as the radiation harshly affecting the weather conditions in areas that survived the blasts.
Peace issued a formal surrender at the United Nations Security Council briefing on the war, and China graciously accepted. All troops were returned home to help with the aid effort for survivors in the areas of the blast. This is still the most devastating nuclear attack to happen in human history, bypassing that of the WWII Hiroshima and Nagasaki attacks.
The weather this lead to as well as the damage is what ends up being used as a guide to a history of Panem, or at least under President Snow's propaganda filled regime it was.
Foreign Policy
The nuclear attacks from China and Cuba forced President Peace's final hand to enact a policy of isolation from foreign matters. Even though Panem stayed in the United Nations, it was more to observe and watch the world to protect the sovereignty of Panem. They barely debated on matters, barely supported resolutions, and almost abstained from every vote except for procedural matters.
Still, Peace was aware that trade was a necessity, as the climate of Panem, especially after the attacks, was unable to sustain certain crops for either food, medicine, or other items that were necessary or useful. Plus, Peace was a major chocolate fan, and cocoa beans haven't grown in North America. So, he continued trade with trustworthy nations, such as Colombia, Mexico, and India. Luckily, the US already cut trade with China in WWIII, so he just didn't reinstate it.
Corporations and the Economy
Probably the next biggest thing in Peace's presidency was when he dealt with all the corporations. He understood the need of private companies from the government, but he felt that their economic rights were too lenient and susceptible for corruption to form, as well as divide the financial classes, which is one of the reasons he rebelled in the first place. So, in 2056, he went to every company, enforcing new laws he called the "Corporation Financial Acts of 2056". Peace created a new department in the Council to help him monitor this, the Department of Private Sector Actions. These acts started with giving a company the ability to leave the nation, or stay and be reformed. Companies that stayed were Fox, CNN, Apple, etc. Microsoft and all foreign companies left Panem. If a company stayed, their whole executive staff was fired and replaced with qualified workers who were normally underpaid by their employers. Peace enforced a new minimum wage of $35 an hour, no lower or the company would risk being closed down for good by the Capitol. They had to submit to the Capitol's, the states', and the local authorities, and no one, no matter how much money they had, were above the law. The Capitol enforced these laws strictly, until President Paylor repealed the acts.
The economy was actually not struggling after the end of the Peace War because all of the major taxes were repealed by the Senate as soon as the senators made it to office. Peace didn't go to banks for funding of the rebellion. All of the money came from the state of Colorado. Due to the Captiol's enforcements on private companies, no banks were allowed to exist without merging with the Department of the Treasury, forced to work along the President and his advisors. All existing debts were forgiven and eliminated, including all federal student loans, which were governmental given, not bank given. The colleges were forced to forgive the tuition costs, as well as lower them to the Capitol's regulations. Public education would have a maximum cost of $1000 a year without room and board included and private education would be $2500 a year without room and board included. Room and board would vary from $250-$400 a year.
The National Network
One of the most apparent contributions that President Peace made to Panem was the national network online. The firewall he created when he was young was incorporated into the entire Panem Online Server, the internet available to all citizens with an internet capable device. It was free, provided by the government, protected by the only unpassable firewall in the world. This was the President's way of protecting from foreign cyber-terrorism. In order to prevent domestic issues, people needed to download virus protection software and firewalls sold for separate computers as the whole nation of Panem was, and still is, under the server. This explains why District 13 was able to release propaganda on the airwaves during the Mockingjay Rebellion. The only way to remove an area from the protection was with the code key that only President Peace knew. No one to this day knows, and the Capitol technicians have been working non-stop since Peace died to change the system, but are unsuccessful. Peace felt that keeping the nation together on the server would promote unity and allow freedom of speech to soar.
National Life
Life under the fledgling Panem was better than life prior to the Peace War, thanks to the President. There were a lot of freedoms, but there were some laws prohibiting certain acts. Fraud was/is a capital offense, as was murder, kidnapping, rape or anything of forced sexual affiliation, etc. Surprisingly enough, crime rates went down after the Capitol was officiated as a government. Peace tended to tour the nation when he wasn't doing large amounts of work. He visited cities, small towns, and even villages so small that you could pass it in the blink of an eye. He and his wife loved the crowd of citizens everywhere they went. He promoted petitioning for certain laws and bills, which led to some of the existing laws of environmental protection and the nation's whole elimination of fossil fuel usage, except for coal, which was deemed necessary in certain areas. The people loved the President and all he has done.
Abdication
In 2059, Peace felt it was time to move on from leading Panem, to allow its prosperous growth to continue into an era brought on by a line of successors. He decided on one last act before abdicating, choosing a true national anthem. The song used was John Phillip Sousa's "Stars and Stripes Forever" and the words spoke of Panem's Horn of Plenty, which would lead to a new patriotic song in the future. After legalizing the anthem, Peace abdicated on June 26th, 2059. He chose his successor to be senator Wilson Clay of the state of North Dakota. Peace was given a special position in Clay's Council, inventing a new position, Head Advisor of Political Matters, the overall head of the Advising Council next to the President. Peace would die in 2075 in a Capitol hospital from sickness and depression, the latter coming from the Dark Days and President-at-the-time's invention of the Hunger Games.
Now that Wilson Clay was promoted from senator to President, he had some plans that would stick with Panem in for the long time. He would also get placed in debate over the most controversial topic of his entire term, the Thirteen District Act.