The Gileadean Civil Wars

The Gileadean Civil Wars are the series of armed conflicts that define the military and political landscape of the Republic of Gilead. They are fought between the regime's forces—the Angels of the Apocalypse and the Angels of Light—and a shifting array of rebel groups, including Baptists, Quakers, and other sectarian and political opponents. The wars are the constant, often invisible backdrop to Offred's daily life, shaping the regime's propaganda, justifying its repressions, and providing the only source of news and hope for resistance.

Nature and Scope of the Conflict

The wars are not a single, linear front but a dispersed, multi-sided struggle. Offred observes that "the war seems to be going on in many places at once," with battles in the Appalachian Highlands and other regions. The regime's television news, which Offred is allowed to watch during the Ceremony, shows only victories: helicopters bombing a pocket of Baptist guerillas, and a captured prisoner accepting a cigarette. The news is carefully curated, and Offred suspects it may be faked or old clips, but she watches it anyway, "hoping to be able to read beneath it." The wars also interfere with the supply of goods; oranges from California and Florida are unreliable due to roadblocks and blown-up train tracks, and the sea fisheries are defunct, with the coastal areas being "rested."

Impact on the Regime and Society

The wars are used by the regime to justify its most extreme policies. The "Resettlement of the Children of Ham" is described as continuing on schedule, with thousands being transported to National Homeland One in North Dakota, though no pictures are shown. The regime also uses the wars to explain rationing and to demand sacrifice. Aunt Lydia tells the Handmaids, "There's a war on, things are rationed. You are spoiled girls." The wars also provide a source of fear and control; the Angels at the front lines are the recipients of the Wives' knitted scarves, and the regime's victories are celebrated at Prayvaganzas.

The Wars as a Source of Hope and Resistance

For Offred and the other Handmaids, the wars are a source of both fear and hope. The existence of a resistance—the Mayday underground—is something Offred believes in, because "where do all the criminals come from, on the television?" The wars also provide a context for the regime's brutality, such as the Salvagings and the Particicution, where a man convicted of rape is torn apart by the Handmaids. The wars are a constant, shaping the lives of everyone in Gilead, from the Commanders to the Handmaids to the Econowives, and they are the ultimate justification for the regime's existence.

The Wars in Historical Perspective

The Historical Notes, delivered by Professor Pieixoto at the Twelfth Symposium on Gileadean Studies, provide a retrospective analysis of the wars. Pieixoto notes that the Gileadean Civil Wars were a key factor in redrawing the map of the world, and that the regime's policies, such as the National Homelands and the Jewish boat-person plans, were part of a broader strategy of "urban core encirclement." The wars are also linked to the regime's internal purges, such as the Great Purge, which discredited and liquidated many of the original architects of Gilead. The wars, in the end, are a defining feature of the Gilead period, and their legacy continues to be studied by historians.