The Civic Republic of Philadelphia (CRP),^[1] commonly known as the Civic Republic (CR), or simply The Republic, is a sovereign directorial republic centered in a city-state in AMC's Television Universe, located in the fortified city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. With a population of 250,000 people,^[2] it is among the most secure locations on the planet, making it one of the few organizations having a certain amount of legitimacy to restore the United States of America.

The Republic was founded on September 10, 2010, by the Pennsylvania National Guard following the Second Civil War. The conflict was in response to the U.S. Military executing civilians and bombing major cities during Operation Cobalt in an effort to contain the Wildfire virus of the 2010 outbreak. The Pennsylvania National Guard defended Philadelphia and was victorious after U.S. Air Force Major Donald Okafor defected and bombed the military instead of the city. The survivors established the Civic Republic with the Founding Compact, and the Pennsylvania National Guard was reformed into the Civic Republic Military (CRM), led by Major General Johnathan Beale. While under martial law, the Civic Republic was governed separately by the Council.

Following the Republic's formation, they developed a coalition with the secured cities of Portland, Omaha, and Omaha's satellite community in Lincoln. Together, they created the Alliance of the Three, with the Civic Republic as their leader. In 2018, a study revealed that the allied cities would never become self-sufficient and eventually cause the Civic Republic to collapse due to straining their resources. The CRM subsequently genocided the entire populations of Omaha and Campus Colony in August 2020 using chlorine gas. This also ensured the military's power over the civilian population, avoiding the anticipated transfer of power. A group of rebels prevented the CRM from massacring Portland by destroying the chlorine gas supply and warned the city of the military's intentions.

In November 2022, the CRM attempted to destroy Portland once again. At that point, the CRM had been infiltrated by outside survivors Rick and Michonne Grimes. After learning their community could become a target to the CRM, they utilized the chlorine gas supply at the Cascadia Forward Operating Base to destroy the CRM Force Command and Frontliners during the CRM Leadership Summit. The CRM was defeated and Major General Beale was killed. The details of the CRM were revealed to the city, ending their control over Philadelphia. The Civic Republic introduced true democracy, freedom of movement, and providing support to communities across the continent. In 2023, they made an alliance with the Commonwealth, a secured city in Ohio.

Pre-Apocalypse[]

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania[]

Prior to the outbreak, this was the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Post-Apocalypse[]

Following the 2010 outbreak of the Wildfire virus and the collapse of society, Pennsylvania declared martial law and deployed the Pennsylvania National Guard to quell the riots and contain the virus. A large mobilization was made in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. The U.S. Military launched Operation Cobalt to protect the civilian population and reclaim the United States of America against the zombies. This involved securing key locations as Safe Zones, protecting civilians within, and executing survivors found outside. This led to the Second Civil War, fought by the Pennsylvania National Guard, led by Adjutant General Johnathan Beale, and the U.S. Military. The National Guard wanted to protect the civilian population, while the U.S. Military wanted to execute them and prevent more zombies from occurring. With their forces spread between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, Beale ordered his forces to abandon Pittsburgh. A massive herd overwhelmed the U.S. Military in Pittsburgh, while the Pennsylvania National Guard massed in Philadelphia.

After declaring the United States lost, the U.S. Military initiated their contingency plan - ordering all military personnel to humanely terminate the civilian population, evacuate to the nearest base, and bomb every major city in the country with napalm. The U.S. Air Force was tasked with the bombings, while the U.S. Marines were sent in to liquidate any survivors. After having already napalmed Los Angeles and Atlanta, U.S. Air Force Major Donald Okafor and his wife, U.S. Marine Estelle Okafor, could not destroy another city. After being ordered to bomb Philadelphia, Estelle requested that Donald instead bomb the Lincoln Financial Field, where her and four thousand other Marines were stationed to liquidate the survivors of the Philadelphia bombings. The National Guard successfully defended the city which, although heavily damaged, survived both the outbreak and the federal forces. Philadelphia was subsequently believed by the wider world to have been destroyed in Operation Cobalt.

After the city was secured, key military leaders and politicians founded the Civic Republic of Philadelphia. It was designed to be an authoritarian government that would gradually become a democracy during the following ten years. Operating outside the city was the reformed Pennsylvania National Guard, known as the Civic Republic Military, led by now Major General Beale. The military had emergency powers granted to ensure stability. It was drafted that by 2020, power would be transitioned back to the civilians of the Republic to become a traditional democratic government. The military's leaders seemingly intended to remain in power to ensure they remained in control, as opposed to "civilian oversight."^[3] It was agreed that full military autonomy was "imperative for the early survival of the CR, as well as its stabilization in the years to follow".

Shortly after formation, the Civic Republic came into contact with the communities of Omaha, Nebraska; including Omaha's satellite community of the Campus Colony in Lincoln, Nebraska; and Portland, Oregon. These communities formed the Alliance of the Three, providing each other with an abundance of resources to rebuild the old world, as well as to support and protect from outside threats. By 2011, the CR established the Civic Republic Research Facility in Ithaca, New York. It was dedicated to finding a cure and included an academy for the Alliance's most gifted students, called the New Beginnings Academy. Major General Beale and Lieutenant Colonel Elizabeth Kublek later founded Project Votus, a clandestine research project intended to study the effects of reanimation through death and how to prevent it, led by Dr. Lyla Belshaw.

By 2012, the CRM encountered a large group of survivors in Virginia and made a deal with their leader, Jadis Stokes. In exchange for providing the CRM with survivors found in the wasteland, Jadis and her people were given much-needed supplies. The grading system Jadis and the CRM used for survivors was designating them as an "A" or "B". "A's" were strong survivors or leaders that would be deemed too dangerous for the Civic Republic and therefore terminated via intentional infection and transported to the lab in New York where they would be studied. "B's" were ordinary, capable people that were ideal for Civic Republic and would be transported to the city after several years of servitude - typically in a culling facility to dispose of the zombies. In 2014, Jadis joined the Civic Republic after giving them Rick Grimes.

In 2018, the Civic Republic Military determined that Omaha and Portland would never become self-sufficient. Instead, they would become over-reliant on the Civic Republic and cause a collapse that would destroy the entire Alliance. The CRM decided to commit genocide against the other members of the Alliance. In 2020, they were successful in the destruction of Omaha and the Campus Colony using chlorine gas and a massive herd. Shortly before they were to destroy Portland, a group of rebels manage to destroy their supply of chlorine gas, preventing them from genociding Portland. A group of these rebels then travelled to Portland to warn them of the CRM's attempted genocide.

In 2022, Rick's wife, Michonne, managed to track him down using clues he managed to smuggle out of the city. She infiltrated the Civic Republic under the alias of Dana Bethune in order to help Rick escape. However, Jadis became aware of Michonne's presence and threatened to destroy their home in Alexandria and the other communities in the Coalition should they escape.

Unbeknownst to the city, the CRM was plotting once again to destroy Portland and use its elimination as an excuse to declare martial law over the Civic Republic itself, doing away with the Civic Republic Council. The CRM would then begin a campaign of eliminating all other survivors and communities that they came across and scavenging their resources to ensure that the Civic Republic alone survived.

After discovering the true extent of the CRM's atrocities, the Grimes' killed Major General Beale and destroyed the CRM Force Command and Frontliners corps at the Civic Republic Military Leadership Summit. The couple then revealed the truth to the Council who took emergency oversight of their wayward military and began to reform it for the better, ending Beale's tyrannical and genocidal plans and mobilizing to aid other survivors and communities in need of help. In addition, the Civic Republic opened free movement to and from the city, allowing people to come and go as they pleased for the first time and making contact with the Commonwealth in Ohio.

Government and Society[]

The government is composed by a directorial authoritarian republic.^[4] According to Elizabeth Kublek, it is partially led by a body of government officials, however the military holds the majority of power. Lyla Belshaw revealed that the Civic Republic's civilian government is not fully aware of what the military does outside their walls.

Early into the outbreak, a group of survivors who had established themselves as the council of the Civic Republic created a document known as the Civic Republic's Founding Compact, which served as a blueprint for the city's guide to survival throughout the next decade. Authors for the document stated that autocracy of the Civic Republic military was imperative for the survival of their civilization, and that if the compact's timeline were to be achieved, a transfer of power from the military to the civilian government would take place. Ten years later, the city has become increasingly less dependent on the military, with the civilian population advocating for the transfer of power to ensue. Despite this, the citizens of the CR seem to have a favorable attitude towards the military, as Major General Beale's leadership of the CRM continues to maintain high approval ratings.

The Civic Republic is most infamously known for keeping every piece of information, as well as their whereabouts, to themselves, not even revealing any details to the other cities they're aligned with. They tightly control what goes in and out of their borders, as referenced by Felix Carlucci that Leo was breaking "ten provisions of the Four Corners Agreement" by contacting his daughters via fax while in their headquarters. This, along with Leo aiding in the removal of one of the chlorine gas vials from Lyla's lab, were considered to be "capital crimes" by Jadis, with punishment being withheld in that instance due to the CRM's need of Leo's expertise. Residents of the CR are directed to not disclose information about where their main city is, and it is likely that divulging this would also be considered as a capital crime by the CRM. It's also mentioned by Elizabeth that the Civic Republic has a jail system similar to the Campus Colony for those who break basic laws. Also, according to Kublek, they have running water, medicine, energy, transportation, a council, a court system, schools, culture, agriculture, currency, manufacturing, and an economy. The city also has its own newspaper press, the Civic Republic Tribune, which details the ongoings of the city. They also have active radio shows that discuss current topics and issues going on within the CR, as seen in Elizabeth's apartment. According to Jadis, the Civic Republic is divided into eight different wards, with Ward 8 recently obtaining an access to Brazilian sugarcane. This could indicate that the Civic Republic may have international connections with other communities worldwide. The Civic Republic refines a substantial amount of fuel, seeing how many helicopters and vehicles they operate, which means they likely operate multiple refineries, as well as having a reliable source of crude oil. They also have a "Health & Welfare Complex" that officials send traumatized soldiers of the military to until they are deemed fit to serve again. Though, with Elizabeth being put under arrest and confined to the complex until her military tribunal, it can be seen that the complex is more of a tool for the higher ranked officials to contain personnel that have gone against the CRM's interests in some way.

The Civic Republic exercises some degree of authority over other uncontrolled lands in the contiguous former United States, making the CRM being present and conducing operations in at least the former contiguous 48 states. In "The Last Time", it is also revealed that the Civic Republic has some influence in not just North America, but the rest of the world too.

Following the death of Major General Beale and the exposure of the CRM's atrocities, the council was able to take emergency oversight of their military in a unanimous vote and also relaxed the strict rules keeping the city isolated.

Inhabitants[]

• Esteban Garcia (Manager of Water and Power of Ward 3)
• Verschuren (Professor)
• Marjorie (Librarian)
• Benjiro (Artist)
• Trabruzzi (Coffee Roastmaster)
• Mason Beale (Student)
• Ian (Student)
• Cleo Clifton (Consignee)
• Elizabeth Kublek (Prisoner/Former Lieutenant Colonel)
• Hannah
• Heath
• News Anchor
• Civic Republic Resident
• Sasheen Johnson (Ward Council Member)
• Jae X. Lee (Ward Council Member)
• Danielle Travis (Water Commissioner)
• Nick Orsini (Tribunal Writer)
• Anna Snedden (Tribunal Writer)
• Noah Trainor (Tribunal Writer)
• Sarah Hernson (Freedom Now Spokesperson)
• John Davis
• John Hughes
• Many unnamed Omaha researchers and students
• Many unnamed Portland researchers and students
• 250,000+ unnamed survivors

Civic Republic Military[]

• Carm Elsick (Lieutenant Colonel)
• Mullins (Major)
• Betts (Captain)
• Murrow (First Lieutenant)
• Diane Pierce (Corporal)
• Cohen (Commando)
• Robertson (Commando)
• Lowery (Commando)
• Armadi (Commando)
• Tucker (Soldier)
• Silas Plaskett (Soldier)
• Nolan (Soldier)
• Pearl Thorne (Command Sergeant Major)
• Johnathan Beale (Major General)
• Jadis Stokes (Warrant Officer)
• Donald Okafor (Lieutenant Colonel)
• Frank Newton (First Lieutenant)^[5]
• Mills (Sergeant)
• Beckett (Soldier)
• CRM Frontliner 2 (Soldier)
• CRM Frontliner 1 (Soldier)
• CRM Soldier (Soldier)
• CRM Soldier 3 (Soldier)
• CRM Soldier 2 (Soldier)
• CRM Soldier 1 (Soldier)
• 3,002 unnamed Frontliners
• At least 18,000 unnamed soldiers

Formerly[]

• Isabelle (Soldier/Pilot)
• Rick Grimes (Sergeant Major/Consignee)
• Michonne Grimes (Consignee)
• Dennis Graham (Supervisor of the Cull Facility 1/Master Sergeant)
• Jennifer Mallick (Staff Sergeant/Spy)
• Barca (Prisoner/Sergeant Major)

Deaths[]

• Many unnamed people

Appearances[]

Trivia[]

• The Civic Republic is the largest community in the whole TV Universe with a population of about 250,000 people.
  • It is also the largest community to date in The Walking Dead franchise.
• Seemingly nobody outside of the Civic Republic's residence appears to know the exact location of the city, not even those part of their alliance. However, in "In This Life", Huck mentions that a number of people have been attempting to track down their whereabouts.
• In "Quatervois", it's revealed that within the Civic Republic, there is a Millenium Park where a candidate's forum was held.
  • This location made its first on-screen appearance in The Ones Who Live.
• In "Blood and Lies", it is revealed that the Civic Republic's government is unaware of what their military does outside of their walls, indicating that it is not behind the CRM's inhumane and genocidal actions.
• Albeit unofficially, the Civic Republic is commonly dubbed as being the "last light of the world".
• The opening credits of The Ones Who Live reveal that the Civic Republic's full name is actually the Civic Republic of Philadelphia.
• According to Anne the Civic Republic has a 500-year plan to rebuild the world.^[6]
• Following the Civic Republic Military Leadership Summit, the symbol of the Civic Republic is now one solitary circle instead of three interlinking circles.
• Coincidentally, Philadelphia was the capital of the former United States until 1800. This means that the city served as the capital of two global powers on the same continent 210 years apart.
• It's unknown if the Civic Republic is aware of the existence of Power of the Living or the alleged restoration of France and vice versa.
  • It is likely, especially after the military's reform, given Beale's words to Rick about the CRM having spies in selected communities across the world.
• It is possible that the location of the Civic Republic is a reference to George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead, which is largely credited with being the first film to feature zombies as a virus. Night of the Living Dead takes place in rural western Pennsylvania, and most of its filming took place in Pennsylvania as well.

References[]