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A political simulation set in 1953.
The Korean War draws to a close. Stalin is dead and the Soviet succession is unsettled. Every real hour is a game week. Navigate the first decade of the Cold War.
Newv1.0.0 · Explore the 1953 WorldDrag the globe · scroll to enter
The halls of power
Build your party, contest elections, and shape post-war domestic policy.
01
State metrics
Track demographics, unemployment, and the loyalty tests an early Cold War electorate applies to every incumbent.
Enter02
The ballot box
Run for House, Senate, Governor, or the state legislature. Primaries first, then the general.
Enter03
Legislative combat
Draft bills, whip votes, and trade amendments across a New Deal coalition at its height.
Enter04
Industrial empires
Found corporations and pay dividends from a post-war manufacturing boom that is only just getting started.
Enter05
Global markets
Trade commodities and currencies under Bretton Woods, where the peg is the whole argument.
Enter06
The newsroom
Follow every bill, crisis, and cabinet shuffle through the in-game wire and wiki.
Enter07
The world in 1953
A handful of nations in 1953. Four are open to players. The rest run their own economies and one-party machines. Drag the globe to explore.
Western Market Economies6 nations
United States· PlayableUnited Kingdom· PlayableWest Germany· EconomyJapan· EconomyItaly· EconomyFrance· Economy
Eastern Bloc3 nations
Soviet Union· PlayableChina· SoonEast Germany· Playable
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Central banks
Set the prime rate and manage a line of credit inside a fixed-exchange-rate system.
EnterThe world in 1953
The people in charge, and the crises running live right now. Swipe or use arrow keys to browse.
United States
011953
Dwight D. Eisenhower
President of the United States
“The middle of the road is all of the usable surface. The extremes, right and left, are in the gutters.”
United Kingdom
021953
Winston Churchill
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
“To jaw-jaw is always better than to war-war.”
Soviet Union
031953
Georgy Malenkov
Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR
“Nuclear war would mean the destruction of world civilization.”
Japan
07
Wartime Panic Buying
War fears have emptied shelves as households hoard food, fuel, and basic goods.
Germany
08
War Scare Protests
Peace marches fill public squares as fear grows that the current war will escalate further.
United Kingdom
09
War Scare Protests
Peace marches fill public squares as fear grows that the current war will escalate further.
United States
10
War Scare Protests
Peace marches fill public squares as fear grows that the current war will escalate further.
Regional Crisis
11
Industrial Accident
A major accident at an industrial site forces a shutdown and area evacuation. Production halts and a cleanup operation begins under regulatory scrutiny.
Ireland
12
War Scare Protests
Peace marches fill public squares as fear grows that the current war will escalate further.
Germany
13
Wartime Panic Buying
War fears have emptied shelves as households hoard food, fuel, and basic goods.
GR
14
Inflation Spike
Rapid price increases erode purchasing power. Wage-price spirals threaten, and central banks face pressure to act.
China
15
War Scare Protests
Peace marches fill public squares as fear grows that the current war will escalate further.
Regional Crisis
16
Bridge Collapse
A major bridge fails, severing a key transport link. Freight reroutes for miles, commutes seize up, and local businesses lose access to customers and suppliers.
United Kingdom
17
Wartime Panic Buying
War fears have emptied shelves as households hoard food, fuel, and basic goods.
Germany
18
Civil Defense Fever
Shelter plans, air-raid drills, and survival preparations have become a national obsession.
Japan
19
War Scare Protests
Peace marches fill public squares as fear grows that the current war will escalate further.
Ireland
20
Civil Defense Fever
Shelter plans, air-raid drills, and survival preparations have become a national obsession.
China
21
Wartime Bank Run
Depositors are crowding bank branches as fear of a wider war turns into a flight for cash.
United States
22
Wartime Panic Buying
War fears have emptied shelves as households hoard food, fuel, and basic goods.
United Kingdom
23
Civil Defense Fever
Shelter plans, air-raid drills, and survival preparations have become a national obsession.
Japan
24
Civil Defense Fever
Shelter plans, air-raid drills, and survival preparations have become a national obsession.
Regional Crisis
25
Bridge Collapse
A major bridge fails, severing a key transport link. Freight reroutes for miles, commutes seize up, and local businesses lose access to customers and suppliers.
RU
26
Refugee Crisis
A neighboring conflict triggers a mass displacement. Refugee flows strain border regions, social services buckle, and political tensions rise.
Ireland
27
Wartime Panic Buying
War fears have emptied shelves as households hoard food, fuel, and basic goods.
China
28
Civil Defense Fever
Shelter plans, air-raid drills, and survival preparations have become a national obsession.
Germany
29
Wartime Bank Run
Depositors are crowding bank branches as fear of a wider war turns into a flight for cash.
United Kingdom
30
Wartime Bank Run
Depositors are crowding bank branches as fear of a wider war turns into a flight for cash.
United States
31
Civil Defense Fever
Shelter plans, air-raid drills, and survival preparations have become a national obsession.
Japan
32
Wartime Bank Run
Depositors are crowding bank branches as fear of a wider war turns into a flight for cash.
Regional Crisis
33
Bridge Collapse
A major bridge fails, severing a key transport link. Freight reroutes for miles, commutes seize up, and local businesses lose access to customers and suppliers.
China
34
Wartime Panic Buying
War fears have emptied shelves as households hoard food, fuel, and basic goods.
Ireland
35
Wartime Bank Run
Depositors are crowding bank branches as fear of a wider war turns into a flight for cash.
United States
36
Wartime Bank Run
Depositors are crowding bank branches as fear of a wider war turns into a flight for cash.
Learn the game
Guides, a living wiki, and the in-character news wire: everything you need before your first campaign, no account required.
Player guides
Step-by-step guides to running for office, founding corporations, and trading bonds, forex, and commodities.
Browse the guidesGame wiki
The full reference: elections, legislation, parties, central banks, and every country in the simulation.
Open the wikiNews wire
Player-written headlines, campaign coverage, and policy editorials straight from the live world.
Read the wireFAQ & about
How the hourly game clock works, what it costs (nothing), and who builds A House Divided.
Get answersJoin the community
Meet other players, get help from the team, and help keep the simulation running. The game is free — Patreon support is optional but deeply appreciated.
Patreon
Support the project
Optional monthly support helps fund servers and development. Supporters unlock cosmetic perks, ad preferences, and a private channel on Discord.
- Profile borders and highlight colors
- Ad-free or player-ad-only browsing
- Access to #patreon-support on Discord
The post-war order is still being written.
Pick a country, pick a role. The simulation runs whether you're in it or not.
No account needed
These pages are open to read without signing in. The world map, the ledgers, and every guide work the same whether you have an account or not.