The Commonwealth Provisional Government (CPG) was a proposed post-War provisional government planned for the Commonwealth, mentioned in Fallout 4.
Background[]
The Massachusetts state and Boston municipal governments collapsed following the Great War in late 2077. Despite initial military efforts to preserve order, the region soon fell into lawlessness and vigilantism.[1][2]
Sometime prior to 2187,[3][4] while the Institute was still developing its first synths,[5] an effort began on the surface to establish a unified regional coalition, named the Commonwealth Provisional Government. The Institute had not yet cut off contact with the surface world at the time,[5] and they came out in open support of the nascent coalition, dedicating significant resources to facilitate its success.[6][7]
However, after four years, internal disagreement, political infighting, and mutual mistrust caused the effort to unravel in the eyes of the Institute.[5] Factions within the Institute started to call for a severing of relations with the failing CPG. Several of the Institute's divisions called for fully cutting off contact with the surface, but at least one advisor to the director of that time instead suggested they try to maintain order by sending units from the "Android program" to the surface en masse, rather than totally abandon the people of the surface.[7] This suggestion evidently did not pass, as the Institute would indeed seal off access to the surface and cut off contact after they developed the molecular relay teleportation device shortly after 2187.[3][4]
It is unclear when specifically the Institute shut itself away, but by 2229, they had been trying to stay out of the public spotlight for decades. Unbeknownst to the people of the surface, the Institute had spent those decades working to create more advanced organic synths. In May of that year, the people of the Commonwealth discovered for the first time that the Institute had managed to create synths that could pass for human.(Note 1) In the Broken Mask incident, a prototype Generation 3 synth sent on an unauthorized field test malfunctioned and killed several people in Diamond City,[8] revealing the extent of the Institute's synth technology and sparking fears about their influence ever since.[9][10]
The status of the CPG negotiations are unclear in the decades before 2229. Efforts evidently continued, as sometime after the Broken Mask incident,[11](Note 2) a new round of talks was organized with representatives from every settlement with "even a hint of clout" in attendance. By this point, based on its isolation, the Institute had long since declared the surface people beyond saving.[12] However, they still sent a delegate: a generation 3 synth. The opportunity for a unified Commonwealth ended when the synth envoy eliminated every representative in attendance. The Massacre of the CPG marked the collapse of all efforts to unify the Commonwealth,[11] and it would become another event stoking fears and hostilities against the Institute and its synth project.[13]
The Commonwealth Minutemen were apparently also involved in the efforts to create a provisional government prior to the loss of the Castle in 2240, but it is unclear when they were involved or to what extent.[Non-game 1]
Notes[]
- Clarifications
- ^ (Note 1) The people of the Commonwealth apparently already knew that the Institute had created the gen 1 and gen 2 synths before the Broken Mask incident.[9][10] Given context, this most likely would have happened while the Institute was working with the CPG, but this cannot be confirmed.
- ^ (Note 2) See the two references from Nick Valentine cited here.[10][11] Nick mentions that the Broken Mask incident happened "long before" he came to Diamond City, but that he came "not long after" the massacre of the CPG. This would suggest that the massacre happened after the Broken Mask incident.
- This also has to mean that the Institute collaboration mentioned by Shaun and the Director's recording #52 holotape has to have happened at a completely different, earlier stage than the talks mentioned by Nick Valentine. This is based on the references dating the Institute's seclusion from the surface as happening before the Broken Mask incident, plus the timeline of synth development.
- Trivia
- Nick Valentine and the Director's recording #52 holotape are the only two sources that specifically mention the Commonwealth Provisional Government. The Minutemen's involvement is only referred to in the Fallout 4 Vault Dweller's Survival Guide and only in the generic sense of a "provisional government," though this can feasibly be the CPG.
- No official sources have confirmed the location of the CPG talks, the identities of representatives, or the number of participating settlements. Nick Valentine states the turnout included every settlement that had any amount of "clout" in the region.[11]
Appearances[]
The Commonwealth Provisional Government is mentioned only in Fallout 4.
References[]
- ↑ Fallout 4 loading screens: "The Commonwealth lacks any sort of institutional justice system. Criminal wrongdoing is dealt with harshly, and usually ends when the perpetrator or victim lies dead."
- ↑ David's holotape
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Fallout 4 loading screens: "After developing the Molecular Relay, an advanced teleportation device, the Institute sealed off access to the surface and began their campaign of underground expansion."
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Fallout 4 loading screens: "The Advanced Systems division is responsible for developing the original Molecular Relay, nearly one hundred years ago."
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Fallout 4 loading screens: "Long ago, when the Institute created their first synths, they attempted to work peacefully with the people of the Commonwealth. Mutual mistrust ended that relationship quickly."
- ↑ Sole Survivor: "They need your help, Shaun. It's rough up there, to say the least."
Shaun: "Oh, we've tried that. Surprised? The Institute once tried to help create a stabilized Commonwealth government. It ended in bickering, infighting... it was a disaster. No, we look after our own now. Ultimately the Commonwealth has nothing to fear from us. Whatever you've seen or heard, I know I can convince you of that. Just... give me time. I know there's more for us to discuss, but..."
(Shaun's dialogue) - ↑ 7.0 7.1 Director's Recording #52
- ↑ Director's Recording #108
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 The Synthetic Truth and Fear the Future?
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 The Sole Survivor: "Broken Mask?"
Nick Valentine: "This was long before I'd moved to town, but apparently, some gentleman-type shows up in Diamond City, heads down to Power Noodles. Guess he didn't like the food because he pulled his pistol and opened fire on the folks enjoying theirs. When security finally put enough holes in him to drop him, they say he was full of servos and sprockets, just like yours truly. Seems he malfunctioned, went berserk. It was the first time people realized that Synths had stopped looking like me and started looking like them. Considering what these folks went through, I felt real lucky they let me in the front gate at all."
(Nick Valentine's companion dialogue) - ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 The Sole Survivor: "Massacre of the CPG? What's that?"
Nick Valentine: "The Commonwealth Provisional Government. Years back a group of settlements tried to get together and form a coalition. Every settlement with even a hint of clout sent representatives to try and hash out an agreement. Only the Institute sent a representative of their own, a Synth. The man killed every rep at the talks. The Commonwealth Provisional Government was over before it even got off the ground. I took up in town not long after. I was damn lucky they didn't just tell me to scram right then and there."
(Nick Valentine's companion dialogue) - ↑ Fallout 4 loading screens: "The Institute is convinced that the surface of the Commonwealth is doomed, and the true future of the human race lies underground."
- ↑ Nick Valentine: "Hey. Let me ask you something. It's just, with everything that's happened with you, your family. It's a whole hell of a lot to process. I wanted to make sure you're holding up alright."
Sole Survivor: "I don't know, Nick. My family's in tatters. I've been dropped into this place where everything's trying to kill me. You tell me."
Nick Valentine: "I'd expect you feel lost, scared, and mad as hell. I sure did. Took me a long damn time to get a feel for this place. Thank goodness I found Diamond City. It's got its flaws, sure, but it beats the hell out of anywhere else in the Commonwealth. Course, when I took up there back when, people were just as scared of the Institute as they are now, maybe more. The massacre of the CPG was still pretty fresh in people's minds at that point, and folks were still losing sleep over the Broken Mask. Plenty of people assumed I was just a saboteur, moving in to melt down the reactor or poison the drinking water. But, at the time, they couldn't exactly turn me away."
(Nick Valentine's dialogue)
Non-game
- ↑ Fallout 4 Vault Dweller's Survival Guide Collector's Edition p.517: "[18.08] THE CASTLE
In recent times, it served as the base of operations for the Minutemen as they attempted (and failed) to establish a Provisional government. In 2240, the Castle was partly destroyed by gigantic Mirelurk, and most of the Minutemen leadership died."
(Fallout 4 Vault Dweller's Survival Guide Map)