As we enter 2017 and America recovers from the recent 2016 Presidential Election a certain word is on the lips of many Americans: Secession.
With California, Texas and Florida having legitimate political thoughts on leaving the United States of America a question is popping up on everyone's mind. Could these States function as Sovereign Nations? Could my State? How would they do so?
In this 50 part series we explore each State in terms of it that State could survive as a Nation by looking at how that State currently fairs and could hypothetically fair in the terms of three categories:
Economics-This looks at how much money that State is making compared to how much it spends, what it exports and imports and how it would impact the world on an Economic scale.
Political-The Political standpoint of the State is taken into account to try to grasp an understanding on how that State would be governed as an independent Nation. The method of Government can have massive impact on the Economy and foreign affairs so it is essential to consider.
Sociocultural-What would the society and culture of this Nation look like based off of the State it is formed from? The Social and Cultural ideologies of a Nation ultimately can decide not only the role it will play to the World, but also how long it will last.
Colorado is a State of absolute majesty, with it being known for its amazing geography and being the heart of the Continental Divide that splits America. The question still stands though. Could the Centennial State survive on her own?
Colorado as a State
It is easy to see Colorado as the middle point of America from many perspectives. It became a State in 1876, 100 years after the United States creation. It is the home of highest peaks of the Rocky Mountains and the Continental Divide. In a way this makes it the literal point of division for America. This can easily be seen through how the Western half of the State is composed heavily of mountains and deserts like the rest of the West, while the Eastern half is made of plains and forest, like the East. Colorado has the 22nd largest population of all of the States and the 18th highest GDP. From a political standpoint Colorado is also relatively balanced compared to other States, with the Democratic and Republican parties having very close numbers. Colorado actually has a history of successive thoughts. There have been several attempts by Colorado's rural Northern counties to leave Colorado and form their own State that is unofficially referred to as North Colorado.
Economics
Colorado has a relatively diverse and stable economy. Ever since it's founding it has been an epicenter of the Western mining craze with silver and gold being the primary mining products. The agricultural sector is also alive and well in Colorado with cattle and dairy being popular on ranches. The most popular crops are hay, corn and wheat. Colorado has also become very well known for its involvement in the Marijuana/Hemp industry. It has been setting an example for the rest of America through its legalization of both medical and recreational uses of marijuana, which has quickly grown into a billion dollar industry. Whether it can morally be agreed upon or not on this step, it can not be denied that this controversial step has reaped large benefits. From an industrial standpoint Colorado is still not lacking with chemical and machinery production being at the forefront. With the majestic Rocky Mountains forming the back of Colorado and several National Parks, the tourism sector is also very strong. The capital city of Denver acts as the largest financial center in Colorado, and it functions as the main distributing and technology center for the Rocky Mountains.
Political
An independent Colorado would still function similarly to the United States with it quickly adopting a Republic style of Government. Unlike much of America, Colorado has remained surprisingly consistent as far as the two party system is concerned with an estimated 1/3 of its voters identifying as Conservative, 1/3 identifying as Liberal and 1/3 identifying as non-affiliative of either or choosing other ideologies. With such a balanced split it is easy to assume that there would still be two large political parties in Colorado meant to represent the Conservative and Liberal agendas. There would be greater influence now though from other parties that would have been originally neglected. This could lead to parties having to work together and form alliances on issues, much like how many European nations function. Most issues that Colorado would face would be focused on clashes between its rural and urban populations. Colorado is an extremely rural area with the massive Denver metro at its heart. There would be immediate conflict in an independent Colorado as it tried to find fair and balanced ways to organize the rural and urban areas. As Colorado sits at the heart of the Rocky Mountains and is economically diverse it would continue to function as the major trading partner for the region. Colorado also has many military installations and has become well known for them. Through this infrastructure it could act not only as a economic power, but also as a militant one.
Sociocultural
The clashing between the urban and rural populations of Colorado would not stop at the government level. Colorado would likely suffer from social strife due to its contrasting people. The rural counties of Colorado would mostly be populated by lower and middle class workers, most of them either working in the agricultural or mining sectors. These areas would most likely tend to lean Conservative and uphold small town values that would be viewed down upon by the wealthy classes of the major cities. This would be similar to how much of the Southern United States is oriented. An example could be comparing Atlanta, the massive financial epicenter of the South, to the rest of rural Georgia. Colorado would likely be able to settle these differences and function despite the social splits between the cities and countryside. It would not be unlikely though for these fissures to cause two nations to emerge from Colorado's independence. In 2013, several Northern counties of Colorado attempted secession due to feeling that they were providing more for the State than it could give to them and due to cultural differences with the Liberal political establishment at the time. This "North Colorado" would further complicate the issues between the rural and urban areas.
Could Colorado be a Country?
As it is relatively self-sufficient, has the basis for a potentially strong Government and functions as both an economic and military center for the Rocky Mountains it is easy to see Colorado surviving as a Nation. It would likely not survive as the Colorado we see today though. If tensions between the Urban and rural classes did become so severe that secession was attempted Colorado could be split into two autonomous countries. The ramifications of this are hard to forecast. The two Colorado's could function as allies.The original Colorado could retaliate to the secession through military force, thus causing a civil war that could spread beyond Colorado's borders. Vice versa could even happen with Colorado denying the counties to become independant and those counties violently revolting. While we can not determine which of or if any of these scenarios would take place, we can still safely assume that even on its own Colorado would always be there as the Centennial of the Rocky Mountains.
