Golden Horde

The term “Golden Horde” was popularized by American author and survivalist James Wesley, Rawles. “Population Density and The Golden Horde” was the first chapter in his book, Rawles on Retreats and Relocation Book (2007). Rawles explained “The Golden Horde and the Thin Veneer” on his SurvivalBlog in August 2008:
 
“As the comfort level in the cities rapidly drops to nil, there will be a massive involuntary outpouring from the big cities and suburbs into the hinterboonies. This is the phenomenon that my late father, Donald Robert Rawles–a career particle physics research administrator at Lawrence Livermore Laboratories–half-jokingly called ‘The Golden Horde.’ He was of course referring to the Mongol Horde of the 13th Century, but in a modern context. (The Mongol rulers were chosen from the ‘Golden Family’ of Temujin. Hence the term ‘The Golden Horde.’ ) I can remember as a child, my father pointing to the hills at the west end of the Livermore Valley, where we then lived. He opined:’“If The Bomb ever drops, we’ll see a Golden Horde come swarming over those hills [from Oakland and beyond] of the like that the world has never seen. And they’ll be very unpleasant, believe you me!’”
 
Not all survivalists believe that a “golden horde” of people will come from the cities into the countryside during an economic collapse. OntheSurvivalistBlog in 2013, an author stated that the reverse might be true—that people will leave the country and head to the city.
 
 
Wikipedia: Survivalism
Survivalist terminology
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. Golden horde: The anticipated large mixed horde of refugees and looters that will pour out of the metropolitan regions WTSHTF. Coined (in the survivalist context) by James Wesley Rawles.
       
SurvivalBlog.com
A Glossary of Survival and Preparedness Acronyms/Terms
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Golden Horde: In historical contexts, the Mongol Horde of the 13th Century, but in the context of SurvivalBlog, the anticipated large mixed horde of refugees and looters that will pour out of the metropolitan regions WTSHTF. See also: WTSHTF.
   
The Clearwater Press
Rawles on Retreats and Relocation Book
by James Wesley, Rawles
Description: SurvivalBlog’s editor James Wesley, Rawles gives his detailed recommendations on where to select a retreat property, and how to stock it for TEOTWAWKI.
Synopsis:
This well-researched 226 page book includes the following:
Introduction Chapter 1: Population Density and The Golden Horde
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Product Details:
· Paperback: 226 pages
· Binding: Wire-O
· Publisher: The Clearwater Press (January 2007)
· Product Number: 030-112255104
   
VICE
It’s The End Of The World As We Know It
April 1, 2007
by Ben White
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GOLDEN HORDE: Refers to the Mongol horde of the 13th century. To survivalists, this is the horde of refugees and looters that will pour out of every city in the world.
 
SurvivalBlog.com
August 12, 2008
The Golden Horde and the Thin Veneer
Because of the urbanization of the U.S. population, if the entire eastern or western power grid goes down for more than a week, the cities will rapidly become unlivable. I foresee that there will be an almost unstoppable chain of events: Power -> water -> food distribution -> law and order -> arson fires -> full scale looting
As the comfort level in the cities rapidly drops to nil, there will be a massive involuntary outpouring from the big cities and suburbs into the hinterboonies. This is the phenomenon that my late father, Donald Robert Rawles–a career particle physics research administrator at Lawrence Livermore Laboratories–half-jokingly called “The Golden Horde.” He was of course referring to the Mongol Horde of the 13th Century, but in a modern context. (The Mongol rulers were chosen from the ‘Golden Family’ of Temujin. Hence the term “The Golden Horde.”) I can remember as a child, my father pointing to the hills at the west end of the Livermore Valley, where we then lived. He opined: “If The Bomb ever drops, we’ll see a Golden Horde come swarming over those hills [from Oakland and beyond] of the like that the world has never seen. And they’ll be very unpleasant, believe you me!”
   
Staying Alive
THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2008
THE MYTH OF SUBURBAN SURVIVAL
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Sounds like the suburban guy is wanting to create the country in the city! Well, all those Golden Horde folks will stop by and take your stuff before they move on out. After they have raped your wife and you daughters and maybe even you son and then killed them all, including you. Won’t you be an heroic figure then!
 
Urban Dictionary
Golden Horde
Survivalist term for the mass of unprepared citizens who will descend on the countryside like a blinged out swarm of locusts when the SHTF.
“By the time I got off from work & could hit the road myself, the Golden Horde had already stripped every Stop-N-Rob between here and Memphis!”
by Cybrludite September 08, 2008
 
Google Books
How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It:
Tactics, Techniques, and Technologies for Uncertain Times
By James Wesley, Rawles
New York, NY: Plume
2009
Pg. ?:
The Golden Horde
Because of the urbanization of the U.S. population, if the entire system or western power grid goes down for more than a week, the cities will rapidly become unlivable.
(...)
As the comfort level in the cities rapidly drops to nil, there will be a massive outpouring from the big cities and suburbs into the hinterboonies. This is the phenomenon that my late father, Donald Rawles—a career physic research administrator at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, in California—half-jokingly called “the Golden Horde.” He was of course referring to the Mongol horde of the thirteenth century, but in a modern context. (The Mongol rulers were chosen from the “Golden Family” of Temujin: Hence the term Golden Horde.)
 
theSurvivalistBlog
Warning: Do You Recognize these Five Common Piles of Prepper BS
December 9, 2013 By M.D. Creekmore
The golden horde
The golden horde theory has been portrayed for years by survival authors, bloggers and fiction writers, but will the golden horde of hopeless refugees swarm like hundreds of thousands of locust from the cities to the countryside after an economic collapse?
 
No they won’t, not after an economic collapse anyways, in fact, I look for the opposite to happen, with hordes of people packing it up and leaving rural areas for the cities to look for work (when things settle down and after the initial riots that will occur in some areas). Recent examples of this happening after an economic collapse; include present day Greece, Argentina 1998–2002, the former USSR in the 1990s, New Zealand in the 1980’s and the U.S. Great Depression of the 1930’s.
   
The Prepper Journal
Is it Crazy to Worry About the Golden Horde?
By Pat Henry on August 28, 2014 @prepperjournal
For years, I have listened to people in prepping circles talk about “The Golden Horde”. What is that you ask? Well, the golden horde is a concept that as far as I can tell was introduced by James Wesley Rawles. I like Mr. Rawles – have several of his books in my prepper library and I have been going to his website for years. Mr. Rawles is the writer of several prepper fiction novels (Patriots, Survivors), and probably the first survival book I ever read How to Survive the End of the World As We Know it. He is also the owner of the popular survivalblog.com website. Mr. Rawles’ golden horde concept roughly says that if we have a TEOTWAKI type of event, the major population centers will soon see a mass exodus of people out of the cities and into the surrounding countryside because the cities will be unlivable. The thinking will be to head to the countryside where there is more room, less violence, more food and a safer existence than in the cities.