The Hunger Games Wiki
Register
Advertisement

The term "rebels" refers to individuals who challenge the authority of the Capitol, either by verbal dissent or armed insurrection. This term is used frequently throughout the trilogy by various individuals, including President Snow, Capitol officials, and the rebels themselves. The rebel army was composed of militia fighters from District 1-12 as well as the better-trained and equipped Armed Forces of District 13.

Hunger Games Rebels

A crowd of rebel soldiers assembled outside the Capitol just before the invasion of the city.

While there are underground rebel networks in Districts 1-12 in addition to the Capitol, the rebel war effort is headquartered in District 13, which served as the launching pad of the First Rebellion and in some ways, the Second Rebellion. During both wars, District 13 was responsible for supplying weapons, communications, and military support to rebel forces in the other twelve districts and played an instrumental role in both uprisings. Following the victorious Second Rebellion, the rebels eventually take power and form a constitutional republic under the leadership of Commander Paylor and Plutarch Heavensbee.

MockingjayFirefight

Rebel soldiers engage in a firefight with Peacekeepers in the Capitol during the Second Rebellion.

Weapons[]

The rebels are shown to be armed with different types of weapons including explosives and firearms. In the film series, most of their firearms come from the era of the Second World War, with models such as the M1 Carbine and MG 42 in use. The books never describe in detail what exact weapons they use, although they are mentioned to have used machine guns and other weapons available in the current era of the 21st Century. In the absence of advanced weapons (firearms and ammunition), the rebels are shown to be using bricks and other melee weapons when combating Peacekeepers.

In the film, District 13 soldiers are shown to be armed with the Heckler and Koch G36 rifle as their standard issue rifle.

Having secured its own political independence after the First Rebellion, District 13 had a military arsenal of its own consisting of firearms, ammunition, hovercrafts, bombs, and nuclear arms. During the 75 years between wars, it continued building upon its armed forces and manufacturing new types of weaponry.

Most notable throughout the film series is the lack of American weaponry in rebel hands. Common American models such as the AR-15/M-16 series are surprisingly absent, even though such firearms are extremely common throughout Canada, the United States, and Mexico in the hands of military, law enforcement, and private citizens.

The Prelude to the 1st Civil War[]

The exact cause of the First Rebellion is unknown, although it can be assumed that it was the result of years, if not decades of living under brutal oppression at the hands of the Capitol. For most of Panem's known history, the ruling government was a totalitarian dictatorship, a police state which subjected all thirteen districts to a centrally planned economy and a system which severely curtailed civil liberties. The lack of freedom, coupled with the brutal oppression and abject poverty citizens endured, was a major instigator of the First Rebellion.

District 13 is mentioned to have started the rebellion. Being the headquarters of Panem's Military Industrial Complex, and possessing nuclear weapons, this made the district a considerable threat to the Capitol's power, and was presumably the first to have rebelled and wrestled control from the Capitol.

The First Rebellion[]

The First Rebellion lasted three years. Most of the details of the war are not available, although it is mentioned that the rebels, with support from District 13 and its military arsenal, were able to fight on par with the Capitol's forces for a period of time and pose a significant threat to the Capitol's power. They were able to overtake the bomb alarm system in District 5, which allowed them to send false alarms to the Capitol, allowing them to deal more damage during air raids.

Much of the war was fought on the ground and in the air, marked by indiscriminate surface-based and aerial artillery bombardments, as well as a confused mixture of asymmetrical and conventional ground warfare that resulted in widespread destruction of infrastructure and loss of life throughout the country. In the final two years of the war, the rebels decidedly had the upper hand, having successfully cut off the Capitol from outside support. This led to famine in the Capitol as well as abject poverty, with citizens lacking access to basic goods such as food, heating, and medicine.

Dark Days[]

At some point, the rebels attempted to end the siege by invading the Capitol through scaling the Rocky Mountains which surrounded the city, serving as a natural barrier and a source of protection. This made the invading force an easy target for the Capitol; the Capitol's air force was able to spot them and kill off large numbers of them, forcing them to retreat. The massive loss of manpower and equipment presumably had a devastating impact on the rebel war effort and was likely the catalyst for the war turning in favor of the Capitol.

Realizing that a complete rebel victory was no longer possible, District 13 trained its arsenal of nuclear missiles on the Capitol, knowing that the Capitol had another arsenal out west. Threatening a Mutually Assured Destruction, District 13 was able to secure its own political independence, on the condition that they withdraw themselves from the war and move into a large underground shelter. Following this, the Capitol's air force annihilated all of District 13's above-ground infrastructure, presenting to other districts the illusion that the district had been annihilated.

With the loss of District 13's military support, the rebellion quickly collapsed as the remaining rebel forces could not continue resisting against the Capitol. The Capitol was able to quickly overrun any remaining resistance in the other twelve districts and reestablish its iron grip on the nation.

Aftermath[]

Following the defeat of District 1-12, the Capitol put forth the Treaty of Treason, which set forth several new restrictions on the districts, including the following.

  • All travel between districts and to the Capitol was prohibited with narrow exemptions.
  • Prohibition on the ownership and production of weapons, except for those needed for industrial use such as tridents and axes.
  • The annual Hunger Games, in which each district must offer up a male and female youth between the ages of 12-18 years to fight to death for the purposes of entertainment and intimidation.

Mass executions of rebel leaders, soldiers, and dissidents presumably took place in all twelve districts. For the next 75 years, Districts 1-12 continued to be subject to the oppressive rule of the Capitol. Most rebel activity was thoroughly rooted out by the Peacekeeping Force in the first two decades that followed the Dark Days.

Start of the 2nd Rebellion[]

The controversial victory of Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark in the 74th Hunger Games led to unrest in the districts once more. During the 74th Games, District 11 revolted following the death of Rue, and in the months that followed, several other districts started rebelling. The Capitol responded harshly to the uprisings, executing instigators and dissidents.

Rebels

Rebels fighting Peacekeepers during the Uprising of District 8.

In an attempt to quell the uprising, President Coriolanus Snow announced a series of changes for the Third Quarter Quell. The tributes were to be reaped from the existing pool of victors, an unprecedented rule which broke the tradition in which former victors were not allowed to compete in the Games. The 75th Hunger Games ended without a victor; three days into the event, Katniss Everdeen destroyed the arena through shooting an arrow at the forcefield, causing blackouts. Following this, uprisings broke out in numerous districts, before three tributes (Beetee Latier, Finnick Odair, and Katniss Everdeen) were rescued from the arena and taken to District 13 in a hovercraft belonging to the rebels.

This marked the start of the Second Rebellion.

The War[]

The Capitol responded to the 75th Hunger Games through a firebombing raid on District 12, completely destroying the district, leading only 900 survivors, all of whom fled into the woods before being rescued by District 13.

Tactical, operational, and strategic details of the war from this point until the Battle of the Capitol are mostly unavailable. Fighting over the next several months was largely marked by indiscriminate surface-based and aerial artillery bombardments, as well as a confused mixture of asymmetrical and conventional ground warfare that resulted in widespread destruction of infrastructure and loss of life throughout the country. After months of warfare, the rebels were able to take over all twelve districts and the Capitol itself.

Mass arrests of Capitol officials, Peacekeepers, Gamemakers, and cabinet members followed, with large numbers of them being sentenced to death, including President Coriolanus Snow himself.

Aftermath[]

President Alma Coin of District 13 served as the interim President of Panem in the weeks following the rebel victory. Several weeks passed before President Coriolanus Snow was scheduled to be publicly executed in the Capitol by Katniss Everdeen in front of a large number of citizens. On the day of his execution, President Coin held a private meeting with the seven remaining Hunger Games victors, where she proposed a final 76th Hunger Games with the children of high-ranking Capitol officials. A 4-3 majority voted in favor of the Games.

During what was supposed to be Snow's execution, Katniss Everdeen made the last-minute decision to assassinate President Coin after realizing her role in the City Circle bombing and Snow pointing out how Coin had just used the rebels to seize power for herself. A riot ensued, in which mass numbers of citizens lynched President Snow. A presidential election was soon called, and Commander Paylor (rebel leader from District 8) became the first democratically elected president of Panem. In the weeks that followed, the rebels set up a constitutional republic consisting of presumably a legislative and judicial branch, alongside the presidency.

Advertisement