In at least two books Sea of time by Steve Stirling and 1632 by Eric Flint, and at least the movie version of the Stand, a smallish group of people find themselves in very different circumstances.
The two books and the movie version have the people reforming the govt according to what they left, Gary Senise has the meeting in Denver start off with the pledge of allegiance.
Does it hold forth that should something like this occur , that a viable democracy should form, even if its in the form of a continental congress. That a dictatorship, oligarchy or even a monarchy would not be the actual result.
I makes for a better story, reaffirming what Americans believe to be the best about themselves, if the heroes establish a USA-type democracy in their new circumstances. Only better, without lawyers and politicians – you know, the way the governmet woud run if we ran it.
(The “Lost Regiment” series by William Forstchen has a Civl War Union regiment transported to an alien planet where the humans are being kept as free-range food animals by the Horde. Guess what type of government they establish with the scattered human groups.)
Personally, I think that trying to impose a democracy on a people who are not socially or philosophically ready for it would fail.
I don’t know the Flint book so well but in Island in the Sea of Time is is clear that democracy is not the only possibility - it depended on the personal inclination of the leaders who guided the islanders to survival. Most of the story line is about trying to deal with Walker - a charismatic leader with a very different, definitely non-democratic, world view. If he had been in command of the USCGC Eagle then I doubt a “town-hall” democracy would have resulted :dubious:
Stirling’s later Emberverse series (Dies the Fire etc) where, although not stranded in the sea of time, a “smallish group of people find themselves in very different circumstances”, is very clear that representative democracy is about the least common political model amongst the survivor groups. Again, it is shown as depending on the character and inclinations of the leaders around whom the successful survivors form.