A post-apocalyptic world where social class is ranked by race

After massive nuclear holocaust between USA and Russia that killed 80% of the human population, the world was left to rot in ruin. However a group of people built a massive sanctuary city from the ashes and a sanctuary from the toxic radiation of the world. They brought survivors of every race around the world and put them into this sanctuary.

But the promise of a brighter future was ruined when the rulers of the sanctuary oppressed the other races by putting them into segregated layers of the city and determined their social class by their race. The white race was the richest while the other races not so much.

So what do you think about my new worldbuilding project?

Rule of thumb: Anywhere in the world, and I mean anywhere, segregation that works are segregation that based on competence and skills, not on race or birth or anything like that. This doubly so in dangerous situation, where Everything Is Trying to Kill You.

They judge by the pseudoscientific ideals of race and power. Everybody lives inside the sanctuary for safety from the radiation.

Money would be worthless after the apocalypse as would any voucher of property or ownership. Much of modern wealth would have no value. So when you say the "rich" are going to rule...

I don't think that is actually too much of a problem. If you have a government, you end up with a government backed currency, so as to avoid barter.

This situation can easily be explained by a first come first serve model of wealth aquisition. If the edifice was built out of technology harvested and controlled by mostly white people, then they might be able to make a successful power grab early on, before large numbers of other races arrive.

Kinda of like that, the sanctuary is a massive walled city where races divided by walls of each layer.

It is a good idea, but I personally would put the Asians in top and not the whites, not only is less predictable, it's also kind of realistic in the sense that Asians probably would've very important in that scenario due to be technologycally sawy (hope not been sounding racist). Then I guess the hierarchy will be Yellow, White, Brown, Black and maybe Red (native people tend to be the most mistreated historically) or change Red and Black. Also mixed-race could be a taboo and be the rock bottom like in India were the dalits (the out-cast, the ones without cast as they are children of two castes mixed) are the bottom even under sudras.

edited 4th Jul '16 11:40:28 PM by Luppercus

We already have mixed race people in the US, what do they count as?

The lowest and most dehumanizing class where you are a slave, you have no rights and you are casted out of society.

And how is the creation of said lowest class treated?

Like the Dalits in India.

No, the creation. That is, the use of the lowest class by the highest class to treat themselves. Not the class, the act. Have you attached a significant social stigmatization to it, or not?

This said class was created as slaves to the rich people. Lowest of the low. They work to maintain the life support and defense systems of the sanctuary.

They are forbidden to go up the higher classes or interact and they are hated and feared because of their mixed heritage.