The retrograde diaspora, also known as descending the well and aliyah, was a period of high immigration from Earth's colonies back into cislunar space. The causes were a collapse in the market for many commodities mined off-world, the cislunar energy abundance market boom of the 50s, better instance workers in the colonies, a widespread generational rejection of the ascesis and free market philosophies popular the early colonists, and improved virtual reality which both reduced the pressure and desire to leave Earth and made being able to instantly communicate with the super-majority of humanity on the main InterMesh more attractive. Lasting from the late 60s until the middle of the 20s, the period led to the depopulation and in some cases abandonment of many off earth colonies.
The 70s and 60s were characterised by more policing of the previously lightly governed off Earth trade and colonies due to the increasing capabilities of motes and Fabricator surveillance treaties such Chandler-Kapoor, and this trend accelerated in reaction to later terrorist incidents such as the Stillborn Harvest. Without the same freedom and black market goods previous generations had enjoyed there was a cultural shift in the astroindigène towards centralisation and an ethos of society wide advancement, and rejecting the culture of hardship, nihilism, and laissez faire approaches to government which were ascribed to previous generations[1]. The Deus Machina religion which had a core tenet of centralisation under synth control grew significantly during this period. There was an eventual pushback against this trend, notably from the Ellulists, the Fatimid Trade Caliphate, and Freehab, however the First Contact Event renewed many aspects such as the united humanity movement.