The Doomed Politics of the Separatists

[@DIEGhostfish]

Can you imagine being one of the other Chomell worlds and hearing a junior senator spot opened up, only for it to be given to _Jar-Jar?_

[@michaelandreipalon359]

Better him than the Verunas.

[@KaiHung-wv3ul]

I'd just dip and join the CIS at the first opportunity.

[@CountDoucheula]

*Darth Jar-Jar moves in mysterious ways...*

[@michaelandreipalon359]

@@CountDoucheula Please, enough of that horrid hoax.

[@noconnection1839]

​@@KaiHung-wv3ul😂

[@grimkip460]

Even as a child, watching the peace arc made me realize that the CIS was just a union of useful idiots for Dooku and Palpatine

[@Vee_9001]

Everyone except for Palpatine was a useful idiot, even Dooku.

[@Infernal460]

They were smarter than the Republic Senate.

[@grimkip460]

@@Infernal460 I disagree. Many members of the Senate were aware of the Republic’s corruption and were weary if not outright hostile to the major corporations that held representation in the Senate. In contrast the CIS either believed or were deceived into thinking that the members of the Separatist Council weren’t just massive corporations that would eventually use and abuse all of them.

[@Leitis_Fella]

Mina and Lux were such colossally underutilized characters, second only to Bariss. That Peace Plan one-off episode in season three should have been at least two episodes to flesh out the CIS legislature. Mina could have been a properly interesting character, shown as a shrewd lady who knew the system didn't favor her, but still found ways to make it work for her purposes. Lux on the other hand loses everyone and everything he knows, he gets his world and worldviews turned upside down, realizes his mother was representing a lie, and is appointed, not elected, to the position of senator. As the son of a collaborator and traitor he'd no doubt get treated like garbage in the Republic Senate without Padme taking him under her wing. He could have been a PoV character for the audience to see the problems in both the CIS and the Republic, but we got none of that. Plus that he's a love interest for Ahsoka could have been an interesting twist on her character to mirror Sandakin and Obi-chan's politician love interests, and see how that affected her outlook on the Jedi, and her worldviews on the Republic considering Lux came from a prominent CIS family

[@A350Airways]

@@Leitis_Fella That arc also showed how weak the Confederacy Senate really was, or at least how little it got along with the executive, a.k.a. the Council...

[@zelkuta]

People said the prequel trilogy had to much politics... By estimation... it didn't have enough. Fascinating stuff.

[@demanischaffer]

My favorite thing about CIS politics is people being made about corporations influencing the republic, so they formed the CIS, bankrolled by mega corps

[@dukes1993724]

Sounds like the modern day conservative movement lol

[@rejvaik00]

​@@dukes1993724more like the modern day Chinese communist government Literally every single business in China is owned by the ccp

[@ntfoperative9432]

To be fair, the CIS Senate wasn’t aware of the Separatist Council

[@demanischaffer]

@@ntfoperative9432 were they not even a tad bit curious why their military was made up of designs and armies from like some of the largest industrial titans and mega conglomerates?

[@ntfoperative9432]

@@demanischaffer considering one of the actual members was the Geonosians, they probably thought that’s where they came from

[@RevanX77]

Somehow, the situation was even more complex than Corey outlines in this video. Many CIS worlds for example, were deeply divided on the topic of the corporate powers making up the military arm of the CIS. On the one hand, of course, these powers represented much of the corruption of the Republic in some form or another, from their overbearing and often unjust policies to their gargantuan bureaucratic establishment. But on the other hand, these companies were also the ones directly responsible for much of the infrastructure, trade, and employment of peoples throughout the outer rim, and represented many planet's and systems interests even more thoroughly than their sector representatives in the senate. So naturally they ended up with both a lot of praise, and a lot of blame, depending on the situation. The height of this dichotomy was probably the crisis on Naboo. Naboo itself owed much of it's prosperity to the plasma mining complex the Trade Federation had financed and operated, but once the Senate attempted to rescind the Free Trade Zone agreements the operation and full profits of these installations would become the purview of the Naboo, who were strongly in support of more direct Republic regulation. The Trade Federation, of course, hated this, so they rescinded their own trade services to the planet and even formed a blockade, and since all Naboo trade had been handled by them until then, this plunged the planet deep into financial depression, to say nothing of the fact that they were highly reliant on food imports despite the environment. Neighbors in Naboo's sector and the Outer Rim as a whole were torn on this, since there was resentment against both the TF for their wanton blockade, and Naboo for being a rich and powerful world soon to gain an even more advantaged position. However when the TF invasion happened and news spread, public sentiment swung much more towards the Naboo and against the TF - But also against the Republic and Valorum, who had badly bungled the whole situation, especially since Valorum had pretty much illegally sent two Jedi there under pretenses of a personal favor, which was supposed to be something subject to a senate vote. Now at this point Padme is fed up with all the stalling and bureaucracy, so she takes matters into her own hands and decides to return to the planet to free it herself. This is a big move, since it essentially is saying the Republic can't do anything, and that the planet has to look out for it's own safety. And she actually does it. This becomes a huge rallying cry for the burgeoning successionist movement, since it was a prime example of a planet taking care of it's own problems much better than the Republic. Throughout all this the blame was actually shifted much more to the Republic than the TF, so ultimately you end up with the peak irony of the CIS member worlds allying with the very corporation that lost the invasion they were emboldened by, fighting against the planet they supported the actions of, because their grievances with the larger political body was considered more important. Politics - And weird Sith power jockeying - Makes for strange bedfellows, all around.

[@kingorange7739]

That’s a good way to put it.

[@jrthe3rd821]

make this into a video, great essay!

[@conordarken1778]

This all means Palpatine was a gigantic genius, and his propped-up “enemy” Dooku was pretty close too. Another point is that it’s made clear the Galactic Republic does not have any military it can use to give assistance to trade corporations against pirates and Hutts. Thus, corporations like the TF have to be defending against piracy themselves, even as the Republic demands more taxation from them. Eventually there was going to be a limit of negotiation and such a relationship would enter a new phase of conflict.

[@wildfire9280]

@@conordarken1778 Ironically enough, the only way the Republic could have lifted the burden of commerce protection from them would be to raise those taxes.

[@wildfire9280]

Do you think the other Mid and Outer Rim worlds that left to join the CIS called the Naboo “rim traitors” or something? I’m only half joking.

[@redtexan7053]

The CIS is actually one of the more realistic factions in Star Wars. The idea of a loosely connected alliance built on empty populism and anti tax/regulation sentiment that's controlled entirely by the exact ruling class it claims to be fighting against has become a *very* familiar one these last twenty years.

[@batmenace15]

Something I'm sure Lucas was aware of when he was seeing the economic and political direction we were going down back in the early 2000s

[@UGNAvalon]

In the *70s?

[@stefanogandino9192]

Yeah, that's what happens when the state kidnap and force ideologies into children, when taxes are designed to keep thriving an unproductive and yet hyper regulating class of politicians without any other merit while totally ignoring the outer sectors and is literally designed to make jar jar a senator: people are exausted and say yes to literally anyone who promise to change anything because nothing can be worse than the present

[@tiggerbane4325]

⁠@@UGNAvalonin the 20’s*

[@neonknightofgeekdom1014]

​@@tiggerbane4325for a long time

[@zingbop4069]

Fantastic multi-media sourcing and real-world analogies alongside thoughtful, deep SW lore analysis. You do such high quality work Corey, really really appreciate it. The imagery, visualized quotes, and transitions are all spot-on too, MarMar's a great editor. Featured some art I'd never seen, which is always a treat! The density of info and interconnections make these videos very rewatchable too, queuing up the Senate one for later.

[@GG-ux8ii]

I read the title first and was like oop yes go off queen and now that I know its about the CIS its still intriguing because the CIS needed more than just a couple episode arcs. anyway, you still deserve the oop yes go off queen

[@AshanBhatoa]

I would love a video on the mega-conglomerates of the galaxy. Especially concerning how the Sith Order essentially hijacked the Secessionist Movement within the Galactic Senate to implement the manipulated whims of the mega-corporations into what was the fledgling CIS, whom formed leading up to the Battle of Geonosis. The actual constituents of the CIS were likely none-the-wiser to the brutality of their offensives, nor just how heavy the stakes, many mega-corporations had essentially invested into the CIS. The actual legislature did grant corporate senators representation - so these individuals were aware of dealing with these entities. However, they surely must have simultaneously believed that they retained autonomy, since dealing with the industrial/manufacturing and weaponsmith juggernauts of the galaxy would be perceived as a necessary woe. They couldn't have known their plight had died the moment Dooku had interjected himself into their movement, now a cornerstone of Separatist authority. It was too late. The meeting on Geonosis was, in essence, a business deal. The outlined contracts between entities such as Trade Federation, Corporate Alliance, Commerce Guilds, Techno Union, the Banking Clan and Dooku himself (whom had by now ascended to firmly representing the CIS as their head of state). The exchange for providing resources, aside from payment of course, was a seat on an executive Separatist Council with administration over the Separatist Military. Grievous' EU background does fit well into this dynamic Lucas revealed via TCW. Lucas perceived the conflict as two belligerents, with war profiteering right along the middle. The Sith had control over both belligerents and them being puppeteers of these factions would serve their purpose.

[@gigastrike2]

So when is your video coming out?

[@r1g0r_m0rt1s]

^ Fr you should make a video on it! I'd love to hear more about the corporations that made up the CIS.

[@AshanBhatoa]

​@@gigastrike2Me? Oh, I'm just a mere Wookiepedian...😅

[@tristankawatsuma8962]

I disagree with the belief the secessionist movement was hijacked by the Sith. Yes, there was a lot of dissatisfaction towards the Republic especially after Naboo, but it feels like at least in Canon that Dooku was the one who got the ball rolling on a galactic level.

[@UGNAvalon]

Imagine the Luhara Sector just silently seceded from the Galactic Senate, and after a few years, ppl finally catch on, with one Senator going “Wait, we had a Luhara Sector??” xD

[@_NIKOS9_NIKOS]

Ι remember that scene in the CIS Council when a senator deadass said out loud "We are not corrupt like the Republic! Corporations do not control us" and I was like: My brother in the Force, Corporations provide you with 90% of your army, their CEO's are literally the highest authority and you let a bunch of people who want to restart and expand a slave Empire join your ranks, do you honestly believe that you and you budies are the ones calling the shots here?"

[@BigRiceEnergy]

“But we’re different!”

[@jvniperrr]

My personal theory is that Dooku himself is a political idealist who genuinely believes in the separatist movement being the best step forward for the galaxy, but due to pressure from Sideous and the knowledge that he needs allies and an army, has reluctantly made appeals to slavers and corporations, and the moment the separatists win the war in a hypothetical scenario, he'd immediately crush both of them. The rule of two states that sith lords are meant to have tenuous allegiance to each other at best (with one inevitably supposed to kill and supplant the other), so while Sideous might be on board with the corporate greed and enslavement, I can't imagine the same Dooku who we saw witness the corruption of the republic and the very worst aspects of the Jedi firsthand in Tales of The Jedi is particularly thrilled to be working with slavers and megacorporations, he's probably just using them as useful idiots that provide resources to fuel his war effort, and would discard them the moment they outlived that usefulness to his vision.

[@rizzoforgo865]

Who said moral consistency is trendy in politics? Hypocrisy is a required qualification before you're allowed to even look at Congress or Parliament.

[@purplelord8531]

too close to home :/

[@christopherdallimore952]

I like the way you present this type of content. It's really great for someone like me who currently doesn't have the time to dive into cannon and legends and understand it all. Also I friggen love Thrawn's Revenge mod for EAW! Thanks for being awesome Corey!

[@austinbaccus]

Corey is an A tier SW lore KZbinr in a sea of mediocre C tiers.

[@nomar5spaulding]

Legit, this is the only Star Wars lore channel I follow.

[@RhulkFunnyMoments]

Corey also doesn’t rage bait a brain dead fanbase like other KZbinrs

[@DIEGhostfish]

@@nomar5spaulding Honestly auto-translating Russian SW Loretubers is the best. (One was despite having a pretty broad understanding of geopolitics seemed to think the pre-war stuff was a bluff and was actually on the wrong side of the border when shit went down, and between dodging a lynching made a 4 hour script all about the Nebulon B.

[@andrewperkin7192]

Corey and star wars explained are both gears meta nerdz lore as well it's people like star wars theory who ruin lore channels and Thor skywalker as they have to fill hate into their channels over just love for Star wars

[@Dave_Chrome]

@@DIEGhostfish what's the name of the channel? sounds like a good watch

[@TimberWolf99]

Oh this is a beautiful video. Explains a lot of points I've gotten into arguments over, especially regarding TCW's depiction of the CIS and its government structure. The point about the megacorps still having Senate representation and claiming to be separate from their CIS counterparts is also not only extremely realistic but is yet another layer of manipulation and internal sabotage and chaos that not only extends the War as long as Palpatine needs, but justifies his later consolidation of power that will ultimate lead to his declaration of the New Order being met with cheers in a war-weary Senate.

[@AshanBhatoa]

You understand the state of affairs that Lucas was attempting to convey via TCW perfectly - the team of writers definitely should've had political episodes entirely focused on the Separatist Parliament, especially since they already constructed the assets for it.

[@nicholaswalsh4462]

My view of the Republic is that it wasn't actually a Nation State in the traditional sense but more of a Supranational Union like the European Union or the United Nations. I believe this is backed up by dialogue in the Clone Wars and the Prequels, were we have several instances where planets are described as "sovereign". Our first example is in Episode 1, where Valorum recognizes Palpatine as the "representative of the sovereign system of Naboo". Then in Trespass Chairman Cho describes Orto Plutonia as "Sovereign Pantoran Territory" and Obi Wan says that the Jedi have no jurisdiction.

[@nicholaswalsh4462]

@@papapalps2415 I have actually been rewatching the Prequels and I'm working my way back through the Clone Wars. I just finished rewatching Trespass and I legitimately think that it offers the single best look at the functioning (or lack thereof) of the Republic. All Chairman Cho had to do was to declare the conflict between Pantora and the Talz as "an Internal Matter" and both the Jedi and Senator Chuchi were completely powerless. They had to go to the Pantoran Assembly and get them to vote and declare Cho out of order before they could intervene. When you combine that with how slow the Republic was to do anything about the Separatist "Crisis" (which started in 24 BBY with the Raxus Address) and the fact that taking up arms against the Separatists was a controversial political issue with significant opposition in the Senate (so much so that Palpatine had to be given Emergency Powers to raise an army), it honestly makes it look like the Republic is a hollow shell of a government, just barely more powerful than that of the modern day EU or the US under the Articles of Confederation. Think, also, that we almost never hear the Separatists referred to as "rebels" or "traitors". They're always described as "Separatists" or "Confederates". Almost as though they actually had the legal right to separate. I actually do want to go through and make a thorough examination of the politics of the Prequel Era Republic. See what sort of conclusions are supported by the movies and the TCW show. I think it will be extremely interesting.

[@chrisperlaky8715]

Lucas' politics suggest the Republic was based on these United States in which case it should have been a Federated Republic of Sovereign Nation States where membership was voluntarily and Sovereign States could freely leave.

[@drachna]

This makes a lot of sense. Credits seem to be a universal Republic currency (the Euro), issued by the Banking Clan (The ECB), and while the Republic doesn't have a standing army, individual member states have militias and security forces with which they can police their own territories. It was also (re)formed soon after a galactic war with the Rusaan Reformations which emphasised demilitarisation and presumably trade (Post WW2 Europe and the EEC). Senators form its legislative body, but are appointed by the heads of the member states (sort of a cross between the European commissioners and MEPs) - and large regions of space are represented by only one or two senators (which maps onto say, France having one comissioner, but its overseas territories not having their own direct representation. It's not an exact analogy, but work with me.). Individual member states can also legally withdraw from the Republic if certain conditions are met, but tension could be caused if there is conflict in those member states about secession (imagine Scotland seceding from the UK to stay in the EU, and that sparking a war).

[@TroyTheTory]

During the '95 Referendum, there was also a question over what currency Quebec would use if it were to separate. Many Sovereigntists apparently wanted to continue to use the Canadian dollar. There was also an idea that if Quebec were to vote to separate, there would need a second, follow-up referendum that would pose a vote on a new deal with Canadian federalism vs straight-up Independence.

[@felipem7626]

I love those deeper political analises. Star wars made me really enjoy geopolitics as a study subject.

[@adrianaslund8605]

Dooku was CIS. As far as I know. Hell of a successful reassignment surgery if he wasn't.

[@pluralismajestatis9334]

Never have I ever thought I would hear about dependency theory and Wallerstein’s world systems theory in a Star Wars lore video… but it does very much explain the Star Wars galaxy and the trade federation and the banking clans representing neo-imperial multinationals and the hegemony of the developed galactic Core - perhaps too well to have been coincidental?

[@LightningNC]

I've been poring over the EU for decades. This is a _phenomenal_ explanation and summary.

[@mistertwister2000]

I’ve always been interested in how once-CIS planets felt after the defeat of the Empire and the rise of the New Republic. Did the New Republic have to make concessions or suppress Separatists to keep from the civil war just continuing on, or were CIS planets just happy to be rid of the Empire?

[@kingorange7739]

From what we know it is a bit of both, however there was friction between Separatists and members of the Alliance to Restore the Republic. However any political issues that had between each other kinda took a backseat compared to defeating the Empire.

[@antoningilbert1615]

I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS! The star wars nerdiness, the political theory nerdiness, WOW!

[@devinbordelon7666]

Corey! Been with ya a long time. This kind of long form analytical content is EXACTLY what im looking for. Specifically enjoyed your allusions to real world geopolitical and sociopolitical theories. I find I enjoy Star Wars most when its being teased apart as if by a historian interpreting actual events.

[@ArK047]

Corey out here teaching Canadian history under the guise of Star Wars.

[@Seyhawk]

You already know I want more Star Wars - Political/Social Theory mashup videos

[@alejeron]

I think (removing the Sith plot behind it) that if the CIS had triumphed, it would have collapsed into civil war almost immediately

[@kingorange7739]

At the very least it would have ran into political tensions between the general populace and mega corporations themselves.

[@TheUncivilizedNation]

If the CIS overthrew the Republic the Galaxy would be divided into 5 sides 1. Mega Corporations 2. Most of the people/citizens 3. Republican/Jedi Remnants 4. General Grievous and the Droid Army 5. The Sith

[@tristankawatsuma8962]

That’s what I think too. So many people think that if Dooku betrayed Palpatine and won the Clone Wars, he would usher in a better galaxy. But to some extent Dooku believed in autocracy since he was part of the Sith Grand Plan and was a monarch on his planet. If anything, I would think he get rid of the Separatist Parliament and upgrade the Separatist Council from running the military to running the government. Planets wouldn’t be happy and thus would rise up. I also think the decentralized nature of the CIS would lead to more stuff like Naboo happening. If one planet or corporation had the power, it could cause trouble for another world. So long as it doesn’t cause issues on a large scale, the droid army might not get deployed to stop the crisis.

[@TheUncivilizedNation]

@@tristankawatsuma8962 how well Dooku runs the galaxy depends entirely upon how Grievous is handled after the Clone Wars.

[@tristankawatsuma8962]

@ Dooku is always looking for another apprentice, though I doubt he would drop Grievous. He probably would keep him around to keep the Separatist Council in line. Grievous at least knew about Darth Sidious just like the Separatist Council.

[@eriklinkogel6399]

Funny how the CIS senate on Raxus in CW looks like the UKs House of Commons😂

[@williamvilleneuve5159]

Has a Québécois, I was very supervised to see you use Québec’s referendums as examples in your video. This the first video of yours I’ve watched and It was excellent. You got yourself a new subscriber.

[@MalachiCo0]

Giving corporations governmental power and armies will always be a bad idea

[@kingorange7739]

Yeah both the Republic and Separatists kind of screwed up on that

[@chrisperlaky8715]

I completely disagree. Corporations are in a constant state of competition and thus do not have a territorial monopoly unlike Governments, which have time again used armies against their own citizens. I can choose to buy a service from a corporation, an expression of liberty, whereas governments impose their services depriving one of liberty. It's amazing how people will fear corporate power to such a degree that they willingly create an organization of institutionalized violence, the government, with the powers they fear corporations accumulating.

[@christianbryan6961]

Dooku really had no clear successor as Head of State.

[@dalochie]

Certainly not after losing his own.

[@KaiHung-wv3ul]

Same with Palpatine honestly. Like you could argue maybe Vader, but good luck getting the important senators, moffs, and grand admirals to follow him. Second choice is probably Tarkin(before he died), but he's in his mid 60s when he died, and isn't likely to outlive Palps by much, and he also doesn't have any offspring(that I know). There's also Thrawn of course, the Heir to the Empire himself, but while he made for a great wartime leader, he wasn't the best at politics, and unless things got very desperate it'll be hard for the Empire to accept a non-human as Emperor. There's a few others, like the guy who claimed to be Palps's son, but those people never had any real power and will just become a puppet of more influencial powers. The entire empire hinged on Palpatine and Palpatine alone, and was doomed to fall apart upon his death.

[@blueshit199]

@@KaiHung-wv3ul knowing Palpatine, and the sith, he didn't concern himself with the fate of the empire, unless of course he didn't want to have a successor and instead have the imperial high command retain power over the galaxy

[@aitipsea3909]

Which is why after he died the role fell on the head of the supreme leader of the separatist military: General Grievous, which is an awful contingency plan btw and Palpatine designed as such

[@KaiHung-wv3ul]

@@blueshit199 Yeah, it's intentional, doesn't make it better though.

[@TheOne-EyedCat]

MAN THE WAY THIS THUMBNAIL SENT MEEEE

[@Exodianecross1978]

There is a sad note to this. There were really planets so badly neglected from the Republic that they thought allying with the CIS is the only way. Like the Nosaurians from New-Plympto or maybe Alto Stratus and his group on Jabiim! Especially in the latter case it showed how the Republic was, leaving the Jabiimi-Loyalists back so that they have to face the wrath of Stratus' followers! It was a very sly move by the Sith to seed so much peril and use the mistakes of the Republic against them!

[@kingorange7739]

It very much was and ultimately highlighted the tragedy of the Separatists. They had good intentions and were not going out of their way to try to conquer the galaxy and only wanted freedom and independence to rule themselves, however they placed their faith and trust in the wrong people and ultimately sold their movement out for the sake of political credibility and military power.

[@miguelpadeiro762]

​@@kingorange7739Though it is to be noted that the head cabal of leaders of the seperatist were all in for personal benifits (mainly wealth, as they wanted to skip taxation) Though yeah, their movement attracted dozens of worlds that were fed up with the republic's ineffective governance and aloof attitude to many of them (also worth mentioning the republic was in serious debt at rhe time of the prequels)

[@soyboi6979]

Exactly how they got general grievous

[@ShiftyBandit214]

Honestly these might my favorite Star Wars videos out there. The political background leading to the wars that are only at best usually covered at surface level.

[@kingorange7739]

Agreed

[@DIEGhostfish]

2:51 I seem to recall the language was "Perpetual union." which was itself from the older Articles of Confederation rather than the Constitution, and in the transition from Articles to Constitution the word "Perpetual" was replaced by "More perfect." Which the court interpreted with the somewhat stretched opinion of "Of course being being divisible is less perfect than being perpetual." Which really does depend a lot on the context. A lot of things are better when they're perpetual, and a lot of things are worse.

[@DIEGhostfish]

It's also from a very weird case because in this casew it was literally the forcmer secceeded state arguing that it didn't owe seccession era debts.

[@Raycloud]

It was all probably kept deliberately vague because on the one hand the principals of Liberty dictate that surely an association of states is voluntary but at the same time such an association will be unstable if member states can leave it on a whim. As such, it's the kind of question decided by economic and military might.

[@chrisperlaky8715]

"Perpetual" simply meant ongoing. The idea these United States being indivisible was sophistry created by Lincoln who waged a war to keep the Republicans, the country's Left Faction (Progressive Nationalists), in power. In so doing Lincoln destroyed the Federated Union of Sovereign Nation States and consolidated the Union into an Empire. State Constitutions are written in the positive, meaning they assume all Powers within their geographical jurisdiction. The U.S. Federal Constitution is a document written in the negative, meaning it has only those Powers explicitly granted, so it doesn't have to say anything about secession. And yet the Constitution and Bill of Rights does imply Secession as a Reserved Right of the States. Article 1, Sec. 8: To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years; The Revolutionary War was a war of Secession and the Founding Generation feared a distant power, like Washington D.C., aggrandizing unconstitutional Power and lording over the States. Article 1, Sec. 8 makes it clear the U.S. was to have no standing army. Consider this in combination with the Second Amendment and how the U.S. Army was originally derived from State Militias whose primary allegiance was first and foremost to their respective State. Secession is the ultimate system of Checks and Balances. The First Amendment guarantees the Right of Free Association, which is simultaneously the Right to Disassociate or Secede. The 10th Amendment states All Powers not delegated to the U.S.... are reserved to the States respectively. The Ratification Ordinances of New York, Virginia, and Rhode Island explicitly defined Secession as a reserved power to be invoked any time the Union may pose a threat and these States recognized the Right of other States to do the same, even more so since all States enter into the Union as equals. Finally, Woodrow Wilson reorganized the Democratic Party and took it to the left of the Republicans creating a situation where the Democrats represent the Progressive Left and the Republicans are the Progressive Right. This is where we get the nonsense of interpreting the U.S. Constitution as a National Document/Nation States or a Democratic Republic as opposed to the Federated and Voluntary Union created under the Founding Generation.

[@chrisperlaky8715]

​@@Raycloud There is nothing vague about it. This was all debated at the State Ratifying Conventions and in the Federalist and Anti-Federalist Papers. In fact, the Northern States had no problem threatening secession when Thomas Jefferson was elected to reverse the North's attempts to Nationalize the General Government during the Washington and Adams' Administrations. Thomas Jefferson dealt with secession peacefully by saying "Go" and the situation resolved itself. The North would later tell South Carolina to secede during the Nullification Crisis. Secession is actually a peaceful parting as opposed to a perpetual civil war where political factions are constantly fighting for control of a single government. The politicians who fight against secession do so for political lordship and territorial monopolies. The only thing I like narratively about Lucas' prequels is how it all began over taxation. He got that right if nothing else.

[@Raycloud]

@@chrisperlaky8715 Well said

[@jazitbe]

I think KZbin showed me this for DIFFERENT reasons

[@TomPanter]

I love that the CIS parliament is just the UK one. It even has the same coloured chairs haha.

[@jurassicattack01]

these types of videos, that get into the (what I'd call) nitty gritty of the politics in Star Wars, may not be the sexy part of the lore of Star Wars, but they always fascinate me because of how in depth the lore surrounding that aspect of the franchise is, so thank you to you and the editor for the great video

[@LTBLACKCOAT]

One of the best discussions of CIS politics I've seen, I shall watch your career with great interest.

[@kingorange7739]

Indeed.

[@yaang9258]

Love your content, especially how throughly researched you present your videos. Thank you for keeping my Star Wars spark burning. Drongar was a Bloodbath

[@Kendallizer100]

Great video, Corey! Love the in-depth content, and the real world representations you bring in. You create the best Star Wars content on KZbin, imo!

[@KingMordred]

10:35 Tarsus Valorum was without a doubt onevof the best politician in Star Wars, as the "Rule of Two" novel showed. He was the main responsible for the 1000-year-old peace that existed between the Fall of the Sith Empire and the Clone Wars. There's no way Palpatibe would have become Chancellor if Tarsus lived on his Era

[@empirednw6624]

Tarsus was an idealistic and naive fool. Imagine disbanding the republic military. He planted the seeds that would lead to the republics downfall.

[@fede98k54]

​@@empirednw6624The republic was in ruins after the Sith Wars, with much of the galaxy having become depopulated and Jedi having essentially become feudal lords and warlords. Valorum was wise to depoliticize and demilitarize the Jedi and leave defense matters to local authorities while the Galaxy rebuilt. The failure was not Valurun's, but of his successors which allowed the Republic to decentralize and never rearmed.

[@empirednw6624]

@@fede98k54 he disbanded the military at the worst time possible. After the war many worlds were just left to bandits and resurgent groups of mandalorian pirates. How did the republic expect the poor frontier systems to defend themselves? They couldn’t afford a navy. Plus he started a political dynasty that was elected by name recognition alone. That’s what got crappy phinis valorum elected. The Jedi lords did have to be dealt with though. I’m sure many of them would have succeeded from the republic if they weren’t de-militarized.

[@Capt.Thunder]

If Tarsus was around in Palpatine's era, he would probably accidentally slip in the shower while using a "lasershaver" and tragically accidentally decapitate himself. He isn't force sensitive, after all, so I doubt he could survive long enough to use his political chops.

[@matt_9112]

The 1000-years of peace were due to the rule of two Sith lying low and biding their time. Imagine a full on ready republic military crushing Geonosis. No need for clone troopers that backstab the republic. Imagine a Galactic military/planetary defense forces able to deal with stuff like the Naboo crisis in a matter of hours... Tarsus surely was a well meaning idealist, but his ideas just were too aloof. Kinda the Woodrow Wilson of Star Wars.

[@charlieo1138]

I miss reading wallerstein so much. Congrats on getting this kickass video done, looking forward to tracing back to the Prebisch critique!

[@hectormontes7056]

This is a very commendable amount of depth for a series of movies that aren’t even that good, with governments that serve more as metaphors and props than actual fully fledged working states. This is what I like about Star Wars, the ability to approach unanswered questions like a historian would rather than how a hypercritical fan would.

[@Ashguy733]

I was always confused by this. Pre TCW the Separatist Council made up of Corporate entities that somehow represented other worlds? And I hadn't delved into Legends enough to formulate what that really looked like. I really liked that this video cleaned that up for me.

[@michaelandreipalon359]

Multiverse Theory is a b***h, as always tiresomely yet truthfully quoted on these days.

[@warlordofbritannia]

If memory serves, it’s more like if Amazon and Google got their own Representatives and Senators

[@rynobehnke8289]

You my recall from Phantom Menace that Gunray wanted Padme to sign the planet over to him and that during the escape most other systems in reach were under Trade Federation Control. So yes quite a few worlds are directly owned by Galactic Mega Corperations and as such did these corperate leaders double as highest authorety over a number of worlds which than would become the founding members of the CIS.

[@theliato3809]

Theres a point inabout how member states can grant their representation to other entities to help get their goals through such as another senator. In some cases it was corporations. This is part of how outspoken senators like Mothma might not have been killed off like some minor dissident.

[@Warmaker01]

It was an extremely savvy plan by Sidious. A number of these factions that made up the CIS were powerful as hell, enough to be a danger to the Republic itself. If they were uppity enough to rebel and fight the Republic, they would have likely done the same against the Empire Sidious planned to succeed it. The war reduced these powerful factions. The CIS was always doomed from the start, they just didn't know it. The funny part was that Dooku thought he was going to help lead this future Empire. The look of horror, realization of betrayal after all those years on his face in Revenge of the Sith hits hard. The whole thing was masterful on Sidious' part. It made him the greatest of the Sith. Not only did he destroy the hated Jedi Order, he took the Republic that defied the Sith, the Republic that crushed the Sith Empire, and transformed it into the Galactic Empire. And he did it for years right in front of the Jedi Order, smiling at them. In the past, powerful Sith Lords of the Sith Empire tried with raw military might to beat the Republic, but got their heads caved in. Sidious did it far subtler ways while weakening the Republic and Jedi from within. A true Master.

[@baron3904]

Having the Seps build and rely upon a massive droid army that could be powered down remotely was surely no coincidence either. It played perfectly into these megacorps' greed. They had all the incentive in the galaxy to launder their own money on such a massive scale. Quintillions of droids and ships were built. Would have been neat to see Sidious use this droid army in the same way he did the clones at the end of the war and execute an inverse Order 66; an enforcement of the new Empire in the Outer Rim in the form of quintillions of droids. The Rebellion would have never got off the ground.

[@Theology.101]

I like these types of videos. Deadass when i right fanfic i come over here to your 10 thousand year clone war, Broken Federalism and now this - to get refreshed on the Political Science.

[@michaelmott7695]

Really appreciate the in depth politics of this! I always thought there needed to be more setup in the prequels

[@gaflene]

I came here to make a joke but actually your use of world systems theory is really interesting, I wish more media analysis channels actually knew about this stuff. I use anthropological theory to teach worldbuilding sometimes but I'm too much of a coward for video essays.

[@lucasthibault4364]

The amount of work you probably put in this is marvelous! Superbe 👏

[@iamblight707]

My god, an intellectual discussion about star wars!!! This is 🔥 you are really branching out

[@cadgey1633]

The video we didn"t know we needed Applying Franks Dependancy Theory to Star Wars

[@mse5842]

Thanks for the video, I looked at sectors and read about the Alderaan Sector I have just spent the last hour in a rabbit hole reading the entirety of Killik lore....

[@swampwiz]

This video helps to satisfy both my Star Wars and Political Science inner nerds.

[@OptimalFBax]

Criminally underrated SW channel.

[@tylerharris7081]

The world building of the Prequels and Clone Wars is so impressive. Lucas subtly explained why the Empire was the way it was politically and economically by making the bad guys of the prequels the opposite (at least on the surface). The Empire was almost entirely human-centric, while the CIS is led by a diverse array of aliens. The Empire has a bureaucratic, nationalized command economy, while The CIS is a coalition of megacorps. The Empire mostly considers the Force as nothing more than a dead religion that only Vader believes in, meanwhile the Jedi Order were the beloved keepers of Galactic peace who unwittingly became the faces of the Clone Wars. You can logically see how Palpatine used public resentment towards aliens, private corporations, and the Jedi to sell his Empire as a cure to these "corrupt elements." Similar to how modern politicians use the trauma of the World Wars and Holocaust to serve their own ends by accusing their political opponents of fascism while toting their own policies as anti-fascist (regardless of how accurately said policies resemble l fascist doctrine)

[@thetarkinist7265]

Love it. More politics please. Specifically the inner structure of the Empire and how it mirrors the Nazi government’s system of “authoritarian polycratic chaos” where each ministry, branch and power structure is centered around powerful individuals who are constantly “working towards the führer/emperor” for his favor. Navy vs Army vs ImpIntel vs COMPNOR/ISB vs BoSS vs the Senate, etc….

[@thegreenmanofnorwich]

I would like to have seen more worldbuilding in the films themselves. Not a lot, necessarily. It just frustrates me when you have to do extensive outside reading to make plot points make sense.

[@АлексейМомот-щ7о]

That's because the plot is Anakin falling to the dark side, political situation is just backdrop.

[@Radignostic]

bruh you knew exactly what you were doin wit da thumbnail, lmao

[@jjbussey]

Man I was not ready to hear about the history of my home province of newfoundland in this, great video all around!

[@Reverenz88-14]

An ear accustomed to Shakespearean English will hear that sweet, sweet "schism" being pronounced in its Germanic form, video immediately liked❤

[@orboakin8074]

Fantastic video, sir👏👏 Seriously, as a lifelong fan of Star Wars since my childhood in Nigeria, I keep being surprised at how amazing, indepth, and massive the world building and more of the Lucas era is. I have recently started buying EU novels and the Clone Wars series on DVD. I can't wait to see more of this lore, especially after the disappointment of the disney sequels.

[@Jebbtube]

I think we just re-elected Palpatine.

[@Leo-ok3uj]

As far as I am aware Sheeve wasn’t neither a Rapper nor at Pizza eater He was kinda of a groomer though (both in Canon and legends) Don’t insult the galactic emperor like that

[@haisesasaki8198]

Amazing video! I love how you make Star Wars content that cherishes the material while also being critical of it The larger Star Wars community really lacks intelligent thought on the politics and it’s so cool to see how genuine and serious you approach this topic

[@Drums_of_Liberation]

Well what do you expect? Most people are just in it for space wizards swinging laser swords not space CNN. I myself personally find the politics boring. Not enough behind the scenes alliances and backstabbings for my taste. I prefer my politics to be less trade disputes and more Dwarves from Dragon Age.

[@NullFront]

Love the application of material analysis! Keep it up

[@AStormtrooperOnDrugs]

Since Lucas was an anthropologist, he likely studied the Wallerstein model and applied it to his universe. Most linguistic studies dealing with social relations are usually familiar with this model and it wouldn't surprise me if George used that as direct inspiration

[@АлексейМомот-щ7о]

But did the guy who made the galactic map do the same? George is not in charge of stuff like this

[@StarWarsCentralized]

HoloNet News being featured will always make me smile. Fantastic video, Corey!

[@Goatman31]

I absolutely love the lore and references you presented here but hate to be reminded of the fact that we almost got rid of Quebec twice and failed

[@KaiserMattTygore927]

This is one of the reasons why I wish the Clone Wars lasted longer in universe, the CIS is such an interesting dark mirror to the Rebellion.

[@kingorange7739]

They really are. However their political stances were contrast to each other a bit

[@a_fine_edition2746]

I’ve always felt this too. It doesn’t feel like such a large war would only last 3 years. I’ve thought stretching it out at least 2 more years would’ve allowed the storylines to breathe better.

[@TheUncivilizedNation]

@@a_fine_edition2746 if the war was a genuine conflict I can see it lasting for at least a decade. But with the war having over a decade of planning and preparation the war lasting 3 years makes sense. The Sith had complete control over both militaries. The 2 Sith were the heads of state of both governments. Since Clones and Droids were used instead of conscripted militias the people of the galaxy were not battle hardened. Their weakness making them easy to control, not to mention the Clones are probably the strongest non force sensitive fighting force in history. And with the Jedi wiped out and the Droids deactivated the people had no defenders until the Rebellion rose up

[@mixkid3362]

​@TheUncivilizedNation Mind you this plan almost unraveled entirely by malfunction. One clone's inhibitor chip malfunctioned and executed Order 66 too early leading to Fives conducting his own investigation and discovering the entire plot to wipe out the Jedi. Unfortunately he was killed before he could talk.

[@Benjamin-gp2mx]

Another excellent lore video!

[@ArcBing]

Your sneaky plugs have become more powerful than I could possibly imagine

[@Priceeric2]

If I had a yt chanel I too would mispronounce words like vague just to drive up that comment number count! All joks aside very cool video, a lot of information I had no idea existed. Really helps to bring the story together thanks!

[@MrCB555]

Another real-world example of states with "legal secession" was the USSR. Individual Soviet Socialist Republics (Russia, Ukraine, Tajikistan, etc.) could "technically" leave the USSR, but I do not know how much it would have taken to unscramble that egg. Ultimately, the SSRs were able to declare independence from the USSR fairly easily in the early 90s, as the USSR system became unsustainable due to nationalism and fatigue with the Soviet system. Aside from some fights between individual SSRs (Armenia-Azerbaijan) or within them (Moldova vs. Transnistria), the USSR broke up *relatively* peacefully, certainly when compared to the American Civil War.

[@marobrother1751]

It's a little strange that you would compare the relative peacefulness of a successful secession to a very bloody non successful secession attempt especially one as relatively morally black and white as the American Civil War, is there a chance you meant the American Revolutionary War?

[@MegrelMamba]

Russians also made a really smart but devilish moves about secession. They purposefully setup fake states within states (for example South ossetia in Georgia, and Karakapalstan in Uzbekistan), so in case nations like Georgia or Uzbekistan would secede, Soviet Russia would just send troops to the more pro-soviet states-within-states to back their secession from nations that seceded. Secessionception basically Sadly because of this there are wars to this day amongst post-soviet countries. Like the Armenia-Azerbaijan War over Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh for example

[@nrlsan36_34]

The Soviet Union allowed secession from the beginning, part of Lenin's "parade of nations" where nationalities would be given self-determination and join together in a world revolution. Each Republic was granted a large amount of "autonomy", allowed their own state language and Party branch, and even Ukraine and Belarus had a UN seat. From the start though all of it was just a legal fiction. The Bolsheviks never allowed any real freedom of action outside of local matters and minus Stalin & Friends and a few select few from the late Brezhnev era on, all Politburo members were Russian. It all fell apart with Glasnost because it weakened the Party, the Army, and security forces which held the loose framework together.

[@kennethferland5579]

To clarify the legality of the American civil wars succseesion was legally complex. The OG Confederacy leaderships was actually trying to get the courts to rule on it, but Lincoln deftly manuvered by not giving them any official act they could take to court. Ultimatly Union courts and history would validate Lincolns position which was that while the Constitution dose not even mention susession, the prior Articles of Confederation which are what legally created the United States, are explicitly perpetual, and without an equally explicity retraction it remains so. The ironic thing is that had the Supreme court pre-civil-war ever actually gotten to rule on the issue it would likely have found for the Confederacy because the court was stacked in their favor and had been hell bent on expanding slavery nation wile with things like the Dread-Scott desision.

[@voryndagothDL]

Phenomenal presentation and production quality

[@williammarkham3628]

I tuned in for star wars and got a lesson in real world economics and geopolitics. I am not disappointed.

[@mslayer1229]

Finally some more info on my favorite faction.

[@Oliver-ld3ei]

Love these videos Corey! You’re polysci background really allows you to do in depth analysis of StarWars lore in a way I haven’t seen before. You could totally branch out to do analysis of other series as well and I’d think you’d find similar success if that’s something you’d be interested in doing.

[@reversemudkip8798]

Good stuff. Been watching your videos since late 2018

[@ryandude3]

Really enjoy your coverage of political topics.

[@walkergargagliano142]

Leaving a comment to feed the algorithm

[@gokbay3057]

4:40 I think canon (or at least EU/Legends) had some examples where the planet/sector had seceded but there were still loyalist senators in the Republic Senate.

[@spyczech]

I like how you bring in real world history and examples. You can see in the interview between James Cameron and George Lucas where he says the rebels were the Vietnamese

[@pidge8383]

An under-explored star wars topic for sure

[@haydencrawford8552]

As a canadian, i am happy my country was mentioned 🥹

[@CoreysDatapad]

I'm also Canadian, Star Wars KZbin is infested with us.

[@TobeWilsonNetwork]

Always love your Star Wars political economy videos

[@nickterlizzi]

Stumbled upon this. This video was really good. Great work.

[@glamourweaver]

What made the CIS ideologically click for me was weirdly enough a KZbin video on the movie Return to Oz, questioning how we should interpret the nome king. His assertion about the service taking what is his could be read one of two ways depending on how sympathetic you want to see him. Either he and his people are victims of colonialism plundering their resources - or he is talking about what his people’s labor produce but he claiming as his personal property that he’s mad about a governmental authority taxing. The CIS leadership are claiming the second while presenting themselves to their constituencies as claiming the first.

[@Longshot441]

I don't know why but watching this. Makes me want to play a stars wars game like crusader kings.

[@spaceengineeringempire4086]

I find it wired how many stars are in just a 100 LY range of earth. 57,722 I wish I was losing that’s the amount discovered by a telescope. So many of these sectors are severely underdeveloped.

[@nunyabiznes7446]

Well, I was expecting a discussion of gender in Star Wars, but I'll take it

[@darthironhand4353]

Loving seeing your background in Politics and IR come out in these videos. Amazing work! Edit: at 16:00, does anyone know the source for that image of the lucrehulks in battle?

[@MarMarBunbun]

Yeah, that's from the essential guide to warfare

[@darthironhand4353]

​@@MarMarBunbun amazing thanks! Does it depict any battle in particular?

[@kaydgaming]

this video about gender identity makes no sense

[@Unouna10]

Underrated comment

[@mr.j3rs3y]

Lmao XD

[@tomosmorris9553]

Real

[@Kevinkapon]

All I got from this is that the cis are corrupt, and I already knew that

[@rat_king-]

5:40 Jesus.. that's a throwback of a website.. also 4:3 CRT very cool

[@TheYargonaut]

Great vid Corey! A lot of what you bring up reminds me of the lifetime of colonial mercantilism, if with far less of the international protectionism and bullion-jockeying. If the Empire is a Third Reich analog, the late Republic serves as a British Empire analog, complete with the Trade Federation's early life as an East India Company equivalent and the CIS representing the "darker" revolutions against the British Empire. It definitely contributes to a rich, nuanced universe, if Sheeve's ultimate control of the situation casts it all in a bit of a dour light.

[@ginch8300]

@TheYargonaut The CIS was clearly loosely based on the East India Company, but in Star Wars timeline, the Company becomes self-conscious and fought the federal government that was essentially responsible for creating it.

[@garryame4008]

This video rules. Fantastic content

[@Kohl293]

This is a great video with lots of research and examples

[@vittoriolepporio122]

I never thought I’d hear about Quebec on a Star Wars video

[@jackotherstar]

I still don’t think we talk about how the trade federation, a literal COMPANY, got representation in the senate. That definitely pissed off some mid and outer rim planets.

[@kingorange7739]

Indeed it did

[@monkeeseemonkeedoo3745]

Not the CIS I thought... lol

[@frexion8374]

Cool video. What about the politics of the TRANS?