Date: 13 BBY
Author: Doikk Bi'lor, a Bith Senator, writes our first piece. A gifted intellect, the computerized algorithms on Bith chose him to represent the planet in the Republic at the age of 39, shortly after the Naboo crisis forced a change. The current Bith senator at the time was removed from power after he controversially voted in favor of removing Valorum from office, then voted for Palpatine in the election. And so, the Computer deemed that he needed to be replaced. Bi'lor was the replacement. He was Populist, strongly supporting planetary independence. This gave him a natural dislike towards Palpatine. But I digress on his political views, back to his history. Senator Bi'lor was quick to join the Confederacy, citing calculations which suggested economic benefit and a preference for greater independence. Though the Bith themselves were not eager to fight, they were in Separatist territory, so they were quickly liberated by droid forces. Bi'lor was a minor voice in the Separatist Parliament for the rest of the war. His people helped to support the CIS without fighting directly, generally providing technological supplies. Support by the Bith people kept him alive after the war, though his political career was ended. He lived a quiet life on Bith until the Empire suspected him of Rebellion, and he was arrested and executed in 12 BBY.
Writing: By most appearances, Bi'lor just got somewhat bored with his life on Bith after he was forced to retire from politics. Seeking to get some attention from the fields of political sciences, he wrote this paper for the political talk magazine Quadrillions of Perspectives. Its controversy on such a touchy subject did give some attention, but his efforts also backlashed. Despite Bi'lor being relatively unbiased, its criticisms of Palpatine during that era in particular became unpopular. Note that it is written without knowledge of Palpatine's manipulations or Dooku being a his apprentice. Given its time, it also uses the BE/AE timeline, measuring dates relative to the creation of the Galactic Empire.
Upon surveying the question posed in the title, 5 years ago, one would have received two types of answers, one saying the Republic, the other blaming the Confederacy. Both of these are, in retrospect, very polarized points of view. In this more modern era, I sincerely hope the political community can remove its bias and accurately answer this question. That is, after all, the very definition of science.
To not mention my own biases and opinions at the time would be hypocritical, so I suppose it is necessary for my past to be explained. For those who do not know me, I was a Separatist. I still stand by that decision. Of course, there were overall benefits to my people that were my main reasons. Being part of the Confederacy simply put us in a superior situation economically, since the Republic tariffs were getting to be very high, and very few of those tax credits were coming to us. The calculations supported my choice. Being a Populist, I idealistically preferred the Confederacy. The general belief that planets should be more independent was one of my main reasons. The morals of the greater galaxy came second when it came to the needs of my people, so who was right or wrong was never of great concern at the time, and it was minor enough that I could look at unbiasedly. I chose to blame the Republic, and that was that.
Perhaps my bias influenced me more than I thought at the time. My logic was, as usual for anyone at the time, oversimplified. "The Separatist worlds wanted a peaceful secession, and the Republic attacked." Those who supported the Republic had a similarly polarized view. "The Separatists declared war, and we defended ourselves." So different, so similar. The irony would have been amusing were we not so arrogant.
But how did the Clone Wars actually start? To say Geonosis would be the common answer, but there are plenty of other events that are able to be considered. Some might suggest going back to when Dooku first began giving speeches, promoting a secession. 13 BE might be a common answer, considering a few important events at that time. Valorum was removed from power, Palpatine's rose to it, the Trade Federation protested on Naboo, and the creation of a Clone Army began. However, when considering the secessionist movement and the longtime struggle involving corporate control, one might as well go back to the blockade of Malastare by the Corporate Alliance, which went similarly and also provided vital lessons for the Trade Federation in their own blockade. But when corporate power is considered as a primary factor, 109 BE is a pretty solid choice, since that first allowed megacorps to be considered "Functional Constituencies" and receive representation in the Senate. And yes, it goes farther back. Functional Constituencies first received representation in the Ruusan Reformations over 1,000 years ago.
Looking at the reasons that the Confederate planets had for secession is not the purpose of this essay, however, so I shall start elsewhere. The logical place to start is before the war had become an inevitability, when a peaceful secession was still possible.
The only issue is that the idea of war grew gradually for both sides. The Republic long had pushes for a standing military. While this undeniably escalated during the Secessionist Movement, the Militarists existed long before that. Crises like the Stark Hyperspace War and the two corporate blockades, as well as a general desire to prep for the future give the Militarists prominence. (Note that the order for the creation of a Clone Army is not of relevance, since he was a single man, and it was secret to both sides.) The Militarist movement got the Separatist worlds nervous, as they feared an attack.
So the Confederacy, in turn, started its own military. It was, as the name indicates, a particularly loose confederacy at that time. Dooku was leading a small collection of Senators who wished for their planets to be independent. Threats, blackmailing, and fear of embargo had kept most of the worlds from making a formal move at that point. The few that did weren't all that the major. While the warlike Aqualish were a nice score for the CIS at first, they were almost hoping for a war. Though this loose array of planets was desperate for an army, (considering the Militarists in the Republic) they weren't united enough to make a Confederacy-wide draft. Though they had come to hate corporations, it became apparent that they had no choice. Combining the wealth of the planets and Dooku's own large funds from his noble background, the Confederacy began to hire an army from sources that already had them, like the Trade Federation. Much of the support was also in exchange for influence, thus forcing the CIS to succumb to some of the same sort of corruption that the Republic had. The corporations were promised seats on the secretive Separatist Council, which would allow them to partial control the forces that they had supplied.
But, this certainly didn't start the war. The Confederacy was simply preparing its pre-emptive self-defense. Yet, the same could be said about the Republic's increase in power of the Judicials and pushes for a proper army.
And the cycle went on and on. As more Senators joined the Militarists, the Confederacy hired more droid armies. And that made increased calls for militarism in the Republic Senate. Of course, the Republic didn't make major moves, but these calls were just as intimidating as the droids hired by the Confederacy. This arms race seemed destined to end in a cold war, and, all things considered, neither truly were doing anything all that wrong.
The more clear prediction was that the Confederacy was almost certain to run low on credits. The Republic had a hundred times more planets than the Confederacy at the time, the Confederacy worlds were poor as is. With the Confederacy so weak, it couldn't easily grow, either. The Republic was ready to secure victory with increased economic embargoes, a bold move the began to further necessitate desperation on the part of the Confederacy.
But who is to blame in this critical escalation? It's hard to find fault with the Confederacy when they were so small. But how necessary was their army? As you may know, I am a pacifist myself, so the topic is of some bias to me. The Republic had yet to create an army at the time, so they didn't exactly need it.
It is with the Republic that I do find more fault. Of course, my argument against the Militarists is one that's sure is well enough known, so I'll be brief. The Republic was overreacting, of course, to the Confederacy, and the Militarist camp increased drastically in response to the minor increases in the Separatist military, but keep in mind that there was little action. The Republic really only threatened to create an army. I can't tell you how many Senators would say, "One more move by those Separatists and I'm onboard with military creation." Likewise, the Judicials received major increases in armament. Certainly, they were not exactly a military as much as they were security, but it was a threat nevertheless. There were calls for pretty much everything to react to the Separatists, from peace to war to embargo. What was never discussed is why they were so opposed to the Secessionist Movement.
It is hard to say these things definitively, as they are, undeniably, broad generalizations. The Toleredans were determined that they wouldn't secede unless it was peaceful, the Aqualish were desperate for someone to fight. Anaxan patriots wouldn't rest until the Separatists were entirely massacred, the Alderaanians made pleas to the Senate for peace. But I try to summarize.
Even with the Militarists on either side, things probably wouldn't have escalated without either Palpatine or Dooku. Palpatine, for his part, was strong in his calls to increase action against the Separatists, at the political, economic, and social levels. His attempts to further centralize power only encouraged the more poorer systems to secede, although it started a trend that did an excellent job of strengthening the Republic.
Dooku started to have his first clashes with the Confederacy Senators that he once got along so well with. While most were willing to fight for their independence, Dooku started to enter a state that was much more paranoid than his fellow Confederates. In the end, he was correct, but he began to strongly promote militarizing in preparation of a Republic attack. Perhaps the Republic never would have ended up attacking, had Dooku not been so set on defense.
As mentioned before, the Separatists were getting desperate, as they were too few and too poor. Just as Palpatine's term was coming to an end, their desperate move happened. It was a major success. Of all the regions, none had more reason to hate the Republic than the Expansion Region, which essentially allowed corporations to own planets. They could even own ones with sentient native populations. And as Dooku came to the Expansion Region, the Secessionist Movement gained ground.
Not only did (admittedly poor) planets join the Confederacy, it was the Fabrin Lawsuits that started a decisive trend. Suing the megacorps for stripping the planet of the native's resources, the Confederacy found itself a powerful ally in, of all things, the Republic Courts. Taking advantage of the decent parts in Republic law by bringing to light the atrocities committed against the primitive natives and exploiting loopholes that caused some cases of illicit land use, the Confederacy managed to get a ton of money for Fabrin, all while bankrupting a corporation. While it was by no means as a major as SoroSuub, Fabritech wasn't exactly popular, either.
Confederacy lawyer Hespecia Glit'ton, a Caamasi, was a hero to most.
To say that Fabritech had the moral high ground in such a case would be undeniably wrong. Yet, the Republic politicians saw the threat. Hundreds of Expansion Region systems continued this trend, and suddenly, once poor systems were taking large amounts of money from corporations and joining the Confederacy. And for every judge the Republic tried to influence, it was always somehow brought to light. The Confederacy had enough planets to be independent and enough money to possibly defend itself against the Republic.
Undeniably, the Fabrin Lawsuits made the Clone Wars happen. Without them, Republic would have destroyed the Confederacy (via military or economic means) with ease. But crushing the Confederacy isn't exactly a solution, either, and they had a right to fight for their freedom.
While Republic Senators considered the Fabrin Lawsuits to be an open attack on their economy by the Confederacy, any successful cases by the Confederacy did cause Republic judges to support them. It could only last so long, however. Laws were modified, judges were replaced, and they simply ran out of worlds in the Expansion Region.
The Clone Wars started to become a fight over the Expansion Region. More money lead to more Confederacy funds, and more funds drew more planets in. Suddenly, Dooku ruled a majority of the Expansion Region, Mid Rim, and Outer Rim. By then, the Republic was in full panic, and Palpatine received an extension until crisis's end, so as to not "switch banthas in the middle of dune." The Republic was desperate to get territory back, as well, and the Expansion Region was yet again starred for its unique legal state.
At the time, Expansion Region planets had been entirely part of the Confederacy, a result of the assistance they received from them and frustration with the Republic. But they were still legally property of the corporations. Like former owners of escaped slaves, they wanted them back. And the Republic was more than happy to oblige them. And, because of corruption, powerless to stop them.
The Republic retaking of the Expansion Region, if one asks most, was the turning point that made war inevitable. The thing is, even those who were against the war had little choice but to let the companies do as they pleased. Republic law gave the corporations legal control of the planets, not to mention the corporations qualified as Functional Constituencies, so they had powerful representation in the Senate.
Palpatine and the Militarists, now firmly united, were able to sit back and watch as the Expansion Region was forced into Republic hands. Outrage swept through the Confederacy Senate. Justice had to be done. The Republic's corruption had forced the Expansion Region into further injustice as part of a government they didn't support. To many Separatists, this was the Republic's last straw.
"Free the Expansion Region" was the united cry throughout the CIS. Even as Dooku and his Senators made plans to hire more corporate armies to appease these calls for justice, their actions were by no means the first violence.
The fateful day came on Cathar, when the Cathar struck first. Splinter guerillas to the Confederacy, terrorists to the Republic, the Mining Guild was driven off the planet by means of brute force. The spark started a blaze. Fabrin, returning to stardom, was quick to follow suit, becoming a poster boy for the CIS when Commander Xagbar lead a string of attacks against the Fabritech forces that had retaken their planet. Then it was Umbara, Terrijo, and Ord Vaug. The attacks ranged, it is hard to characterize them. Civilian casualties are a major focal point in analyzing morals of any attack, but in this case, they varied greatly by planet. The line between terrorist and freedom fighter was so thin in these cases.
To the Republic, this was an open act of war. The Militarists were ready, and they called the vote for creation of an army. Did they jump the gun, become too eager to fight? Perhaps. As a pacifist, I try to ignore my bias in this analysis. Media played a surprisingly large role in this early vote. Many Senators who voted in favor actually came to regret their choice upon discovering the media portrayals to contain a great deal of yellow press.
The revolutionaries of the Expansion Region met mixed feelings. To me, they acted too quickly, not realizing the consequences of their actions. There is a reason why the Confederacy itself had yet to attack. But the revolutions were bound to be treated as an act of war, so the CIS had to defend itself.
Dooku's secrecy became apparent with his secret allies on Geonosis. This is one of the more controversial moves, even to a Separatist like myself. Dooku built armies on Geonosis with Confederacy funds, without permission or even knowledge from the Separatist Parliament. CIS reports often call it necessary, pointing out the need to defend against the Republic. But, the Confederacy was a democracy.
People argue about the need for secrecy and lack of trust between members. Perhaps they are right. Dooku had been given power, and he betrayed it. But when the Republic hunted him down while he made a critical arms deal on that very planet, the Geonosian droids saved him.
Through those droids, he was able to capture two Jedi and Senator Padmé Amidala, who were attempting highly illegal espionage on the planet. Geonosian tradition demanded execution, a harsh punishment. But, with Jedi reputation and need for secrecy in the arms deal, it was probably a good choice. However, word got out, and the Republic grew frustrated, considering this Dooku's last straw.
Getting the bill passed wasn't easy. In order to do it quickly enough, for what they considered a major emergency, the Senate needed to move quicker and more efficiently. The Senate had taken years to decide anything, at the time. The Military Creation Act needed acceleration, even with the sudden gift of a pre-made Clone Army.
The idea of Emergency Powers had been tossed around in private discussions, but none had the courage to officially propose it. Palpatine above all, couldn't, for he didn't want to be seen as a dictator. (Then, it was a very negative term.) But Palpatine needed it. And, if one were to believe actions from the Republic side of things, the Republic needed it.
No one had the courage to propose it, for fear that they would be shot down and humiliated. Only Jar-Jar Binks, with nothing to lose, finally did it. He was in power, ironically, thanks to Amidala's absence. And, it passed. The dictatorship began.
The Republic moved quickly to Geonosis, sending the army and hoping to catch Dooku, so as to intimidate the CIS into submission. But Dooku had an army, too. Sure, they lost the battle, but the army allowed Dooku to escape, allowed the Corporate backers to escape, and fought a hard battle.
To armies do not simply fight a single battle. For both sides, there was no doubt that the other was about to attack. The Clone Wars then continued as a series of "pre-emptive" strikes, before both sides started simply attacking for tactical purposes.
The war had begun.
To put all of the blame on either side in is completely wrong, as I stated earlier. From either side's point of view, the other caused it. Against such an evil enemy, pre-emptive strikes were necessary. Perhaps knowledge could have stopped the Clone Wars. Perhaps it wouldn't have. But things have transpired, and these things have now put the Empire in power.
Bi'lor does a great job of staying objective, sounding much more like a historian than a politician. While one might say that it would be better suited to textbooks than anything, (where it has been featured many times) it is nevertheless one of the best summaries I have seen related to the era. Now that we are no longer so unquestioningly favorable towards Palpatine and have had time to think about the past events, it has become of the most well-respected essays on the issue.