InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "YOUR FACE."

Galactic Republic

Many civilians in the Republic followed the Clone Wars closely, mainly through the HoloNet and Republic propaganda. Throughout the entire conflict, Republic citizens were overwhelmingly loyal, and dissent was nearly unheard of. This was due in part to simple patriotism but more a product of the pressure to show support. In the tense attitude of the Clone Wars, those who second-guessed the Republic were often looked on with suspicion. Senators, in particular, had to very carefully watch their language, and many fought back accusations of Separatist sympathies when they openly attempted to challenge the questionable 'reforms' of the Supreme Chancellor. Public sentiment held that Palpatine, in fact, was indispensable as a leader. Therefore, any attempts to rebuke his actions were harshly frowned upon by the majority, as there was a significant fear that without Palpatine leading the Republic, it would have no chance against the Confederacy.

Although optimism was high at the beginning of the war, as it dragged on, morale began to fall sharply. Even the propaganda-laced HoloNet news reports didn't manage to stem the growing tide of uneasiness over the odds of a Republic victory. The Grand Army's efforts to hold off Grievous were failing. System after system fell to the onslaught of the droid armies, and many planets continued to defect to the Confederacy. Not only that, but the people's faith in the Jedi began to wane over the course of the war, when more and more Knights were killed in battle. It became clear that the warriors who had once seemed invincible were mere mortals as well.

It was not unexpected, therefore, when the Chancellor's Office announced that the Clone Army had turned back a supposed coordinated coup of the Republic by the Jedi Order. Instantly, public sentiment reversed, and with the combined motivation of victory against the Separatists and protection against the supposedly fanatical Jedi, Palpatine was unanimously lauded for his direction of the Republic. His ascension to autocrat was not only unquestioned, it was encouraged.

The Confederacy of Independent Systems

Unlike the people of the Republic, those inhabiting worlds that seceded from the government were often less driven by allegiance to the Confederacy than simply by their yearning to transcend their current condition. There were numerous reasons planets seceded. Some were simply unhappy with the way the Republic and the Senate were being administrated. Others were worlds suffering from the aftermath of wars, famines, or other disasters that had been neglected by the Republic. Still others were worlds where tensions or open wars between sects continued to flare. The Confederacy took advantage of these small conflicts, offering assistance to a sect's minor war if that faction would contribute in turn to the larger galactic conflict.

The defining attribute of nearly all loyal Confederate citizens was hatred of the Jedi. As the leaders of the Republic armies and its deadliest soldiers, the Jedi represented the greatest threat to the new prosperity the Confederacy sought. Many Confederate civilians poured into the image of the Jedi their hatred over the decayed Republic and fear over the atmosphere of uncertainty surrounding the war. Confederate news broadcasts played up the killings committed by Jedi Knights, and were quick to contrast their self-applied title as guardians of peace and justice with their new roles as juggernauts of death that killed those who were simply defending their homes from invaders. The fear in the hearts of many people on Separatist worlds that their homes would be next contributed to an active hatred of the hypocrisy the Jedi Order of the Clone Wars represented.