After all, the Republic is really to blame for all of our Galaxy's struggles. A Commonwealth of Independent Systems is in the making - and it will provide the economic and military security that the stagnated Republic cannot.
—San Hill
The Separatist Crisis was a period of political unrest that began in 55 BBY, lasting until 52 BBY, and was the main chain of events that triggered the Galactic Clone Wars.
History[]
For decades, numerous planets, species, and groups had been trying to reduce the power of the Galactic Senate, lower or eliminate taxes, grant graft in exchange for political favors, or withdraw from the Republic for various isolationist or xenophobic reasons. The outbreak of the Mandalorian Civil War five years previous, in 60 BBY, had many more groups fearful of how quickly the conflict could spread, and disturbed by the Republic's lack of military force that could be employed against the growing violence of the Mandalorian combatants. Spurred by the exhortations of San Hill and the failure of the Senate to even vote on the Financial Reform Act and the rejection of the Military Reform Act, the various corporations and planets begun to withdraw from the Senate, organizing themselves into a loose separatist movement known as the Commonwealth of Independent Systems, which allowed laissez-faire capitalism and no government involvement in planetary affairs, as well as a powerful independent military force.
Over the three year period between when the InterGalactic Banking Clan began petitioning for a separation from the Galactic Republic and when the Clone Wars broke out, many thousands of worlds and groups seceded from the Republic to join the newly-formed Commonwealth. Though at first the number of systems deserting the Republic was only in the hundreds, the Senate deemed the matter serious enough that the Military Reform Act was tabled once more as the Military Creation Act and extended debate arose focusing on whether the Republic should allow the new Commonwealth to exist in harmony with or force it to reintegrate with the Republic. Decarte Palpatine made his large-scale political debut during this period of debate, arguing for forceful reintegration. Despite not being a member of the Galactic Senate, Palpatine was one of the main campaign leaders in the sector he lived in, and it was this campaign, along with the campaign for a build-up of military force and support of the Military Creation Act, that would see him elected as a Senator in 55 BBY.
While the debate became slowed down for various reasons, many more systems began to join the fledgling Commonwealth, with thousands joining per year. The perceived increase of military force that the CIS offered became desirable to many worlds as the Mandalorian Civil War spread and began consuming worlds not directly involved. One of the key battles that would trigger an increase in the rate of seceding systems was the Battle of Moonus Mandell. Many more systems opted to take a neutral stance, withdrawing from the Senate but not seceding from the Republic entirely. Eventually it became apparent that many of the worlds leaving were economically valuable worlds that founds the open capitalism of the Commonwealth far more enticing than the sanctions of the Republic. Faced with a severe loss of economic power, the Republic opted to attempt for reintegration in 53 BBY. However, negotiations broke down in 52 BBY and a hostage situation involving a shipload of Jedi trainees became the turning point, where the Separatist Crisis became the Galactic Clone Wars.