The Critical Failures Of The New Republic In Canon
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With the fall of the Galactic Empire and the death of Emperor Palpatine, the New Republic was formed. For the next thirty years, it tried to establish peace and democracy throughout the galaxy and wash away the stench of tyranny. However, much like its predecessor, the New Republic was not to be, for it too was overthrown, although from the outside, this time by the First Order. So why did it fall? What destroyed the New Republic in only thirty years of rule of the galaxy?
Fundamentally the flaw of the New Republic stems from three major areas. An inability to understand why the status quo failed in the first place, an inability to reform the deeper institutions of the galaxy, and an inability to adapt to changing circumstances. Because of these three reasons, the New Republic found itself destroyed at the hands of the First Order.
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A Return To The Status Quo
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The death of the Emperor at the Battle of Endor marked the birth of the New Republic and the start of the new Era. While the Empire itself took a whole year to disintegrate, Mon Mothma quickly wanted to show the galaxy that the Rebellion was ready to govern. She brought back to life the institution of the Senate and the laws of the Galactic Republic of old.
In many ways, Mon Mothma was wise to do this; she needed to show Galaxy that this was a restoration of the Republic, something that the Rebellion had been aiming for since its inception. The goal was to quickly get the galaxy back to the pre-Empire status quo, in many ways the status quo before the Clone Wars began. Many would forget that the Empire only happened because of the Clone Wars, the Republic’s militarization, and the consolidation of power in the Chancellorship.
Another primary reason for Mon Mothma’s quick decisions was wanting as many planets as possible to join the New Republic. After all the Galaxy had suffered through almost thirty years of brutal tyranny, many worlds were still unsure of what a central government, even under a new regime, would be like. The New Republic did not wish to impose its will on those who had been under the Empire for so long.
However, after the Empire was defeated as a functioning state, the Republic still had fears of coming off like the Empire, expanding and imposing on those planets.
No Reform Of Institutions
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Ridding the galaxy of Palpatine and restoring the Senate doesn’t automatically make the galaxy better. The Empire had built many of its institutions on the bones of the Galactic Republic of old. The Senate itself lasted for most of the Empire’s reign, even if it became a toothless organization. Early on, many officers in the Empire also served in the Republic in the judicial forces. Many of the economic elite that existed during the Galactic Empire transitioned nicely to the New Republic after the fact.
During its tenure, the New Republic didn’t change much of the economic climate of the galaxy, so many businesses and organizations remained intact and untouched. Even local planets didn’t see much difference in their change of government and structure. Even on the national scale, things were different. The New Republic also kept many bureaucratic institutions by which the Empire governed and now placed it under New Republic control. Even if the terror was gone, many of the structures that the Empire used to maintain control remained, and the mindsets of those institutions as well. Without dealing with the conditions that led to the rise of the Empire, the New Republic ensured that a new Empire in the form of the First Order would rise.
Afraid Of War
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While the New Republic’s desire for peace made sense, it was so afraid of continuing another war that it didn’t realize that a new Empire was building right under its nose. Dismantling the military early on was the right decision when it seemed like the galaxy was at peace, but not being able to change policy when conditions changed was not the right move.
Complacency, when it came to dealing with neo-Imperial forces, was one of the biggest detriments to the New Republic—the inability to quickly crack down on any pro-Empire thoughts from powerful individuals and especially planets. When the First Order was rising, the New Republic did not pursue a policy of aggression toward it early on and allowed it to thrive in its galaxy. It allowed planets to display Imperial symbols and iconography and did not heed the warnings from Leia that this force was a true threat to the galaxy. Fear of returning to a state of war, even one that could prevent the rise of a tyrannical force, played a massive role in the downfall of The New Republic.
In Conclusion
Complacency, inability to reform the deeper institutions that run the galaxy, and more were why the New Republic fell. While its idealism was honorable, and some of its early decisions made sense, an inability to evolve and change led to its inevitable downfall as well.
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