"Luke I am your Father." Come on, there is no way I could start this blog with a picture of Star Wars at the top without the infamous quote all fans should recognize from the get go.
The whole Star Wars franchise, not just "The Empire Strikes Back" parallels the cycle of empires so well that possibly, the entire history of the Roman Empire could be seen in just these 6 films. The 7th episode on the other hand,...let us not get started with the newest addition to the saga (personally not a big fan).
Many might wonder how some of the greatest nations in the world: Rome, Russia, Germany, etc. could be turned so dark with the influence of just one leader. Well, that is exactly what Chancellor Palpatine did in Revenge of the Sith. He did not do it with force, nor with an outstanding army. Instead he did it through speech, through a convincing stream of words, articulated carefully in front of a large and powerful audience.
Still... it's kind of ironic don't you guys think. The transition from a Republic to an Empire almost always begins with peace. There was no violence seen when Caesar pronounced himself emperor; only violence following afterwards. There was no violence when Caesar's son, Octavian silenced the Senate and began his reign as emperor after the death of Caesar. Only violence following after the event. There was no violence when Hitler assumed full power over Germany. The one thing these rulers all had in common was speech and a way to appeal to the common folk. Speech is what unifies and provides a boost in morale to the citizens of an area. In times where there is confusion and turmoil, humans want safety. Physiological and safety needs trumps everything. In times of darkness, the first thing that comes to humans' minds are not the concerns of who is governing, how they are governing, but the fact that SOMEONE is governing. If they cannot live to see another day, then what does it matter who is governing? It is the fear and chaos which influences radical leaders' rise to power.
It is that same fear in which George Lucas paints a comparable account to just how empires rise. Before the empire was created by Chancellor Palpatine, he used to be, well, a Chancellor. The universe of Star Wars was ruled more or less by a Republic. There was nothing wrong with this Republic. Nothing wrong in the sense that people felt like they could have a voice in government and go about with their daily lives without fear. (And the rest of the movie, you guys can fill in for yourselves). It was in the sense, where society was in such a lax and tranquil state, did Palpatine take advantage of the situation. The people of his Republic were so used to peace among each other, that if something were to happen (betrayal of the Republic), they would not know how to respond. Therefore, when the betrayal did in fact occur, everyone played into the Chancellor's hands perfectly. He seized the opportunity to rise to power since many could not and the rest is Star Wars History. This completely parallels the account of Octavian's rise to power. Rome was in a Republican state of government for so long, that when the dictator, Augustus, finally died, the people could only look up to the next ruler for guidance.
Therefore, the rise to power of many of the arguably, bad rulers over the course of history, should not be be blamed solely for their actions. An empire is nothing without population and what makes up the population? That's right, us. Consciously or unconsciously, it is us who "elected" these powerful officials. We gave them power because of our fear, anger, and/or frustration. Republics revolve around us, while empires start with us.
