Democracy

Democracy was a form of social organization that involved mass political participation in a state's decision-making processes and individual freedoms. The Galactic Republic maintained a thousand years of democracy across sovereign star systems through the Galactic Senate, but its democratic processes were eroded by personal and corporate interests that placed greed above common interests throughout the galaxy. Such corruption was exploited by the Sith Lord Darth Sidious, who undermined the Senate by engineering the Naboo Crisis and was secretly Sheev Palpatine, who was elected the Supreme Chancellor. Despite the democratic principles of senators such as Padmé Amidala, Palpatine gained increasing power over the Senate during the Separatist Crisis, which spiraled into the Clone Wars against the Separatists. At the end of the war, he ordered the destruction of the Jedi Order, paving way for the Republic's full transition into the fascist dictatorship of the Galactic Empire.

Emperor Palpatine's loyal bureaucrats and the Imperial war machine suppressed the people of the galaxy as the Senate became decreasingly relevant to governmental affairs, and the Empire was eventually overthrown by the Rebellion, giving way to the New Republic. However, its system of representative democracy was weakened by growing divides in the aftermath of the Galactic Civil War. Due to its complacency and the machinations of Darth Sidious and his Sith cult, the New Republic collapsed as the neo-Imperial First Order conquered the galaxy. However, Leia Organa's Resistance movement mobilized hopes for freedom. Among them was a new generation of freedom fighters led by Rey Skywalker, Finn, and Poe Dameron, and they eventually rallied a fleet of galactic citizens to defeat Sidious' plans for a new Sith Empire, liberating the galaxy.

Text and facts from the “Democracy” article on Wookieepedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Modified for this site.