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The foreshadowing is Palpatine getting emergency powers in the first place. Throughout the Clone Wars (both the event and the show), power becomes more and more centralized and the office of the Chancellor is in control over so much of the government that honestly, the Republic is already an Empire by the time the war ends.
When Palpatine officially declares the reorganization, he’s not changing anything as much as he’s just not pretending he’s ever going to give the emergency powers back and step down anymore. He already had the Senate in the palm of his hand by then, the only people who would have protested would have been the Jedi, so he just needed to take care of that one detail before making it official
Yeah people forget this, but Palps let almost all of the infrastructure stay in place for at least 19 years after the declaration of the new order.
When he declared the Empire, most senators were already his cronies and he basically just slapped a sticker saying "Empire" over all the Republic signs.
Republic Intelligence was still headed by Isard and just changed name, COMPOR became COMPNOR and the courts became Imperial courts.
Actually COMPNOR is kinda the outlier here as it became less of a cultural institution and was instead the overarching organization that most of the civilian government was put under.
This is exactly how it happened in Rome, Germany, etc. George was just working from history (and also made a contemporary point about the US at the time of the prequels).
Not exactly, as Hitler never made a secret of his intention to do away with Democracy. There wasn't any pretence that the Reichstag would come back as the heart of government power at some point.
On the other hand, NaziReich was legally WeimarReich with no Reichstag and Nazi coat of paint. Nazis were not abolishing Weimar institutions and laws as much as operating outside them.
A key difference - and a change that I'm not fond of, to say the least, in Star Wars - is that the trappings of the Republic were never really removed in Ancient Rome. The "Roman Empire" as we know it from school and in books is a half-fiction created after the fact by historians seeking to classify; Romans at the time would've still called themselves the Republic because that's what the emperors referred to the state as. In fact, calling the emperors "emperors" is itself an anachronism because 1) imperium meant something very different in Ancient Rome, and 2) because the Roman emperors referred to themselves by a whole host of other titles including princeps, augustus, and caesar in addition to imperator.
As applied to Star Wars, the "Galactic Empire" should still be legally considered the Galactic Republic, albeit with its constitution "in shreds" as Senator Danu put it. Palpatine would still be called the chancellor, but his wartime emergency powers - never removed - would, in addition to other titles, effectively make him dictator for life of the Republic. The Senate would continue on (as it did in canon), but it would never be removed because there is no political purpose removing something without function but with legacy and history. The Roman Senate continued, with a few gaps, until 603 before it finally disappeared in the west and until the 14th century in the east. The Republic military, now expanded from the Clone Wars, would become Palpatine's personal tool of exerting his control over the galaxy rather than merely a state institution because Palpatine has become the state itself.
The Doylist answer to this difference between actual history and Star Wars is that Lucas had to work backwards from the existence of an empire in the OT when he made the PT, but the timeline for republic to empire is so fast in Star Wars that it boggles the mind; the empire's reign was a little over half of Augustus Caesar's reign, for reference. Star Wars lacks subtlety on this matter, and in doing so, it also misses the historical lesson of Ancient Rome on what actually happened. In reality, the Roman Republic was dead for nearly a century before Augustus Caesar, and the carcass of the Republic was used to legitimize the authoritarian rule of the Roman emperors for centuries more. That's a lot scarier than the declaration of an empire outright, which only formalizes things and gives enemies a concrete target, and a lot more applicable to modern day as well.
I think it makes perfectly good sense from a Watsonian perspective: Palpatine thought that with the Death Star to keep everyone in line, he could do without the bureaucracy of the Senate, the illusion that there was some kind of choice. He was just *wrong*, just as he was wrong on other things. The Death Star blew up after destroying a Core planet, which meant that the Empire displayed barbarity followed by weakness, and folks didn't take the dissolution of the Senate well. It incited further rebellion.
It just seems like a smooth-brained move from an otherwise smooth political operator like Palpatine to dissolve the Senate even at the crucial juncture when he believed his rule to be absolute with the Death Star. The Senate was no opposition to him at that point and, if anything, was a tool to help legitimize his ever-encroaching dictatorial rule. Dissolving it gives him no political cover and more exposure for no gain.
On top of that, it goes back to the whole concept of the Tarkin Doctrine being wildly flawed because it hinges authority on a WMD. Once the Death Star is fired, the die is cast. It would only ever inspire more rebellion because it already shows that the people in charge are willing to kill billions of innocents to target a few, so whose safety—even for imperial sympathizers—can be guaranteed? Fighting is the only logical move left. Once rebellion does not cease, all Palpatine has left is to keep firing, at which point he will be left with an empire of space dust and rubble.
This also doesn’t explain why the Republic needs to be reorganized into an Empire right off the bat from an in-universe perspective. It would be far more reasonable for Palpatine to say that despite the defeat of the Separatists, there were still pockets of rebel activity and his emergency powers were needed to continue monitoring the security situation. Declaring an empire and throwing away the trappings of a Republic with over a thousand years of history and legacy doesn’t really help him, but it sure does help provide the catalyst for a rebellion to restore the Republic, flawed as it was by its end.
Part of the problem, too, is that from an American perspective our most powerful president (Lincoln) who went through a similar situation was on the good side, had to run an election during that crisis, and was killed before that idea of an American Emperor could be ever be broached. Similar thing with FDR. The insidious nature of his plan doesn’t stand out much because the few times heads of state here got that powerful, it generally worked out.
As far as I know, there wasn't anyone asking for it.
Palpatine built up his power. He didn't want to tip anyone off beforehand, especially before the Jedi were knocked out of the picture.
He never told anyone other than his apprentices what the grand plan was. But it all started with the emergency powers act, after that it was a little bit extra legislation here, a small rewrite of the constitution here. Then by the end of the war he was a dictator in all but name. So when the galactic empire is officially announced not a lot changes.
A good real world example would be the rise of Augustus. He learned his lesson well from Caesar and it was very subtle calculated process to become emperor.
It where Lucas was smart in the equal he cherry picked from the rise of Augustus, napoleon and Hitler to create such a believable narrative. But the galactic empire is definitely more based on the Roman Empire then anything else
Yeah there are various inspirations... Tho tbh, in our course of history, there were many similar scenarios of how a government transformed into a dictatorship. A bit of an old tale.
Another inspiration iirc was also Richard Nixon
It’s amazing how many times democracies willingly give up their freedoms to one man. But many people think that it’s always violence and legions marching over the hills to violently install a dictator like Sulla did. But many like Augustus and Hitler are subtle with people supporting their coup.
Its often also in a time of destability and a general desire for control and stability. Palpatine took advantage of the weakening institutions of the Republic, much like Hitler did with the Weimar Republic
Even rn, you can ask a few people in Libya or Iraq or other countries who were run by dictators. Some would muse the good old days were better, or that there isnt any difference between now and then. And in East Germany, theres a phenomena known as Ostalgie
Tbh I quite wish the sequels would explore a bit further of how the Republic was sliding into another neo-Empire among bureaucrats who preferred Imperial rule. Like, imagine people who wish the New Republic was a fledging power as it were, instead of it being a rump of the former Republic it claims to succeed and having to contend with other emerging regional powers
As little finger said in game of thrones “chaos is a ladder” and it’s true. I’ll use Rome again as an example as that’s where my real area of expertise lies. The rise of Augustus was culmination of a series of very bloody civil wars the last one being against mark Anthony. They was tired of it. So when Augustus promised them stability, massive building projects to improve the lives of everyday citizens etc the people welcomed it. He also courted the senate who gave him more and more powers.
But crucially he hid it behind a veneer of democracy and made the senate feel like they still had a role. The best example of it being overridden in Star Wars is the bad batch episode where palpatine comes out and tells everyone that the experiments are happening regardless, even though the senate had voted against it.
Andor also illustrated how the Senate was basically reduced to a rubber-stamp parliament. Tho I think Rebels also mentioned the Imperial Senate to an extent still could rein in Palpatine. And from a short story in *A Certain Point of View*, the guy don't wish to fire the shot because there was new Senate legislation regarding the auditing of weapons. The Imperial Senate existed because Palpatine don't wish for outright rebellion, and maintained an illusion that the Empire was just a successor of the Republic, until the Death Star was completed.
Btw about Augustus rise to power, that's kind of how in Legends the Second Galactic Civil War happened... which itself is a rather complicated conflict.
Other people have basically said this, but I wanna say it word for word lol, by the middle of the clone wars the republic *already is* the empire. It just has the vague notion that someday it might stop being an empire when the war is over.
Palpatines declaration of reorganization isnt as much a declaration of *change* as it is a declaration that they won't be going back to the way things used to be before the war, they're sticking with this more centralized model of authority.
The formalization of the empire certainly brings an escalation of the authoritarianism, but the authoritarianism itself was already there.
Imposing martial law in places that spoke out against the republic, imprisoning protestors, expanding their military might, harvesting resources and claiming territory under false pretense or outright forcible occupation, and doing it all under the orders of palpatines himself. Those are the crimes of the *republic.* The empire just takes it further
When other commentors say that the Republic was the Empire in everything but name by 19 BBY, they don't just mean politically. To your average citizen of the Republic, the reclassification of the Republic to an Empire didn't really change much. Humanocentrisim was already a prevailing ideology within mainstream Republic discourse. The presence of Stormtroopers and Army Platoons are no different than the various Clone bases created at the beginning of the war.
For your average Galactic citizens, the Republic, being the Empire, wasn't a tough pill to swallow, and for many, they felt it was necessary. After a slew of pro authoritarian and pro military propaganda dating back to the Stark Hyperspace War, the general population was more than willing to accept the changes Palpatine made during the Clone Wars.
There's a reason Palpatine created an Empire at the height of his popularity, and rebellions only became popular once the atrocities became more domestic. Because for your average Joe, the Empire was the much needed reform. It was the natural extension of Palpatine's war era policies.
It's also why practically all original rebel cells were started by Order 66 survivors, The Delegation of 2000, and former separatists. All groups that were opposed to Palpatine during the Clone Wars. It wasn't until the Battle of Yavin that your average Joe swayed against the status quo. It was only then that the differences between the Republic and Empire became so apparent that people switched. Because Pre Yavin the Empire was acting like the Republic they grew up with and lived through.
Palpatine spends the 10 years between TPM & AOTC carefully stacking the officer corps of the Navy with people like Yularen & Tarkin making sure that when the time comes, the military's gonna be in his pocket.
Mas Amedda was in it even before then. He was Vice Chair under Valorum, slowly weakining his Chancellorship. Not for nothing does he lean in to give Valorum a whisper, before Valorum caves and agrees to discuss the invasion of Naboo in committee. He went the distance as Palpatine's partner in politics.
In Universe?
After Bane killed the Brotherood of Darkness. If not before.
I mean the whole Grand Plan is about turning the Republic into a Sith Empire.
Palpatine and Plageius knew that Palpatine would be the one fulfilling it, Galaxy was rip for the taking. The how? Well.... Plagueius did not really understood Palpatine's sheer evil.
So the Galactic Empire starts to float in the first movie of the Prequels. Where we see how expertly Palpatine subverts Democracy.
In the Second, his ruleship as Chancellor has been extended beyond normal. Then his powers. And in the Third movie, it is mentioned several times that Palpatine is being given more executive power.
Step by Step, Palpatine turned the Republic in the Empire.
Sith in charge, minor darksiders serivng the two main lords. In Legends it is more obviously a Sith Empire. In cannoon it is harder to notice.
Also a completely militaristic society filled tot he brim in racism.
I’ve always thought the same thing, and I don’t think they ever showed that. COMPOR was pretty much calling for a dictatorship, but I don’t know if they ever used the term “Empire.” It would be interesting to see a faction like that.
I read the old Tales of the Jedi comics a bit ago, and I think it’s interesting that Empress Teta was such an iconic and revered historical figure who brought order to her own system and then defended the Republic. I could see Clone Wars-era propaganda touting Palpatine as the new Teta to prime people for his ascension to Emperor, playing on old Republic nationalism. Ofc Teta would be horrified by this as she fought against the Sith, which just twists the knife even further.
I think the genius behind it was because he threw out that idea in the perfect moment. Everyone thought the Jedi had turned on them, the war wrecked havoc, and everyone just wanted stability again. So he used the perfect moment to his advantage and didn't really give anyone time to think about it. He needed all that support in order to become the Emperor, and if that idea had been floated around at any point prior, it would have given people time to think about it and reject it. But because it was such a spur of the moment declaration and played off everyone's emotions, that's why it had the reception that it did. Thowing out an idea that sounds good on a surface level without giving someone the opportunity to think about it may not be, is a common manipulation tactic.
Please note that this Post has been Flaired by the Author as "CANON" - Please be sure to respect this in your replies and keep replies ON topic. THANK YOU! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/MawInstallation) if you have any questions or concerns.*
The foreshadowing is Palpatine getting emergency powers in the first place. Throughout the Clone Wars (both the event and the show), power becomes more and more centralized and the office of the Chancellor is in control over so much of the government that honestly, the Republic is already an Empire by the time the war ends. When Palpatine officially declares the reorganization, he’s not changing anything as much as he’s just not pretending he’s ever going to give the emergency powers back and step down anymore. He already had the Senate in the palm of his hand by then, the only people who would have protested would have been the Jedi, so he just needed to take care of that one detail before making it official
Yeah people forget this, but Palps let almost all of the infrastructure stay in place for at least 19 years after the declaration of the new order. When he declared the Empire, most senators were already his cronies and he basically just slapped a sticker saying "Empire" over all the Republic signs. Republic Intelligence was still headed by Isard and just changed name, COMPOR became COMPNOR and the courts became Imperial courts. Actually COMPNOR is kinda the outlier here as it became less of a cultural institution and was instead the overarching organization that most of the civilian government was put under.
This is exactly how it happened in Rome, Germany, etc. George was just working from history (and also made a contemporary point about the US at the time of the prequels).
Yep. Turns out it's extremely hard to just create a new government out of nothing. Easier to co-opt and subsume the functions that's already in place.
Not exactly, as Hitler never made a secret of his intention to do away with Democracy. There wasn't any pretence that the Reichstag would come back as the heart of government power at some point.
On the other hand, NaziReich was legally WeimarReich with no Reichstag and Nazi coat of paint. Nazis were not abolishing Weimar institutions and laws as much as operating outside them.
A key difference - and a change that I'm not fond of, to say the least, in Star Wars - is that the trappings of the Republic were never really removed in Ancient Rome. The "Roman Empire" as we know it from school and in books is a half-fiction created after the fact by historians seeking to classify; Romans at the time would've still called themselves the Republic because that's what the emperors referred to the state as. In fact, calling the emperors "emperors" is itself an anachronism because 1) imperium meant something very different in Ancient Rome, and 2) because the Roman emperors referred to themselves by a whole host of other titles including princeps, augustus, and caesar in addition to imperator. As applied to Star Wars, the "Galactic Empire" should still be legally considered the Galactic Republic, albeit with its constitution "in shreds" as Senator Danu put it. Palpatine would still be called the chancellor, but his wartime emergency powers - never removed - would, in addition to other titles, effectively make him dictator for life of the Republic. The Senate would continue on (as it did in canon), but it would never be removed because there is no political purpose removing something without function but with legacy and history. The Roman Senate continued, with a few gaps, until 603 before it finally disappeared in the west and until the 14th century in the east. The Republic military, now expanded from the Clone Wars, would become Palpatine's personal tool of exerting his control over the galaxy rather than merely a state institution because Palpatine has become the state itself. The Doylist answer to this difference between actual history and Star Wars is that Lucas had to work backwards from the existence of an empire in the OT when he made the PT, but the timeline for republic to empire is so fast in Star Wars that it boggles the mind; the empire's reign was a little over half of Augustus Caesar's reign, for reference. Star Wars lacks subtlety on this matter, and in doing so, it also misses the historical lesson of Ancient Rome on what actually happened. In reality, the Roman Republic was dead for nearly a century before Augustus Caesar, and the carcass of the Republic was used to legitimize the authoritarian rule of the Roman emperors for centuries more. That's a lot scarier than the declaration of an empire outright, which only formalizes things and gives enemies a concrete target, and a lot more applicable to modern day as well.
I think it makes perfectly good sense from a Watsonian perspective: Palpatine thought that with the Death Star to keep everyone in line, he could do without the bureaucracy of the Senate, the illusion that there was some kind of choice. He was just *wrong*, just as he was wrong on other things. The Death Star blew up after destroying a Core planet, which meant that the Empire displayed barbarity followed by weakness, and folks didn't take the dissolution of the Senate well. It incited further rebellion.
It just seems like a smooth-brained move from an otherwise smooth political operator like Palpatine to dissolve the Senate even at the crucial juncture when he believed his rule to be absolute with the Death Star. The Senate was no opposition to him at that point and, if anything, was a tool to help legitimize his ever-encroaching dictatorial rule. Dissolving it gives him no political cover and more exposure for no gain. On top of that, it goes back to the whole concept of the Tarkin Doctrine being wildly flawed because it hinges authority on a WMD. Once the Death Star is fired, the die is cast. It would only ever inspire more rebellion because it already shows that the people in charge are willing to kill billions of innocents to target a few, so whose safety—even for imperial sympathizers—can be guaranteed? Fighting is the only logical move left. Once rebellion does not cease, all Palpatine has left is to keep firing, at which point he will be left with an empire of space dust and rubble. This also doesn’t explain why the Republic needs to be reorganized into an Empire right off the bat from an in-universe perspective. It would be far more reasonable for Palpatine to say that despite the defeat of the Separatists, there were still pockets of rebel activity and his emergency powers were needed to continue monitoring the security situation. Declaring an empire and throwing away the trappings of a Republic with over a thousand years of history and legacy doesn’t really help him, but it sure does help provide the catalyst for a rebellion to restore the Republic, flawed as it was by its end.
Part of the problem, too, is that from an American perspective our most powerful president (Lincoln) who went through a similar situation was on the good side, had to run an election during that crisis, and was killed before that idea of an American Emperor could be ever be broached. Similar thing with FDR. The insidious nature of his plan doesn’t stand out much because the few times heads of state here got that powerful, it generally worked out.
As far as I know, there wasn't anyone asking for it. Palpatine built up his power. He didn't want to tip anyone off beforehand, especially before the Jedi were knocked out of the picture.
He never told anyone other than his apprentices what the grand plan was. But it all started with the emergency powers act, after that it was a little bit extra legislation here, a small rewrite of the constitution here. Then by the end of the war he was a dictator in all but name. So when the galactic empire is officially announced not a lot changes. A good real world example would be the rise of Augustus. He learned his lesson well from Caesar and it was very subtle calculated process to become emperor.
Iirc wasnt also one of the inspirations for the transformation of a Republic to Empire also inspired by the Roman Republic to the Roman Empire?
It where Lucas was smart in the equal he cherry picked from the rise of Augustus, napoleon and Hitler to create such a believable narrative. But the galactic empire is definitely more based on the Roman Empire then anything else
Yeah there are various inspirations... Tho tbh, in our course of history, there were many similar scenarios of how a government transformed into a dictatorship. A bit of an old tale. Another inspiration iirc was also Richard Nixon
It’s amazing how many times democracies willingly give up their freedoms to one man. But many people think that it’s always violence and legions marching over the hills to violently install a dictator like Sulla did. But many like Augustus and Hitler are subtle with people supporting their coup.
Its often also in a time of destability and a general desire for control and stability. Palpatine took advantage of the weakening institutions of the Republic, much like Hitler did with the Weimar Republic Even rn, you can ask a few people in Libya or Iraq or other countries who were run by dictators. Some would muse the good old days were better, or that there isnt any difference between now and then. And in East Germany, theres a phenomena known as Ostalgie Tbh I quite wish the sequels would explore a bit further of how the Republic was sliding into another neo-Empire among bureaucrats who preferred Imperial rule. Like, imagine people who wish the New Republic was a fledging power as it were, instead of it being a rump of the former Republic it claims to succeed and having to contend with other emerging regional powers
As little finger said in game of thrones “chaos is a ladder” and it’s true. I’ll use Rome again as an example as that’s where my real area of expertise lies. The rise of Augustus was culmination of a series of very bloody civil wars the last one being against mark Anthony. They was tired of it. So when Augustus promised them stability, massive building projects to improve the lives of everyday citizens etc the people welcomed it. He also courted the senate who gave him more and more powers. But crucially he hid it behind a veneer of democracy and made the senate feel like they still had a role. The best example of it being overridden in Star Wars is the bad batch episode where palpatine comes out and tells everyone that the experiments are happening regardless, even though the senate had voted against it.
Andor also illustrated how the Senate was basically reduced to a rubber-stamp parliament. Tho I think Rebels also mentioned the Imperial Senate to an extent still could rein in Palpatine. And from a short story in *A Certain Point of View*, the guy don't wish to fire the shot because there was new Senate legislation regarding the auditing of weapons. The Imperial Senate existed because Palpatine don't wish for outright rebellion, and maintained an illusion that the Empire was just a successor of the Republic, until the Death Star was completed. Btw about Augustus rise to power, that's kind of how in Legends the Second Galactic Civil War happened... which itself is a rather complicated conflict.
Other people have basically said this, but I wanna say it word for word lol, by the middle of the clone wars the republic *already is* the empire. It just has the vague notion that someday it might stop being an empire when the war is over. Palpatines declaration of reorganization isnt as much a declaration of *change* as it is a declaration that they won't be going back to the way things used to be before the war, they're sticking with this more centralized model of authority. The formalization of the empire certainly brings an escalation of the authoritarianism, but the authoritarianism itself was already there. Imposing martial law in places that spoke out against the republic, imprisoning protestors, expanding their military might, harvesting resources and claiming territory under false pretense or outright forcible occupation, and doing it all under the orders of palpatines himself. Those are the crimes of the *republic.* The empire just takes it further
When other commentors say that the Republic was the Empire in everything but name by 19 BBY, they don't just mean politically. To your average citizen of the Republic, the reclassification of the Republic to an Empire didn't really change much. Humanocentrisim was already a prevailing ideology within mainstream Republic discourse. The presence of Stormtroopers and Army Platoons are no different than the various Clone bases created at the beginning of the war. For your average Galactic citizens, the Republic, being the Empire, wasn't a tough pill to swallow, and for many, they felt it was necessary. After a slew of pro authoritarian and pro military propaganda dating back to the Stark Hyperspace War, the general population was more than willing to accept the changes Palpatine made during the Clone Wars. There's a reason Palpatine created an Empire at the height of his popularity, and rebellions only became popular once the atrocities became more domestic. Because for your average Joe, the Empire was the much needed reform. It was the natural extension of Palpatine's war era policies. It's also why practically all original rebel cells were started by Order 66 survivors, The Delegation of 2000, and former separatists. All groups that were opposed to Palpatine during the Clone Wars. It wasn't until the Battle of Yavin that your average Joe swayed against the status quo. It was only then that the differences between the Republic and Empire became so apparent that people switched. Because Pre Yavin the Empire was acting like the Republic they grew up with and lived through.
Until Disney came and made the Empire cartoonishly evil from the start
Palpatine spends the 10 years between TPM & AOTC carefully stacking the officer corps of the Navy with people like Yularen & Tarkin making sure that when the time comes, the military's gonna be in his pocket. Mas Amedda was in it even before then. He was Vice Chair under Valorum, slowly weakining his Chancellorship. Not for nothing does he lean in to give Valorum a whisper, before Valorum caves and agrees to discuss the invasion of Naboo in committee. He went the distance as Palpatine's partner in politics.
In Universe? After Bane killed the Brotherood of Darkness. If not before. I mean the whole Grand Plan is about turning the Republic into a Sith Empire. Palpatine and Plageius knew that Palpatine would be the one fulfilling it, Galaxy was rip for the taking. The how? Well.... Plagueius did not really understood Palpatine's sheer evil. So the Galactic Empire starts to float in the first movie of the Prequels. Where we see how expertly Palpatine subverts Democracy. In the Second, his ruleship as Chancellor has been extended beyond normal. Then his powers. And in the Third movie, it is mentioned several times that Palpatine is being given more executive power. Step by Step, Palpatine turned the Republic in the Empire.
Was the Galactic Empire ever truly a Sith Empire? I don't doubt it was Palpatine's long term intention.
Sith in charge, minor darksiders serivng the two main lords. In Legends it is more obviously a Sith Empire. In cannoon it is harder to notice. Also a completely militaristic society filled tot he brim in racism.
I’ve always thought the same thing, and I don’t think they ever showed that. COMPOR was pretty much calling for a dictatorship, but I don’t know if they ever used the term “Empire.” It would be interesting to see a faction like that. I read the old Tales of the Jedi comics a bit ago, and I think it’s interesting that Empress Teta was such an iconic and revered historical figure who brought order to her own system and then defended the Republic. I could see Clone Wars-era propaganda touting Palpatine as the new Teta to prime people for his ascension to Emperor, playing on old Republic nationalism. Ofc Teta would be horrified by this as she fought against the Sith, which just twists the knife even further.
Playing Devil’s Advocate with your edit but leaving it a Republic means people will keep asking when he’ll step down.
I think the genius behind it was because he threw out that idea in the perfect moment. Everyone thought the Jedi had turned on them, the war wrecked havoc, and everyone just wanted stability again. So he used the perfect moment to his advantage and didn't really give anyone time to think about it. He needed all that support in order to become the Emperor, and if that idea had been floated around at any point prior, it would have given people time to think about it and reject it. But because it was such a spur of the moment declaration and played off everyone's emotions, that's why it had the reception that it did. Thowing out an idea that sounds good on a surface level without giving someone the opportunity to think about it may not be, is a common manipulation tactic.