My interpretation about the Civil war that it isn't about race vs race. It's about fighting for freedom and independence. The Empire proved to the people in Skyrim that they're not strong enough to rule the province. The Nords did not invite the Thalmor to their land, it was the Empire that did due to the The White-Gold Concordat that Emperor Titus Mede II signed to pause the Great war. It was by fact not the most popular thing that the Empire did, since it created many enemies as a result. One of the conditions to this treaty is to ban the worship of Talos. Talos is heavily influenced by so many humans, especially in Skyrim. To take away Talos is like taking away part of the souls. While some worships Talos in secret, many more want to openly worship him, and would die for that freedom. Since the treaty was signed the Thalmor was granted power to roam around Empire ruled provinces , and hunt down Talos worshipers like animals. They were either slaughtered on sight or taken to a Thalmor prison where they most likely died due to torture or starvation.
Can you not blame some of the Stormcloak supporting Nords for being Xenophobic? Look how the Dunmers in Windhelm refuses to help them to regain back their religious freedom. You would think they would return a favor by fighting along aside them, but no. The Dunmers are takers, not givers. The Stormcloaks aren't actually at full war against the Empire. The purpose of the Civil war is to physically drive out the Empire from Skyrim so that the Nords can take over.
Like what Galmar said:
While the Thalmor dossier on Ulfric may seem incriminating as if the Thalmor are aiding the Stormcloaks.. Perhaps they are? The Thalmor wants to see total destruction of the Empire, and think that they can use the Stormcloaks to do their dirty work.... but unfortunately their tragically mistaken as the Stormcloaks primary enemy are in fact the Thalmor, and not the Empire. They're underestimating the Stormcloaks by far. One of the biggest mistakes that the Thalmor did was to allow Ulfric to escape. They should've killed him while he was in their custody.
The Civil war isn't as easy as freedom and independence, it's about one man's ambition for the throne of Skyrim. It could of been done peacefully and without bloodshed, but that wasn't what Ulfric Stormcloak wanted, he wanted to be High King of Skyrim. The Empire did not simply roll over, there is a huge difference in accepting terms under the mere threat of war and after a long and destructive war. Skyrim did invite the Thalmor, the moment High King Istlod agreed to the terms of the treaty, thus placing his signature on the WGC also. High King Istlod whom Ulfric respected and all of the Jarls of Skyrim respected. The Thalmor have been in Skyrim for nearly thirty years, the issues with them have only begun in the last few months with the rise of the Stormcloak rebellion. Why wait nearly thirty years to bitch about something, the Thalmor have been there for awhile now. Most of the new generations have known nothing else except the WGC, unless you're over forty you don't even know what it was like before the Great War.
The Empire signed the WGC, the entire Empire. Not just Titus Mede II who can't even decide what terms there are, so blaming Titus Mede II is pointless he is one signature of many. Skyrim accepted the terms, High Rock accepted the terms, Cyrodiil accepted the terms, Hammerfell rejected. Skyrim wanted peace at almost any price, the same as Cyrodiil and High Rock. There is no point blaming one man, a man who saved the Empire at it's darkest hour, the man who returned home all the Nord legionnaires. Skyrim was suffering due to the war also, their lands were untouched by the Thalmor invasion but they lost the western Reach for two years. The Empire had to consider the costs of continuing the war and that cost was going to be too high. Should innocent populations suffer at the mercy of Dominion rule so a few old Nords can simply thump their chests and say "What a brave defeat it was" Skyrim accepted the terms, they wanted their families home. You think the Empire are cowards because they thought of all the people suffering while the Imperial Legion was fighting. Bandits roaming wild in all provinces, no Imperial authority, no one to arrest you or protect the settlements. There wasn't even half the Imperial army remaining, yet you and many Stormcloak supporters who lack any common sense believe sending the rest of your forces to their deaths and let the rest of the population suffer is the honorable thing to do? The correct course of action?
The worship of Talos was very large in Cyrodiil, you think it's easy for other races to ban the worship of Talos? Talos who was the great Emperor Tiber Septim who formed the Third Empire and was the hero god of man-kind? It isn't just hard on Nords, many Nords don't worship Talos also, many prefer Nordic Gods, but that doesn't mean Imperials don't worship him, nor bretons, all races who converted to the Nine Divines of the Empire worship them. For nearly thirty years there was no problem, the ban wasn't even enforced. It actually took the Thalmor an entire week of someone shouting about talos, who did it for seven days in a row before the Thalmor made an arrest. The Treaty doesn't give them the right to simply kill on sight, they do it in secret and the Empire suspects it, the Empire is planning to go back to war. You always ask what is taking so long? Well here is some common sense knowledge. The Imperial army has regained strength and has formed up on the Dominion border, they must be nearly ready because after nearly thirty years why would the Thalmor stir up trouble and start a civil war between the Nords? Because you can't fight a war when you're fighting yourself.
You think the Thalmor are bad for arresting a few Nords here and there? Take a look in the mirror, you've killed more Nords with the Stormcloaks than the Thalmor and Legion combined.
Nords are not xenophobic mainly the Stormcloaks are. Nords are actually great traders and love going to other provinces and becoming ship captains etc. Skyrim thrives from buying from non-nords. You just put in place a Government that is xenophobic and won't buy things from Non-Nords. Look at how the Dunmer in Windhelm refuse the help the Stormcloaks? Why would they help the Stormcloaks, when they have been mistreated the moment Ulfric's father died. His father who was kind and just, treated the Dunmer as equals and they were prospering and doing well. It's only since Ulfric became Jarl in the recent years that the Dunmer issues have begun. Now you tell me, would you fight for a group who has just officially changed the name of your living area as an insult to you as a race? Who consider you lesser beings and don't even patrol your neighborhood with guards? That doesn't exactly inspire the recruitment now does it?
The purpose of the Civil war is so the Nords can take over? I did not see one single non-nord Jarl within Skyrim, you just took over Skyrim from the Nords. You just waged war against the other Holds. Please do tell me how removing Nord Jarls and killing more Nords than Imperials, makes Nords in charge? You just forced your views onto the western half of Skyrim through violence and bloodshed, you think that is what makes it better? You have killed more sons of Skyrim than the Thalmor, you have put many people's businesses, their livelihood on the line, you have adopted the views of agreeing to racial segregation, because the race that has been mistreated the moment your great Ulfric gained power in Windhelm isn't suddenly raising the colors and shouting "Which way boss?" You mistreat people, saying they're lesser beings to you because of their race. They aren't going to bloody worship your cause.
So splitting the Empire apart, is good? It's bad for the Thalmor? Oh well the Thalmor should be shaking in their boots, magic fearing Nords are coming to get them. Oh lets just hope the Dominion army which is full of the best archers in Tamriel and the most gifted of the Arcane don't attack us from a distance with magic because we're scared of it and have no battlemages. We also have no strategic sense or training, but we drove the Snow elves off, we can do the same to the Thalmor... Except we had highly gifted mages back then. We can't reach the Thalmor without invading another province, which we won't because we're afraid of upsetting Cyrodiil with violence. So we'll boast and say we're against the Thalmor, we drove them out of Skyrim, we sacked two of our own cities and killed many of our shield brothers and sisters, but we finally did it. We drove out the small Auxiliary Legion garrison and the handful of Thalmor Agents. It only made Windhelm bankrupt, the lasting hatred of many races and now we place Ulfric on the throne who will be just and fair. Even though we gave Ulfric complete power, the Pact of Chieftains no longer matter. We can throw that old tradition out of the window.
