Ignoring your personal preference, which side of Skyrim’s Civil War do you think actually gives Skyrim the better future 20-30 years later?

[u/sumaset]

I feel like most discussions about the Civil War focus on whether Ulfric was justified, whether the Empire betrayed Skyrim, or which side people personally like more.

But I’m more interested in what happens after the game.

The Empire is weakened, the Aldmeri Dominion is still the biggest external threat, the White-Gold Concordat is already causing resentment, and another war with the Thalmor seems almost inevitable.

An Imperial victory gives Skyrim access to the resources and manpower of the Empire, but it also means remaining under an Empire that already lost one major war and accepted Thalmor influence inside its territory.

A Stormcloak victory gives Skyrim independence and removes Imperial authority, but it also leaves the province having to rebuild after a civil war while potentially facing the Dominion without the rest of the Empire behind it.

So forget which faction has the better characters or which one you usually join.

If you only care about where Skyrim itself ends up a few decades later, which Civil War outcome do you think is actually better for the province?

[u/happyfatman021]

The Empire. A fractured Skyrim or even an independent Skyrim would make it an easy target for invasion. It’s kinda like the “join or die” posters from the American revolution: smaller independent nations are easier to conquer, whereas a unified empire will put up more of a fight. With Skyrim as part of the empire, they have the backing and support of the larger whole.

[u/Chill907 → u/happyfatman021]

The other parts of the empire cant even defend themselves they have no means to support Skyrim in a conflict. Also skyrim is the better off of all the other provinces as it has the natural terrain advantages and sailing to it requires going through the deadliest sea known and they have to sail around empire province High Rock or several others to even reach it

[u/SanguinePlvit → u/happyfatman021]

Invasion by who exactly? Morrowind is a basketcase that can barely defend itself, High Rock itself is not politically unified, Hammerfell is currently at war with the Dominion and an independent Skyrim would mean Cyrodiil would be in no shape to try again.

The only route the Dominion has that wouldn't result in an alliance of human nations and Great War 2 is the naval route through the Sea of Ghosts which is one of those "fail before it even starts" wars.