User blog comment:Zippertrain85/"Why the Empire Should Prevail Over the Stormcloaks" refuted (part 1)/@comment-11532953-20131210060926

But the empire wouldn't have won the war against the Thalmor. The reason the empire signed the concordant was because they were on the verge of defeat. This surrender in the face of doom conflicted with Nord culture and was one of the justifications used by Ulfric to cause rebellion. In reality, the empire never had a chance, defending a huge area of land from the elven invaders who were working their way towards the heart of cyrodil burning everything as they went. The white-gold concordant was the only way the empire could escape certain doom, it also benefitted the elves to sign the document as it was costing them dearly as well.

"I agree, that's why I don't support the Empire, since what they're doing is helping the Dominion get Tamriel to this point. It's time like this when I forget which side he's actually on."

With the white-gold concordant, the Empire was allowed to retain control of most of its provinces. This meant that human culture would remain steady with the exceptions of the concordants restrictions. All things considered, this is a small price to pay realising that in the alternate chain of events, with the empire defeated, human culture would be replaced with the complete and merciless rule of the Thalmor.

It is my position that signing the white-gold concordant was the wisest choice given the circumstances for the benefit of humanity at large. The Stormcloack rebellion was an unwelcome disturbance that further fractured humanity into smaller factions. With the Aldermeri dominion as the only millitary superpower on Tamerial, Ulfric's schism weakened humanity. The white-gold concordant on the other hand prevented humanity from total millitary defeat.

A better senario would have been if Ulfric had joined with the empire to drive the high elves from Mainland Tamriel. A more united humanity has a far better chance of defeating the elves than either side alone.

As to the civil war in Skyrim, it was pretty evenly matched and would likely have ruined Skyrim were it not for the Dragonborn picking a side and unbalancing the powers. I need to correct you on a minor issue here, the stormcloak rebellion did in fact consist largely of ordinary nord citizens and millitia. Ulfric's recruitment tactics were to appeal to the people of skyrim on a patriotic level. In-game, the only people the dragonborn will encounter who plan to join the Stormcloaks are farmers.

"The fact that you're trying to say that his soldiers are just average citizens and mercenaries shows how little reaseach you've done."

Correction: How much abundant research he has done.