User blog comment:ShawnCognitionCP/The Empire vs Stormcloaks, the most likely answer/@comment-16047389-20140612220254

Ulfric is not the best leader, but the Stormcloaks are definately in the right. You should never trade your beliefs and freedoms for safety, even if it costs you your life.

Even if Talos worship was used only as a recruitment tool, and I disagree that Ulfric didn't actually care about it, that does not devalue the importance of free religion. It's important enough that people fight, kill, and die for it. And whether or not you believe Ulfric cared, it's an important issue for Skyrim. To them, Talos isn't just another deity. He's THEIR God. He's the God of Man. When people think of Talos, they don't think of Zurin or Wulfharth (you spelled his name wrong. Also, he wasn't the High King at the time. He was a famous spirit of an ancient Nord High King that has been summoned to Tamriel several times to help in times of need. You may better know him as the Nordic God, Ysmir), they think Tiber Septim, as is shown by Heimskr's sermons.

You also talk about this as if choosing the Stormcloaks means the Empire will stop existing. The Stormcloaks just want a free Skyrim, not the disolvement of the Empire. Even if Skyrim returns to being a sovereign state, the idea of the Empire and Skyrim teaming up to defeat is not farfetched. Also, I agree with some of the other posters below, that the Dominion suffered just as many losses, if not more, than the Empire. Who knows, maybe the White-Gold Concordat was built on a bluff. If the Empire had tried harder to negotiate more favorable terms of a truce, instead of a surrender (because that's exactly what it was. Anytime you end negotiations of peace with one side losing ground, and the other gaining more than they had started with, that's a surrender), they might not be in the mess that they are in now.

Also, I don't think Tullius is that hated. He is a fine General, and I would prefer him be alive regardless of who wins the Skyrim Civil War, but both sides would be better off if the Empire allowed the secession, and focused more on creating a lasting alliance that would work together to defeat the Thalmor. After that, Skyrim would be free to decide wheter it wants to rejoin the Empire or not. They should also see if they can get Hammerfell in on the same deal.

This crap never would've happened under the Septim Dynasty.