Reunification War

The Reunification War (2577-2597) was the first interstellar war backed by the entire Star League. The war was fought in tandem by the forces of the Star League Defense Force and the armies of the Draconis Combine, the Federated Suns, the Free Worlds League, and the Lyran Commonwealth. Each of the four major Periphery realms was conquered by the end of the conflict.

Causes

The Reunification War really resulted from a combination of two underlying factors. The origins of Periphery states meant that the denizens of the Periphery tended to fiercely desire their independence. Comforts like better education, higher standards of living, improved technologies and increase in wealth (among the higher classes of society) were meaningless to a people who left the Inner Sphere (and these amenities) in favor of freedom.

Conversely, the Inner Sphere had a vested interest in controlling the Periphery. The common Spheroid desired protection, not necessarily from the Periphery states themselves, but from the unknown which the Periphery represented. The high standards of living and wealth meant that the people of the Inner Sphere feared loss, and desired the security provided by the knowledge nothing sinister was occurring outside their gaze. For the most part, the Periphery had far more to fear from the undivided attentions of the Inner Sphere. Spheroids simply did not see it that way.

The Inner Sphere also desired the Reunification War for a far more sinister rationale. After the close of the Age of War, the militaries of the Inner Sphere were idle for the first time in over a century. Inner Sphere militaries feared the outcome of not using their forces - fearing a lack of experience or discipline, and the possibility of rebellion.

The combination of these factors led to several incidents before the official start of the war.

2571

• Star League member states begin circulating propaganda against the Periphery. Propaganda either calls for a crusade (to bring back the wayward kin) or defames Periphery denizens

2572

• Star League Directive 21, the garrison of worlds within the Outworlds Alliance by the Inner Sphere armies
• the Santiago Massacre, Kuritan forces kill 27 civilians

2573

• Malagrotta Incident, a clash between the Federated Suns and the Taurian Concordat over a mining colony
• the Efrimal Long prison uprising, and the Universal Act of Loyalty
• Jonathan Grenvaux proposes Star League/Periphery summit on Terra - only Gregory Amaris attends
• Taurian Concordat rejects Terran Hegemony Finance Minister Randex Fitzhugh's "favored-nation" trade proposal

2574

• 3rd Amaris Dragoons deployed to Lackhove to enforce Universal Act of Loyalty
• Heavy tariffs and port fees levied against Periphery traders

2575

• Director-General Ian Cameron issues the Pollux Proclamation

The Participants

Each of the Periphery nations were attacked during the course of the War, but not all campaigns were the same.

• Due largely to their technological sophistication and large military, the campaign against the Taurian Concordat was drawn out and punishing.
• Despite the lack of a formal army, the Outworlds Alliance campaign was especially brutal - many atrocities were committed against the Alliance
• Marion Marik of the Free Worlds League fought a war by the Ares Convention against the Magistracy of Canopus - though hard fought, neither side was particularly brutalized
• the Rim Worlds Republic lacked an effective standing army, yet fought gallantly to defend its realm, mostly with conventional arms

Attitudes within the Inner Sphere were also divided.

• The Federated Suns favored invasion of the Taurian Concordat - House Davion desired to be finally rid of the Taurian distraction
• The Draconis Combine, embarrassed by the atrocities committed by their forces, wanted revenge
• The Free Worlds League feared war - trade disruptions caused by the war could exacerbate internal social and economic problems
• The Capellan Confederation had maintained a detente for some time with the Taurian Concordat. Further, Chancellor Ursula Liao was still consolidating her throne at home. Therefore, the Confederation did not actively support the Reunification War
• The Lyran Commonwealth relished the opportunity for war - to distract the public from internal problems.

Sources

• The Periphery (sourcebook)