How could the Old Republic have been saved?

[NecronLord]

Then they would have been purged anyway. Order 66 was always the plan for the end of the war.

But didn't the Jedi play right into his hands with their "coup attempt," thus providing a casus belli for the purge?

You think if Anakin went 'Actually, I'm fairly convinced you sent those visions you shady motherfucker; how come the other jedi are experiencing this shroud of the dark side and I'm not? Master Windu, stab away.' that there would still be a purge? That the Jedi wouldn't just lead their army to take over, and use the information in Palpatine's computers to find the Seperatist council?

The coup attempt only played into his hands by not working. He wouldn't have any hands if it had worked. Nor a head.

[Elfdart]

But if the coup never happens, the Jedi Order remains in good standing with the Senate and Anakin isn't a full-blown Sith Lord. Even if a lot of Jedi are killed by "mind-controlled clones," how does Palpatine deal with the likes of Yoda, Mace Windu and Obi-Wan chilling out on Coruscant?

He didn't spill the beans to Anakin until after most of the Jedi were scattered across the galaxy, fighting the Separatists. As it was, Windu by himself came very close to whacking Sidious. He was suicidally reckless but even he would have thought twice about giving away the game with most of the Jedi council in town.

The Republic was doomed for the reasons Benjamin Franklin spelled out when he described the new Constitution. He was asked what kind of government the new nation had and he said a republic -as long as the people choose to keep it. But it would inevitably give way to despotism once the People (i.e. the political class) became corrupted since that's the only form of government they are capable of having.

[Galvatron]

The Republic was doomed, but it wouldn't have necessarily turned into a Sith Empire if the Jedi Order had remained intact to stand in Palpatine's way.

[Zixinus]

The Republic was not on the brink of collapse. It had problems but it was far from a state where it would have fallen apart. There was certainly the seeds of that somewhere but without Palpatine, that might have taken centuries to happen even partway.

Let's imagine another scenario. Order 66 is given but Yoda and Obi-Wan succeed in their mission in taking down the Sith. Anakin lies dead from his wounds. Palpatine is killed and exposed, along with his schemes. Those who have power thanks to his scheme are trying to fight for survival.

Yoda and the remaining Jedi are too few, too hurt, too busy defending themselves and too wary of recent history to remake the Jedi Order as it was. They're not sure yet what it will be but there definitely won't be new Jedi Knights serving the Republic for at least a century, if ever.

Will the Republic collapse? No. Not instantly at least. What may follow is several years of strife and unrest, if not an outright crisis for the Republic. The clonetroopers will be retired definitely but without them and the Jedi, the Republic has limited enforcement to restore order. However, it is possible for the Republic to reform or recreate itself (if not have a revolution of sorts) to a stabler system. It may also brake apart and divide the galaxy, but that is a different possibility.

The main issue is that there is, IIRC, an external pressure on the Republic that would cause it to collapse. Only internal.

[Solauren]

Actually, Palpatine himself observed how the republic could be saved when he first became Senator.

Apparently, a previous Supreme Chancellor had caused Coruscant to become a decadent pleasure pen. Expensive restaurants, entertainment, and the like. Palpatine saw that as a major issue, that could be resolved by simply relocating the Senate and government off world.

Presumably, he meant moving it to a more conservative planet, so those types of vices were not present to influence government officials.

[Galvatron]

That would certainly explain why the New Republic chose Hosnian Prime.

[FaxModem1]

Actually, Palpatine himself observed how the republic could be saved when he first became Senator.

Apparently, a previous Supreme Chancellor had caused Coruscant to become a decadent pleasure pen. Expensive restaurants, entertainment, and the like. Palpatine saw that as a major issue, that could be resolved by simply relocating the Senate and government off world.

Presumably, he meant moving it to a more conservative planet, so those types of vices were not present to influence government officials.

I'm curious, was Palpatine actually ever after real reform at some point, or was this a pretext?

[Solauren]

Actually, Palpatine himself observed how the republic could be saved when he first became Senator.

Apparently, a previous Supreme Chancellor had caused Coruscant to become a decadent pleasure pen. Expensive restaurants, entertainment, and the like. Palpatine saw that as a major issue, that could be resolved by simply relocating the Senate and government off world.

Presumably, he meant moving it to a more conservative planet, so those types of vices were not present to influence government officials.

I'm curious, was Palpatine actually ever after real reform at some point, or was this a pretext?

It's from the the Darth Plagiues novel. Palpatine had been a Sith Lord for over a decade at that point. It was more his observations of the planet/senate upon arrival, and how easy the planet would make his efforts.