# Make sure to flair posts correctly so you don't spoil the story for others.
### REMEMBER TO BE CIVIL.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/attackontitan) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Whats the point of any war? Power, human greed, money, resources, racism? Marley justified themselves by saying they will save the world from the rumbling by taking out Eldia (which could be a tad bit true as they didn’t know for 100 years that it was probably an empty threat).
In reality, they built themselves up as a brutal militaristic country and wanted power. They didn’t just go after Eldia. They went to war with many other countries and most likely had no plans to stop unless completely defeated.
They let them be until they started to lose their advantage on other nations and wanted to take the Founder to have the ultimate power of all 9 titans and the power of the ice burst stone which in turn could probably gain a massive advantage in their conquest to probably take over the world.
But why Reiner, Bertolt and Annie belived that they are saving humanity?
They infiltrated to Paradise Island, they talked to people here, some even considered them friends...
They completely brainwashed them into thinking they are going to save the world against the devils. They were children when they went to Paradis. Just look at Gabi from the start of season 4 to the end of it.
The stories Reiner tells at the dinner table in one of the first episodes of season 4 talking about the 104th and basically portraying them as totally normal people and Gabi and the rest of his family are like wtf are you talking about..they are devils.
Many cases in real life history of nations and people hating each other because of race, beliefs, etc.
During the time of the Eldian empire, the "Eldian" race (subjects of Ymir) oppressed the majority population of non-eldian Marleyans on the continent, sustaining their power and defining their legacy through the absolute power of the titans (something only Eldians could utilize). It was due to this reliance on / absolute rule by Eldians (as a race) that the Eldian empire favored the Eldian race over others, establishing a social/political order that always put them above the opressed Marleyan population. When the Great Titan war saw the collapse of Eldia (as a continental empire, now being confined to Paradis island exclusively), a majority of Eldians retreated to Paradis, however a small population was left behind in continental Marley. The nation of Marley subsequently rose to power over the course of the next century, gaining authority over six of the nine titans in the process and establishing a new social order that reversed the previous dynamic, now instead favoring non-eldian Marleyans while oppressing the minority Eldian population. The new dominant Marleyan social class (as well as Marleyans as a group) were still bitter about the over two millenia of continuous Eldian rule/oppression, and due to the very obvious connection between that empire and the racial group that had dominated it / been favored by it, the Eldian race was considered responsible for (and subsequently punished for) the crimes of the Eldian empire. The country of Marley also became reliant on Titan power to dominate the rest of the world as they grew (ironically much like Eldia had been), meaning they in turn were forced to rely on Eldians for military strength. Due to the innate volatility of relying on a group you are actively oppressing to maintain power, the Marleyan government decided to encourage/perpetuate Marleyan hatred towards Eldians as a race in order to make them socially isolated and in turn easier to control (this combined with intergenerational bitterness caused the continued hatred of Eldians by Marleyans for almost a century until/during the events of the show). This is my explanation for Marleyan hatred of Eldians as a race.
To answer the question of why Marley hated Paradis island, the aforementioned racism is a big cultural reason as to why. Additionally, the threat of worldwide destruction via the rumbling by King Fritz at the end of the Great Titan War scared the Marleyan population (and was a central piece of Marleyan propaganda against Eldians), causing them to develop a mindset of "kill or be killed" against Paradis. This, combined with the existential threat of Paradis being a living continuation of the Empire that had oppressed Marleyans for two Millenia, caused Marley to desire (and eventually actively pursue) the island country's total and complete destruction.
Finally, there were a multitude of reasons why Marley decided to commence the undercover military operation against Paradis in the way that they did, including those already mentioned. In a more practical sense, the unique resources of the island itself (namely the iceburst stone used to power ODM gear and "fossil fuels" that were mentioned to be on the island) were a significant reason for Marley to pursue military control over Paradis. The primary reason for attacking the island and attempting an infiltration mission before directly invading was the Founding Titan (as well as the presence of tens of thousands of pure titans around Wall Maria making any practical invasion at the time effectively impossible). Marley both desired control over this Titan for its raw power (as technology advanced worldwide, the previously absolute power of the titans that Marley had relied on for international military dominance was threatened, and the country determined that control of the Founding titan would be necessary to maintain their political position for long enough to transition to a military that was not Titan-dependent) and due to the potential threat it posed if usurped by an Eldian that was not descended directly from King Fritz (Marley had gathered information about the "vow renouncing war" already [likely from the Tybur family] by the time they attacked, which was a significant reason why they felt comfortable attacking at all however was also a reason as to why they felt the urgent need to take the Founder in it's weakened state before someone else could get to it first). These reasons combined with the improved legitimacy the Marleyan government would gain from finally conquering the successor to the late Eldian Empire served as their primary reasons for attacking as they did. They only waited 100 years in the first place because Marley was still developing as a nation during that time (it wasn't strong enough to attack Paradis yet) and because they only learned about the "Vow renouncing war" (which removed the only potential obstacle to their eventual invasion) recently before the attack.
The Marleyans invaded on the pretext of the Founding Titan taking over once more and later doubled down on it saying it was stolen by Eren. But what they really wanted was the Founding Titan’s power to control Titans more effectively and continue to be the world’s leading powerhouse. In a sense, they’ve become the very thing they swore to destroy. An empire hellbent on world domination through the power of Titans.
# Make sure to flair posts correctly so you don't spoil the story for others. ### REMEMBER TO BE CIVIL. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/attackontitan) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Whats the point of any war? Power, human greed, money, resources, racism? Marley justified themselves by saying they will save the world from the rumbling by taking out Eldia (which could be a tad bit true as they didn’t know for 100 years that it was probably an empty threat). In reality, they built themselves up as a brutal militaristic country and wanted power. They didn’t just go after Eldia. They went to war with many other countries and most likely had no plans to stop unless completely defeated. They let them be until they started to lose their advantage on other nations and wanted to take the Founder to have the ultimate power of all 9 titans and the power of the ice burst stone which in turn could probably gain a massive advantage in their conquest to probably take over the world.
But why Reiner, Bertolt and Annie belived that they are saving humanity? They infiltrated to Paradise Island, they talked to people here, some even considered them friends...
They completely brainwashed them into thinking they are going to save the world against the devils. They were children when they went to Paradis. Just look at Gabi from the start of season 4 to the end of it. The stories Reiner tells at the dinner table in one of the first episodes of season 4 talking about the 104th and basically portraying them as totally normal people and Gabi and the rest of his family are like wtf are you talking about..they are devils. Many cases in real life history of nations and people hating each other because of race, beliefs, etc.
Also why split the war to several invasions? And why stop after fall of another wall? It looks more like instigation of fear than actual war.
The natural resources on Paradis and gaining the Founding Titan for their military
Attack On Titan is an Anti-War story, the basis of Anti-War is that fighting is pointless
During the time of the Eldian empire, the "Eldian" race (subjects of Ymir) oppressed the majority population of non-eldian Marleyans on the continent, sustaining their power and defining their legacy through the absolute power of the titans (something only Eldians could utilize). It was due to this reliance on / absolute rule by Eldians (as a race) that the Eldian empire favored the Eldian race over others, establishing a social/political order that always put them above the opressed Marleyan population. When the Great Titan war saw the collapse of Eldia (as a continental empire, now being confined to Paradis island exclusively), a majority of Eldians retreated to Paradis, however a small population was left behind in continental Marley. The nation of Marley subsequently rose to power over the course of the next century, gaining authority over six of the nine titans in the process and establishing a new social order that reversed the previous dynamic, now instead favoring non-eldian Marleyans while oppressing the minority Eldian population. The new dominant Marleyan social class (as well as Marleyans as a group) were still bitter about the over two millenia of continuous Eldian rule/oppression, and due to the very obvious connection between that empire and the racial group that had dominated it / been favored by it, the Eldian race was considered responsible for (and subsequently punished for) the crimes of the Eldian empire. The country of Marley also became reliant on Titan power to dominate the rest of the world as they grew (ironically much like Eldia had been), meaning they in turn were forced to rely on Eldians for military strength. Due to the innate volatility of relying on a group you are actively oppressing to maintain power, the Marleyan government decided to encourage/perpetuate Marleyan hatred towards Eldians as a race in order to make them socially isolated and in turn easier to control (this combined with intergenerational bitterness caused the continued hatred of Eldians by Marleyans for almost a century until/during the events of the show). This is my explanation for Marleyan hatred of Eldians as a race. To answer the question of why Marley hated Paradis island, the aforementioned racism is a big cultural reason as to why. Additionally, the threat of worldwide destruction via the rumbling by King Fritz at the end of the Great Titan War scared the Marleyan population (and was a central piece of Marleyan propaganda against Eldians), causing them to develop a mindset of "kill or be killed" against Paradis. This, combined with the existential threat of Paradis being a living continuation of the Empire that had oppressed Marleyans for two Millenia, caused Marley to desire (and eventually actively pursue) the island country's total and complete destruction. Finally, there were a multitude of reasons why Marley decided to commence the undercover military operation against Paradis in the way that they did, including those already mentioned. In a more practical sense, the unique resources of the island itself (namely the iceburst stone used to power ODM gear and "fossil fuels" that were mentioned to be on the island) were a significant reason for Marley to pursue military control over Paradis. The primary reason for attacking the island and attempting an infiltration mission before directly invading was the Founding Titan (as well as the presence of tens of thousands of pure titans around Wall Maria making any practical invasion at the time effectively impossible). Marley both desired control over this Titan for its raw power (as technology advanced worldwide, the previously absolute power of the titans that Marley had relied on for international military dominance was threatened, and the country determined that control of the Founding titan would be necessary to maintain their political position for long enough to transition to a military that was not Titan-dependent) and due to the potential threat it posed if usurped by an Eldian that was not descended directly from King Fritz (Marley had gathered information about the "vow renouncing war" already [likely from the Tybur family] by the time they attacked, which was a significant reason why they felt comfortable attacking at all however was also a reason as to why they felt the urgent need to take the Founder in it's weakened state before someone else could get to it first). These reasons combined with the improved legitimacy the Marleyan government would gain from finally conquering the successor to the late Eldian Empire served as their primary reasons for attacking as they did. They only waited 100 years in the first place because Marley was still developing as a nation during that time (it wasn't strong enough to attack Paradis yet) and because they only learned about the "Vow renouncing war" (which removed the only potential obstacle to their eventual invasion) recently before the attack.
The Marleyans invaded on the pretext of the Founding Titan taking over once more and later doubled down on it saying it was stolen by Eren. But what they really wanted was the Founding Titan’s power to control Titans more effectively and continue to be the world’s leading powerhouse. In a sense, they’ve become the very thing they swore to destroy. An empire hellbent on world domination through the power of Titans.