Confederacy of Independent Systems

The Confederacy of Independent Systems, also known as the Separatist Alliance and simply as the Separatists, was a galactic government and separatist movement that stood opposed to the Galactic Republic. Formed and made up by various planetary and sectorial governments, as well as some mega-corporations.

Separatist Movement
Succession activities began in outlying Republic star systems that no longer supported the Republic, sentiments which were seized by the Sith Lord Count Dooku who formed the confederation during the Separatist Movement. The Separatists were also secretly led by Sheev Palpatine, the Supreme Chancellor of the Republic and the Dark Lord of the Sith, allowing Palpatine to manipulate the major events of the Clone Wars. The war itself was the end result of tension between the Separatists and the Republic.

Clone Wars
The political crisis rapidly evolved into a conflict called the Clones Wars which would rage right across the galaxy with the Republic and Separatists engaged in a brutal war for three years which begin with the Battle of Genonsis.

Demise
By the war's end, the Separatist Alliance had been defeated by the Republic, just as Palpatine had intended; the war with the Separatists was a pretext to amassing complete central authority over the Republic, so it could be transformed into the Galactic Empire. The Separatist leadership was killed by Darth Vader, officially ending the Separatist cause. As the Empire expanded, it used the memory of the Separatist Alliance to maintain order, telling the galaxy that it was the rebellious Confederacy that caused the destructive Clone Wars.

In the time of the Galactic Empire, some used the term "Separatist" to refer generally to those still involved in fomenting rebellion.