Part 7/8:
A critical insight is that even with the defeat of Sauron, the landscape of Middle-earth would be irrevocably altered. The kingdoms of Gondor and Arnor would not be reunified, and kingdoms like Rohan, that remained hidden, would be left vulnerable and fractured.
Sauron’s conquest would not simply mean the domination of his forces; it could lead to the end of the free existence of multiple peoples across the realm, forcing survivors into a defeated but possibly free existence in a landscape ravaged by tyranny.
Historically, it signifies a climax that counters the divine plan, which hoped for unity among the Free Peoples against a communal threat.