In 2328 the Cardassians claimed Bajor as their territory, establishing sovereignty in the Bajoran system. It was formally annexed in 2339, and occupied until 2369, when Bajoran resistance fighters presumably subverted their control and drove them from the system.

There have been several theories put forth to explain the Cardassian occupation of Bajor in which some have some validity, however, none have given a cogent explanation for the invasion. Bajoran archivists have chronicled events in their beliefs, which suffice to say, is prejudice to the diverse basis of warfare. The most common factor is the tendency toward aggression and domination of other worlds. Nevertheless, no one could comprehensively substantiate that this applied to the occupation of Bajor.

In Cardassian history, it was recorded that they were once a peaceful and spiritual people. But because their planet was resource-poor, starvation and disease were rampant, and people died by the millions. Although it is perhaps accurate to ascribe their aggressive tendencies based on their plight, one still can't use this as evidence to articulate a major reason for an invasion. Because war is a social act, motives should be searched for in the nature of societies.

The Cardassian social class system is diverse; people need sufficient food, clothing, and living space. Deprivation of any of these leads to anxiety and to a search for ways to relieve the deprivation. Starvation impels a social group to look for more territory. This can result in colonization of uninhabited and habited lands.

The Cardassian occupation was also an extension of politics; acquiring territories to strengthen the military and the economy through economic expansion: technology and industrialization of the state, therefore, the occupation of Bajor was socioeconomic in nature. The search for natural resources, combined with a need for technology and manufactured goods, fueled their campaigns.

The Cardassian belief system, whether deployed as knowledge or as theory, are socially mediated. Their social existence is characterized historically by a struggle for survival, therefore, their social existence determines their consciousness. To call them a militaristic race is a gross misconception of the origins of society itself, which is rooted in struggle. A regimental society should not be construed as militarism, for the basic premise for the military was to feed the populace.

It is true that the domination of the military class had a tremendous impact upon the cultural milieu of society, however, it wasn't in relation to the occupation of Bajor. Naturally, anytime a social class is dominated by a military class, one easily assumes that the society is consumed by the forces of war and ideology. You could argue that the military did indeed determine society's "legal" and "political" superstructure, but you would be in error if you extrapolated that as the reason in which Bajor was occupied (see the "Neverending Sacrifice").

The withdrawal from Bajor was due to military overexpansion. The continued "militarization of the economy" to support their camp- aigns, and the "border wars" with the Federation, had begun to deplete the resources that they had acquired: manpower and industrial-resources (ore).

After sixty-years of occupation, I find it impossible to believe that the Cardassian withdrawal was due to the insurgence of a mobbish band of Bajoran rebels. The Bajorans didn't possess the armaments to launch a full-scale assault on a space station that was built haphazardly for defense, but could easily withstand the resistance "best" efforts.