On another note, I ain't justifying shit with the below I'm trying to explain/discuss the environment both these characters came from.
Can we talk about how no one is CHECKING Cait for her actions??? You can argue that Vi tried but did she? did she really? And was Cait in the right mind to accept the advice? Nah. Everywhere else that girl is being ENABLED and APPLAUDED for her actions. Also how she stands virtually alone, especially after the last fight with Vi.
Caitlyn's actions were entirely selfish. So are Jinx's. But people are reacting to those actions and creating their own understanding of why they are happening, which forces Caitlyn and Jinx to react despite the original intentions. Caitlyn is being told she must be a leader, that she must fill her mother's shoes while also literally drowning in grief. Jinx has just lost Silco, her sister, and her general purpose in life. She is passively suicidal at best. Despite ALL of that, she's going to be pushed into the revolutionary leader role in the coming episodes. Both of them are in NO right mind to be leading anything.
Was violent revolution the right answer? Hell if I know. Historically, peaceful revolt didn't seem to have ever been effective in Arcane canon, but there was also never a genuine effort on the part of Piltover to start talks and sabotage at worse. Because Zaunites are seen as a lesser class, a lesser people. Even their vote for independence was laced with that sort of belief.
Because there was no one from Zaun's ruling class at that table. Not Silco, or Ekko, or anyone that could be considered someone of significance (Viktor does not count). Zaun, despite being the subject of the topic, was not offered a seat at the table voting on their own damn independence. Instead, it was a group of individuals who had enabled the oppression of Zaunites whether consciously or unconsciously to make that decision.
It is important to recognize that the oppressed party (Zaun) has certain disadvantages which makes revolution necessary. Not just desirable - but NECESSARY.
Piltover was never going to let go peacefully, no matter what they “declared”. Their tech is literally polluting Zaun's water. Zaun's people are resources to be exploited. And that's not even talking about the literal resources. Or the Ambessa situation.
They're also twin city states, canonically. Far too intertwined to be truly independent of each other. The declaration of independence would have only been the start of a very long battle (and watch how that fragile peace would've shattered with or without Jinx).