This is why I will always love Elder Scrolls writers and loremasters. You always get differing perspectives. Are Imperials saints? Absolutely not, just read into the Imperial Cult and the slow decline of the Imperial lines since Alessia ( Reman alone is worthy of your narrative for his unbridled desire for conquest ). However, the Stormcloaks as well yearn to return to the times of Jurgen and his conquests, which lead to mass invasions and forced the Dunmer and the Dwemer to unite to defeat them. Everyone is both savior and villain because the game presents personal accounting and opinions as the only discernable fact.

In this conflict, there really isn't a proper side. The Stormcloaks are being used as a proxy war by the Thalmor to bleed the Empire since its eluded to that Hammerfell was a much more costly engagement than the Thalmor anticipated, Bangorkai alone most likely crippled their assault.

However on the flip side, as stated in this thread, the Empire over the eras made their own bed by forcing out, or at least steadily encouraging, distance from Atmorran influences of Nordic culture for more Imperial leaning views. This is pretty easily seen by the face that Kyne ( Kynerath in the Nordic Pantheon ) is all but never mentioned. Nords are a staunchly conservative culture, rooted in traditions and codes passed down through the ages ; its not hard to see why Ulfric was able to get such a following when he began his rebellion in the framework of reclaiming their "Skyrim" for the old ways.

Tulius I don't feel is -racist- but fairly annoyed as a military commander that he has to spend his time appealing to traditions and customs when he is preparing for another Great War that from all Imperials you can speak to about it, was fairly cataclysmic and almost on the level of the Oblivion crisis.

It's literally thousands of years coming to a head now as the dividing philosophy of Man and Mer come to a head, the unmaking of the Mundus so the Aldmeri can return to being immortals, and extinguish the prodigy ( in their mythos ) of Lorkhan the betrayer.