Yeah, like the people in the final scene of ROTJ SE hoped for, but didn’t get. ROTJ ended with Luke causing the destruction of the Emperor and his right hand man, a significant part of the Imperial fleet, and the Death Star. I’m sure that’s quite a bit more inspiring than Luke facing down the FO. If that doesn’t result in a clamor for democracy (one we’ve actually witnessed and after two decades of terror), I don’t know what will. Snoke was pulled out of thin air, and disappeared into thin air. Who knows how many Snokes are waiting in some unknown region of the galaxy. The ST has severely deflated the concept of victory not only for the OT, but for victories in the Star Wars universe as a whole. It has made any future victory, including the one we’re bound to get at the end of ep. IX, meaningless.
But who saw what Luke did? Did Luke destroy the second Death Star? No. No one saw Luke and no one can confirm what he did. It was Lando and Wedge who destroyed the second Death Star. Many would claim they would have succeeded without Luke’s help. Luke’s role was the redemption of his father (also something the Galaxy at large would not know about). What Luke did in TLJ was public, in front of a large audience (most of it being the First Order so of limited usefulness) and we know the word got out.
And while the head has been cut off from the Republic, the First Order has not conquered the galaxy. They are trying to conquer the galaxy which is a much different thing. The galaxy free of the Empire still stands. A few worlds might have fallen under First Order control in the days since the Republic capitol and fleet were destroyed, but he question of whether they are the only ships capable of defense and if any of the planets being attacked can repel the attack remains to be seen. And in a vast galaxy, there is no way the First Order can have conquered everything in the days that have passed in the story.