Thousands of years in the future, human settlers from earth into the
newly discovered New Eden system and nearby solar systems are stranded
after the cataclysmic collapse of the wormhole they used to arrive
from Earth. Dark ages of losing all technology ensue, due to often
vital support from Earth being cut off (for example, air). While all
technology is reinvented, some colonies forget their origins, others
rediscover some of their former friends, and, as inter-stellar
communication and travel re-emerges, three large organizations form:
the Amarr Empire, the Gallente Federation, and the Minmatar Republic. 

The Amarr, a zealously religious people, are the
first to rediscover jump gate technology, which they use to rapidly
and militarily expand and enslave all in their way, most notedly the
entire Minmatar race. The Minmatar were too independent and proud for
their own good, sticking to their tribal structure in the face of
danger, and thus being broken over the knee of the Amarr. 

When the Amarr ran into the Gallente, though, they
found serious opposition from their powerful economic system and
cooperation. Expanding elsewhere, the Amarr discovered a small
civilization that spanned only a few solar systems, the
Jovians. Despite their empire's size, the Amarr were outmatched by the
Jovians' mysteriously superior technology, and the imperial fleet was
crippled by the attempted assault. To make matters worse, in response
to this, all Minmatar systems rebelled and formed the Minmatar
Republic, organizing themselves into a union encompassing all the
tribes. With the help of the Gallente, the Minmatar establish
themselves as a respectable force, and form an awkward peace with the
Amarr Empire. 

In the meantime, the Gallente, the only true democracy in New Eden,
are plunged into a civil war with a sub-race of theirs: the
Caldari. While the Gallente followed their belief in human rights and
freedoms to their detriment at times, the Caldari preferred a more
corporate and consumerist approach to government, even if
it curbed freedoms. The tension between the Caldari and Gallente
erupted into a civil war that left Caldari Prime in flames and
inhabitable, and both nations ravaged, but it separated them. The
Caldari State is now a hyper-consumerist state run by a series of
corporations instead of a centralized government. While that sounds
bad to some, living conditions are higher than expected because of the
consumerist nature of the state. (NOTE: There is NO political
commentary in the previous paragraph. None at all.)

-> EVE Present day (first release date in 2003).

Later plot developments see new developments in technology, changes in
borders of the nations, graphics and server revamps, rebalancing of
game constructs, discovery of wormholes appearing in New Eden and
leading to new places, and all the nations being plunged into war with
their respective blood enemy, and allied with that enemy's ally's
enemy: Amarr + Caldari vs. Minmatar + Gallente.

Read the full lore here: http://www.eve-wiki.net/index.php?title=History