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The '''Democratic Republic of Georgia''' ('''DRG'''; {{lang-ka|საქართველოს დემოკრატიული რესპუბლიკა|tr}}) was the first modern establishment of a [[republic]] of [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]], which existed from May 1918 to February 1921. Recognized by all major European powers of the time, DRG was created in the wake of the [[Russian Revolution of 1917]], which led to the collapse of the [[Russian Empire]] and allowed territories formerly under [[Russia]]'s rule to assert independence. In contrast to [[Bolshevik Russia]], DRG was governed by a moderate, multi-party political system led by the [[Social Democratic Labour Party of Georgia|Georgian Social Democratic Party]] ([[Mensheviks]]).
Initially, DRG was a [[Treaty of Poti|protectorate]] of the [[German Empire]]. However, after the German defeat in [[World War I]], the country was partially occupied by [[British Empire|British]] troops, who were sent there to counter a proposed [[Bolshevik]] invasion. The British had to leave in 1920 because of the [[Treaty of Moscow (1920)|Treaty of Moscow]], in which Russia recognized Georgia's independence in exchange for DRG not hosting forces hostile to Russia's interests.<ref>{{harvnb|Rayfield|2012|pp=326–331}}</ref> Now that Western European powers were no longer present in Georgia, in February 1921 the Bolshevik [[Red Army]] proceeded to [[Red Army invasion of Georgia|invade]] the country, leading to DRG's defeat and collapse by March of that year, with Georgia becoming a [[Georgian SSR|Soviet republic]]. The Georgian Government, led by Prime Minister [[Noe
Although short-lived, DRG continues to be an inspiration for modern day Georgia due to its legacy of democracy and pluralism.<ref>[https://civil.ge/archives/399595 Georgia Marks Centennial of the First Constitution], [[Civil Georgia]], 2021, quote: "Georgian President [[Salome Zurabishvili]] underscored today that the first Constitution was "one of the most progressive" legal documents in Europe at that time, as it guaranteed universal suffrage, the abolition of the death penalty, fully proportional parliamentary elections, balanced governance, and free development of ethnic minorities, among others."</ref> DRG was [[Women's suffrage#Timeline|one of the first countries]] in Europe to grant women the right to vote as enshrined in the Georgian constitution, which was "unusual in most European constitutions at the time".<ref>[[Stephen F. Jones]], "The Making of Modern Georgia, 1918–2012: The First Georgian Republic and its Successors", Routledge, 2014, p.150</ref> Several women of varying backgrounds were elected to the Georgian parliament,<ref>[https://agenda.ge/multimedia/georgias-1028-days-of-Independence/img/infogr/p4-min.png "Georgia's First Women Lawmakers"], Georgia's 1028 Days of Independence, Agenda, 2021</ref> as were representatives of nine ethnicities, including Germans, Russians, Armenians, Azerbaijanis, and Jews.<ref>[https://agenda.ge/multimedia/georgias-1028-days-of-Independence/img/infogr/p5-min.png "Georgia's 1028 Days of Independence"], Agenda, 2021</ref> DRG also saw the founding of Georgia's [[Tbilisi State University|first fully fledged university]], thereby realizing a longstanding goal cherished by generations of Georgian intellectuals whose efforts were, up to that point, consistently frustrated by the Imperial Russian authorities.<ref name="Lang 1962 p. 211">[[David Marshall Lang|Lang, David Marshall]] (1962), ''A Modern History of Georgia'', p. 211. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson.</ref>
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===Recognition===
[[File:Georgien Parlament Unabhängigkeit.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.3|National Council meeting, May 26, 1918]]
Georgia was immediately recognized by Germany and the [[Ottoman Empire]]. The young state had to place itself under German protection in the [[Treaty of Poti]] and to cede its largely [[Muslim]]-inhabited regions (including the cities of [[Batumi]], [[Ardahan Province|Ardahan]], [[Artvin]], [[Akhaltsikhe]] and [[Akhalkalaki]]) to the Ottoman government in the 4 June [[Treaty of Batum]]. However, German support enabled the Georgians to repel the Bolshevik threat from [[Abkhazia]]. [[German Caucasus expedition|German forces]] were almost certainly under the command of [[Friedrich Freiherr Kress von Kressenstein]]. Following the German defeat in the [[World War I|First World War]], British occupation forces arrived in the country,<ref name="Rose 1980 266">{{harvnb|Rose|1980|p=266}}</ref> with the permission of the Georgian government. Relations between the British and the local population were more strained than they had been with the Germans. British-held Batumi remained out of Georgia's control until 1920.<ref>{{harvnb|Rose|1980|p=286}}</ref> In December 1918, a British force was deployed in [[Tbilisi]] too.<ref
[[File:British troops in Batumi, Georgia, 1920.jpg|thumb|[[British Empire|British]] troops marching in Batumi, 1920]]
Georgia's relations with its neighbors were uneasy. Territorial disputes with Armenia, [[Anton Denikin|Denikin]]'s [[White movement|White Russian]] government and Azerbaijan led to armed conflicts in the first two cases. A British military mission attempted to mediate these conflicts in order to consolidate all anti-Bolshevik forces in the region. To prevent White Russian army forces from crossing into the newly established states, the British commander in the region drew a line across the Caucasus that Denikin would not be permitted to cross, giving both Georgia and Azerbaijan temporary relief. The threat of invasion by Denikin's forces, notwithstanding the British position, brought Georgia and Azerbaijan together in a mutual defense alliance on June 16, 1919.<ref>{{harvnb|Yilmaz|2009|p=51}}</ref>
On February 14, 1919, Georgia held [[1919 Georgian parliamentary election|parliamentary elections]] won by the [[Social Democratic Party of Georgia]] with 81.5% of the vote. On March 21, [[Noe Zhordania]] formed the third government, which had to deal with armed peasants' revolts incited by local Bolshevik activists{{Sfn|History of Georgia|2012|p=225}} and largely supported
However, the land reform was finally well handled by the [[Social Democratic Party of Georgia|Georgian Social Democratic Party]] government and the country established a multi-party system. In 1919, reforms in the judicial system and local self-governance were carried out. Abkhazia was granted autonomy. Nevertheless, ethnic issues continued to trouble the country, especially [[Georgian–Ossetian conflict (1918–20)|on the part of the Ossetians]], as witnessed in May 1920. [[Nikolay Chkheidze]] proposed a [[white mandate]]{{clarify|date=March 2024}} for Georgia, vying to protect Georgia in event of an invasion by the [[Red Army]]. Many opposed him though. It is unknown whether or not the [[Kingdom of Italy]] wanted to place Georgia under its protection as a white mandate, but they were considering it. Nevertheless, Georgia did not become a mandate, resulting in the [[Red Army invasion of Georgia]].
===Downfall===
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''The Act of Independence of Georgia'', declared on May 26, 1918, in brief, outlined the main principles of the nation's future democracy. According to this act, "the Democratic Republic of Georgia equally guarantees to every citizen within her limits political rights irrespective of nationality, creed, social rank or sex". The first government, formed the same day, was led by [[Noe Ramishvili]]. In October 1918, the National Council of Georgia has renamed the Parliament and announced new elections to be held on February 14, 1919.
[[File:
During its two-year history (1919–1921), the newly elected [[Constituent Assembly of Georgia]], with [[Nikolay Chkheidze]] as president, adopted 126 laws; these included laws on citizenship, local elections, defence, the official language, agriculture, the legal system, political and administrative arrangements for ethnic minorities (including an act about the People's Council of [[Abkhazia]]), a national system of public education, and some other laws and regulations on fiscal and monetary policy, railways, and trade and domestic production. On February 21, 1921, facing the onset of Soviet aggression, the Constituent Assembly [[:ka:საქართველოს დემოკრატიული რესპუბლიკის კონსტიტუცია|adopted a constitution of the Democratic Republic of Georgia]], the first modern [[Basic law|fundamental law]] in the nation's history, placing emphasis on human rights.
[[File:Ministers of the Georgian Democratic Republic.jpg|thumb|Ministers of the Democratic Republic of Georgia]]
The country was governed as a type of [[Decentralization|decentralized]] [[Unitary state|unitary]] [[Parliamentary system|parliamentary]] [[republic]] [[Parliamentary republic with an executive presidency|with an executive]], with the constitution stating that "the state belongs to all the people. Parliament exercises the sovereignty of the nation within the framework of this constitution." The three [[Regional state|decentralized regions]] included the Abkhaz Autonomy, the Autonomy of Muslim Georgia, and the Zaqatala Region, which were granted autonomy in local affairs. The Chairman of the Government was the chief executive post, approved by the parliament for one-year terms of office (the post could not be held for more than two consecutive terms). The chairman appointed ministers and was responsible for governing the country and representing Georgia in foreign relations. However, the person in the position did not have some privileges common to dual-heads of state and heads of government, such as the ability to dissolve parliament or veto legislation. The 1919 government of Georgia adopted a law on [[jury trial]]s. The right to [[Jury trial|trial]] by jury for serious criminal, political and print cases was incorporated into the [https://dspace.nplg.gov.ge/handle/1234/105492 1921 Constitution].<ref>{{harvnb|Papuashvili|2012|p=324}}</ref> The highest court was the Senate, indirectly elected by the parliament. Any changes to the constitution must have first been approved by 2/3 of the legislature, and then a majority of the voting public in a referendum.[[File:DRG-ATD-en.png|thumb|Project for dividing the territory of Georgia into new administrative units (regions), 1920.]]
== Territorial structure ==
During the Democratic Republic of Georgia, in accordance with the Project for dividing the territory of Georgia into new administrative units (regions), developed by the Self-Government Commission of the Constituent Assembly of the Democratic Republic of Georgia in 1920 (Publication of the Committee of the Union of the elected bodies of local self-government of Georgia No. 2, 1920 (State printing house), Tiflis. - 103 p.; National Library of the Parliament of Georgia, Archive Fund, F 7.876/4 - [https://dspace.nplg.gov.ge/handle/1234/277728 პროექტი საქართველოს ტერიტორიის დანაწილებისა ახალ საადმინისტრაციო ერთეულებად (ოლქებად)]) the division into Governorates and Oblasts was eliminated, uezds and okrugs were preserved, renamed to regions. The names of the regions were mainly proposed by the names of their administrative centers. Minor changes were made to their borders and several former uezds and okrugs were united: Batumi and Artvin okrugs - into the Batumi region, Akhaltsikhe and Akhalkalaki uezds - into the Akhaltsikhe region, Dusheti and Tianet uezds into the Ananuri region. In addition, three autonomous entities were created: Abkhazian autonomy (Sukhumi region), Autonomy of Muslim Georgia (Batumi region) and Zagatala region.Two-level local self-government was introduced: 18 regions and equivalent to regions, the capital of Georgia - Tiflis (Tbilisi) at the regional level and 356 cities and communities at the local level. The southern part of the Ardahan district and the Olta district - if the Democratic Republic of Georgia establishes control over them, will be part of the created Artaani region.
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== Political geography ==
Georgia's 1918–1921 borders were formed through the border conflicts with its neighbors and ensuing treaties and conventions.
[[File:DRG 1918-1921-en.png|thumb|Map of changes in the territory of the Democratic Republic of Georgia in
In the north, Georgia was bordered by various [[Russian Civil War]] polities until Bolshevik power was established in the [[North Caucasus]] in the spring of 1920. The international border between Soviet Russia and Georgia was regulated by the 1920 Moscow Treaty. During the [[Sochi conflict]] with the Russian [[White movement]], Georgia briefly controlled the [[Sochi]] district in 1918.
In the southwest, the DRG's border with the [[Ottoman Empire]] changed with the course of [[World War I]] and was modified after the Ottoman defeat in the hostilities. Georgia regained control over Artvin, Ardahan, part of Batum province, Akhaltsikhe and Akhalkalaki. Batum was finally incorporated into the republic after the British evacuated the area in 1920. The [[Treaty of Sèvres]] of 1920 granted Georgia control over eastern [[Lazistan Sanjak|Lazistan]] including [[Rize]] and [[Hopa]].{{citation needed|date=November 2014}} However, the Georgian government, unwilling to become embroiled in a new war with [[Turkish Revolutionaries]], took no steps to take control of these areas.
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== Economy ==
When the DRG was proclaimed, the Georgian economy was not in a strong position. While economic issues were a
As part of the Russian Empire Georgia had been partially industrialised, with natural resource extraction becoming a major feature of exports from the region. However, as historian [[Stephen F. Jones]] has noted, imperial Russian policies served the metropolitan needs and imperial integration and there was no regional "strategy of economic development beyond state production of raw materials, the development of transport, military supplies and specialized crops such as tea, tobacco, and cotton."<ref name="Jones 2"/> This was also seen on an ethnic scale: the overwhelming amount of traders and business-owners in Georgia were ethnic Armenian, while the administration was composed largely of ethnic Russians. Ethnic Georgians mainly remained in agriculture or took up unskilled labour positions in the cities. This division of labour between ethnic groups proved difficult to reconcile once the DRG was established, and in the aftermath of the [[Georgian–Armenian War]] in December 1918 [[anti-Armenian sentiment]] throughout Georgia made the Armenian-dominated business class reluctant to help implement needed changes to improve the economy.<ref>{{harvnb|Jones|2014|p=3}}</ref>
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* {{Citation|last=Welt|first=Cory|year=2012|editor-last=Jones|editor-first=Stephen F.|title=The Making of Modern Georgia, 1918 – 2012: The first Georgian Republic and its successors|publisher=Routledge|location=New York City|chapter=A Fateful Moment: Ethnic Autonomy and Revolutionary violence in the Democratic Republic of Georgia (1918–1921)|pages=205–231|isbn=978-0-41-559238-3}}
* {{Citation|last=Yilmaz|first=Harun|date=2009|title=An Unexpected Peace: Azerbaijani-Georgian Relations, 1918–1920|journal=Revolutionary Russia|volume=22|issue=1|pages=37–67|doi=10.1080/09546540902900288|s2cid=143471218}}
*{{Cite book |last1=Lortkipanidze |first1=Mariam |url=https://dspace.nplg.gov.ge/handle/1234/71619
|title=History of Georgia in four volumes, vol. IV - History of Georgia from the 19th century to the 20th century |last2=Japaridze |first2=Otar |last3=Muskhelishvili |first3=David |last4=Metreveli |first4=Roin |year=2012 |isbn=978-9941-19-408-5|location=Tbilisi |publisher=National Academy of Sciences of Georgia |ref={{sfnref|History of Georgia|2012}} }}
{{Refend}}
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* "Legal Acts of the Democratic Republic of Georgia (1918–1921)", Tbilisi, 1990. {{in lang|ka}}
* D. Ghambashidze, "Mineral resources of Georgia and Caucasia. Manganese industry of Georgia", London, 1919.
* [[Nana Bolashvili]], Andreas Dittmann, Lorenz King, Vazha Neidze (eds.): ''[[National Atlas of Georgia]]'', 138 pages, Steiner Verlag, 2018, {{ISBN|978-3-515-12057-9}}
* O. Janelidze, "From May 26 to February 25", Tbilisi, 1990. {{in lang|ka}}
* K. Kandelaki, "The Georgian Question Before the Free World", Paris, 1951.
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