"When most of Eastern Europe was struggling with dictatorships of one kind or another, the Democratic Republic of Georgia (1918-1921) established a constitution, a parliamentary system with national elections, an active opposition, and a free press. Like the Democratic Republic of Georgia in 1918, its successors emerged after 1991 from a bankrupt empire, and faced, yet again, the task of establishing a new economic, political and social system from scratch. In both 1918 and 1991, Georgia was confronted with a hostile Russia and followed a pro-Western and pro-democratic course. The top regional experts in this book explore the domestic and external parallels between the Georgian post-colonial governments of the early twentieth and twenty-first centuries. How did the inexperienced Georgian leaders in both eras deal with the challenge of secessionism, what were their state building strategies, and what did democracy mean to them? What did their electoral systems look like, why were their economic strategies so different, and how did they negotiate with the international community neighbouring threats. These are the central challenges of transitional governments around the world today. Georgia's experience over one hundred years suggests that both history and contemporary political analysis offer the best (and most interesting) explanation of the often ambivalent outcomes"-- Provided by publisher.

The role of geopolitics and foreign powers in the modern history of Georgia : comparing 1918-1921 and post-1991 periods / Revaz Gachechiladze -- The Russian-Georgian War and its implications for Georgia's state-building / Alexander Rondeli -- Georgia's European aspirations and the Eastern partnership / Gia Tarkhan-Mouravi -- Georgia as a geographical pivot : past, present, future / Mamuka Tsereteli -- Georgia's military and civil security challenges / Alexandre Kukhianidze -- Georgia's ethnic diversity : a challenge to state-building / Natalie Sabanadze -- The Democratic Republic of Georgia (1918-1921) and the search for the democratic model of Georgia / Malkhaz Matsaberidze -- The Democratic Republic of Georgia : forgotten lessons for our democracy / Giorgi Kandelaki -- March of the goblins : permanent revolution in Georgia / Levan Ramishvili and Tamar Chergoleishvili -- A fateful moment : ethnic autonomy and revolutionary violence in the Democratic Republic of Georgia (1918-1921) / Cory Welt -- From words to action! : nationality policy in Soviet Abkhazia, 1921-38 / Timothy K. Blauvelt -- Unpacking the meta-conflict : claims to sovereignty, self-determination and territorial integrity in the Georgian -- Abkhaz conflict / Laurence Broers -- The young Stalin and revolution in Georgia / Ronald Suny -- The Russian occupation in 1921 and the Russian-Georgian war of August 2008 : historical analogy as a memory project / Malkhaz Toria.