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Georgia, or officially called the Democratic Republic of Georgia, is a country in the Southern Caucasus. It borders Russia to the north, Azerbaijan to the east, Armenia and the Ottoman Empire to the south.
Ever since its turbulent founding in 1918, Georgia has been highly dependent on the German Empire, the primary nation guaranteeing Georgian independence. Germany defended Georgia from falling into the grasp of the Ottoman Empire near the end of the Weltkrieg, but in return forced Georgia to sign the controversial Treaty of Poti, reducing Georgia's economy to become a de facto client of Germany and Mitteleuropa.
History[]
German-backed Independence[]
With the collapse of Russia due to the Bolshevik Revolution, the Tiflis-based Transcaucasian Commissariat declared its independence. Ruled by an unstable committee of Armenians, Azerbaijanis, Georgians, and Russians, the future of this newly proclaimed state stood on shaky grounds from the beginning; The concurrent Ottoman invasion of the Caucasus eventually tore the nation apart in May 1918, with Georgia leaving first after signing a defensive pact with the German Empire, the so-called Treaty of Poti. The Georgian government representatives saw the treaty as the only possibility to prevent an outright annexation by the Ottoman Empire. However, while Georgia was now officially under the protection of Berlin, the young republic was forced to grant Germany far-reaching economic concessions and open its borders for German expeditionary forces under Friedrich Kress von Kressenstein, which occupied multiple strategic points throughout the country. Therefore, from the beginning of its existence on the global stage, Georgia was de facto a German-dependent puppet state.
Picture collage of the German Caucasus Expedition in the "Großer Bilderatlas des Weltkrieges" (Great Picture Atlas of the Weltkrieg), 1919
In June 1918, the nations of the Caucasus, including Georgia, were forced to sign the Treaty of Batum. For Azerbaijan, the treaty was a mere treaty of friendship with the Turks, but Georgia and Armenia were obliged to cede huge swaths of their territory to the Ottomans. Georgia lost Batumi (as per the terms of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, already signed in March 1918) and additionally had to give up the province of Meskheti-Javakheti. In return, Georgia's independence was recognized by Constantinople.
Ottoman-German Struggle[]
Throughout 1918 and 1919, the Caucasus remained in a very precarious situation. German-Ottoman relations were worsening as the struggle over influence in the region reached new heights; With Georgia under the iron boot of the German military and Azerbaijan under the control of Enver Pasha's Pan-Turkist forces, a power struggle over economic influence in Baku began. Additionally, the Caucasian nations were on each other's throats, with frequent border disputes between Georgian, Armenian and Azeri rebel forces. To the north, the situation was not any better as well; The Russian Civil War raged in the steppes of Don and Kuban, with frequent border violations by Bolshevik and White Russian troops, like in Abkhazia. Also, local Bolsheviks launched an attack on the military school of Tiflis as part of a coup, but they were repelled by General Giorgi Kvinitadze and his men. Even when formal victory arrived in late 1919, the Caucasus remained an uncontrollable powder keg, which threatened to cause another devastating war.
Situation in the Caucasus after the Treaty of Batum, June 1918
To finally bring peace and stability to the region, Germany called in the Caucasus Conference in Constantinople in November 1919. Germany's primary aim was of course to enlarge their influence in the region through the most diplomatic way. Via granting Azerbaijan all of their territorial claims, they managed to sway the Baku government to join the German sphere of influence; because of that, Georgia was forced to give up their Eastern region of Zaqatala to Azerbaijani forces. To compensate Georgia, Berlin awarded them the formerly Armenian province of Lori. In the aftermath of the conference, Armenia had been partitioned between all of its neighbours, and peace finally started to settle over the Caucasian mountains.
Post-Weltkrieg Nation Building[]
Already in early 1919, the first elections were held, and the Mensheviks won overwhelmingly with 81.5% of the votes. This mostly represented the choice of the urban population, however, because at that time, peasant revolts were still ongoing and organizing elections in the countryside was considered too dangerous. The constitution, implemented in 1921, was a very progressive one for its time (“the Democratic Republic of Georgia equally guarantees to every citizen within her limits political rights irrespective of nationality, creed, social rank or sex"), and formed the foundation of a democratic government. Elections were to be held every four years. By 1921, all peasant revolts on the countryside had been suppressed or laid down their weapons, mainly because the ruling Mensheviks had moderated their socialist platform to appease the more conservative rural areas, and Georgia was finally ready to turn its gaze at the future.
Situation in the Caucasus after the Caucasus Conference in Constantinople, November 1919
Because of the return of stability to the countryside, the elections of 1923 were held throughout the country. The result was once again a victory for the Mensheviks under Noe Zhordania. However, the conservative National Democratic Party, the bourgeois-nationalist Georgian Socialist-Federalist Revolutionary Party and the radically socialist Georgian Socialist Revolutionary Party all gained more seats from the rural areas. After this election, a stable era began for the Georgian Democratic Republic. The country greatly profited off the Baku-Batumi pipeline that was built during that time: German companies and investors paid the Georgian government for “lending” the needed lands. The manganese industry also thrived, mainly because of German investments. This stable situation remained unchanged up to the present of 1936, with the Mensheviks being consistently re-elected, though very slowly losing popularity at the expense of other parties.
However, Anti-German sentiment has grown radically in the last few years; German economic influence is felt everywhere, as Germany has complete control over the country's commercial ports, railways, mines, forestry and industry, which especially angers Georgian nationalists, who wish to throw off the German yoke. The Mensheviks therefore have navigated themselves into a precarious situation; As the leading party for the past 18 years, they are seen as those responsible for the heavy German presence in the country, which has costed them quite a few votes in the last elections.
Ideas about monarchism have been growing as well, mostly among the richer classes of society. There are two main candidates for King of Georgia: Joachim Franz, Prince of Germany, who is mainly popular among rich businessmen due to the massive German investments in Georgia, but despised by Georgian nationalists, and George Bagration of Mukhrani, an influential Georgian noble, popular among the landed aristocracy and among nationalist circles. Nonetheless, monarchism remains a firmly minority idea in Georgia for the time being.
Politics[]
Georgia is a parliamentary republic with the Menshevik Party of Georgia in power since independence.
Chairman: Noe Zhordania (born 15 January 1868)
Minister of Foreign Affairs: Akaki Chkhenkeli (born 19 May 1874)
Minister of Finance: Noe Khomeriki (born 1 January 1883)
Minister of Internal Affairs: Valiko Jugheli (born 1887)
Chief of Georgian Ground Forces:
Chief of Georgian Navy:
Chief of Georgian Air Force:
Military[]
The People's Guard is the privileged military force in the country. Founded on 5 September 1917, as the Worker's Guard it was later renamed into the Red Guard, and finally into the People's Guard. It is a highly politicized military structure placed directly under the control of the Ministry of War and consists of six infantry divisions. Serious naval and air military programs were never attempted.
Foreign Relations[]
Georgia has friendly relations with Germany, and is a member of both Mitteleuropa and the Reichspakt.
Georgia's borders with the Russian Republic and Azerbaijan are poorly defined, leading to occasional border conflicts between the Georgian army and militias aligned with Azerbaijan and Russian Cossacks. Georgia subsequently has a poor relationship with those two countries. It also gets on poorly with the Ottoman Empire.