First Democratic Republic of Georgia (1918-1921), a Result of the Changes in the International System

The independence of the First Democratic Republic of Georgia was announced on May 26, 1918 by the Georgian Social-Democrats, who were preaching against nationalism and the creation of a Georgian state years prior, therefore, it is evident at first sight, that major international events of the 1910s played a crucial role in the establishing of an independent Georgia. This research paper aims to examine the foreign factors that made the Georgian political elite change their minds and resulted in the creation of the First Democratic Republic of Georgia. First, the paper will analyze the internal political situation in Georgia and the attitudes of the Georgian political elite, then the policies and attitudes of three major powers – Russia, Turkey and Germany, towards Georgia will be examined. The author has presented the reflections of famous Georgian researches on the topic and some archive sources as well.