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There was great reaction against the serfdom system that Russia tried to apply along with its
Russianization policy in Georgia.
In 1864 the serfdom system were abolished in interior regions and then in
Kartli and Kahet in 1864, in Imeretia and Guria (1865), in Megrelia (1866), in
Abkhazia (1870), and finally in Svanetia (1871). As a result of the abolishment
of the serfdom system, some 350.000 people in Georgia were set free from the
regime, yet 10% of these people were left without land. The remaining
population received less amount of land than they would receive in the serfdom
period. After the serfdom period, serious developments began in the industry
and many plants were opened in the country. Nevertheless, the unsolved social
and ethnic problems, the prevention policy on the Georgian language, performing
the education in Russian in the new colleges, and even banning the use of word
“Gruzia” (Georgia) led the Georgian intellectuals to the struggle for freedom. In
the second half of the 19th century, Georgian intellectuals called
the people to struggle against the Czardom regime. They tried to spread out the
nationalist ideas through their newspapers titled “Drobea” and “Iveria”,
published in Georgian language.
After the February 1917 revolution in Russia, Mensheviks branch of the social
democrats in Georgia established
an interim government in Tbilisi in March 1917
and along with Azarbaijan and Armenia
they became a member of the Transcaucaisa Parliament called “Seym.” Nevertheless
alliance did not last too long. Georgia did not agreed the Brest-Litovsk treaty
dated 3 March 1918 which declared that Soviet Russia would give Batumi,
Ardahan, Artvin and Kars subdivisions back to Ottoman Empire and did not have a
support form the Seym. Therefore, Georgia left the Seym and declared
the independence in 26 May
1918. The independence of Georgia
was recognized by Azarbaijan, Armenia, Russia,
Ottoman Empire and many European governments.
Nevertheless, Russia invaded
Georgia in February 1921 along
with Azarbaijan and Armenia,
established the Soviet regime here and gave the government to the Bolsheviks. Bolsheviks
oppressed intellectuals and student between 1921 and 1922. Georgian Mensheviks
could not succeed in their struggle against the Bolshevik regime until 1924. Georgia took place in the foundation of Transcaucasia Federal
State as a member of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
Upon the collapse of the Soviet Union in December 1991, Georgia became independent along
with other Soviet republics.
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