The Experiment: Georgia's Forgotten Revolution 1918-1921
by Eric Lee /
2017 / English / EPUB
9.9 MB Download
For many, the Russian revolution of 1917 was a symbol of hope and
offered proof that another way of envisioning the world was
indeed possible. But Soviet authoritarianism and the horrors of
the gulags have since led to the revolution becoming synonymous
with oppression, forever tainting socialism in the eyes of its
critics. However, the often over-looked experience of Georgia,
which declared its independence from Russia in 1918, shows there
was another way. In
For many, the Russian revolution of 1917 was a symbol of hope and
offered proof that another way of envisioning the world was
indeed possible. But Soviet authoritarianism and the horrors of
the gulags have since led to the revolution becoming synonymous
with oppression, forever tainting socialism in the eyes of its
critics. However, the often over-looked experience of Georgia,
which declared its independence from Russia in 1918, shows there
was another way. InThe Experiment
The Experiment, historian Eric Lee
brings this little-known story of Georgia’s experiment in
democratic socialism to light, detailing the turbulent events of
this chapter in revolutionary history.
, historian Eric Lee
brings this little-known story of Georgia’s experiment in
democratic socialism to light, detailing the turbulent events of
this chapter in revolutionary history.
Along the way, Lee introduces us to a remarkable set of ideas and
policies, among them the men and women who strove for a vision of
socialism that featured universal suffrage, a people’s militia in
place of a standing army, and a civil society grounded in trade
unions and cooperatives. Though the Georgian Democratic Republic
lasted for just three years before it was brutally crushed on the
orders of Stalin, in that short time it was able to offer a
glimpse of a more humane alternative to the Communist nightmare
that was to come.
Along the way, Lee introduces us to a remarkable set of ideas and
policies, among them the men and women who strove for a vision of
socialism that featured universal suffrage, a people’s militia in
place of a standing army, and a civil society grounded in trade
unions and cooperatives. Though the Georgian Democratic Republic
lasted for just three years before it was brutally crushed on the
orders of Stalin, in that short time it was able to offer a
glimpse of a more humane alternative to the Communist nightmare
that was to come.The Experiment
The Experiment is the first authoritative English-language
history of this forgotten episode, and it will appeal to those
interested in Soviet history as well as those seeking inspiration
for a democratic socialist alternative today.
is the first authoritative English-language
history of this forgotten episode, and it will appeal to those
interested in Soviet history as well as those seeking inspiration
for a democratic socialist alternative today.
