The Social Democratic Party of Georgia ( ka, საქართველოს სოციალ-დემოკრატიული პარტია, tr), also known as the Georgian Menshevik Party, was a Georgian

Marxist Marxism is a Left-wing politics, left-wing to Far-left politics, far-left method of socioeconomic analysis that uses a Materialism, materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to understand S ...

and

social democratic Social democracy is a political, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocating economic and social interventions to promote soci ...

political party. It was founded in the 1890s by Nikolay Chkheidze, Silibistro Jibladze,

Egnate Ninoshvili Egnate Tomas dze Ninoshvili (17 February 1859 – 12 May 1894) was a Georgian writer and social democratic activist. Early life and education Ninoshvili was born in a poor peasant family in Kela village, Guria region in western Georgia. He stu ...

Noe Zhordania Noe Zhordania ( ka, ნოე ჟორდანია /nɔɛ ʒɔrdɑniɑ/; russian: Ной Никола́евич Жорда́ния; born (or ) — January 11, 1953) was a Georgian journalist and Menshevik politician. He played an eminent role ...

and others. It became the Georgian branch of the

Russian Social Democratic Labour Party The Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP; in , ''Rossiyskaya sotsial-demokraticheskaya rabochaya partiya (RSDRP)''), also known as the Russian Social Democratic Workers' Party or the Russian Social Democratic Party, was a socialist pol ...

. After 1905, Georgian social democrats joined the

Menshevik The Mensheviks (russian: меньшевики́, from меньшинство 'minority') were one of the three dominant factions in the Russian socialist movement, the others being the Bolsheviks and Socialist Revolutionaries. The factions eme ...

faction, except for some such as Joseph Stalin,

Grigol Ordzhonikidze Sergo Konstantinovich Ordzhonikidze,, ; russian: Серго Константинович Орджоникидзе, Sergo Konstantinovich Ordzhonikidze) born Grigol Konstantines dze Orjonikidze, russian: Григорий Константино ...

and Makharadze. Several leaders were elected to the Russian Duma from Kutais or Tifli: Nikolay Chkheidze,

Akaki Chkhenkeli Akaki Chkhenkeli ( ka, აკაკი ჩხენკელი) (1874 – 5 January 1959) was a Georgian Social Democratic politician and publicist who acted as one of the leaders of the Menshevik movement in Russia and Georgia. In 1918 he served ...

, Evgeni Gegechkori, Isidore Ramishvili, Irakly Tsereteli, and

. The party was prior to 1917 "ambivalent" on Georgia's independence from Russia, for which it has been criticized by some Georgians as "unpatriotic and anti-national". Natalie Sabanadze describes them as "unique in their non-nationalist approach to national liberation." She argues that "they led a highly successful national movement while maintaining a degree of hostility towards nationalism and avoiding the use of nationalist rhetoric and ideology." The party became a "vehicle for Georgian nationalism" following the

Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and ad ...

. It governed the Democratic Republic of Georgia from 1918 to 1921. At parliamentary elections on February 14, 1919 it garnered 81.5% of the votes.

became Prime Minister. In the words of

Ronald Grigor Suny Ronald Grigor Suny (born September 25, 1940) is an American historian and political scientist. Suny is the William H. Sewell Jr. Distinguished University Professor of History at the University of Michigan and served as director of the Eisenberg In ...

, "Their achievement in building a Georgian political nation was extraordinary. Their support among all classes of the Georgian people was genuine. And however ephemeral their accomplishments in the brief episode of national independence, the most impressive testimony to their successes is the fact that they could not be dislodged from Georgia except by a militarily superior force from outside." In March 1921, the Georgian government was overthrown by the Red Army invasion. The party was liquidated in Georgia during the Soviet repressions predating to the failed anti-Soviet August Uprising in 1924. From 1921 onwards, the party began operating in exile, particularly in France, Germany (until 1933) and the United States. A Foreign Bureau was set up as the new leading organ of the party. The party was a member of the

Labour and Socialist International The Labour and Socialist International (LSI; german: Sozialistische Arbeiter-Internationale, label=German, SAI) was an international organization of socialist and labour parties, active between 1923 and 1940. The group was established through a me ...

between 1923 and 1940.Kowalski, Werner. ''Geschichte der sozialistischen arbeiter-internationale: 1923 - 19''. Berlin: Dt. Verl. d. Wissenschaften, 1985. p. 336.

Notable members

Razhden Arsenidze Razhden Arsenidze ( ka, რაჟდენ არსენიძე) (1 October 1880 – 24 May 1965) was a Georgian jurist, journalist, and politician. He was involved with the Georgian Social Democratic Labour Party, branch of Russian Social D ...

* Nikolay Chkheidze *

Benia Chkhikvishvili Beniamin "Benia" Chkhikvishvili (also spelled Bénia Tchkhikvichvili, ka, ბენია ჩხიკვიშვილი; 1881–1924) was a Georgian politician who was involved in the Social Democratic movement in the early 20th century. An ...

Seit Devdariani Seit Devdariani ( ka, სეით დევდარიანი) (1879, Kutaisi – 21 September 1937, Tbilisi) was a Georgian philosopher and political activist who was a deputy of the National Council of Georgia and the Constituent Assembly of ...

* Vladimir Darchiashvili * Evgeni Gegechkori *

Grigol Giorgadze Grigol Giorgadze ( ka, გრიგოლ გიორგაძე) (November 30, 1879 – July 18, 1937) was a Georgian historian, jurist and politician. Born in Kutaisi into the family of a priest, Giorgadze graduated from a local theologica ...

Ivane Gomarteli Ivane Gomarteli ( ka, ივანე გომართელი) (October 2, 1875 – April 19, 1938) was a Georgian physician, political figure, and author involved in the social-democratic movement early in the 20th century. Life Gomarteli ...

* Evgen Gvaladze *

Ioseb Iremashvili Ioseb Iremashvili ( ka, იოსებ ირემაშვილი, german: Iosseb Iremaschwili, russian: Иосиф Георгиевич Иремашвили, 1878–1944) was a Georgian politician and author. A boyhood friend, and later politi ...

Valiko Jugheli Vladimir “Valiko” Jugheli ( ka, ვალიკო ჯუღელი) (January 1, 1887 - 30 August 1924 ) was a Georgian politician and military commander. He was involved in the Marxist movement in Georgia (then part of the Russian Empire) ...

Noe Khomeriki Noe Khomeriki ( ka, ნოე ხომერიკი) (1 January 1883 – 1 September 1924) was a Georgian politician involved in the Social Democrat movement who was arrested for anti-soviet activity and shot during an uprising against the Sov ...

Grigol Lordkipanidze Grigol Lordkipanidze ( ka, გრიგოლ ლორთქიფანიძე; 2 September 1881 – 2 September 1937) was a Georgian politician and author. During the Russian Revolution of 1917, he was involved in the Georgian independence mo ...

Vlasa Mgeladze Vlasa Mgeladze ( ka, ვლასა მგელაძე; russian: Власа Джарисманович Мгеладзе, ''Vlasa Dzharismanovich Mgeladze''), alias Tria (Russian: Триа) (1868 – 1943), was a Georgian social democratic revo ...

* Isidore Ramishvili *

Noe Ramishvili Noe Besarionis dze Ramishvili ( ka, ნოე რამიშვილი; his name is also transliterated as ''Noah'' or ''Noi''; 5 April 1881 – 7 December 1930) was a Georgian politician and the president of the first government of the Democ ...

Victor Tevzaia Victor Tevzaia ( ka, ვიქტორ თევზაია) (1883 – 1932) was a Georgian Social-Democratic politician, diplomat, and economist, specializing in agrarian questions. He also published using pseudonyms, ''Машинадзе'' (Mash ...

* Irakli Tsereteli *

Grigol Uratadze Grigol "Grisha" Uratadze ( ka, გრიგოლ "გრიშა" ურატაძე) (10 February 1878 – 12 February 1959) was a Georgian Social Democratic politician, diplomat and author. His name is also spelled Grégoire Ouratadze in a ...

Huseyngulu Mammadov Huseyngulu Mammadov (, ) — was a Georgian politician of Azerbaijani origins. Life He was born in 1875, Mughanlo village of Signakh Uyezd, then part of Tiflis Governorate in Russian Empire to an ethnic Azerbaijani (then called Tatars) peas ...

References

*Stephen F. Jones
Socialism in Georgian Colors: The European Road to Social Democracy, 1883-1917
{{Georgian political parties 1890s establishments in Georgia (country) 1920s disestablishments in Georgia (country) Defunct political parties in Georgia (country) Democratic Republic of Georgia Members of the Labour and Socialist International Mensheviks

Notable members

See also

References