The Experiment: Georgia's Forgotten Revolution 1918-1921
Autor Eric Leeen Limba Engleză Hardback – 14 sep 2017
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 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.
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 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.
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 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.
| Toate formatele și edițiile | Preț | Express |
|---|---|---|
| Paperback (1) | 113.15 lei 3-5 săpt. | +19.97 lei 6-12 zile |
| Bloomsbury Publishing – 27 iul 2022 | 113.15 lei 3-5 săpt. | +19.97 lei 6-12 zile |
| Hardback (1) | 509.60 lei 6-8 săpt. | |
| ZED BOOKS – 14 sep 2017 | 509.60 lei 6-8 săpt. |
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Specificații
ISBN-13: 9781786990938
ISBN-10: 1786990938
Pagini: 252
Ilustrații: Maps 1 8pp mono plate section
Dimensiuni: 127 x 197 x 28 mm
Greutate: 0.46 kg
Editura: ZED BOOKS
Colecția Zed Books
Locul publicării:London, United Kingdom
ISBN-10: 1786990938
Pagini: 252
Ilustrații: Maps 1 8pp mono plate section
Dimensiuni: 127 x 197 x 28 mm
Greutate: 0.46 kg
Editura: ZED BOOKS
Colecția Zed Books
Locul publicării:London, United Kingdom
Notă biografică
Eric Lee is a journalist and historian who has spent over thirty years researching independent Georgia. His previous books include Saigon to Jerusalem: Conversations with Israel’s Vietnam Veterans and Operation Basalt: The British Raid on Sark and Hitler’s Commando Order.
Cuprins
Timeline
Preface
Prologue
1 Founding father
2 Dress rehearsal
3 The experiment begins
4 The turn towards Germany
5 At war with Armenia
6 The British take charge
7 Georgia’s agrarian revolution
8 The independence of the trade unions
9 The rise and rise of the cooperatives
10 Achilles heel: Georgia’s national minorities
11 Fifth column
12 Europe’s socialist leaders come for a visit
13 The state that never was
14 The experiment ends
15 The final battle
16 Another revolution was possible
Acknowledgements
Notes
Index
Preface
Prologue
1 Founding father
2 Dress rehearsal
3 The experiment begins
4 The turn towards Germany
5 At war with Armenia
6 The British take charge
7 Georgia’s agrarian revolution
8 The independence of the trade unions
9 The rise and rise of the cooperatives
10 Achilles heel: Georgia’s national minorities
11 Fifth column
12 Europe’s socialist leaders come for a visit
13 The state that never was
14 The experiment ends
15 The final battle
16 Another revolution was possible
Acknowledgements
Notes
Index
Recenzii
“As Lee reminds us, this Menshevik-dominated government backed free elections, freedom of the press, an independent judiciary, parliamentary rule and free trade unions. Perhaps its most impressive achievement was to carry out agrarian reform, allowing peasants to buy land at reasonable prices and not resorting to the catastrophic forced collectivization the Bolsheviks later employed. Visiting Georgia, a Western socialist like Karl Kautsky could declare it the ‘antithesis to Bolshevism.’”
“Lee has written a remarkable book, which tells the history of the First Georgian Republic. . . . It does, however, do more than that. By placing the Georgian experiment in its historical and international context, it gives us important insights into the nature of nation-building, socialism, Stalinism, and even contemporary Russia.”
"A vivid history of the Republic."
“Lee provides a fascinating account of what the country briefly looked like under Menshvik rule and how this compared to the regime established by Georgia’s most famous son, Stalin.”
“This is an important book. It is the first study in English of the Menshevik government in Georgia between 1918 and 1921.”
“Lee calls 1918–21 a ‘forgotten revolution.’ The story of that revolution is worth remembering, and has never before been told so well.”
“A well-researched, well-written and engaging account. . . . A welcome and necessary addition to the literature.”
“A sympathetic, lucidly written, and politically literate account of the first Georgian republic, which makes exhaustive use of the accounts of foreign observers as well as some of the major leading figures.”
“Covering a crucial but strangely overlooked period in the fevered evolution of socialism, we’ve been waiting for this book for a long time. Fortunately, it arrives excellently written and researched.”
“In a clear and succinct style, Lee paints a sympathetic portrait of this remarkable experiment in democratic socialism. Lee has brought this almost unknown story out of the shadows, giving it its proper place in the historiography of socialism and the Russian Revolution.”
Caracteristici
Well-connected, publicity-savvy author - Eric is founding editor of LabourStart, the news and campaigning website of the international trade union movement, while his previous book was described as 'riveting' by the Wall Street Journal.