The Georgian National Council and the Formation of the Party System of the Democratic Republic of Georgia

Abstract

The research was carried out within the framework of the Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation of Georgia Grant Project “The Beginning of the Contemporary Georgian Parliamentarianism: The National Council of Georgia - The Parliament of Georgia”. Grant Code: FR-23-2950 Research Topic -  The report examines the role of the National Council of Georgia in shaping the party system of the Democratic Republic of Georgia.  The National Council was established by the National Congress of Georgia (November 19-22, 1917). At the time of the convening of the National Congress, Georgia was part of the Russian state and in addition to Georgian itself, all-Russian political parties operated on its territory. The political parties that supported Georgia'sterritorial autonomy—and thus laid the groundwork for the restoration of the Georgian state—were included in the composition of the National Council, which the National Congress elected. The National Council included both Georgian political parties (Socialist Federalist Party of Georgia, Radical Democratic Peasants' Party of Georgia, National Democratic Party of Georgia, "Alioni" Group) and Georgian organizations of the All-Russian parties (Georgian fraction of the Russian Socialist Revolutionary Party, Transcaucasian Regional Committee of the Russian Social Democratic Workers' Party). The report highlights the further transformation of the National Council, noting its expanded composition and the inclusion of representatives from national minorities following the restoration of state independence. On October 8, 1918, the National Council was officially renamed the “Parliament of Georgia.” Relevance and novelty - Researching the history of political parties in Georgia is a topical scientific task, and much remains to be done in this direction, both in terms of studying parties and publishing documents that reflect their activities. The novelty of the report lies in its presentation of the National Council's role in shaping the party system of the Democratic Republic of Georgia. The foundation of the party system of the Democratic Republic of Georgia was established by the National Council, later known as the Parliament of Georgia. The parties that joined the National Council and initiated the restoration of Georgia’s statehood played a key role in laying the groundwork for the future state's party system, the subsequent development of which is connected to the activities of the Constituent Assembly of Georgia (1919-1921). Research Method - To solve the chosen problem, the historical method has been employed, which involves studying the historical situation in Georgia at the end of 1917 and the beginning of 1919. A content analysis of documents related to the activities of the National Council/Parliament of Georgia was also conducted, primarily focusing on meetings of the National Council and materials from the periodical press that discussed the composition of the National Council/Parliament of Georgia and its transformation. Conclusion - The initial composition of the National Council and its subsequent expansion were based on inter-party agreements rather than elections. Party representation was allocated according to the perceived level of influence of each party, with the Social Democratic Party holding the dominant position. After the restoration of Georgia's independence, Georgian deputies of the Transcaucasian Sejm were included in the National Council, after which the council's composition increased from 66 to 88. Then, while maintaining the existing proportion between parties, the representation of parties increased, and the number of members of the National Council reached 121. By the law of September 13, 1918, the national councils of minorities residing in the territory of Georgia were given the right to elect 26 representatives. As a result, representatives of the Dashnaktsutyun and Armenian national parties entered the National Council. Following Georgia’s declaration of independence, the Social Democrats and Socialist Revolutionaries split from their All-Russian organisations to establish independent Georgian parties. As a result, the representation of the main parties in the National Council changed as follows:       November, 1917  May 29, 1918  June, 1918  Social Democratic Party 28 51 68 Socialist Federalists 10 11 16 National Democrats 9 10 15 Socialist Revolutionaries 7 9 12 "Alioni" Group 4 4 5 Radical Democrats 1 1 3 Full composition of the National Council 66 88 121 The Constituent Assembly elections, on the one hand, revealed political entities that sought to participate in the electionsand establish themselves in the country's political landscape. On the other hand, they demonstrated the actual balance of power between the parties. Although the Constituent Assembly elections were held using a proportional system and a zero threshold, only representatives of the main parties entered the Constituent Assembly, with the Social Democratic Party dominating even more than it did in the Georgian National Council/Parliament of Georgia. The study's results can be utilised for further research into the history of Georgian parties and the party system, as well as in educational contexts.