Abstract

This article examines the historical implications of the Red Army’s invasion of the Democratic Republic of Georgia in 1921, tracing how Bolshevik plans to reunify former Tsarist territories culminated in the political annexation of Georgia. Drawing on the period’s governmental choices, disputes over international recognition, and the subsequent consolidation of Soviet power, it argues that Georgia’s Menshevik-led state was viewed as strategically vital and ideologically threatening. The invasion, preceded by five weeks of resistance, ended in the occupation of the Democratic Republic of Georgia and the commencement of Soviet rule. Repression followed, including executions, deportations, long imprisonment, and the exile of political leaders, reshaping national memory and linking the loss of independence to its restoration in 1991.