Armed Forces of Georgian Democratic Republic in 1918–1921

Abstract

The article is dedicated to the armed forces of the Georgian Democratic Republic (1918–1921). It shows the history of their creation and development, the composition and structure of the troops, as well as provides a brief insight into the combat path. It also shows the contradictions that existed between the socialist leadership of the country and a significant part of the officer corps, caused by ideological differences. The result of these contradictions were two forms of the armed organization of Georgia – the regular army and the People’s Guard, which caused discord in the armed forces. This circumstance, among other reasons, contributed to the military defeat of Georgia in the clash with Soviet Russia (1921).

Keywords

• Transcaucasia in 1918–1921
• Georgian Democratic Republic
• regular army of Georgia
• the People’s Guard
• The Soviet-Georgian War of 1921