republic · Caucasus
Georgian SSR
Origins
In February 1921 the Red Army invaded the Democratic Republic of Georgia and took Tiflis, and the Georgian SSR was proclaimed. It joined the Transcaucasian SFSR in 1922 and became a full union republic in 1936, renaming its capital Tbilisi. A national uprising in August 1924 was crushed with thousands of executions.
Rule and society
Georgia was governed by its Communist Party within the Soviet system, with Stalin and Beria rising from its ranks. Collectivisation and purges hit hard, but the republic prospered from tea, citrus, wine and tourism. National feeling surfaced in the 1956 Tbilisi protests and the 1978 defence of Georgian as official language. Eduard Shevardnadze led the party from 1972 to 1985.
Decline and legacy
On 9 April 1989 Soviet troops killed peaceful protesters in Tbilisi, fuelling the independence movement. Zviad Gamsakhurdia's nationalists won elections in 1990, and Georgia declared independence on 9 April 1991, becoming the Republic of Georgia.
Lineage
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (2)
- Georgian SSR was part of Transcaucasian SFSR1922 CE – 1936 CE
- Georgian SSR was part of Soviet Union1936 CE – 1991 CE
Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Georgian SSR. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/georgian-ssr
- MLA
- “Georgian SSR.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/georgian-ssr. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Georgian SSR.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/georgian-ssr.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Georgian SSR’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/georgian-ssr (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻