Ivane Javakhishvili in defense of Georgian University

       In 1921, during the sovietization of Georgia, the youth and the professors and teaching staff of Tbilisi State University joined together with others to defend the country against the Soviet Russian troops. In this process, the contribution of Ivane Javakhishvili, the rector of the university, is particularly noteworthy. He addressed the students, expressed his support for the leadership of the Democratic Republic of Georgia and called them to fight for the protection of the motherland. In the paper, we briefly review the position of Ivane Javakhishvili during the invasion of Georgia by Soviet Russia in February 1921. It is also noteworthy whether the school textbooks provide any information to students about Ivane Javakhishvili, in particular, about Javakhishvili’s attitude during the occupation of Georgia and what kind of information this is. The paper analyzes the materials contained in the school textbooks of Georgian and world history. Attention is focused on the volume of material and presented documents. The main facts are highlighted, to which textbook authors pay special attention when discussing this issue.The study revealed that in the textbooks the focus is made on the contribution of Ivane Javakhishvili to the founding of the university in Georgia, his scientific activities and rectorship. The position of the university, its professors, academic staff, and students during the occupation of Georgia is not mentioned. Some authors also note the attack of the Soviet authorities on Javakhishvili in the 1930s and talk about repressions carried out against him.

Political Parties in Occupied Abkhazia

After gaining independence quite interesting and at the same time difficult processes developed in Georgia. Among them was the civil war and the conflict on the territory of Abkhazia, as a result of which it is still occupied. Today, life in Abkhazia continues as usual and civil society expresses its positions through political parties as much as it is possible. Based on various available printed sources, this article describes the current political picture in Abkhazia, what kind of political system it is today, how political parties are established, who heads them and what kind of internal or external orientation they have. Seeing the mentioned processes gives us the opportunity to conclude what are the moods of the population and what scientists and researchers think about the given situation

Student Movement in Georgia

  In Georgian state universities, particularly Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University and Ilia State University, persistent student activism has spurred an examination of the higher education management model and our academic environment. This study aims to delineate the impact of government influence on state universities in Georgia by analyzing obtained results within the framework of academic managerialism. Academic managerialism in Georgia's state universities correlates with problems leading to student protests, highlighting challenges in higher education.  The research employs a qualitative approach, including a comparative analysis of the statutes of the two universities, an examination of various practices, and a qualitative analysis of relevant literature on governance reforms. In-depth interviews with five purposively selected respondents, comprising researchers, activists, individuals with a keen interest, and representatives from university governing bodies, provide insights.  The study addresses the concerns surrounding "academic managerialism" in Georgia, as it faces criticism in the international scientific community and contributes significantly to the understanding of the complex issues faced by state universities in the country.  The findings indicate that excessive governmental influence, exacerbated by academic managerialism, hampers the development of the academic environment in Georgia's state universities

Populism and Democracy

The article discusses the relationship between populism and democracy, the influence of populist actors on liberal-democratic institutions and constitutions. Due to the vagueness of the concept of populism, different approaches are presented on how this phenomenon is studied. Populism is understood as a thinly-defined ideology.Populists claim to represent the “genuine and oridinary people” and therefore view their opponents as enemies and corrupt. They Increase their own power by amending and revoking the principles of liberal constitutionalism and mechanisms of checks and balances, which, in their opinion, limits popular sovereignty.Populism can increase civil society participation and turnout in elections by involvement of previously marginalized groups in electoral processes. However, particular cases of populist rule in Hungary, the Philippines, and other countries has been marked by a decline in liberal-democratic indicators such as fundamental rights and control of the government. This indicates that populism mainly has a negative effect on liberal-democratic institutions and democracy

Post-Totalitarian Nature and Regime Transition in the Republic of Armenia

One of the central subjects of comparative studies is the study of democratization in Post-Soviet states. The practice of democratic modernization of post-totalitarian states clearly showed that they did not have many important social, political, economic, cultural and spiritual prerequisites for liberal-democratic transformations, which were characteristic of Western countries.The aim of the paper is to analyze the problems of democratization in post-Soviet Armenia and to discuss the Velvet Revolution of Armenia within the framework of these problems. On the road to democratic transition in Armenia, there were many problems, such as: the unresolved conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, the oligarchic system of government, unfair elections, the government's pressure on the media and civil society, and, of course, the non-free judicial system.The revolution of 2018 brought new hopes and perspectives after the coming to power of Nikol Pashinyan, however, the developments in Nagorno-Karabakh, the defeat experienced in the second Karabakh war and the victory of Azerbaijan, after which Aliyev declared the sovereignty of Azerbaijan to be restored, presented a severe test to the young Armenian democracy and made the contours of democratization even more blurred. in country. The loss of Nagorno-Karabakh, which the Armenian people consider part of their identity, has presented the country with many problems. Today, it is difficult to predict to what extent Armenia under the leadership of Nikol Pashinyan will be able to overcome internal and external challenges and contribute to the formation of Armenia as a democratic state

Defense of the Caucasus in 1942 in Soviet and post-Soviet school textbooks of Georgian and world history

       During the Second World War (1939-1945), the Soviet Union used Georgia's natural and human resources as much as possible. Those conscripted into the Red Army from Georgia fought against fascism, although their struggle was aimed at protecting democracy and freedom in the world, they themselves were deprived of both. In this battle, Georgia made the greatest sacrifice, and a large part of this sacrifice was caused by the mistakes made by the Soviet civil and military leadership, and the heartless attitude towards human life.       The purpose of the research is to study how Georgia's participation in the defense of the Caucasus in the Second World War is presented in Soviet and post-Soviet school textbooks of Georgian and world history. The research is based on the content analysis of 2 textbooks published in the Soviet period and 10 textbooks published in the post-Soviet period. During the research, the following are taken into account: a) the volume of the presented material; b) evaluative side and basic provisions; c) Submitted photo or documentary material.          When comparing the Soviet and post-Soviet manuals, we can highlight several factors that distinguish or unite the mentioned works: a/ Different data on the people who were drafted into the war (600 thousand, 700 thousand...) and those who died (200 thousand, 300 thousand...); b/ Assessment - was it or not "Patriotic" war for Georgia; c/  Evaluation - the importance of victory in the battle for the Caucasus  ; d/  Contribution to the victory (party, government, party figures, military..

Factions of the Parliamentary Opposition in the Constituent Assembly of Georgia

The article examines the activities of the parliamentary factions of the opposition parties of the Socialist-Federalists, National-Democrats, and Socialist-Revolutionaries, formed in the constituent assembly of the supreme legislative body of the Democratic Republic of Georgia, based on factual material. The relationship of these factions with the government on such cardinal issues of state life as economic development, foreign policy, defense, and security is especially studied. It is noted that neither the right nor the left opposition of the assembly considered themselves a real alternative to the government since they were deprived of full-fledged resources. As for the government of the Democratic Republic of Georgia and the social democratic majority of the assembly, they belatedly, but still sometimes, took into account the opinions of their critics and tried to reflect them both in legislation and in practice. Key words: Political Party; Constituent Assembly; Opposition; Fraction; Deputy

Ways of increasing the generosity of family-related leaves in Georgia

Since January 2023, the upper threshold of the allowance for maternity, parental and adoption leaves has doubled from 1000 GEL to 2000 GEL. The Labour Code of Georgia does not offer paternity leave (taken by fathers), which is provided in EU countries. In public service, the allowance amounts to the full salary of the civil servant. Such a large gap between civil service and the rest of organizations/institutions is not a fair approach. To improve the health and socio-economic conditions of families with a child, it is essential to significantly increase the generosity of the allowance for family-related leaves (maternity, paternity and parental leave) in the private sector. The review of academic literature showed a positive relationship between the increase in maternity/parental leave length/remuneration and improvements in the mental and physical health of mother and child. The study found that the significant increase in maternity benefit rate, as well as an increase in parental benefit and an introduction of paternity leave/benefit, is financially feasible, given the recent economic growth rate in Georgia and its projected growth for the coming years

Elaboration of the Constitutional Principles of Educational Policy by the Constituent Assembly of Georgia (1919-1921)

The paper analyses those documents of the Constituent Assembly of Georgia which deal with the elaboration of the Chapter 12th („Education and School“) of the 1921 Constitution of the Democratic Republic of Georgia. The above-mentioned chapter was written with the general democratic spirit of the constitution and clearly defined the main principles of the educational policy: free development of culture; democratization of culture and school; nation-wide, mandatory and free-of-charge primary education; provision of secular education; unity of the teaching and learning, which rested on the coherence of the different stages of education

Stages of Formation of Students’ Protest Movements and Their Outcomes: The Case of Georgia (2016-2020)

Student protests can be triggered by various factors and circumstances, be it social, political or economic reasons, so it is necessary to examine these reasons scientifically and outline the relationship between the mentioned variables. Accordingly, the aim of the thesis is to examine the phases and outcomes of the emergence of student protest movements in modern Georgia using the example of "Auditoria 115" and "May Student Movement". Based on the research objective, the work is based on the qualitative research method, i.e. the analysis of secondary sources - research papers, articles, statements and interviews were studied and analysed as part of the research.It discusses how the above-mentioned movements came into being, what their main demands were and what forms of protest they used in the initial phase. At the same time, it was discussed how the demands of the student movements were met by the university or various agencies and what were the results of their protest activities. Also, this work allows us to consider in a comparative context how identical are the demands, types of protest and forms of expression of the studied student movements