Political Debates around the German Question on the Platform of the Georgian Party Press of 1918

Abstract

In 1918, Georgia declared its independent from Russia and established its First Independent Republic. Since this struggle for independence has remained a recurring theme throughout Georgia's history and continues to shape its national discourse today, it is relevant to examine how the young state attempted to secure its autonomy through diplomatic channels. Although Georgian–German relations during 1918–1921 have been studied from historical and diplomatic perspectives, their journalistic representation remains comparatively underexplored. This study examines how the Georgian party press constructed political discourse on Germany during Georgia’s First Democratic Republic. It asks: how was Germany’s political role represented in party newspapers in 1918? What arguments and rhetorical strategies shaped these representations, and to what extent did competing political ideologies converge or diverge? The analysis draws on archival documents and the 1918 issues of four party newspapers—“Unity”, “Georgia”, “Public Affairs”, and “Labour” - alongside the government newspaper “Georgian Republic”. Historical source analysis, comparative analysis, and discourse analysis are employed to explore how Social Democrats, National Democrats, Social Federalists, and Social Revolutionaries interpreted Germany’s role in Georgia’s pursuit of sovereignty. The study approaches the press as a discursive arena where political positions and expectations were articulated and contested. By foregrounding journalistic representation, it also illuminates the role of a free, pluralistic press in expressing competing political perspectives during Georgia’s early independence