Open    Access



Reflection of Liberal Values in the Georgian Press in 1918-1921



Author(s)

Manana Shamilishvili, Mari Tsereteli

Full-Text PDF XML     782 Views

DOI:10.17265/2328-2134/2016.05.003

This study deals with the values and orientation of Georgian social and political publications in the times of the Georgian Democratic Republic (1918-1921). It also shows how the press of that time reflected the idea of “Georgian Europeanism” based on liberal values that took shape as an anti-colonial concept in the journalism of the late 19th century. The opposed dominant ideological projects of that era comprised on the one hand, National Democratic and Socialist Federalist parties that aspired to preserve national identity and carry out changes and on the other hand, ruling Social Democrats (who initially neglected national identity, but later shared the idea). This opposition was clearly reflected in the media discourse of that time, which implied the following rights based on the principles of classical liberalism: freedom of conscience and expression, rule of law, personal independence, and individual rights. Other elements were added to this list later. The issue of religious tolerance also became topical. Journalist texts of the period reflected and rationalised the values recognised in today’s democratic and liberal communities. The research was carried out in the archives of the periodicals of the aforementioned period (newspapers Sakhalkho Sakme, Sakartvelo, Ertoba, and Sakartvelos Respublika) by means of systematising and classifying retrieved materials and making a substantive and varietal analysis of individual media texts.

Georgian journalism, the Georgian Party Press in 1918-1921, the liberal values, the idea of Georgian Europeanism

Shamilishvili, M., & Tsereteli, M. (2016). Reflection of Liberal Values in the Georgian Press in 1918-1921. International Relations and Diplomacy, 4(5), 341-352.