This book compares and contrasts Georgia 's First Republic, which lasted from 1918 until suppressed by Bolshevik Soviet forces in 1921, with the present Georgian Republic, which gained its independence when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. It shows how on both occasions Georgia emerged from a collapsing empire, followed a pro-Western orientation, confronted a hostile Russia, encountered secessionist movements at home, and faced the difficult struggle of establishing new economic, political and social systems from scratch. It discusses how Georgia fared under the Tsarist and Soviet empires, outlining the legacy of external domination. It points out the difference between the 1918 and 1991 regimes, notably the social democratic nature of the former and the market-oriented nature of the latter, and highlights the lessons which the First Republic has for Georgia today.