ABSTRACT
With the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the abolition of both the Warsaw Pact and the Comecon, the Republic of Georgia was one of the 15 former Union republics to begin a transition towards a state based on market economy and democracy, in 1991. The course of events varied between the Newly Independent States and was far from even-paced within Georgia itself. Some of these transitions away from communism ended up in revolutions, some did not. In keeping with the main topic of this book, the analysis of revolutions, the present chapter will focus on the Georgian Revolution of Roses (often known in English translation as the ‘Rose Revolution’) as seen through five factors – the character of the regime, the opposition, external forces, civil society and the people. The information used to highlight these aspects is based on qualitative research done in Tbilisi between 1996 and 2006, interviews with NGO leaders, members of parliament, journalists, key informants, and donor organizations. Hopefully the particularities retrieved directly from the field will add some local colour when answering the question: what happened in the run up to the Revolution, and why?
