This book is about the Menshevik-dominated Georgian Democratic Republic 0f 1918-21. Confirms my own suspicion that Bolshevism (the USSR, Lenin, Stalin, etc.) was/is the real evil of Communism/socialism: the idea of a Vanguard party to lead the revolution is itself anti-democratic, leading to later horrors, and the Bolshevik insistence on forced collectivization, so as to achieve Socialism more quickly, proved disastrous. By contrast the Mensheviks, who enjoyed broad support in Georgia, were a more moderate and flexible political force. Under Menshevik rule in Georgia women gained suffrage, land was (uncontroversially) redistributed to the peasants, cooperative businesses flourished, and workers gained the right to join unions and strike. Importantly, a multi-party democracy took root. All this was brought to an end, by the Soviet invasion and takeover in 1921. Very, very sad.

The book, though, could stand to be more in depth: I wanted to know MORE about the land reform, MORE about cooperatives, MORE about the culture and society of the GDR.

Still, as a primer on a fascinating but little known state and government, Lee's book does the job. You may just want to do more research afterwards. ( )