There have been ten whole years now since the independence was declared by Parliament after the idea of sovereignty had claimed a triumphal victory in a referendum held throughout the defiant former Soviet Republic of Georgia. A popular national hero and a charismatic revolutionary leader, then already Chairman of Parliament, Zviad Gamsakhurdia, was the first among signatories to the sacred Act of Restoration of The Independence Of Georgia. Soon after that memorable day he would became the first Georgian president ever elected to that post in a nationwide held democratic and free election. Remarkably, the independence declared on April 9, 1991 commemorated a two-year anniversary of the Tbilisi 1989 massacre when the Soviet troops attacked and crushed peaceful populous demonstrations _ restively demanding an immediate secession of Georgia from the Soviet Union (now Russia)_ killing 24 people and injuring thousands using military equipment and a detrimental chemical gas which would never be completely identified during the successive investigation.

           Making the 9^th of April Independence Day displayed profound respect to every single patriot slain in the long battle of the Georgian people against both the Tsarist and Communist Russia that had occupied and annexed our country in 1801 and 1921 respectively: A guru of nonviolent Georgia National Movement, Merab Kostava, a second-half-of-the-20^th-century fellowman, crowned by the grateful people as a martyr and temerarious national hero for his fabulous commitment and sacrifice to his country, should be singled out.   

                 And on that very historic day of April 9, 1991 the new Georgian nation came into existence and thus, the coveted dream embedded in the heart and psyche of every wistful Georgian patriot of all generations was fulfilled. Still, there lay almost a year ahead, replete with hectic and dramatic events, until the de jure worldwide recognition of Georgia’s independence would take place…

              The Gamsakhurdia Government, while very popular among the middle and low social strata, had been disdained and even abominated by the counter-revolutionary communist high echelon who had been revoked of their unlawful privileges by the newly established democratic system. Traditionally, in former Soviet Georgia this so called 'elite' was made up by the fallaciously non-homogeneous groups: Communist Party leadership, Communist-subordinate obsequious "intelligentsia" and financial oligarchy that included Communist-designated manufacture and bank managers and enterprise directors. These were the notorious people who having been encouraged by the material, financial and military support from the Soviet Union (Russia) resorted to conspiracy: It did not take then long to ultimately attack the democratically elected government on the very day of the demise of the Soviet empire, December 22^nd, 1991. In order to avoid further bloodshed and exacerbation of the catastrophic enough political situation, in spite of the

overwhelming popular support, after a two-week resistance in the capital city of Tbilisi, President Gamsakhurdia and the other members of the Georgian Government left the country into exile. Soon afterwards, so did the Georgian Parliament.

                  A gory regime of thieves, killers and assassins, incorporated into infamous criminal gangs, was established. Terror swept the country. Georgia was forced into the civil war. A plethora of manifestations of civil disobedience, requesting restoration of democracy, was shot and mauled. Jails became filled with political prisoners. Many members of pro-democracy movement were assassinated or merely killed without trial in the dungeons of the Junta. A rather passive observer of these dramatic events, the international community and especially civil liberty organizations compelled the unlawful regime to hold elections. Far from being democratic and free, these elections were merely orchestrated, false and artificial, not to lesser extent because of the fact that the legal Georgian government, elected less than a year ago, did exist, though in exile. Only pro-Junta political parties participated in the election.  The turnout amounted to less than 20 per cent of the country's population. The overwhelming majority of Georgians felt disenfranchised and taunted.

                      The new leader, virtually the only one who cast some civility_ at least in the eyes of Western countries_ on the otherwise downright criminal regime, former Soviet Foreign Minister Shevardnadze_ nicknamed White Fox in his derelict homeland for masterminding sly political manipulations_ in order to ingratiate himself with Europe and the USA, attempted at cracking down on gangs and curbing overly criminal personas, having put forward his own clan, instead.                    President Gamsakhurdia tried to restore democracy and rule of law. One of the efforts almost succeeded when through a peaceful march western Georgia came under control of the elected democratic government. But the almost auspicious prognosis ultimately succumbed when Shevardnadze resorted to Russia’s military help to save his own illicit regime. Defeated president Gamsakhurdia was assassinated on January 1,1994. This event had an immense impact on the Georgian politics. Elimination of the President from the political arena precipitated rueful bifurcation of the political opposition to the Shevardnadze regime. Either branch aimed at restoring the overthrown legitimate authorities but without any success.

                       Meanwhile, partly under the influence of European and American political structures and partly perhaps because of the fact that Shevardnadze did not want to jeopardize his own reputation as a "renowned pro-democracy politician", some crucial democratic reforms have been performed, some conspicuously corrupt officials were either removed from office or arrested and tried as well. These measures brought about a certain amelioration of the situation in the country.

                    In 1995 Georgia adopted the new constitution _ by far the most important and successful event in post-Gamsakhurdia period. Democratic institutions inside and outside of the country have played a significant role in reintroducing free mass media and freedom of speech_ scions of the Gamsakhurdia epoch. Nevertheless, corruption, economic crisis, poverty, government cronyism and nepotism, general uncertainty and Russia’s ever-increasing voracious interests have still been major problems and the poorly developed civil society is too fragile to vigorously resist undemocratic tendencies, let alone possible new cascades of coups. Free media, particularly press and partly some radio and TV channels are virtual sentinels of democracy and human rights_ an auspicious omen, advocated by the reformist moiety of the current government, democratic opposition and the public at large.

                      April 9, 1991 was pretty much of memorabilia. There was a lovely breeze hovering over the country, breeze of hope and enthusiastic creativity. There was a polyphonic Georgian song meandering on the streets of the capital Tbilisi. There was celebration of Independence and there seemed even more zest and predisposition for further success. Georgia for its straightforwardness, determination and freedom-loving spirit used to be a role model for all the subdued peoples of the former Soviet Union (Russia). And above all other things, having restored its independence, Georgia revealed an unfettered desire to be an equal and free member of the World's sovereign nations. As sketchily demonstrated in this narrative, this route towards gaining and preserving independence has been rather laborious. For more than two centuries Russia has been methodically trying to subordinate Georgia. The northern neighbor has been exerting all means of political and economical pressure and has been resorting to all kinds of subterfuge, provocations, ethnic unrest, military coups, overt interventions, occupations, ideological and informational wars against our homeland. Resistance to the gigantic northerner has not always been successful. There have been myriads of failures but the unbreakable freedom-loving spirit of ordinary Georgian men and women has never been exhausted and adumbrated.