Rose Revolution facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Rose Revolution |
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| Part of the Colour revolutions | |||
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Demonstrators spending the night in front of the Georgian Parliament in Tbilisi
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| Date | 3–23 November 2003 | ||
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| Caused by | Economic mismanagement Electoral fraud Political corruption Poverty State failure |
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| Goals | New elections Resignation of Eduard Shevardnadze Anti-corruption reforms Reintegration of Abkhazia and South Ossetia European integration |
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| Methods | Widespread demonstrations | ||
| Resulted in | Resignation of Eduard Shevardnadze Snap parliamentary and presidential elections called United National Movement takes power Mikheil Saakashvili sworn in as president |
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| Parties to the civil conflict | |||
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The Rose Revolution was a peaceful change of power in Georgia in November 2003. It happened because many people protested against unfair elections. These protests led to the resignation of President Eduard Shevardnadze. This event marked the end of the old Soviet-era leadership in Georgia.
The revolution got its name from a key moment. Protesters, led by Mikheil Saakashvili, entered the Parliament building holding red roses. The revolution lasted about twenty days, from November 3 to November 23, 2003. It led to new presidential and parliamentary elections in Georgia. These elections brought a new group, the National Movement–Democrats, into power. The Rose Revolution is seen as an early example of a "colour revolution". These are often peaceful movements that lead to political change.
Contents
Why the Revolution Happened
Several things led to the Rose Revolution. People were unhappy with the government. There were also new groups helping people to protest.
Government Problems and Changes
For a long time, the ruling party in Georgia was the Citizens' Union of Georgia (CUG). This party supported President Eduard Shevardnadze. But the government was not working well, and people liked it less and less. Many members of the ruling party started to leave it around 2000.
One important person who left was Mikheil Saakashvili. He was the Minister of Justice. After leaving, he started a new opposition party called the National Movement. The ruling party became much weaker. Its leaders were known for getting rich illegally while in government. This showed how weak Shevardnadze's government had become.
In 2002, there were local elections. The ruling party did very badly, winning only a few seats. This showed that people were very unhappy. President Shevardnadze tried to rebuild his party, but his popularity was very low.
The Rise of Helpful Groups
Many non-governmental organizations (NGOs) played a big part in the Rose Revolution. By 2000, there were about four thousand NGOs in Georgia. It was easy to start an NGO, and they could work freely. Even though not many ordinary people joined them, these groups helped to get people involved in government.
Two important NGOs were the Georgian Young Lawyers Association and the Liberty Institute. They worked to protect human rights and freedom of information. These NGOs often received money from other countries. This allowed them to pay good salaries, which were hard to find in Georgia's weak economy.
By 2002, leaders of these NGOs worried that Shevardnadze would not give up power easily. They hoped to use peaceful protests to make him resign. Before the revolution, a large network of NGOs with foreign support was ready to organize protests.
Support from Other Countries
Support for Shevardnadze's government from other countries decreased between 2000 and 2003. Important figures from the United States, like Ambassador Richard Miles, openly called for a more democratic change. Former U.S. Secretary of State James Baker also visited. He told Shevardnadze that elections needed to be fair.
Foreign countries and groups started giving money to NGOs and opposition parties in Georgia instead. This made the government's money problems even worse. The United States and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) even stopped some of their aid. This made Shevardnadze's government look weaker to the public.
Many foreign governments and individuals gave money to NGOs. They also funded groups that watched the elections. For example, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) spent money to help computerize Georgia's voter lists. The Open Society Institute, funded by George Soros, supported Mikheil Saakashvili. It also helped other groups that wanted democracy.
The Role of Television
The independent television channel Rustavi-2 was very important in the Rose Revolution. It was very critical of the government and openly supported the opposition. Georgia had a law that protected media freedom. This allowed Rustavi-2 to criticize the government.
However, the government tried many times to shut down Rustavi-2. The station kept broadcasting from Tbilisi. It survived the government's attempts to stop it. Rustavi-2 received money and training from USAID and the Eurasia Foundation. These groups often helped get public and international support to protect the station. Rustavi-2's broadcasts were key in building the opposition and encouraging protests.
In 2001, two events caused public anger. First, a popular Rustavi-2 anchor, Giorgi Sanaia, was murdered. Many believed he was killed because of his work on corruption. Second, government agents raided Rustavi-2's offices. This raid was shown live on TV. Thousands of student protesters gathered outside the building. They demanded the government resign. Shevardnadze responded by firing some of his top officials. This event also led Mikheil Saakashvili and Zurab Zhvania to leave the ruling party. They later formed opposition parties.
Rustavi-2 continued to show anti-Shevardnadze material. This included a film called "Bringing Down a Dictator." It showed how a peaceful revolution in Serbia removed Slobodan Milošević. Other TV networks also started reporting more fairly. Rustavi-2 later broadcast the results of an exit poll for the 2003 election. This poll showed Saakashvili's party had won.
Economic Challenges
Georgia's economic problems also made Shevardnadze's government weak. From 1998 onwards, the government collected much less money than it expected. It started using tricks to hide its money problems. The IMF stopped its funding to Georgia in 2002. Without international loans, Georgia could not pay its large debts.
The Georgian economy grew slowly before 2003. By the end of 2003, the government owed $120 million in unpaid salaries and pensions. Public services and infrastructure, like roads and power, were also in bad shape. Businesses lost many working days because of power failures. More than half of the population lived in poverty. This made people even more unhappy with the government.
Corruption was also a big problem. Government officials and police often took bribes. Their official salaries were very low. This forced many to find other ways to make money, often through illegal activities. People saw President Shevardnadze as unwilling to stop this corruption. Opposition leaders like Saakashvili gained support by promising to fight corruption.
Elections and Protests
Georgia held parliamentary elections on November 2, 2003. People voted for 235 seats in parliament. There was also a vote on whether to reduce the number of parliament members. This was not a presidential election; that was planned for 2005.
In July 2003, U.S. President George W. Bush sent former Secretary of State James Baker to Georgia. Baker met with both opposition leaders and President Shevardnadze. He told Shevardnadze that the elections must be fair.
On November 3, international observers said the elections were not fair. Mikheil Saakashvili claimed he had won the elections. Independent exit polls supported his claim. A local election monitoring group also confirmed this. Saakashvili and the opposition urged Georgians to protest peacefully against the government. The main opposition parties joined together. They demanded Shevardnadze resign and that new elections be held.
In mid-November, huge protests began in Tbilisi. Soon, protests spread to almost all major cities in Georgia. The youth group "Kmara" ("Enough!") was very active. This group was similar to a Serbian youth group that helped with protests there. Several NGOs, like the Liberty Institute, also helped organize the protests.
Shevardnadze's government had the support of Aslan Abashidze. He was the leader of the Adjara region. Abashidze sent thousands of his supporters to Tbilisi to hold a counter-protest.
Change of Power
The protests reached their peak on November 22. President Shevardnadze tried to open the new session of parliament. But two of the four main opposition parties said this session was not legal. Supporters of these parties, led by Saakashvili, burst into the parliament. They carried roses, which gave the revolution its name. They interrupted Shevardnadze's speech, forcing him to leave with his bodyguards.
Shevardnadze then declared a state of emergency. He started to gather troops and police near his home in Tbilisi. But the special military units refused to support the government. On the evening of November 23, Shevardnadze met with opposition leaders Saakashvili and Zurab Zhvania. This meeting was arranged by Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov. After the meeting, the president announced he would resign.
This news caused great joy in Tbilisi. More than 50,000 protesters celebrated all night. There were fireworks and rock concerts.
After Shevardnadze resigned, new elections were planned. The speaker of parliament, Nino Burjanadze, became acting president. The Supreme Court of Georgia canceled the results of the parliamentary elections. New presidential elections were held six weeks later, on January 4, 2004. Mikheil Saakashvili won with 96.2 percent of the vote. He became the new president of Georgia on January 25. At 36, he was the youngest European president. New parliamentary elections were held on March 28, 2004. Saakashvili's party, the National Movement - Democrats, won a large majority.
After becoming president, Saakashvili quickly passed new laws and reforms. He was seen as very "pro-Western." His plans helped improve Georgia's economy and started a new fight against corruption. The country's ranking by the World Bank improved greatly. The banking sector grew, and foreign investment increased.
International Involvement
Many countries watched Georgia's change from a less democratic system to a democracy. Russia and the United States were the main countries involved. Russia was thought to have been involved in earlier attempts to remove Shevardnadze. Georgia had been part of the Soviet Union. After gaining independence, it faced problems with groups that wanted to separate, often supported by Russia.
The United States saw the revolution as a chance to help establish democracy in Georgia and the region. USAID reportedly spent $1.5 million to modernize Georgia's voting system. They also funded 3,000 election observers.
A major source of international involvement came from George Soros and his Open Society Foundation in the United States. This non-governmental organization works to promote democracy and human rights. It helped create Kmara, a student movement in Georgia. Kmara learned non-violent protest methods from a similar Serbian group.
The Foundation for Defense of Democracies reported that George Soros spent a lot of money to help remove Shevardnadze. Some people who worked for Soros's organizations later held important positions in the Georgian government. For example, Alexander Lomaia and David Darchiashvili, who led the Open Society Georgia Foundation, later became government officials.
Former Georgian Foreign Minister Salomé Zourabichvili wrote that these groups, especially the Soros Foundation, clearly helped the revolution. She also noted that after the revolution, these NGOs became part of the new government.
All this international involvement led to some theories. The most common one suggested that the United States was responsible for Shevardnadze's overthrow. Many U.S. NGOs were in Georgia, teaching people about human rights and democracy. Also, the U.S. Ambassador to Georgia at the time, Richard Miles, had also been the U.S. Ambassador to Serbia earlier.
Adjara Region Changes
In May 2004, a "Second Rose Revolution" happened in Batumi, the capital of Adjara. For months, there was a lot of tension between Saakashvili's government and Aslan Abashidze. Abashidze was the leader of Adjara and acted like a dictator. Thousands of people in Adjara, supported by the United National Movement and Kmara, protested against Abashidze. They were against his efforts to separate the region and build up its military.
Abashidze used security forces to break up the protests. But he failed to stop them, and they grew larger. On May 6, 2004, protesters from all over Adjara gathered in Batumi. Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania and Interior Minister Giorgi Baramidze talked with Adjaran officials. They got Abashidze's forces to leave the border area. Georgian special forces then entered the region. Abashidze realized he had to give in. He resigned that evening and left for Moscow. President Saakashvili visited Batumi the next day. He was met by celebrating people from Adjara.
Global Impact
The Rose Revolution inspired other similar movements. The Orange Revolution in Ukraine, which happened in November 2004, was partly inspired by Georgia's peaceful change.
See also
