Tbilisi, Georgia

City Life

Soviet Era

The Georgian SSR experienced a fair amount of autonomy while part of the Soviet Union. Because of this the mood of the Tbilisi was fairly more laid back in comparison to other Soviet cities of similar size.

While part of the Soviet Union, Tbilisi underwent heavy modernization. Schools, infrastructure, running water, and new housing were all built. The city as a whole was brought up to the standards of a Soviet city. But the residents of Tbilisi experienced a fairly higher standard of living than city dwellers in other SSRs. The warm climate allowed for a constant flow of fresh food, unlike in parts of Russia where bread, buckwheat, sausage, potatoes, cabbage, and canned goods where the only food items available. Many residents grew their own food in addition to what they were given by the government. People kept chickens and pigs while keeping small gardens and grape vines. Tbilisi residents also had more living space allocated to them than people had in other SSRs, thus homes were slightly larger.

As a whole, life was fairly good for Georgians during the Soviet period, except that they were under the control of Moscow and in the past few centuries had only been an independent state for a mere three years. Therefore the collapse of the Soviet Union and independence was welcome in Georgia and Tbilisi.

The Last Fifteen years

In the dying days of the Soviet Union, the streets of Tbilisi erupted into violence as Soviet troops tried to quell demonstrations demanding independence. When independence was achieved, a wave of uncertainty swept over the city as things fell apart. City services came to an abrupt halt, organized crime began to control daily life, crime was rampant, and other parts of the country sought autonomy and the country fell into a state of war. This caused a massive influx of refugees to pour into Tbilisi, staying where ever they could, and many have stayed there for over a decade.

During the nineties the situation went in waves. At certain points thing seemed to be getting better, but then a wave of kidnappings would take place and chaos was again on the horizon. However, towards the end of the nineties things began to slowly get better. People become more confident as the city became safer and the economic situation slowly improved. As result, new businesses started to open, and foreign investment rose. The government took under projects of city renovation and improvement. Gas, water, and electricity became more regular, and public transport started to follow regular schedules.

This slow improvement was only temporarily stopped during the 2003 Rose Revolution where demonstrators again took the streets, though this time calling for the resignation of President Eduard Shevarnadze. In his defeat, Mikhail Saakashvili took over and began massive reforms across the country, and especially in Tbilisi. In the last year and a half since the the revolution life is improved considerably in Tbilisi. People are more trustful in their government, and confident in their future. People still speak of hard times since unemployment remains high and poverty is wide spread, however more optimism is in the air as people look towards the future.

The 2003 Rose Revolution changed how Tbilisi and Georgia looked at the future.