Georgia-Italy (1920s): Media Representation of Creating History by Global Politics

Abstract This research explores how the multifaceted relationship between the Democratic Republic of Georgia (DRG) and the Kingdom of Italy during 1919–1921 was represented, constructed, and disseminated through contemporary media outlets in both nations and internationally. Drawing upon archival materials from the Archivio Storico Diplomatico del Ministero degli Affari Esteri, press coverage analysis, and contemporary scholarship by Janelidze (2024), Datuadze (2025), and international media historians, this study analyzes how Italian and Georgian newspapers, journals, and official publications shaped public understanding of bilateral relations across military, economic, and diplomatic spheres. The article examines media narratives surrounding Italy's role in Georgia's international legitimation, press coverage of the diplomatic mission of Giorgi Machabeli, and journalistic representations of the strategic partnership that existed prior to the Soviet occupation. By analyzing how media in both countries framed the post-WWI European order and Georgia's place within it, this work highlights how press coverage of Italian interests, driven by needs for raw materials and geopolitical influence, briefly made Georgia a focal point of Italian journalistic attention. The transportation networks between Italian ports, particularly Taranto, and Georgian Black Sea ports, especially Batumi, received extensive coverage in maritime trade publications and regional newspapers, facilitating not only physical trade but also informational and cultural exchanges through journalistic networks (Tsotniashvili, 2025; Ferenczi, 1933).