''Droeba'' (, "the Times") was an influential Georgian political and cultural newspaper published in

Tiflis Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი, ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), ( ka, ტფილისი, tr ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia ( ...

from 1866 to 1885. ''Droeba'' first came out in Tiflis, the capital of the Russian Caucasus Viceroyalty, on March 4, 1866, to be published thrice weekly and then daily from 1877.

Rayfield, Donald Patrick Donald Rayfield OBE (born 12 February 1942, Oxford) is an English academic and Emeritus Professor of Russian and Georgian at Queen Mary University of London. He is an author of books about Russian and Georgian literature, and about Jose ...

(2000), '' The Literature of Georgia: A History'', p. 150.

Routledge Routledge ( ) is a British multinational corporation, multinational publisher. It was founded in 1836 by George Routledge, and specialises in providing academic books, academic journals, journals and online resources in the fields of the humanit ...

, . The paper was published by S. Melikishvili from 1866 to 1882 and then by Giorgi Kartvelishvili from 1882 to 1885. At various times, it was edited by leading Georgian intellectuals, including

Ilia Chavchavadze Tavadi, Tavadi (Prince) Ilia Chavchavadze ( ka, ილია ჭავჭავაძე; 27 October 1837 – 12 September 1907) was a Georgians, Georgian journalist, publisher, writer and poet who spearheaded the revival of Georgian nationalism ...

and

Ivane Machabeli Prince Ivane Machabeli ( ka, ივანე მაჩაბელი) (January 28, 1854 – c. 1898) was a Georgian writer, translator, publicist, public figure, active member of the National-Liberation Movement, and a founder of the new Georgia ...

. The newspaper, in which most major Georgian writers, journalists and social activists of that time were published, was an energetic promoter of the Georgian national idea. The younger radical Georgian literati used the pages of ''droeba'' to introduce their readers to the ideas of progressive liberal thinkers like

John Stuart Mill John Stuart Mill (20 May 1806 – 7 May 1873) was an English philosopher, political economist, politician and civil servant. One of the most influential thinkers in the history of liberalism and social liberalism, he contributed widely to s ...

and "

utopian socialists Utopian socialism is the term often used to describe the first current of modern socialism and socialist thought as exemplified by the work of Henri de Saint-Simon, Charles Fourier, Étienne Cabet, and Robert Owen. Utopian socialism is oft ...

" like

Robert Owen Robert Owen (; 14 May 1771 – 17 November 1858) was a Welsh textile manufacturer, philanthropist, political philosopher and social reformer, and a founder of utopian socialism and the cooperative movement, co-operative movement. He strove to ...

Saint-Simon Saint-Simon or Saint Simon can refer to: Places Canada *Saint-Simon, New Brunswick, a settlement in Gloucester County, New Brunswick * Saint-Simon, Quebec, a municipality in southwestern Quebec on the Yamaska River in Les Maskoutains Regional Cou ...

Charles Fourier François Marie Charles Fourier (; ; 7 April 1772 – 10 October 1837) was a French philosopher, an influential early socialist thinker, and one of the founders of utopian socialism. Some of his views, held to be radical in his lifetime, have be ...

Pierre Proudhon Pierre-Joseph Proudhon (, ; ; 1809 – 19 January 1865) was a French anarchist, socialist, philosopher, and economist who founded mutualist philosophy and is considered by many to be the "father of anarchism". He was the first person to ca ...

, and

Louis Blanc Louis Jean Joseph Charles Blanc ( ; ; 29 October 1811 – 6 December 1882) was a French Socialism, socialist politician, journalist and historian. He called for the creation of cooperatives in order to job guarantee, guarantee employment for t ...

. Suny, Ronald Grigor (1994), ''The Making of the Georgian Nation'', p. 131.

Indiana University Press Indiana University Press, also known as IU Press, is an academic publisher founded in 1950 at Indiana University that specializes in the humanities and social sciences. Its headquarters are located in Bloomington, Indiana. IU Press publishes ...

, Thus, it became more closely associated with the new generation of the Georgian national movement, known as ''meore dasi'' ("the second group") and led by

Niko Nikoladze Niko Nikoladze ( ka, ნიკო ნიკოლაძე, 27 September 1843 – 5 June 1928) was a Georgian writer and public figure primarily known for his contributions to the development of Georgian liberal journalism and his involvement in v ...

, which sought widely for a program of various forms of

capitalism Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their use for the purpose of obtaining profit. This socioeconomic system has developed historically through several stages and is defined by ...

and

Westernization Westernization (or Westernisation, see spelling differences), also Europeanisation or occidentalization (from the ''Occident''), is a process whereby societies come under or adopt what is considered to be Western culture, in areas such as industr ...

. The division of the Georgian intellectuals over the issues related to financial and economical projects was also reflected on the pages of ''droeba''. This was one reason for Ilia Chavchavadze to leave the editorial board of ''droeba'' and found his own newspaper ''iveria''. The newspaper was closed on the order of the Russian viceroy

Alexander Dondukov-Korsakov The House of Dondukov is a Russian princely family descending from Donduk-Ombo, the sixth khan of the Kalmucks (reigned 1737–41). In 1732 he led 11,000 Kalmuck households from the Volga banks to the border of the Ottoman Empire at the Kuban River ...

on September 16, 1885.Jersild, Austin (2002), ''Orientalism and Empire: North Caucasus Mountain Peoples and the Georgian Frontier, 1845-1917'', p. 129. McGill-Queen's University Press,

References

Defunct Georgian-language newspapers Mass media in Tbilisi Defunct newspapers published in Georgia (country) Newspapers published in the Russian Empire History of Tbilisi 1860s in Georgia (country) 1870s in Georgia (country) 1880s in Georgia (country) Newspapers established in 1866 Publications disestablished in 1885 1866 establishments in the Russian Empire 1880s disestablishments in the Russian Empire Defunct newspapers published in Russia {{Georgia-newspaper-stub