Suppression of Tbilisi Demonstrations

Date: March 9, 1956 • Location: Tbilisi, Georgia

In Tbilisi, Georgia, soldiers suppressed mass demonstrations against Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev's policy of de-Stalinization.

Tbilisi is the capital and largest city of Georgia, located on the banks of the Kura River. With more than 1.3 million inhabitants, it contains almost one third of the country's population. Tbilisi was founded in the 5th century CE by Vakhtang I of Iberia and has since served as the capital of various Georgian kingdoms and republics. Between 1801 and 1917, then part of the Russian Empire, it was the seat of the Caucasus Viceroyalty, governing both the northern and southern sides of the Caucasus.