The Democratic Republic of Georgia (DRG; Georgian:საქართველოს დემოკრატიული რესპუბლიკა Sakartvelos Demokratiuli Respublika) was the first modern establishment of a republic on the territory of Georgia, which existed from May 1918 to February 1921. Recognized by all major European powers of the time, DRG was created in the wake of the Russian Revolution of 1917, which led to the collapse of the Russian Empire and allowed territories formerly under Saint Petersburg's rule to assert independence. In contrast to Bolshevik Russia, DRG was governed by a moderate, multi-party political system led by the Georgian Social Democratic Party (Menshevik).