In this rubric about Women's Month, we will introduce you to the women from the exhibition which was created within the framework of the USAID Unity Through Diversity Program and was dedicated to the important role of ethnic and religious minorities in the economic, social, and political processes of Georgia.

Eleonora Ter-Parsegova-Makhviladze was an Armenian politician and a teacher. She was born in Tbilisi and studied at the women’s gymnasium. In 1902 she joined the social-democratic party. After marrying a famous doctor, Vladimer Makhviladze, they moved to Sokhumi, where she taught at a private school. In 1905 she became one of the leaders of the revolutionary movement in Sokhumi. With her leadership, practically all of the city went on strike, which led to a partial democratization of the city’s government. After the revolution failed, Eleonora was arrested but released soon due to her pregnancy. Between 1908 and 1917, she was arrested three times because she participated in the revolutionary movement. In 1919 she was elected as a member of the Tbilisi City Council from the social-democratic party list. After the Soviet occupation, Eleonora stayed in Georgia and joined the anti-Soviet resistance. In 1921 she became one of the leaders of the political red cross. In 1922 she was arrested by the Soviet secret police. After the uprising of 1924, she actively worked on re-establishing the illegal social-democratic party organization, which she later chaired. In 1926 she was once again arrested by the Soviet regime and relocated. In the 1930s, she returned to Georgia and started working as a private teacher. Eleonora died during 1930s in Tbilisi.

Source: Sovlab – Members of the Constituent Assembly of Georgia

Photo: National Archive of Georgia, edited by Guram Muradov, Multimedia Manager of the United Nations Association of Georgia.

USAID Unity Through Diversity Program is implemented by UNA-Georgia with financial support of the United States Agency for International development (USAID).