Blue sea, black gold, red banner the South Caucasus and Scandinavia, 1880s-1920s Tom Trier

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Trier, Tom, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Caucasus, South--Foreign relations--Scandinavia--History--19th century.

Caucasus, South.

Scandinavia--Foreign relations--Caucasus, South--History--20th century.

Scandinavia.

Caucasus, South--Foreign relations--Scandinavia--History--20th century.

Scandinavia--Foreign relations--Caucasus, South--History--19th century.

Georgia (Republic)--History--Revolution, 1917-1921.

Georgia (Republic).

South Caucasus.

Genre:

History

Physical Description:

1 online resource

Place of Publication:

Ithaca Northern Illinois University Press, an imprint of Cornell University Press 2026

Summary:

"Blue Sea, Black Gold, Red Banner tells the story of the historical connections between two geographically distant and culturally distinct regions on the edges of Europe: Scandinavia and the South Caucasus. From the late nineteenth century, maritime trade fostered new commercial links and consular relations. Scandinavian merchants, particularly in Batumi and Baku, played key roles. The discovery of oil along the Caspian Sea shores attracted Scandinavian entrepreneurs, notably the Swedish Nobel family, helping to develop Baku into a booming industrial hub. Tom Trier focuses on the years of upheaval surrounding World War I and the collapse of the Russian Empire, when Georgia—along with Armenia and Azerbaijan—briefly emerged as an independent republic. The four-decade relationship ended abruptly during the Bolshevik Red Army's invasion of the South Caucasus from 1920 to 1921. Drawing on both Scandinavian and Georgian perspectives, Blue Sea, Black Gold, Red Banner examines how Nordic merchants, consuls, and diplomats navigated the shifting political landscape and how Georgia's social democratic leadership looked to neutral Scandinavia as a gateway to broader European political, diplomatic, and economic engagement"-- De Gruyter Brill

Contents:

Trade, energy, and connectivity in Transcaucasia before World War I

The contested port city of Batumi and Scandinavian trade, 1918-21

Independent Georgia’s diplomatic advances in neutral Scandinavia

The question of Georgia’s recognition in Scandinavia

Scandinavian trade with Soviet Russia and the bordering states from 1918

Georgian and Scandinavian social democrats

Nordic consular activity in Transcaucasia

After the Bolshevik invasion : Scandinavian trade and diplomacy in Georgia

Conclusion : the return of history?

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index

Online resource; title from PDF title page (De Gruyter Brill, viewed August 10, 2026)

Other Format:

Print version Trier, Tom Blue sea, black gold, red banner

ISBN:

9781501787942

1501787942

9781501787935

1501787934

OCLC:

1596135577

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license