Georgian translations in the Soviet Union. Georgia within the USSR

The Georgian SSR was in a special position within the Soviet Union. This was caused by objective factors. Firstly, Joseph Stalin was born in Georgia. In addition, other Georgians, such as Grigory Ordzhonikidze and Lavrenty Beria, were part of the supreme power in the USSR. Political activity in the Georgian SSR has always been very high, and the cult of Stalin, for obvious reasons, was especially strong.

Special position

A favorable economic regime was created in the Georgian SSR. The Republic annually received substantial subsidies from the Union budget. The per capita consumption level in Georgia was 4 times higher than the same production indicator. In the RSFSR, the consumption rate was only 75% of the production level.

After Nikita Khrushchev's famous report on February 14, 1956, exposing the cult of personality, mass uprisings began in Tbilisi. Already on March 4, people began to gather at the monument to Stalin in the Georgian capital, the communist Parastishvili climbed onto the pedestal of the monument, drank wine from a bottle and, breaking it, said: “Let Stalin’s enemies die just like this bottle!”

Peaceful rallies took place for five days. On the night of March 10, wanting to send a telegram to Moscow, a crowd of thousands headed to the telegraph. Fire was opened on her. According to the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs, during the suppression of the unrest, 15 people were killed and 54 were wounded, 7 died in hospitals, 200 people were arrested.

Throughout the Union, the dismantling of monuments to Stalin began, only in Gori, in the homeland of the “leader of the peoples,” with the special permission of Khrushchev, the monument was left. For a long time it remained the most famous monument to Stalin, but it was also dismantled in our time, on the night of June 25, 2010. By order of Mikheil Saakashvili.

Guilt

Georgia cannot help but be associated with wines, and Georgians in the cultural field of the Soviet Union invariably acted as a toastmaster and a connoisseur of long, beautiful toasts. The Georgian SSR was one of the main and oldest wine-producing regions of the Soviet Union, and Georgian wines became an internationally recognized brand. It is known that at the Yalta Conference, Stalin treated Winston Churchill to Georgian Khvanchkara wine, after which the British minister became a devoted connoisseur of this brand.

Stalin himself loved the wines “Kindzmarauli”, “Khvanchkara” and “Majari”.

High-quality table and fortified wines were produced in Georgia. The production of grape wines was carried out by Samtrest enterprises, which included exemplary state farms: Tsinandali, Napareuli, Mukuzani, Kvareli in Kakheti and Vartsikhe in the western part of Georgia. The champagne wine factory produced Soviet champagne and grape wines. By the 1960s, 26 brands of wine were produced in Georgia: 12 dry table wines, 7 semi-sweet wines, 5 strong brands, 2 sweet dessert wines.

Tourism

Due to optimal climatic conditions, the Georgian SSR was a real tourist Mecca of the Soviet Union. For Soviet citizens, Georgian resorts replaced Turkey, Egypt, and other hot foreign countries. In the resort of Abkhazia, which was part of the Georgian SSR, there were the most fashionable resorts of the USSR, Pitsunda and Gagra.

During the Soviet era, Georgia was the best training base for Soviet alpine skiers. Also, Georgia in general and Svaneti in particular became the main mountaineering bases of the Soviet Union.

Mountain climbs and climbs to the peaks of the Caucasus Mountains were periodically held here. A great contribution to the development of Soviet mountaineering and rock climbing was made by Mikhail Vissarionovich Khergiani, 7-time champion of the USSR and Honored Master of Sports of the Soviet Union.

Georgian tea

In addition to wine, the Georgian SSR was famous for its tea. Its quality, according to William Pokhlebkin, was competitive (at the global level), although with reservations.
Despite the fact that attempts to establish and organize tea production have been made in Georgia since the middle of the 19th century, its quality left much to be desired, and the volume of plantations did not even reach 900 hectares.

In the early 1920s, young plantations were planted in Georgia, and active and fruitful breeding work began. In 1948, Ksenia Bakhtadze managed to develop artificial hybrid varieties of tea: “Gruzinsky No. 1” and “Gruzinsky No. 2”. For them she was awarded the Stalin Prize. The later variety “Georgian selection No. 8” was able to withstand frosts down to -25. This variety became a real sensation.

During Soviet times, Georgian tea became a brand known outside the Union. At the end of the 70s, it was already exported to Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Poland, East Germany, Hungary, Romania, Finland, Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Iran, Syria, South Yemen and Mongolia.

Flowers, tangerines and the shadow economy

Soviet people did not understand much about the specifics of the ethnic diversity of the Caucasian peoples, so the image of a Georgian, a resourceful and wealthy businessman, was rather collective. However, in some ways he was correct.

In terms of industrial production, the Georgian SSR did not give the Soviet Union much, but the Georgians provided Soviet citizens with everything they needed for holidays: citrus fruits, wine, tea, tobacco, mineral water.

The Georgian SSR, according to economist Kennan Eric Scott of the Washington Institute, supplied 95% of tea and 97% of tobacco to Soviet shelves. The lion's share of citrus fruits (95%) also went to the regions of the USSR from Georgia.

In his report at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, Eric Smith also noted that Georgians played a significant role in the formation of the shadow economy of the Soviet Union, shaping the market of the late USSR along the lines of “diaspora competition.”

Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic (Georgian ბლიკა) is one of the republics of the Soviet Union. It existed from December 30, 1922 to April 9, 1991.

The Georgian SSR was formed in 1921. From March 12, 1922 to December 5, 1936, it was part of the Transcaucasian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic.
The Georgian SSR was located in the northwestern part of Transcaucasia, now the territory of Georgia. The neighboring republics were: the RSFSR in the north, the Azerbaijan SSR in the east and southeast, and the Armenian SSR in the south. The republic also had a section bordering Turkey.
The Georgian SSR included:
Abkhazian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, Adjara Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, South Ossetian Autonomous Region
On November 15, 1990, it was renamed the “Georgian Republic,” which formally remained part of the USSR until its collapse in 1991.

In 1921, Georgia received the status of a Soviet republic. However, in December 1922 it was included in the Transcaucasian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (TSFSR), which existed within the USSR from December 30, 1922 to 1936. After the collapse of the TSFSR, Georgia again became one of the union republics.
Among the leadership of the USSR, Georgians played a huge role. Among the most famous Georgian political figures are I.V. Stalin, L.P. Beria, Sergo Ordzhonikidze and many others.
In the 1970s, a dissident movement emerged in Georgia led by Zviad Gamsakhurdia and Merab Kostava.
After the start of Perestroika and Gamsakhurdia coming to power, a course towards a unitary state without autonomies was proclaimed. On April 9, 1991, the Supreme Council adopted the Act on the Restoration of State Independence of Georgia and recognized the Act of Independence of 1918 and the Constitution of Georgia of 1921 as valid.

First Republic 1917-1921

February 1917 - bourgeois-democratic revolution in Russia. After the October Revolution of 1917, a coalition government of Transcaucasia (Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia) was created in Tbilisi - the Transcaucasian Commissariat, which united Georgian (Mensheviks), Armenian (Dashnaks) and Azerbaijani (Musavatists) bourgeois-nationalist parties. The new state entity faced the question of recognizing the results of the Brest-Litovsk Treaty, according to which Lenin’s Russia gave Turkey not only the territories conquered during the First World War, but also the districts of Kars, Ardahan and Batum. “Recognition of the Brest-Litovsk Treaty would mean that Transcaucasia as an independent republic would cease to exist and become a province of the Turkish Empire,” said I. G. Tsereteli, Chairman of the Transcaucasian Sejm. This position led to the breakdown of peace negotiations at the conference in Trabzon in March-April 1918. As a result of brief military operations, the Turks occupied Batumi, Ozurgeti, Akhaltsikhe and a number of other territories.
April 1918 - Transcaucasia was declared an “independent federal democratic republic,” but it quickly collapsed, and already on May 26, 1918, the Mensheviks, among whom were such outstanding figures as N. S. Chkheidze (since 1918 - Chairman of the Constituent Assembly of Georgia), I. G. Tsereteli, N.N. Zhordania (from July 24, 1918 - head of government) declared Georgia an “independent republic”.
May - June 1918 - according to the agreement between Germany (German representative - Werner von der Schulenburg) and the Menshevik government, German troops entered Georgia to defend against the Turks. On June 4, the Georgian government signs a peace treaty with Turkey, according to which a significant part of the country’s territory goes to Turkey (territories larger than under the terms of the Brest Peace Treaty).
December 1918 - after Germany's defeat in the war, German-Turkish troops are replaced by the British, who remain here until July 1920, guarding the Batum-Baku railway. Georgian general G. Mazniev (Mazniashvili) occupied the Sukhumi district, Gagrinsky district, Adler, Sochi, Tuapse and Khadyzhensk. At the Paris (Versailles) Peace Conference in the spring of 1919, Georgia motivated its claims to Sochi and Adler as follows: “From an ethnographic point of view, the annexation to Georgia of the territory between the Makopse River and the Mzymta River, which [territory], by the way, belonged to it [Georgia] in the past [during the time of Queen Tamara], cannot cause objections. After the forced eviction from here in the 19th century. local Caucasian tribes, this region no longer has a specific ethnographic character.” In June 1919, Zhordania entered into an agreement with A.I. Denikin on a joint struggle against the Bolsheviks.
May 1920 - the Menshevik government concludes a peace treaty with the RSFSR.
February 1921 - The 11th Army of the RSFSR entered Georgia. Soviet-Georgian war.
March 4, 1921 - Soviet power was established in Abkhazia, the Abkhaz SSR was formed.
March 5, 1921 - Soviet power is established in Tskhinvali (Khussar Iriston).
March 16, 1921 - The RSFSR and Turkey sign an agreement under which Adjara and Batumi are recognized as part of Georgia, and 12 thousand sq. km. the territories of Georgia (most of Southwestern Georgia) are transferred to Turkey.
March 18, 1921 - the Menshevik government of Georgia was forced to leave Georgia.
July 16, 1921 - the Adjarian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic is formed as part of Georgia.
December 16, 1921 - on the basis of the Union Treaty between the Georgian and Abkhaz SSR, the Abkhaz SSR becomes part of Georgia.
April 20, 1922 - The South Ossetian Autonomous Region was created as part of Georgia.
In 1922-1924, uprisings took place against Soviet power, demanding the restoration of state independence of Georgia.

Georgia as part of the USSR 1921-1991

March 12, 1922 - Georgia (together with Abkhazia), Armenia and Azerbaijan form a federal union. From March 12, 1922 to December 5, 1936, Georgia was part of the Transcaucasian Federation (TSFSR). Moreover, according to the constitution of the Abkhaz SSR, this republic is also part of the TSFSR (it is a subject), but through the Georgian SSR (since Abkhazia was in federal relations with Georgia).
December 30, 1922 - Georgia, as part of the Trans-SFSR, enters the USSR.

During the years of Soviet power, industrialization and collectivization of agriculture were carried out in Georgia. Entire new industries were created.

During the Great Patriotic War, several national Georgian divisions were formed on the territory of Georgia, participating in the battle for the Caucasus, in the battles for the liberation of the Taman Peninsula and Crimea. In total, about 700 thousand people from Georgia (a fifth of the republic’s population) took part in the war. 400 thousand of them died. In the summer of 1942, German troops reached the foothills of the Main Caucasus Range and tried to break into Abkhazia, but in the fall of 1942 they were driven back beyond the Main Caucasus Range.

In the period after the 20th Congress of the CPSU in Georgia, there was a rise, paradoxically, of both anti-Soviet and Stalinist sentiments. The peak point of this process was the mass riots in March 1956, which resulted in human casualties.

In the 1970s, Eduard Shevardnadze gained great fame and popularity as the first secretary of the local party organization, who led a widely publicized campaign against corruption and abuse. However, the overall results of the campaign were disappointing, and Jumber Patiashvili, who replaced Shevardnadze as first secretary, stated upon taking office that the situation in this regard remained extremely difficult.

In the last years of the existence of the Soviet Union, both Georgian and Abkhaz nationalists were active in Georgia. Since April 1989, daily rallies were held in Tbilisi demanding the restoration of Georgian independence. On the morning of April 9, troops attacked the meeting and dispersed it. Now April 9 is celebrated as a national holiday in Georgia - National Unity Day.

Independent Georgia (since 1991)

Already on October 28, 1990, the first multi-party parliamentary elections in the USSR were held in Georgia, in which national political organizations belonging to the Mrgvali Magida - Tavisupali Sakartvelo bloc (Round Table - Free Georgia; leader - former dissident Zviad Gamsakhurdia) won a convincing victory ). As a result of the elections, the Supreme Council of the Republic of Georgia was formed, headed by Z. Gamsakhurdia. The creation of the Republic of Georgia was proclaimed, all previous state attributes of the Georgian SSR (Anthem, State Flag and Coat of Arms) were changed.
On April 9, 1991, the Supreme Council of the Republic of Georgia adopted the “Act on the Restoration of State Independence of Georgia.” On May 26, 1991, presidential elections were held, in which Zviad Gamsakhurdia won.

Anthem (Stalinist version)

იდიდე მარად, ჩვენო სამშობლოვ, გმირთა კერა ხარ გაუქრობელი, ქვეყანას მიეც დიდი სტალინი ხალხთა მონობის დამამხობელი. შენი ოცნება ასრულდა, რისთვისაც სისხლი ღვარეო, აყვავდი, ტურფა ქვეყანავ ილხინე, ქართველთ მხარეო. დიდი ოქტომბრის შუქით ლენინმა შენ გაგინათა მთები ჭაღარა, სტალინის სიბრძნემ ძლევით შეგმოსა გადაგაქცია მზიურ ბაღნარად. მოძმე ერების ოჯახში დამკვიდრდი, გაიხარეო, აყვავდი, ტურფა ქვეყანავ ილხინე, ქართველთ მხარეო. აზრი, ხმალი და გამბედაობა, დღეს შენს დიდებას, ნათელ მომავალს სჭედს სტალინური წრთობის თაობა. საბჭოთა დროშა დაგნათის, მზესავით მოელვარეო, აყვავდი, ტურფა ქვეყანავ ილხინე, ქართველთ მხარეო.

Anthem (Post-Stalin version)

იდიდე მარად, ჩემო სამშობლოვ, გმირთა კერა ხარ განახლებული, დიად პარტიის ნათელი აზრით ლენინის სიბრძნით ამაღლებული. შენი ოცნება ასრულდა, რისთვისაც სისხლი ღვარეო, მშრომელი კაცის მარჯვენით აყვავებულო მხარეო. დიდი ოქტომბრის დროშის სხივებმა შენ გაგინათეს მთები ჭაღარა, თავისუფლებამ და შემართებამ გადაგაქციეს მზიურ ბაღნარად. მოძმე ერების ოჯახში ამაღლდი, გაიხარეო, მეგობრობით და გმირობით გამარჯვებულო მხარეო. უხსოვარ დროდან ბრწყინავდა შენი აზრი, ხმალი და გამბედაობა, დღეს საქართველოს ნათელ მომავალს სჭედს ლენინური წრთობის თაობა. კომუნიზმის მზე დაგნათის, კაშკაშა, მოელვარეო, იდიდე მრავალჟამიერ, ჩემო სამშობლო მხარეო!

Translation (Stalin's version)

Glory for centuries, my Fatherland, a renewed hearth of heroes, You gave the world the great Stalin, Destroyer of the slavery of peoples, Your dream came true, For which you shed your blood, Your beloved country flourishes, Prosper the Georgian region With the radiance of the Great October Lenin illuminated the gray mountains for you The power of Stalin's wisdom Turned you into a sunny one garden In the family of fraternal peoples Be strong and rejoice Flourish your beloved country Prosper the Georgian region Since time immemorial Your mind, your sword and your courage have shone.

Today your glory and bright future are forged by the generation of Stalin's tempering.

The Soviet flag shines like the sun, flourish, beloved country, prosper, Georgian land

Translation (Post-Stalin version)

Glory throughout the centuries, my Fatherland, the renewed hearth of heroes, you are exalted by the bright mind of the great party and the wisdom of Lenin.

Here we should make a small digression. Before the February Revolution of 1917, the lands of Georgia were part of the Russian Empire, and the Georgians, who were one of the Caucasian peoples most loyal to Russian rule, especially since the majority of them professed Orthodoxy, quite actively participated in the life of the empire. Moreover, it was people from Georgia who made up a significant part of the representatives of the revolutionary movement in Transcaucasia and in Russia as a whole. There were many Georgians among the Bolsheviks, Mensheviks, anarchists, and Socialist Revolutionaries. But if some Georgian politicians, primarily of a radical orientation, like their like-minded people from other regions of the empire, did not share nationalist sentiments, then representatives of moderate Social Democrats were to a greater extent carriers of separatist ideology. It was they who largely played the main role in the creation of the Georgian Democratic Republic. The Georgian Mensheviks and Socialist Revolutionaries met the October Revolution negatively - and in this they were in solidarity with other nationalist forces in Transcaucasia. Moreover, the Transcaucasian Commissariat, created on November 15, 1917 in Tiflis, which carried out the functions of the government of Transcaucasia, openly supported anti-Soviet forces in the region.

At the same time, the position of the Transcaucasian Commissariat was rather precarious. Especially in the context of the ongoing First World War. The threat to Transcaucasia from Turkey remained. On March 3, 1918, the Brest-Litovsk Peace Treaty was signed between Russia and its opponents. In accordance with its terms, the lands of Kars, Ardogan and Adjara came under the control of Turkey, which did not suit the leadership of Transcaucasia - the so-called. "Transcaucasian Seim". Therefore, the Sejm did not recognize the results of the Brest-Litovsk Treaty, which led to the resumption of hostilities on the part of Turkey. The forces of the parties were incomparable. Already on March 11, the Turks entered Erzurum, and on April 13 they took Batumi. The Transcaucasian leadership turned to Turkey with a request for a truce, but the Turkish authorities put forward a key demand - the secession of Transcaucasia from Russia.

Naturally, the Transcaucasian government had no other choice but to agree to Turkey’s demands. The creation of the Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic (ZDFR), independent from Russia, was proclaimed. Thus, there was no talk of any struggle for independence from Russia - the sovereignty of the states of Transcaucasia during the revolutionary period was inextricably linked only with forced concessions from Turkey, which was superior in strength. By the way, the Turks were not going to stop - despite the exit of the Western Democratic Republic from Russia, Turkish troops occupied almost all the territories claimed by Istanbul. The main formal reason for the advance of Turkish troops was said to be concern for the safety of the Muslim population living in the southwestern and southern regions of Georgia - in the territory of modern Adjara, as well as Akhaltsikhe and Akhalkalaki districts.

The Transcaucasian leadership was forced to turn to Turkey's “senior partner” - Germany, hoping that Berlin would be able to influence Istanbul and the Turkish offensive would be stopped. However, there was an agreement on spheres of influence between Turkey and Germany, according to which the territory of Georgia, with the exception of its “Muslim” part (Akhaltsikhe and Akhalkalaki districts of the Tiflis province) was in the sphere of interests of Germany. The Kaiser's government, interested in the further division of Transcaucasia, recommended that Georgian politicians declare the independence of Georgia from the Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic. The proclamation of Georgian sovereignty, as German leaders argued, became a saving step from the final occupation of the country by Turkish troops.

On May 24-25, 1918, the executive committee of the National Council of Georgia accepted the German recommendation and on May 26 declared the independence of the Georgian Democratic Republic. On the same day, the Transcaucasian Seim ceased to exist. Thus, as a result of the political manipulations of the German and Turkish authorities, “independent” Georgia appeared. The key role in the government of the Georgian Democratic Republic (GDR) was played by the Mensheviks, federalist socialists and national democrats, but then the leadership of the Georgian government passed completely into the hands of the Mensheviks under the leadership of Noah Jordania.

Noah Zhordania (1869-1953) in his youth was one of the founders of the Georgian Social Democratic movement, he studied at the Warsaw Veterinary Institute, like many other oppositionists, and was subjected to political persecution by the tsarist authorities. During the First World War, G.V. supported the “defensive” line. Plekhanov.

Naturally, Georgia’s “independence” in such conditions immediately turned into its complete dependence - first on Germany, and then on England. Two days after the declaration of independence, on May 28, 1918, Georgia signed an agreement with Germany, according to which a three-thousand-strong German army arrived in the country. Later, German troops were transferred to Georgia from the territory of Ukraine and the Middle East. In fact, Georgia found itself under German control - there was no talk of real political independence. At the same time as allowing the presence of German troops on its territory, Georgia was forced to agree to Turkey’s territorial claims, transferring Adjara, Ardagan, Artvin, Akhaltsikhe and Akhalkalaki under its control. At the same time, despite the fact that German troops were stationed on the territory of Georgia, and part of the country was given to Turkey, legally Berlin never recognized the independence of Georgia - it did not want to aggravate relations with Soviet Russia.

Georgia was spared from the German presence by the defeat of Germany in the First World War. However, almost immediately after the withdrawal of German troops from the territory of Georgia, new “strategic partners” appeared - the British. On November 17, 1918, a corps of British troops was transferred to Baku. In total, up to 60 thousand British soldiers and officers were stationed in the Transcaucasus. It is significant that throughout 1919 the Georgian government, consisting of local Mensheviks, hoped that Georgia would become a mandate territory of the United States, Great Britain or France, but none of the Western powers wanted to take responsibility for this Transcaucasian country. The independence of Georgia was stubbornly not recognized by European governments, since the latter hoped for the victory of the Volunteer Army of General A.I. Denikin in the Russian Civil War and did not want to quarrel with Denikin’s people.

Internal and external conflicts

Three years of Georgian independence - 1918, 1919 and 1920. - were marked by constant conflicts both within the country and with its closest neighbors. Despite the fact that Russia did not seem to interfere with the internal development of Georgia, which declared its independence, it was not possible to stabilize the situation in the country. From 1918 to 1920 Armed resistance to Georgian authorities in South Ossetia continued. Three powerful uprisings followed the Georgian government's refusal to grant the Ossetians the right to political self-determination. Although on June 6-9, 1917, the National Council of South Ossetia, which included local revolutionary parties - from Mensheviks and Bolsheviks to anarchists, decided on the need for free self-determination of South Ossetia. Ossetians advocated Soviet power and annexation to Soviet Russia, which was due to the leading role of the Bolsheviks and their leftist allies in the uprisings in South Ossetia. The last, largest uprising broke out on May 6, 1920, after the proclamation of Soviet power in South Ossetia. On June 8, 1920, Ossetian troops managed to defeat Georgian troops and occupy Tskhinvali. After this, South Ossetia declared its accession to Soviet Russia, which entailed an armed invasion by Georgia.

In addition to the conflict with the Ossetian population, Georgia entered into an armed confrontation with the Volunteer Army of General A.I. Denikin. The reason for this confrontation was a dispute over Sochi and its environs, which the Georgian leadership considered to be Georgian territory. Back on July 5, 1918, Georgian troops managed to drive the Red Army soldiers out of Sochi, after which the territory temporarily came under Georgian control. Despite the fact that Great Britain was considered the main ally of the Denikinites, London’s plans did not include the return of Sochi to Russian rule. Moreover, the British openly supported Georgia. However, A.I. Denikin, despite protests and even threats from the British, demanded that the Georgian authorities vacate the territory of Sochi.

On September 26, 1918, Denikin’s troops launched an attack on the positions of the Georgian army and soon occupied Sochi, Adler and Gagry. On February 10, 1919, Georgian troops were pushed back across the Bzyb River. It turned out to be extremely difficult for the Georgian armed forces to fight against the regular Russian army; moreover, it became problematic to keep the lands of Abkhazia adjacent to the Sochi district under Georgian control. Denikin declared the territory of Abkhazia also part of Russia and Denikin’s units launched an offensive towards Sukhumi. The successes of Denikin's followers could not help but alarm the Entente. The British intervened, frightened by the rapid advance of Denikin’s troops and the possibility of the revival of a unified Russian state. They insisted on the “neutralization” of the Sochi district by stationing British troops there.

Almost simultaneously with the military operations against the army of A.I. Denikin, Georgia was at war with neighboring Armenia. It was also caused by territorial disputes, and only the intervention of Great Britain made it possible to stop hostilities - the British plans did not include mutual destruction of the two young Transcaucasian states by each other. On January 1, 1919, a peace agreement was signed between Armenia and Georgia, according to which, until the decision of the Supreme Council of the Entente, the northern part of the disputed Borchali district was transferred to the control of Georgia, the southern part to the control of Armenia, and the central part was declared neutral territory under the control of the British Governor-General .

Relations with Soviet Russia

During all this time, neither Great Britain nor other Entente countries recognized the political independence of Georgia, as well as the other states of Transcaucasia - Armenia and Azerbaijan. The situation changed only at the beginning of 1920, which was associated with the defeat of Denikin’s army and the risk of the Bolsheviks advancing into Transcaucasia. France, Great Britain and Italy, and later Japan, recognized the de facto independence of Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia. This was motivated by the need to create a buffer zone between Soviet Russia and the Middle East, divided into spheres of influence of the Entente countries. But it was too late - in the spring of 1920, Soviet power was established in Azerbaijan. The Georgian leadership, in panic, announced the mobilization of the population, confident that the Soviet leadership would send the Red Army to conquer Georgian territory. However, at this time, an armed conflict with Georgia seemed unprofitable for the Soviet government, since an armed confrontation with Poland was brewing, and the issue of the defeat of Baron Wrangel’s troops in the Crimea remained unresolved.

Therefore, Moscow postponed the decision to send troops from Azerbaijan to Georgia, and on May 7, 1920, the Soviet government signed a peace treaty with Georgia. Thus, the RSFSR became the first large state of this level in the world to recognize the political sovereignty of Georgia not actually, but formally, by concluding diplomatic relations with it. Moreover, the RSFSR recognized Georgian jurisdiction over the former Tiflis, Kutais, Batumi provinces, Zagatala and Sukhumi districts, and part of the Black Sea province south of the river. Psou. However, after Soviet power was proclaimed in Armenia in the fall of 1920, Georgia remained the last Transcaucasian state not under the control of Soviet Russia. This situation, first of all, did not satisfy the Georgian communists themselves. Since it was they who formed the backbone of the supporters of Georgia’s annexation to Soviet Russia, it can hardly be said that the soon-to-be-established establishment of Soviet power in Georgia was a consequence of some kind of “Russian occupation.” Ordzhonikidze or Enukidze were no less Georgians than Zhordania or Lordkipanidze; they simply perceived the future of their country in a slightly different way.

- Grigory Ordzhonikidze, better known as “Sergo,” was one of the most ardent supporters of the establishment of Soviet power in Georgia and the Transcaucasus as a whole, and played a huge role in the “Sovietization” of Georgia. He understood perfectly well that the establishment of Soviet power in Georgia represented the most important strategic task for Soviet Russia. After all, Georgia, while remaining the only non-Soviet territory in Transcaucasia, was an outpost of British interests and, accordingly, could be considered as a source of anti-Soviet intrigues developed and directed by the British leadership. It should be noted that Vladimir Ilyich Lenin until the last resisted pressure from his comrades, who argued about the need to help the Georgian Bolsheviks in establishing Soviet power in Georgia. Lenin was not sure that there was a need for such rapid action and wanted to exercise some caution.

However, Ordzhonikidze assured Lenin of the readiness of the Georgian population to recognize Soviet power and take decisive action in its support. Although Lenin advocated peace negotiations with the Jordanian government, Ordzhonikidze was convinced of the need to send in Red Army formations to support the Georgian Bolsheviks. He wrote in a telegram to Lenin: “Georgia has finally turned into the headquarters of the world counter-revolution in the Middle East. The French operate here, the British operate here, Kazim Bey, the representative of the Angora government, operates here. Millions of gold are thrown into the mountains, robber gangs are created in the border strip with us attacking our border posts... I consider it necessary to once again emphasize the mortal danger looming in the Baku region, which can only be prevented by the immediate concentration of sufficient forces for the Sovietization of Georgia."

On February 12, 1921, uprisings broke out in the Borchali and Akhalkalaki districts of Georgia, raised by local Bolsheviks. The rebels captured Gori, Dushet and the territory of the entire Borchali district. The rapid success of the Bolshevik rebels in the Borchalinsky district led to a change in the positions of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin. He decided to send assistance to the Georgian Bolsheviks in the form of Red Army units.

Creation of Soviet Georgia

On February 16, 1921, the Revolutionary Committee of Georgia, led by Philip Makharadze, proclaimed the creation of the Georgian Soviet Republic, after which it officially appealed to the leadership of the RSFSR for military assistance. Thus, the invasion of the Red Army into the territory of Georgia was only help to the Georgian people, who created the Georgian Soviet Republic and feared that it would be crushed by the Menshevik government with the support of British interventionists.

On February 16, 1921, the Red Army crossed the southern border of Georgia and occupied the village of Shulaveri. A short-term and rapid operation began to support the establishment of Soviet power in Georgia, also called the “Soviet-Georgian war” (however, this name is unlikely to be fair - after all, we are talking about the confrontation between Georgians - Bolsheviks and Georgians - Social Democrats, in which Soviet Russia only contributed help first so that the revolution in Georgia is not crushed).

It should be noted that the Georgian armed forces during the period under review were quite numerous. They numbered at least 21 thousand military personnel and included 16 infantry battalions, 1 engineer battalion, 5 field artillery divisions, 2 horse regiments, 2 automobile squadrons, an aviation detachment and 4 armored trains. In addition, there were fortress regiments that performed the functions of territorial defense. The backbone of the Georgian army consisted of former servicemen of the tsarist army, more precisely, its Caucasian Front, as well as militias and fighters of the units of the “People's Guard”, controlled by the Georgian Social Democrats. The Georgian armed forces were led by professional military men. Thus, Major General Georgiy Kvinitadze (1874-1970) was a graduate of the Tsar’s Konstantinovsky Military School and, before the declaration of Georgian independence, served as Quartermaster General of the Caucasian Front.

The Red Army units managed to quickly advance to Tbilisi. To defend the capital, the Georgian command built a line of defense from three groupings of troops under the command of generals Dzhidzhikhia, Mazniashvili and Andronikashvili. Under the command of Mazniashvili, 2.5 thousand military personnel, five batteries of light artillery guns and howitzers, 2 armored cars and 1 armored train were concentrated. Mazniashvili’s group managed to defeat the Red Army on the evening of February 18 and capture 1,600 Red Army soldiers. However, the Red Army redirected the attack and the next day attacked the area defended by military school cadets. During February 19-20, artillery battles took place, then 5 guards battalions and a cavalry brigade under the command of General Dzhidzhikhia went on the offensive. Georgian troops again managed to move forward, but on February 23 they returned back to their previous lines of defense. On February 24, 1921, the Georgian government led by Jordania evacuated to Kutaisi. Tbilisi was abandoned by Georgian troops.

The further development of events looked as follows. Taking advantage of the fighting of the Red Army in Georgia, Türkiye decided to satisfy its interests. On February 23, 1921, Brigadier General Karabekir, who commanded the Turkish contingent in Western Armenia, issued an ultimatum to Georgia, demanding Ardagan and Artvin. Turkish troops entered Georgian territory, finding themselves close to Batumi. On 7 March, Georgian authorities decided to allow Turkish troops to enter the city, while keeping the administration of Batumi in the hands of the Georgian civil administration. Meanwhile, units of the Red Army approached Batumi. Fearing a clash with Turkey, the Soviet government entered into negotiations.

On March 16, Soviet Russia and Turkey signed a friendship treaty, according to which Ardahan and Artvin came under Turkish rule, while Batumi became part of Georgia. However, Turkish troops were in no hurry to leave the city. Under these conditions, the Georgian Menshevik leadership agreed to conclude an agreement with Soviet Russia. On March 17, Georgian Defense Minister Grigol Lordkipanidze and the plenipotentiary representative of the Soviet government Avel Enukidze met in Kutaisi and concluded a truce. On March 18, an agreement was signed, according to which the Red Army received the opportunity to enter Batumi. In the city itself, Georgian troops led by General Mazniashvili clashed with Turkish troops. During street fighting, members of the Menshevik government managed to leave Batumi on an Italian ship. On March 19, General Mazniashvili surrendered Batumi to the revolutionary committee.

After Georgia was declared a Soviet republic, the Central Executive Committee of Georgia was headed by Philip Ieseevich Makharadze (1868-1941). One of the oldest Georgian Bolsheviks, Makharadze came from the family of a priest in the village of Kariskure, Ozurgeti district, Kutaisi province. After graduating from the Ozurgeti Theological School, Philip Makharadze studied at the Tiflis Theological Seminary and the Warsaw Veterinary Institute. Even before the revolution, Makharadze began his revolutionary career and repeatedly came to the attention of the tsarist secret police. It was he who was destined to proclaim the creation of the Georgian Soviet Republic and ask for military assistance from the RSFSR.

Of course, disputes about the status of Georgia after the proclamation of Soviet power also occurred among the leaders of the Bolshevik Party. In particular, in 1922 the famous “Georgian Affair” flared up. Joseph Stalin and Sergo Ordzhonikidze proposed the status of simple autonomies for the union republics, including Georgia, while Buda (Polikarp) Mdivani, Mikhail Okudzhava and a number of other leaders of the Georgian Bolshevik organization insisted on the creation of a full-fledged republic with all the attributes of an independent state, but within the USSR - that is, to transform the Soviet Union into a confederal state. It is noteworthy that the latter point of view was supported by V.I. Lenin, who saw in the position of Stalin and Ordzhonikidze a manifestation of “Great Russian chauvinism.” However, in the end, the Stalinist line won.

After Soviet power was established in Georgia, the construction of a new socialist statehood of the republic began. On March 4, 1921, Soviet power was established in Abkhazia - the creation of the Socialist Soviet Republic of Abkhazia was proclaimed, and on March 5, Soviet power was established in South Ossetia. On December 16, 1921, the SSR Abkhazia and the SSR Georgia entered into a Union Treaty, according to which Abkhazia was part of Georgia. On March 12, 1922, Georgia became part of the Federative Union of Socialist Soviet Republics of the Transcaucasus, which on December 13, 1922 was transformed into the Transcaucasian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic. On December 30, the TSFSR, the RSFSR, the Ukrainian SSR and the BSSR entered into an agreement to unite into the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. In accordance with the Constitution of the USSR of 1936, the Georgian SSR, Armenian SSR and Azerbaijan SSR left the TSFSR and became part of the USSR as separate union republics, and the united Transcaucasian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic was abolished.

Within the USSR, Georgia remained one of the most prominent republics, and this is taking into account that it did not have the industrial or resource power of the RSFSR or the Ukrainian SSR. The leaders of the Georgian SSR were almost always selected from among representatives of the Georgian peoples; moreover, Georgians played a colossal role in the leadership of the USSR. Even if we do not take the figure of Stalin, who largely distanced himself from his nationality, the percentage of people from Georgia in the top leadership of the USSR, especially during the first three decades of Soviet power, was extremely significant. Many ordinary people from Georgia fought with honor on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War, participated in the construction of Soviet industrial facilities, received a wide variety of education, and became nationally recognized figures of culture and art. Therefore, it is hardly possible to talk about the very fact of the “Soviet occupation” of Georgia. Until the collapse of the USSR, Georgia was considered one of the most prosperous and wealthy union republics.

Let us recall that during the so-called “occupation” there were no bloody wars on the territory of Georgia, Georgians did not emigrate en masse from the republic, and the republican economy, although not distinguished by a high level of development of production and technology, was nevertheless not in that state , in which she found herself after the collapse of the unified Soviet state. The reasons for the difficult political and economic situation were the result of precisely the desire for “sovereignty,” which in fact in almost all cases takes on an anti-Russian orientation. In turning Georgia into a state entity hostile to Russia, the most important role both in 1918-1921 and after 1991 was played by the West: Great Britain and then the United States of America.

Special position

Guilt

Stalin himself loved the wines “Kindzmarauli”, “Khvanchkara” and “Majari”.

Tourism

During the Soviet era, Georgia was the best training base for Soviet alpine skiers. Also, Georgia in general and Svaneti in particular became the main mountaineering bases of the Soviet Union.

Georgian tea

Flowers, tangerines and the shadow economy

The Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic existed until the spring of 1991. Having restored the constitution of 1918, the Supreme Council in Tbilisi declared sovereignty. During the Soviet era, the Georgian population, together with the country, experienced both the post-revolutionary devastation and the hardships of the Second World War, and shared the joy of victory and post-war upsurge.

Stormy times

The revolution in Petrograd destroyed the Empire. Concluding the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, the new government transferred to Turkey the lands conquered in the First World War and Kars and Ardahan. Disagreement with the Brest-Litovsk Treaty led to the creation of the Transcaucasian Independent Federative Democratic Republic. However, the ZNFDR existed for two months. At the end of May 1918, the Georgian side left the federation.

Non-recognition of the Brest-Litovsk Peace Treaty led to the invasion of Turkish troops. During short battles, a number of regions were occupied, including Batumi, Ozurgeti, and Akhaltsikhe. According to an agreement with the German government, German troops enter the territory of Georgia for protection from Turkish troops. But the result of this was the signing of peace with the Turkish side on conditions unfavorable for the Georgian republic. Georgia lost more territories than during the Brest Peace Treaty.

In December 1918, British troops came to replace German troops. In 1920, the Georgian government signed a peace agreement with the Soviets. But in the winter of 1921 the Red Army entered. Then events developed at lightning speed:

07/16/1921 – the Adjarian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was founded in the Georgian SSR
12/16/1921 – Abkhazia was included in Georgia
04/20/1922 South Ossetian Autonomous Region was formed
12/30/1922 The Georgian Federative SSR, as part of the Trans-SFSR, joined the USSR

The Transcaucasian Federation contained the Armenian SSR and the Azerbaijan SSR. After the dissolution of the TSFSR (1936), the Georgian, without the word “federal”, SSR entered the Union as an independent Soviet Socialist Republic.

After the revolution

The Georgian SSR was considered to be in a special position. Additional subsidies were poured into the GSSR. The reason for this is that Joseph Stalin was born in Georgia. Besides him, people from Georgians include Georgy (Sergo) Ordzhonikidze and Lavrenty Beria.

The Georgian people did a lot for the country. 700 thousand Georgians fought on the fields of the Second World War. 137 residents of Georgia are Heroes of the Soviet Union, more than 240 thousand received military awards. Georgian soldiers fought bravely in the Battle of the Caucasus, which lasted from July 25, 1942 to October 9, 1943. In memory of this, a medal “for the defense of the Caucasus” was issued. The award was received by 870 thousand citizens of the country.

On May 1, 1945, Georgians Meliton Kantaria and Russian Mikhail Egorov raised the Victory Banner over the Reichstag. They were awarded the titles of Heroes of the Soviet Union.

After the death of Joseph Vissarionovich, at the 20th Congress of the CPSU, Nikita Khrushchev made a report on exposing Stalin’s personality cult. When the demolition of the monuments to Stalin was announced, unrest among the Georgian people began and on the night of March 10, 1956, clashes between indignant citizens and the Ministry of Internal Affairs took place in Tbilisi. As a result of the conflict:

22 people died
54 people injured
200 people were detained by law enforcement forces

Post-war years

Georgia, as part of the USSR, received industrial growth. In addition to the food industry, the oil refining industry, mechanical engineering, and energy developed. The largest in Transcaucasia was built in Georgia.

Georgian enterprises assembled airplanes and built locomotives. The leading industries were ferrous metallurgy, chemical industry, electric power, and light industry. An automobile plant producing KAZ trucks and tractors operated in Kutaisi. In 1967, the KAZ 608 “Kolkhida”, widely known in Soviet times, rolled off the assembly line.

The Georgian food industry provided the country with tea, mineral water, tobacco and wines. Citrus fruits from Georgia were on the New Year's table of citizens of the country of the Soviets. Georgian cognac and chacha are still in great demand today.

The private sector was in a good economic position. 6% of fertile land was owned by private owners. The sale of flowers and citrus fruits grown by private owners in the markets of central Russia provided a large income. During the season you could earn money for a new car.

Georgia grew 95% of all tea in the USSR.

Health resort

Socialist Georgia - All-Union. People came from all over the country for treatment at mineral springs and to relax at ski resorts. Holidays in cities on the Black Sea coast of Georgia are popular. Borjomi, Batumi, Bakuriani – the whole country knew these names. In the Abkhaz ASSR, which was part of Georgia, Gagra thundered throughout the entire Union.

During the Soviet era, sports bases of union significance were located on the territory of Georgia. Skiers and climbers trained there. The Central Olympic Base of the USSR was built in Esher. Competitions in various sports were held there, football players, archers, and basketball players trained. Even teams for which there were no specialized facilities came there for training camps. So hockey players came to Esher, although no ice rink was built for them.

In 1978, not far from Tbilisi, the Rustavi racing complex was created. It included a ring track for auto racing, a motorcycle track, a karting track, and a motorball field. All-Union road-circuit racing competitions were held on the track. When there were no big races, local competitions were held.

The sports complex in Esher was damaged during the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict and is now not functioning.

Georgian cinema

Soviet people began to get acquainted with Georgian culture, first of all, through films. 1921 year of formation under the People's Commissariat of Education. Since 1953, the studio has been called “Georgia Film”. An animation department (1930) and a department of documentary and popular science films (1958) were also opened.

The older generation remembers the queues at the cinemas for the film “Georgiy Saakadze”. This is a large-scale film shot by the Tbilisi film studio during the war years. The first episode was filmed in 1942, the second in 1943. Many people love the movie “Father of a Soldier.” The main role was played by People's Artist of the USSR Sergo Zakariadze. Georgian short films, like “The Zealous Pig,” leave only warm impressions.

The names of Georgian actors, directors, and performers are known throughout the Union. And now, almost everyone knows who Vakhtang Kikabidze or Georgy Danelia are. The older generation can tell you in which films Leila Mikhailovna Abashidze or Akaki Khorava played.

Conclusion

A number of modern political forces call the period of existence of the Georgian SSR an occupation, citing as evidence the entry of the Red Army into the territory of Georgia in 1921. However, they do not take into account the revolutionary sentiments of the masses of that time. What was an intervention for the ruling bourgeois class was liberation for the proletariat and peasantry.

Georgia's presence in the USSR gave the region economic development. The creation of new industries was the result of industrialization carried out by the state. Experts believe that Georgia was the richest republic in the USSR during the “Stagnation”.