BOLSHEVIK OCCUPATION OF GEORGIA AND SOCIAL AND POLITICAL ATTITUDES OF THE POPULATION IN 1921-1923
Abstract
Military aggression realized in Georgia in 1921, February-March, was declared as an act of liberation of the country by the Bolsheviks. Soviet historiography has agreed with this view without any kind of criticism and deliberately falsified Georgian reality of the 20s of the twentieth century.
The present work is an attempt of rethinking of the first years of establishment of the Soviet power in Georgia, an attempt to demonstrate the transformation of Georgian attitudes to the new regime and to explain its causes.
Three years of independence made a serious impact on Georgian people’s consciousness. A significant part of the population managed to feel the value of its statehood, which is why the loss of it was perceived painfully. Initially, emotions prevailed pragmatism, but later the dissatisfaction acquired a form of an organized protest.
Mistrust was mutual: various segments of society met with suspicion the new regime. In addition, the Government (regime) took intransigent position towards this segment of the society; it was announced as an enemy and was regarded with life-death confrontation.
Protests against the occupational regime from the beginning had a peaceful character, but soon the anti-Soviet rebellion broke out in Svaneti and in 1922 in the highlands of Pshav-Khevsureti people started armed protests.
Anti-Soviet political parties took leadership in the liberation struggle. Their protest movement was carried out illegally. The main slogan was the demand of withdrawal of the Red Army from the country and restoration of independence.
The Bolsheviks did not avoid applying of suppressive measures. Repressions acquired a massive character. Physical liquidation, imprisonments, exiles and expulsions of people considered as enemies became ordinary things. On May 20, 1923 by the resolution of the Special Committee of Georgia, by extrajudicial executions were shot all the members of “The Military Center” etc.
The Soviet press more than frequently published correspondences expressing admiration for a new reality. Sometimes they were accompanied by collective signatures of groups of workers or peasants, but these ordered or prepared by the editors-in-chief letters cannot be used as a barometer to measure the spirit of public opinion. It seems that sincerer were the workers who at a meeting in Nadzaladevi Club in July 1921 accused arrived in Tbilisi Stalin for occupation of Georgia.
Georgian political emigration hoped that the occupational regime in Georgia would soon be overthrown, because it did not have a reasonable foothold here and international situation has changed to unfavorable for the Bolsheviks.
In 1921-1923 in Georgia there were outlined several different attitudes to the Soviet Government: the poorest part of the population, whose life conditions actually improved, became loyal to the regime, majority of them believed in Bolshevik social demagogy and took its side looking for a better future. A certain part of the society was forced to the loyality of the government due to fear of reprisals, while others embarked on the same path by a tactical point of view, those who were absolutely adamant of reconciliation started preparations for a new rebellion.
Keywords: Georgia, Soviet regime, Protest movement, Extraordinary Commission (Cheka), Uprisings
