Akaki Chkhenkeli
Encyclopedia
Akaki Chkhenkeli (1874-1959) was a Georgian
Marxist politician and publicist who acted as one of the leaders of the Menshevik
movement in Russia
and Georgia.
He was born in the town of Khoni
, Georgia, then part of Imperial Russia, to a noble family. A graduate from the universities in Kiev
, Berlin
, and London
, he was a lawyer and a literature expert. He joined the Social Democratic
movement in 1898 and sided with the Menshevik faction in 1903. He was involved in the Russian Revolution of 1905
and was briefly arrested in its aftermath. He was elected to the Fourth State Duma
where he advocated self-determination
for the peoples of Russia. After the February Revolution
of 1917, he worked for the Special Transcaucasian Committee
as a Commissar for Internal Affairs and was elected, in June 1917, a member of All-Russian Central Executive Committee.
On February 14, 1918, he became a Deputy Head and a Foreign Minister in the government of the Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic
, a short-lived Armenia
n-Azerbaijan
i-Georgian federation. When the Democratic Republic of Georgia
proclaimed independence on May 26 1918, Chkhenkeli assumed the position of Foreign Minister and remained on this post until being replaced with Evgeni Gegechkori
in November 1918. He was elected to the Constituent Assembly of Georgia
in 1919 and briefly functioned as an emissary to France
in January 1921. The Soviet invasion of Georgia early in 1921 forced him into exile to Paris
where he remained in émigré
opposition to the Soviet Union
until his death in 1959.
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
Marxist politician and publicist who acted as one of the leaders of the Menshevik
Menshevik
The Mensheviks were a faction of the Russian revolutionary movement that emerged in 1904 after a dispute between Vladimir Lenin and Julius Martov, both members of the Russian Social-Democratic Labour Party. The dispute originated at the Second Congress of that party, ostensibly over minor issues...
movement in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and Georgia.
He was born in the town of Khoni
Khoni
Khoni is a town in the Western Georgian region of Imereti with the population of 11,300 . It is situated on the left bank of the Tskhenistkali River in the north-west of Imereti, close to the border with the region of Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti and 266 km west of Georgia's capital Tbilisi. The town...
, Georgia, then part of Imperial Russia, to a noble family. A graduate from the universities in Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
, Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, he was a lawyer and a literature expert. He joined the Social Democratic
Social democracy
Social democracy is a political ideology of the center-left on the political spectrum. Social democracy is officially a form of evolutionary reformist socialism. It supports class collaboration as the course to achieve socialism...
movement in 1898 and sided with the Menshevik faction in 1903. He was involved in the Russian Revolution of 1905
Russian Revolution of 1905
The 1905 Russian Revolution was a wave of mass political and social unrest that spread through vast areas of the Russian Empire. Some of it was directed against the government, while some was undirected. It included worker strikes, peasant unrest, and military mutinies...
and was briefly arrested in its aftermath. He was elected to the Fourth State Duma
State Duma
The State Duma , common abbreviation: Госду́ма ) in the Russian Federation is the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia , the upper house being the Federation Council of Russia. The Duma headquarters is located in central Moscow, a few steps from Manege Square. Its members are referred to...
where he advocated self-determination
Self-determination
Self-determination is the principle in international law that nations have the right to freely choose their sovereignty and international political status with no external compulsion or external interference...
for the peoples of Russia. After the February Revolution
February Revolution
The February Revolution of 1917 was the first of two revolutions in Russia in 1917. Centered around the then capital Petrograd in March . Its immediate result was the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II, the end of the Romanov dynasty, and the end of the Russian Empire...
of 1917, he worked for the Special Transcaucasian Committee
Special Transcaucasian Committee
Special Transcaucasian Committee was established on March 9, 1917, with Member of the State Duma V. A...
as a Commissar for Internal Affairs and was elected, in June 1917, a member of All-Russian Central Executive Committee.
On February 14, 1918, he became a Deputy Head and a Foreign Minister in the government of the Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic
Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic
The Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic , was a short-lived state composed of the modern-day countries of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia in the South Caucasus.-...
, a short-lived Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
n-Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
i-Georgian federation. When the Democratic Republic of Georgia
Democratic Republic of Georgia
The Democratic Republic of Georgia , 1918–1921, was the first modern establishment of a Republic of Georgia.The DRG was created after the collapse of the Russian Empire that began with the Russian Revolution of 1917...
proclaimed independence on May 26 1918, Chkhenkeli assumed the position of Foreign Minister and remained on this post until being replaced with Evgeni Gegechkori
Evgeni Gegechkori
Evgeni Gegechkori was a Georgian politician and Social Democratic revolutionary.He first entered the leftist student movement in 1903 during his studies at the Moscow University and soon joined the Menshevik wing of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party...
in November 1918. He was elected to the Constituent Assembly of Georgia
Constituent Assembly of Georgia
The Constituent Assembly of Georgia was a national legislature of the Democratic Republic of Georgia which was elected in February 1919 to ratify the Act of Independence of Georgia and enact the Constitution of 1921...
in 1919 and briefly functioned as an emissary to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in January 1921. The Soviet invasion of Georgia early in 1921 forced him into exile to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
where he remained in émigré
Émigré
Émigré is a French term that literally refers to a person who has "migrated out", but often carries a connotation of politico-social self-exile....
opposition to the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
until his death in 1959.