Committee of Independent Georgia
Encyclopedia
The Committee of Independent Georgia also known as the Georgian Committee was a political organization formed in 1914 by Georgian
émigrés and students in Germany
during World War I
. It aimed at ousting the Imperial Russian rule in Georgia and reasserting the country’s independence under the German protectorate. The Committee was chaired by Petre Surguladse; other members included Prince Georges Matchabelli
, Mikheil Tsereteli
(a notable scholar who had abandoned Kropotkin
ite Anarchism
in favor of Georgian nationalism), Leo
and Giorgi Kereselidze, and the Muslim
Georgian Osman Bey (Meliton) Kartsivadze. The Committee also established branches in Austro-Hungary and Ottoman Turkey.
During the Caucasus Campaign
of 1916-7, the Committee was headquartered in Samsun
, and later in Kerasunt. From there, the organization attempted to establish contacts with the opposition in Georgia. A leading political party, the Social Democrats
(Mensheviks), maintained neutrality and did not engage in antiwar activity. Their expressed Russian orientation convinced the authorities to allow them to operate freely in the Caucasus
and thus the Mensheviks were reluctant to collaborate with the Committee which advocated a break with Russia and an independent Georgian state. Landed from a German submarine
SM UB-42, Mikheil Tsereteli himself made a secret trip to Georgia and met with the Menshevik leader Noe Zhordania
at Kutaisi
, urging him to consider a pro-German orientation, but, at that time, Zhordania considered any confrontation with the Tsarist administration political suicide and Tsereteli’s mission ended unsuccessfully. Yet, the Committee and its supporters, although not very numerous, represented quite a serious problem for the government especially after it established the Georgian volunteer unit, Georgian Legion, as part of the German Caucasus Expedition
. Although the movement continued to be backed by Germany, its relations with the Ottoman government became extremely strained. As a result, the Georgian Legion was officially disbanded in April 1917. Both the Committee’s and the Legion’s members returned to Georgia after the Russian Revolution of 1917
and joined the independence movement that concluded with the proclamation of the Democratic Republic of Georgia
on May 26, 1918.
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...
émigrés and students in Germany
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. It aimed at ousting the Imperial Russian rule in Georgia and reasserting the country’s independence under the German protectorate. The Committee was chaired by Petre Surguladse; other members included Prince Georges Matchabelli
Georges V. Matchabelli
Prince Georges V. Matchabelli or Giorgi Machabeli was a Georgian prince and diplomat, who fled Soviet Georgia and immigrated to the United States after the 1921 Bolshevik takeover of Georgia....
, Mikheil Tsereteli
Mikheil Tsereteli
Prince Mikheil G. Tsereteli was a Georgian historian, philologist, sociologist and public benefactor, Dr.Sci., Professor....
(a notable scholar who had abandoned Kropotkin
Kropotkin
Peter Kropotkin was a Russian prince and anarchist.Kropotkin may also refer to:*Pyotr Nikolayevich Kropotkin , Soviet/Russian geologist, tectonician, and geophysicist*Mount Kropotkin, a peak in Antarctica...
ite Anarchism
Anarchism
Anarchism is generally defined as the political philosophy which holds the state to be undesirable, unnecessary, and harmful, or alternatively as opposing authority in the conduct of human relations...
in favor of Georgian nationalism), Leo
Leo Kereselidze
Leo Keresselidze or Kereselidze was a Georgian military figure, politician and journalist involved in the Georgian national movement against the Russian and later Soviet domination....
and Giorgi Kereselidze, and the Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
Georgian Osman Bey (Meliton) Kartsivadze. The Committee also established branches in Austro-Hungary and Ottoman Turkey.
During the Caucasus Campaign
Caucasus Campaign
The Caucasus Campaign comprised armed conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and the Russian Empire, later including Azerbaijan, Armenia, Central Caspian Dictatorship and the UK as part of the Middle Eastern theatre or alternatively named as part of the Caucasus Campaign during World War I...
of 1916-7, the Committee was headquartered in Samsun
Samsun
Samsun is a city of about half a million people on the north coast of Turkey. It is the provincial capital of Samsun Province and a major Black Sea port.-Name:...
, and later in Kerasunt. From there, the organization attempted to establish contacts with the opposition in Georgia. A leading political party, the Social Democrats
Georgian Social Democratic (Menshevik) Party
200px|thumb|Menshevik Flag of Georgia, created by Iakob NikoladzeThe Social Democratic Labour Party of Georgia was a political party in Georgia. It was founded as the Georgian branch of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party separated itself from the Russian mother-party.The party dominated...
(Mensheviks), maintained neutrality and did not engage in antiwar activity. Their expressed Russian orientation convinced the authorities to allow them to operate freely in the Caucasus
Caucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
and thus the Mensheviks were reluctant to collaborate with the Committee which advocated a break with Russia and an independent Georgian state. Landed from a German submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
SM UB-42, Mikheil Tsereteli himself made a secret trip to Georgia and met with the Menshevik leader Noe Zhordania
Noe Zhordania
Noe Zhordania was a Georgian journalist and Menshevik politician. He played an eminent role in the Social Democratic revolutionary movement in Imperial Russia, and later chaired the government of the Democratic Republic of Georgia from July 24, 1918 until March 18, 1921, when the Bolshevik Soviet...
at Kutaisi
Kutaisi
Kutaisi is Georgia's second largest city and the capital of the western region of Imereti. It is 221 km to the west of Tbilisi.-Geography:...
, urging him to consider a pro-German orientation, but, at that time, Zhordania considered any confrontation with the Tsarist administration political suicide and Tsereteli’s mission ended unsuccessfully. Yet, the Committee and its supporters, although not very numerous, represented quite a serious problem for the government especially after it established the Georgian volunteer unit, Georgian Legion, as part of the German Caucasus Expedition
German Caucasus Expedition
The German Caucasus Expedition was a military expedition sent by the German Empire to the formerly Russian Transcaucasia during the Caucasus Campaign of the World War I...
. Although the movement continued to be backed by Germany, its relations with the Ottoman government became extremely strained. As a result, the Georgian Legion was officially disbanded in April 1917. Both the Committee’s and the Legion’s members returned to Georgia after the Russian Revolution of 1917
Russian Revolution of 1917
The Russian Revolution is the collective term for a series of revolutions in Russia in 1917, which destroyed the Tsarist autocracy and led to the creation of the Soviet Union. The Tsar was deposed and replaced by a provisional government in the first revolution of February 1917...
and joined the independence movement that concluded with the proclamation of 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...
on May 26, 1918.