Konstantin Chkheidze
Encyclopedia
Konstantin Alexandrovich Chkheidze (Čcheidze) (1897–1974) was a Georgian
-Russian writer, philosopher, and White émigré
.
Born to a Georgian father, of the noble family of Chkheidze, and a Russian mother, Čcheidze entered the Imperial Russian military service and fought on the side of White armies during the civil war
in the North Caucasus
. In 1921, as part of the defeated White Cossack
forces, Chkheidze was evacuated to Lemnos
whence he moved to Prague
, Czechoslovakia
, in 1923. He graduated from the Russian Faculty of Law in Prague and then lectured there. He joined the Eurasianists
in the 1920s and emerged as one of their leaders in the 1930s. During World War II
, he was active in Russian anti-Nazi underground in Prague, but was arrested by the Soviet
SMERSH
in 1945 and placed in a Gulag
camp from where he was not able to return until 1955. He was a follower of Fyodorov
’s philosophy and wrote on Russian society and culture as well as Caucasian
legends and Soviet nationalities policy. His memoirs are a valuable first-hand account of the 1917-1955 events in Russia and the Soviet Union. He committed suicide in 1974.
Georgian people
The Georgians are an ethnic group that have originated in Georgia, where they constitute a majority of the population. Large Georgian communities are also present throughout Russia, European Union, United States, and South America....
-Russian writer, philosopher, and White émigré
White Emigre
A white émigré was a Russian who emigrated from Russia in the wake of the Russian Revolution and Russian Civil War, and who was in opposition to the contemporary Russian political climate....
.
Born to a Georgian father, of the noble family of Chkheidze, and a Russian mother, Čcheidze entered the Imperial Russian military service and fought on the side of White armies during the civil war
Russian Civil War
The Russian Civil War was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed to the Soviets, under the domination of the Bolshevik party. Soviet forces first assumed power in Petrograd The Russian Civil War (1917–1923) was a...
in the North Caucasus
North Caucasus
The North Caucasus is the northern part of the Caucasus region between the Black and Caspian Seas and within European Russia. The term is also used as a synonym for the North Caucasus economic region of Russia....
. In 1921, as part of the defeated White Cossack
Cossack
Cossacks are a group of predominantly East Slavic people who originally were members of democratic, semi-military communities in what is today Ukraine and Southern Russia inhabiting sparsely populated areas and islands in the lower Dnieper and Don basins and who played an important role in the...
forces, Chkheidze was evacuated to Lemnos
Lemnos
Lemnos is an island of Greece in the northern part of the Aegean Sea. Administratively the island forms a separate municipality within the Lemnos peripheral unit, which is part of the North Aegean Periphery. The principal town of the island and seat of the municipality is Myrina...
whence he moved to Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
, in 1923. He graduated from the Russian Faculty of Law in Prague and then lectured there. He joined the Eurasianists
Eurasianists
Eurasianism is a political movement within the primarily Russian emigre community.-Early 20th century:Eurasianists was a political movement in the Russian emigre community in the 1920s...
in the 1920s and emerged as one of their leaders in the 1930s. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, he was active in Russian anti-Nazi underground in Prague, but was arrested by the Soviet
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....
SMERSH
SMERSH
SMERSH was the counter-intelligence agency in the Red Army formed in late 1942 or even earlier, but officially founded on April 14, 1943. The name SMERSH was coined by Joseph Stalin...
in 1945 and placed in a Gulag
Gulag
The Gulag was the government agency that administered the main Soviet forced labor camp systems. While the camps housed a wide range of convicts, from petty criminals to political prisoners, large numbers were convicted by simplified procedures, such as NKVD troikas and other instruments of...
camp from where he was not able to return until 1955. He was a follower of Fyodorov
Nikolai Fyodorovich Fyodorov
Nikolai Fyodorovich Fyodorov was a Russian Orthodox Christian philosopher, who was part of the Russian cosmism movement and a precursor of transhumanism...
’s philosophy and wrote on Russian society and culture as well as Caucasian
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...
legends and Soviet nationalities policy. His memoirs are a valuable first-hand account of the 1917-1955 events in Russia and the Soviet Union. He committed suicide in 1974.