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"evropuli qartia saqarTvelo "European Charter for Regional or ...

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1928 the instruct<strong>or</strong> of the Soviet Union’s central committee of the<br />

communist party from Moscow, Pshenitsin, visited Megrelian villages<br />

and concluded the following: "We must provide the Megrelian<br />

peasants with school, court and popular edition in their native language".<br />

On March 25, 1929 the secretary of central committee, Dadiani<br />

passed a resolution regarding rest<strong>or</strong>ation of the Megrelian<br />

language’s privileges in schools, court procedures and investigation<br />

process. In acc<strong>or</strong>dance with this resolution, clerical w<strong>or</strong>k and<br />

court procedures should be implemented in Megrelian language at<br />

locations where the maj<strong>or</strong>ity of population did not know (!) the<br />

Ge<strong>or</strong>gian language"… (I. Zhvania, 1931, p. 147). It is typical that<br />

in provision I and II of the resolution Ge<strong>or</strong>gian and Megrelian<br />

languages are juxtaposed; provision IV indicates that resolutions<br />

as well as <strong>or</strong>ders are to be published both in Ge<strong>or</strong>gian and Megrelian<br />

languages.<br />

Developing such linguistic politics was impossible without<br />

the permission (<strong>or</strong> instruction) by the Russian government’s,<br />

namely by Stalin. Since the 18 th<br />

century the Russian imperial machine<br />

has been put in motion and kept w<strong>or</strong>king; though the actual<br />

negative roles have been per<strong>f<strong>or</strong></strong>med by others (Bolsheviks such as<br />

Philipe Makharadze, Isak Zhvania, Mamanti Kvirtia, etc.).<br />

Since the sinister decision, dated 1929, I. Zhvania and his<br />

partners have been offered a discretionary auth<strong>or</strong>ity. Magazines<br />

and Newspapers have been published in Megrelian w<strong>or</strong>d <strong>f<strong>or</strong></strong>ms. In<br />

1931 I. Zhvania’s book was published – "The struggle of Samegrelo’s<br />

peasantry <strong>f<strong>or</strong></strong> the Soviet rule". The leaders of the Empire<br />

regarded this book as of great significance which was witnessed<br />

260<br />

by the circulation of 30 thousand copies .<br />

260 In his writings Isak Zhvania fiercely opposed "Ge<strong>or</strong>gian Nationalists" and "reactionaries"<br />

such as Ilia Chavchavadze, Iakob Gogebashvili, Tedo Zh<strong>or</strong>dania, and other bourgeois-chauvinistic<br />

Profess<strong>or</strong>s" and "their supp<strong>or</strong>ter Bishop of Samegrelo Besarion Da-<br />

diani".<br />

He wrote : "these Ge<strong>or</strong>gian fascists : Kotsia Gamsakhurdia, Tedo Zh<strong>or</strong>dania, T. Sakhokia,<br />

etc. have gathered at Rustaveli Theatre in Tbilisi; pri<strong>or</strong> to release of any resolutions<br />

215

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