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

During the 6-year period (1929-1934) the Bolshevist "linguistic
diversion" was intensively carried out in Samegrelo. In
1934 the similar publications discontinued; the government of the
Empire dismissed Isak Zhvania who soon became subject to repression.
It is well-known that since mid-1930s Stalin had attempted
to acquaint the world with the great past of his birth place – Georgia,
genius of Rustaveli etc. At the same time, in 1937 in his letter
to Stalin, L. Beria, the leader of the Georgian government "resented"
the fact that the scientist of the Institute of Linguistics and
Anthropology were "confused" and "contradicted each other on
their conclusions" (in the first version of the letter he mentioned
them as impregnated with the "velikoderzhav" spirit) (Archive
Newsletter ("Saarqivo Moambe"), VI, 2009, p.116, the periodical
of the Archive Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of
Georgia).
The issue concerns the division of Georgia into several nations
based on the censuses of 1926 and 1937 by the all-USSR
academic circles. Namely, in 1926 the Academy of Russia (i.e.
USSR) divided Georgians as follows:
The Georgians (the Kartlians, the Kakhetians, the Tushs,
the Pshav-Khevsurian, the Armenians, the Javakhs, the Meskhs,
the Klarjs, the Taoans, the Acharans, the Gurians, the Imeretians,
the Rachans, the Lechkhumians), the Megrels, the Chans, the
Svans, the Batsbs.
However, in 1937, according to the Academy of Sciences of
the USSR, the list included: the Georgians, the Megrels, the Laz,
the Svans, the Batsbs, and the Acharans.
The same year the Institute of Anthropology has compiled
its own version that later served as a basis for the "Nationality
Dictionary". Here the Georgians are considered of as follows: the
by the Central Committee this black noble crowd objects against the Samegrelo Issue as
an issue of disputed in Georgia…"
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