axali da uaxlesi istoria

SHOTA VADACHKORIA
Ivane Javakhishvili Institute of History and Ethnology,
Ivane javakhishvili Tbilisi State University
TERRITORIAL ARRAIGNMENT ISSUE OF SHIDA KARTLI MOUNTAINOUS
OSSETIANS AND GEORGIAN POLITICAL THINKING IN 1918-1920
On the basis of documentary materials it is stated that: 1. The activities of The National Committee of
Ossetians in 1917-1919 was against the interests of Georgian state and aimed to work out the suitable legislation
for uniting one big part of Shida Kartli territory with the North Caucasian Ossetia. Special preparations were carried
on to reach the goal; mainly there were demands to legitimize the political unit of Shida Kartli Ossetians as a
kind of state formation. It was determined by changes ofpolitical situation and was of gradual character. 2. Ossetian
separatists’ pretentious demands differed from each other and were consisted of different stages: a) 1917 – “free
self-determination” of Ossetians in Georgia; b) January, 1918 – demand of forming wide uyezd _ community unit
for the Ossetians living in Shida Kartli on the basis of the uyezds of Gori, Shorapani, Dusheti, Racha 13 village
communities and three villages; c) September, 1918 – demand of forming “South Ossetia” independent administrative
autonomous oblast; d) Jun, 1919 – demand to form canton for mountainous Ossetians of Shida Kartli. All
these facts show that Ossetian separatists wanted to dictate their willto the government of Georgia and deliberately
cut the artery, main rout uniting the unity of Georgia. 3. Georgian political spectrum in proper time could manage
to unveil “disguised political slyness” of separatists and Georgian government alternatively proposed them to have
Java uyezd – community. It was a serious compromise and somehow neglecting of national interests from the side
of Georgian government. Despite of this, carrying on the project was a possibility to stop in proper time the
expected threat coming from Ossetians. 4. May-June, 1920 uprising of Ossetians and the danger of Georgian state
existence determined Georgian political spectrum distrust Ossetians that caused annulling the project of forming
Ossetian uyezd – community unit from the agenda. This decision made possible to enclose Ossetian issue logically
together with other ethnic minorities in one frame. Denial of giving general rights to ethnic minorities and to
Ossetians among them and giving only uyezd – community rights was based on security interests of Georgian state
and was right political decision of Georgian political spectrum.
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