Giorgi Chitaia and the August 1924 Uprising: An Analysis of His Political Assessment of Its Prospects and Outcomes

Abstract

Giorgi Chitaia (1890-1986), an Academician and the founder of the Georgian school of ethnology as well as the modern methodology of field ethnographic research in Georgia, was actively involved in national and political activities from an early age. During the period of the Democratic Republic of Georgia, he was appointed Mayor of Poti on the recommendation of Niko Nikoladze. In 1921, during the final days of the Democratic Republic, he participated in the defence and liberation of Batumi.

This article draws upon Giorgi Chitaia’s autobiographical writings, memoirs, and archival sources to examine the lesser-known aspects of his political biography. Following the Sovietization of Georgia, Chitaia withdrew from active political life and devoted himself to scholarly research. His personal records, however, demonstrate that he continued to monitor political developments closely, documenting major events and reflecting on the activities of contemporary political figures.

The study argues that the Soviet authorities continued to regard Chitaia as a figure associated with the Georgian national movement, as evidenced by his repeated arrests and the attention paid to him in connection with the National Uprising of 1924. According to his memoirs, he was invited to assume responsibility for the Abkhaz sector of the uprising but declined after assessing the military and political situation as unfavourable. Nevertheless, he became a victim of Soviet political repression and narrowly escaped execution.

The article concludes that Chitaia’s political biography represents a significant yet insufficiently studied dimension of his life. The examined sources demonstrate that his subsequent scholarly career developed in close connection with the political experience of the formative years of his public activity.