SVANETI IN THE PROCESS OF STATE-BUILDING IN THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF GEORGIA (1918–1921)

Abstract

Abstract. This article examines the principal political, administrative, socio-economic, and cultural aspects of the development of Svaneti during the existence of the Democratic Republic of Georgia (1918–1921). The study is based on the proceedings of the Constituent Assembly of Georgia, contemporary periodicals, archival documents, and memoirs, enabling a comprehensive assessment of the regional policy pursued by the government of the Democratic Republic of Georgia toward Svaneti and the identification of its principal priorities. The article analyses the establishment of local self-government institutions (erobas), the participation of the local population in democratic elections, the functioning of the state administration, and the measures implemented to facilitate the integration of the region into the common state framework. Particular attention is devoted to the reforms planned and implemented to strengthen regional administration, ensure public security, and promote the development of transport infrastructure, education, healthcare, communications, and the local economy. The study also examines the government's efforts to establish an effective system of governance that took into account local traditions and the needs of the population, while fostering the region's sustainable development. The research demonstrates that the policies of the government of the Democratic Republic of Georgia enjoyed substantial support among the population of Svaneti, preventing Bolshevik propaganda from establishing a broad social base in the region. Furthermore, it shows that the government regarded the development of mountainous regions as an integral component of state-building and attached particular importance to the socio-economic advancement of Svaneti and its full integration into the political, economic, and cultural life of the country. The article concludes that, despite severe domestic and external challenges, the government of the Democratic Republic of Georgia laid the foundations for significant processes of modernization and regional development in Svaneti, the natural continuation of which was brought to an end by the Soviet occupation of Georgia in 1921.

 Keywords: Svaneti; Democratic Republic of Georgia; Local Self-Government; Egnate Gabliani; Grigol Tsintsabadze; Solomon Vadachkoria.