Socialist Soviet Republic of Abkhazia

Socialist Soviet Republic of Abkhazia

The Socialist Soviet Republic of Abkhazia was a short-lived republic within the Caucasus region of the Soviet Union. It existed from 31 March 1921 to 19 February 1931. It was largely similar to an autonomous Soviet republic, though it retained nominal independence from Georgia. The region was a major tobacco producer in this era, growing over half of the USSR’s supply.

About Socialist Soviet Republic of Abkhazia in brief

Summary Socialist Soviet Republic of AbkhaziaThe Socialist Soviet Republic of Abkhazia was a short-lived republic within the Caucasus region of the Soviet Union. It existed from 31 March 1921 to 19 February 1931. It was largely similar to an autonomous Soviet republic, though it retained nominal independence from Georgia. The region was a major tobacco producer in this era, growing over half of the USSR’s supply. It also produced other agricultural produce, including tea, wine, and citrus fruits. The main legacy of the republic is that it created a defined geographic entity for the first time in modern history. It led to the 1992–1993 war between AbkhAZian secessionists and Georgia, and the modernAbkhaz–Georgian conflict. The Russian Empire annexed the region in the early nineteenth century and had consolidated its authority over the region by 1864. It considered joining the Mountainous Republic of the Northern Caucasus in 1917, but ultimately decided against this due to the distance between the groups involved. In February 1918, Abkhzviks attempted to create a commune—a similar system to the soviets being formed in Russia. This was unsuccessful and the Bolshevik leaders, Efrem Eshba and Nestor Lakoba, fled, leaving the region under the rule of the APC. When the Democratic Republic of Georgia was formed in May 1918, it annexed AbkhZia, considering it an integral part of its territory, and never fully fully established control of Georgia. In 1921, it agreed to a treaty uniting it with the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic.

The SSR Abkhazeria was abolished in 1931 and replaced with the Abkhazi Autonomous Soviet SocialistRepublic within the Georgian SSR. It is now an autonomous region of Georgia, with a population of around 1.5 million people. The Abkhazar people, who made up less than 30 percent of the population, make up the majority of the region’s population. They were heavily favoured by the korenizatsiia policies of the era. Even though they did not form the majority, the Ab Khaz language was promoted as a result of these policies, leading to the rise of AbKhaz nationalism. In the late 1980s, they called for their state to be re-formed and secede from Georgia, citing the SSR as a precedent. This led to them restoring the 1925 SSRabkhazian constitution, which was confirmed in the Georgian constitution of 1921. It has since been restored to its original form. It remains one of the most ethnically diverse regions in the world, with Armenians, Georgians, Greeks, and Russians all making up a significant portion of its population. Its sub-tropical climate also made it a prime holiday destination; Stalin and other Soviet leaders had dachas in the region and spent considerable time there. In 1931, it was downgraded to a quasi-independent republic, but it was still known as ‘Lakobistan’ due to its close relationship with Soviet leader Joseph Stalin.