Beniamin "Benia" Chkhikvishvili (also spelled Bénia Tchkhikvichvili, Georgian: ბენია ჩხიკვიშვილი; 1881–1924) was a Georgian politician who was involved in the Social Democratic movement in the early 20th century. An active member of the Menshevik party, he led the 1905 revolution in Guria ("Gurian Republic"),[1] a Georgian province on the Black Sea. He became a de facto head of the peasant government, sometimes described by the contemporary observers as a "Gurian president" or even "Gurian king".[2]
Benia Chkhikvishvili | |
|---|---|
| ბენია ჩხიკვიშვილი (Georgian) | |
 | |
| President of the Republic of Guria | |
| In office 1905–1906 | |
| Preceded by | Post Created |
| Succeeded by | Post Abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1881 Saskvavistke, Guria, Kutais Governorate, Russian Empire |
| Died | 1924 (aged 42–43) Suzdal, Russian SFSR |
| Nationality | Georgian |
| Political party | Social Democratic Party of Georgia |
| Signature |  |
During the short-lived independent Democratic Republic of Georgia, he served as a mayor of Tiflis, the capital of Georgia (1919–1920). After the Soviet invasion of Georgia, he immigrated to France, where he became an official owner of the Leuville chateau, a residence of the Georgian government-in-exile.[3]
He returned to Georgia in 1923 to take part in the preparations for a general uprising against the Bolshevik regime. He was arrested, however, and executed.
References
edit- ^ "La République auto-proclamée de Gourie (1905–1906)" [The self-proclaimed Republic of Guria (1905–1906)] (in French). 14 January 2014. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
- ^ Stephen F. Jones (2005), Socialism in Georgian Colors: The European Road to Social Democracy, 1883-1917, p. 149. Harvard University Press, ISBN 0-674-01902-4.
- ^ "Géorgie, France et Géorgie : Bénia Tchkhikvichvili, président de la République auto-proclamée de Gourie (1905–1906)" [Georgia, France and Georgia: Benia Tchkhikvichvili, President of the self-proclaimed Republic of Guria (1905–1906)] (in French). 14 January 2014. Archived from the original on 14 June 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
External links
edit- (French) Ière République de Géorgie.
- (French) Ière République de Géorgie en exil Archived 21 November 2018 at the Wayback Machine.
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