Georgian-South Ossetian conflict (1918–1920)

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Georgian-South Ossetian conflict (1918–1920)
date 1918 to 1920
place South Ossetia
output Ossetian defeat
consequences The Democratic Republic of Georgia suppresses the Ossetian uprisings
Parties to the conflict

South Ossetian rebels Soviet Russia
Russian Soviet Federative Socialist RepublicSoviet Russia 

Georgia Democratic RepublicDemocratic Republic of Georgia Democratic Republic of Georgia Transcaucasian Democratic-Federal Republic
Flag of the Transcaucasian Federation.svg

Commander

Kosta Kasiev

Georgia Democratic RepublicDemocratic Republic of GeorgiaWaliko Jugeli Noe Schordania Nikolos Tschcheidze Akaki Tschchenkeli
Georgia Democratic RepublicDemocratic Republic of Georgia
Georgia Democratic RepublicDemocratic Republic of Georgia
Flag of the Transcaucasian Federation.svg
losses

669 killed. 4143 died during the flight and emigration, mainly from hunger and disease. A total of 4812 or 5279

Unknown.

The Georgian-South Ossetian conflict of 1918–1920 was a series of uprisings in South Ossetia that were directed against the Democratic Republic of Georgia . After the collapse of the Russian Empire , Georgia , which was now independent and ruled by Mensheviks , claimed the region of South Ossetia, formerly part of Kartliens . Before the Russian annexation of Georgia, the area was mostly inhabited by Georgians for centuries and ruled by Georgian princes. In the 18th century, however, there were waves of emigration in the North Caucasus. Many Ossetians were driven out by the Kabardines and settled in Georgia. Migration increased under Russian rule and the region was eventually mostly inhabited by Ossetians. After Georgia's independence, the Ossetians sympathized with Soviet Russia and the Bolsheviks because they enjoyed more autonomy in the Russian Empire and refused to pay taxes to Tbilisi . At the beginning of 1918 there was initially a minor uprising of the Ossetians against Georgia, but this was suppressed militarily by Georgian troops. The Ossetians first got rid of the local administration and then took action against the Georgian population. There were allegedly targeted “punishment operations” by the Georgian army, which worsened the already tense mood in the region. Thereupon there were two further major rebellions against the Georgian government, which were supported by Soviet Russia, but were also suppressed after long fighting. According to official reports from South Ossetia, up to 5279 Ossetians are said to have died in the course of the conflict and around 20,000 fled. Most of the fatalities, around 4,143 people, are said to have died during the flight and emigration to North Ossetia, mainly from starvation and disease, while 669 people died from fighting. Ossetian and Russian statements and descriptions of the conflict, in particular with regard to alleged "punitive measures", are not recognized by the Georgian side and are rejected as distorting events that were already instigated by Soviet Russia. Many Georgians subsequently settled in the areas deserted by Ossetians.

Some Ossetian and Russian authors and politicians as well as the government of the now de facto independent South Ossetia view the events of the conflict as genocide against the Ossetians, a view that is increasingly shared by Russia and the government under Vladimir Putin . In 2006 the government of Abkhazia also passed a resolution to recognize the conflict as such. Georgian politicians and historians reject these statements as exaggerated and see the conflict as an attempt by Soviet Russia to destabilize the then Democratic Republic of Georgia, which was finally annexed by the Soviet Union in 1921 . In western historical research, the conflict has so far been largely described in specialist literature. The memories of the events from 1918 to 1920 played a key role in South Ossetia's struggle for independence from 1991 to 1992 .

Course of the conflict

After the February Revolution in 1917 , the South Ossetian population established a National Council in Dsau , which finally decided to establish self-government for Ossetian areas. Many also called for unification with North Ossetia , which was part of Soviet Russia . A connection to Soviet Russia was therefore advocated by many Ossetians. The Bolsheviks developed into an important political force in the region from March 1918. In early 1918, however, the Transcaucasian Democratic-Federal Republic with the capital Tbilisi was founded, which claimed South Ossetia.

As early as the spring of 1918, there were first uprisings in South Ossetia, as many farmers refused to pay taxes to Tbilisi. The situation worsened, partly because of an agricultural reform that was still poorly implemented . For a few days, Ossetian rebels also occupied the later capital of the region, Tskhinvali , as a result of which thousands of Georgians were expelled before Georgian troops put down the rebellion on March 22, 1918. Harsh punitive measures were reportedly adopted that contributed to the radicalization of the South Ossetian population. In May 1918, the short-lived Transcaucasian Federation collapsed, and the Democratic Republic of Georgia , in which the Mensheviks ruled , was founded. This also claimed South Ossetia, whereas the Bolsheviks met with ever greater public approval.

In Georgian politics, these sympathies met with alienation, with some Georgian politicians openly speaking of the Ossetians as “traitors” who “must be severely punished”. In South Ossetia, autonomy rights were also demanded, but these were not granted.

In October 1919, the Ossetians rebelled against the Georgian administration. South Ossetian politicians near Roki proclaimed a Soviet government and rebels marched in the direction of Tskhinvali. Once again, however, the uprising was defeated.

In 1920 the biggest rebellion to date occurred in South Ossetia. On May 8, 1920, a new Soviet government was proclaimed, large rebel armies formed, which were reinforced by volunteers from North Ossetia , which is part of Soviet Russia . Heavy fighting broke out between Georgian and Ossetian troops. The Soviet government asked Georgia to withdraw its troops from South Ossetia. After initial victories and the occupation of Tskhinvali, the Ossetian rebels were defeated again. The Georgian army under Valiko Jugeli finally succeeded in breaking the resistance in June 1920. The Parliament of South Ossetia issued a political assessment of the events of 1918–1920 on April 27, 2007; "The number of Ossetian dead in 1920 amounted to 6-8% of the population of South Ossetia". 4812–5279 people perished, including 4,143 refugees from hunger and disease. About 20,000 Ossetians were expelled and mostly fled to the Russian-controlled North Ossetia. South Ossetia was now finally under Georgia's control.

Aftermath

Less than a year later, all of Georgia was annexed by the Soviet Union, including what is now South Ossetia. The Samachablo region was renamed South Ossetian Autonomous Region under Soviet orders as a token of thanks for the uprising against the Georgian government and support for the annexation of Georgia . South Ossetia became part of the Georgian SSR within the Soviet Union in 1922 , but received numerous autonomy rights . When the Soviet Union disintegrated in 1991, both Georgia and South Ossetia declared their independence. However, Georgia claimed South Ossetia as part of its national territory. A bloody civil war broke out, which ended through Russian interference in the de facto independence of South Ossetia. The conflict from 1918 to 1920, especially in recent years, has been viewed by Russian and Ossetian historians as the Georgian genocide of the Ossetians.

Another conflict erupted in 2008 after a series of provocations and escalating skirmishes . Georgia responded to arbitrary Ossetian attacks against local Georgian settlements with a major army offensive against Tskhinvali , but was almost completely driven out of the region after an intervention by Russia and civilians. The events of the war eventually led some states, including Russia and Venezuela , to recognize the independence of South Ossetia, while most of the international community continued to view the region as part of Georgia.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ http://iratta.com/2007/04/27/1920.html
  2. ↑ http://iratta.com/2007/04/27/1920.html
  3. ^ A b Lang, David Marshall (1962) A Modern History of Georgia, pp. 234-236. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson.
  4. ^ A b Cornell, Svante E, Autonomy and Conflict: Ethnoterritoriality and Separatism in the South Caucasus - Case in Georgia. Department of Peace and Conflict Research, Report No. 61, 258 pp. Uppsala. ISBN 91-506-1600-5 .
  5. ↑ http://www.abendblatt.de/politik/ausland/article936951/Historisch-hat-Suedossetien-nie-zu-Georgien-gehoert.html
  6. ↑ http://iratta.com/2007/04/27/1920.html
  7. ↑ http://iratta.com/2007/05/18/ffekty_genocida_1920g_v_juzhnojj_osetii_tradicii_nacizma_v_gruzii.html
  8. ↑ http://www.newsru.com/world/02nov2006/genozid.html
  9. ↑ http://www.kas.de/zentralasien/de/publications/14356/
  10. ↑ Waal, Thomas De. The Caucasus: An Introduction
  11. ↑ http://iratta.com/2007/04/27/1920.html
  12. ↑ http://www.abkhaziya.org/server-articles/article-80dd0dda4fe90f28c09b514290a22ef6.html
  13. ↑ http://www.georgianweb.com/history/avtandil/ossetia.html
  14. ↑ http://www.kas.de/zentralasien/de/publications/14356/
  15. ↑ http://universal_lexikon.deacademic.com/306600/Südossetien