Russian Influence on the Formation of Georgian National Identity

Abstract

The research investigates how Georgian national identity evolved while Russian influence shaped this foundational development. Throughout history the Caucasus region has maintained its complex ethnic and religious diversity because numerous nations have lived there while multiple empires and states have conducted invasions and occupations. Attempts to seize the region by Ottomans, Russia and Iran affected the identity formation in the Caucasus. Georgian identity provides one of the clearest examples. In this study it will be claimed that since the 18th century the Russian influence was the determining factor in the formation of Georgian national identity. In this context, first it will be analyzed the concepts of identity and national identity. In this section concepts of culture and cultural nationalism will be also examined. In the second section of the study the main components of Georgian national identity will be analyzed. The third section starts with the Treaty of Georgievsk in 1783 which was a breaking point for the Georgian identity. In this section it will be evaluated the transformation of Georgian national identity from 1783 to the end of Russian Tsardom. In the final section of the article, the Menshevik administration of the short-lived independent Georgia will be examined. The Sovietization processes beginning with the Red Army’s capture of Tbilisi will be examined followed by an analysis of USSR influence on Georgia through its efforts to modify Georgian identity.