Zviad Konstantinovich Gamsakhurdia, the first president of Georgia: biography, personal life, political career, death investigation

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:55

These people once decided the fate of peoples and made history. Today, their names are almost forgotten, although modern reality is largely the result of the activities of these people. Powerful leaders of states, all-powerful politicians and important public figures of the past. Such an odious person is Zviad Konstantinovich Gamsakhurdia, the first elected president of the state of Georgia, who was in power for a very short time, but had a tremendous impact on the further history of the young country.

Noble roots

Our hero was born on March 31, 1939. The family of Zviad Gamsakhurdia was far from simple. Firstly, his father was the famous and respected writer Konstantin Gamsakhurdia. Secondly, the family had noble roots on the paternal side, and princely roots on the mother's side. On the one hand, Zviad belonged to the “golden” youth and had a well-provided and well-organized life. On the other hand, the aristocratic roots, the repressions to which he was subjectedfather in his youth, the unspoken condemnation of Soviet power that reigned in the family influenced the worldview and political views of the young man.

He received an excellent education at Tbilisi State University, received a doctorate in philology, worked as an employee of the Academy of Sciences of the Georgian SSR, and spoke several foreign languages. At the same time, Zviad began to conduct anti-Soviet activities from his youth. In contrast to his father's policy of non-intervention, the son chose to take action.

Fighter against the regime

There are many interesting facts in Gamsakhurdia's dissident track record:

• creation of an illegal youth group "Gorgasliani", who fought for the independence of Georgia;
• distribution of anti-Soviet literature;
• participation in anti-communist demonstrations.

Given the influence of the family in society and timely public repentance, Gamsakhurdia was subjected to fairly light punishments. In 1956 he was arrested, but escaped imprisonment. In 1977, he was sent into exile in Dagestan for participating in the Helsinki Group, while his colleague was sentenced to ten years.

It is interesting that getting an education, moving up the career ladder and opposition activities took place in parallel. There were rumors that Gamsakhurdia Zviad Konstantinovich was recruited by the KGB. According to other information, on the contrary, he was persecuted by the Committee and subjected to constant harassment, searches and even torture.

Publicistic and writing activities

A philologist by education, Zviad Gamsakhurdia was actively engaged in journalistic activities, speaking in the legal field. He was one of the founders of the Initiative Group for the Protection of Human Rights in Georgia. The dissident was regularly featured in the legal bulletin Chronicle of Current Events. Zviad Konstantinovich worked as the editor-in-chief of the illegal literary and journalistic magazine "Golden Fleece" and the magazine "Bulletin of Georgia". Publications were published in Georgian.

Returning from exile to Dagestan after being pardoned, Gamsakhurdia received a position as a senior researcher at the Institute of Georgian Literature of the Academy of Sciences of the Georgian SSR. Gamsakhurdia's books are still considered a valuable literary heritage of Georgia. He is the author of many literary works on religion, literature, myths and culture of Georgia. The opposition politician was even nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Political Life

Zviad Gamsakhurdia was respected and popular in his native Georgia. He was a good speaker and a bright personality. When perestroika began, his time came. Zviad was actively involved in the political game. In 1988, he headed the Round Table - Free Georgia bloc, which eventually turned into the country's leading political party. Having taken the majority in the new Supreme Council, the Round Table supported the appointment of Gamsakhurdia to the post of Chairman of the Supreme Council of Georgia. The political career of Gamsakhurdia was built on the support of nationalist sentiments andthe leading role of Georgians in multinational Georgia. This policy eventually led him to collapse.

First President of Georgia

In March 1991, the citizens of the Georgian SSR voted in a national referendum for the sovereignty of the republic and its secession from the USSR. In April, state sovereignty was declared, and in May, Gamsakhurdia became the first popularly elected president of the new country.

But he didn't have long to rule. Already in 1992, he was overthrown in a military coup. Gamsakhurdia and his family fled to Armenia, then hid in Western Georgia. Finally, at the invitation of the leader of Chechnya, he found refuge in this republic. Power in Georgia has passed to legendary former Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadze.

The fatal mistakes of the first president

A philologist by education, President Gamsakhurdia had no understanding of economics at all. Moreover, there was not a single economist in the new government. Key positions were occupied entirely by the humanities. For example, the former sculptor and dissident Tengiz Kitovani looked very strange as the commander-in-chief of the national army. By the way, the appointment of Kitovani became fatal for Zviad Konstantinovich Gamsakhurdia. In the meantime, the country's economy was slowly but surely falling apart, left without the attention of the head of state. This situation caused strong discontent in the new business circles of the country. So, Zviad's refusal from the total privatization of Soviet property angered the influential criminal circles of Georgia, they did notforgiven. Another mistake of the president was the radical and sharply negative attitude towards the national minorities of Georgia.

Fateful event was the long-term siege of Tskhinvali, which was eventually lost. After that, President Gamsakhurdia decided that a bad peace is better than a good quarrel and became more cautious. Conflicts and discontent in Abkhazia, Adzharia, Ossetia arose everywhere, but so far they were sluggish. Another mistake of Zviad is the dissolution of the military opposition organization Mkhedrioni and the imprisonment of its leader Ioseliani. At that point, it might have been safer to negotiate.

Military conflicts

The collapse of the Soviet Union set in motion a variety of forces in all the former republics. A national confrontation has begun in Georgia. Ossetia decided to become autonomous, Abkhazia stopped supporting the central government, Adzharia was dissatisfied. In this situation, the President of Georgia took a tough stance, saying that he would fight "for the restoration of the religious and national ideals of the ancestors." Under this slogan, Azerbaijanis were persecuted, clashes with Avars arose. A large-scale military operation was organized against the Ossetian Tskhinvali, which resulted in human casu alties. Later, Gamsakhurdia realized the futility of such a policy. But things have already gone too far.

Coup d'état

Zviad Konstantinovich Gamsakhurdia, with his authoritarianism and intransigence, has made serious enemies in the face of the paramilitary opposition led byKitovani and crime boss Ioseliani. At the end of 1991, it so happened that the opposition went to protest rallies in front of the Government House in Tbilisi. The protest was initially peaceful. But very soon the protesters were supported by armed formations led by Tengiz Kitovani. The outcome of the armed conflict was a foregone conclusion. The fighters won. Zviad and his family were forced to leave Georgia. Although the conflict was armed in nature, it did not affect the civilians, who were simply waiting for how it all would end. It was a classic military coup pursuing a change in the ruling elites.

Attempt to return

In 1993, Zviad Gamsakhurdia returned to Georgia to regain power. He created a “Government in Exile” in Western Georgia, which was loyal to him. Under the slogan of restoring legitimate power, Gamsakhurdia unleashed a civil war.

The war was bloody, but fleeting and ended in the complete failure of the first president of Georgia due to his premature and mysterious death. In November 1993, having suffered another defeat in battle, Zviad and his comrades-in-arms took refuge in the mountains, intending to regain strength and take revenge again.

Death of the President

December 31, 1993 Zviad Gamsakhurdia passed away. He died suddenly in the mountain village of Dzveli Khibula from a bullet wound. According to the testimony of the owner of the house where the tragedy occurred, Gamsakhurdia committed suicide. But why would a person who had grandiose plans for the return of power and firmly believed in success, suddenlyshoot? In addition, eyewitnesses said that Zviad had a bullet hole on the back of his head, which clearly excludes the version of suicide. The open and public biography of Gamsakhurdia at the end of his life is full of secrets and conjectures.

Murder or suicide?

The special commission to investigate the causes of Zviad Konstantinovich's death rejected the version of suicide. A later investigation into the death of Zviad Gamsakhurdia, organized by his son, confirmed this conclusion. But irrefutable evidence of the murder was also not presented. So far, neither the customers nor the perpetrators of this crime have been identified. They say that the threads of this mysterious case are drawn to the now deceased Eduard Shevardnadze. But all this remained at the level of rumors. Nothing has been proven and the truth is unlikely to ever be known.

The burial of Zviad Gamsakhurdia cannot be called ordinary either. His remains found the last shelter only from the fourth time. First, the first president of Georgia was buried in the mountains, not far from the place of death. Then the relatives, fearing vandalism, moved the burial place to Chechnya. There, during the hostilities, the grave of Gamsakhurdia was destroyed and was secretly transferred to another place in Grozny. And only in April 2007, the ashes of the first president were buried with honors in Tbilisi on Mount Mtatsminda, in the pantheon of writers and public figures. It was here that Zviad Gamsakhurdia found his eternal rest.

Descendants

The personal life of Zviad Gamsakhurdia was not distinguished by the same turbulent events as political and public life. Simple personal data: he was married twice, from these marriages he had three sons: Konstantin, Tsotne and George.

The children of Gamsakhurdia also showed themselves quite clearly in the political and public life of the country, in any case, two brothers - Konstantin and Tsotne. Konstantin headed the Movement political bloc, which became a serious opposition force for the government of Mikheil Saakashvili. His brother Tsotne later also joined the fight and was even imprisoned during the years of Saakashvili's rule. An interesting story is told that, while persecuting the sons of Gamsakhurdia, Saakashvili declared their father a national hero and awarded him an order posthumously. Although such an act is quite in the spirit of the eccentric ex-president of Georgia.

Trace in history

Zviad Gamsakhurdia is certainly a historical and ambiguous figure. In Georgia, there are still both his supporters and ardent opponents. Many believe that his intolerance of small nations led to a protracted ethnic conflict that continues to this day. Economic problems that were not properly resolved during the period of Gamsakhurdia's rule, gave their disappointing results and still torment the country. They say that Zviad Konstantinovich was a worthy dissident, but turned out to be a bad president. Perhaps, over the long years of the opposition struggle, he got used to fighting, resisting, resisting. But he was not ready to peacefully lead, negotiate, create and unite.

Many negatively perceive the personality of ZviadKonstantinovich precisely because of his authoritarian and tough leadership style. Even in order to regain his power, he, without hesitation, unleashed a civil war. In any case, Zviad Gamsakhurdia will forever remain in the history of Georgia as the first democratically elected president of an independent country. He made mistakes, committed rash acts, saw the world too idealistically. But an inner fire burned in him, his interests went far beyond the personal sphere, he dreamed of seeing his beloved Georgia strong and prosperous.