Ilia Chavchavadze Society
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Ilia Chavchavadze Society
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| Founded | October 1987 |
| Headquarters | Tbilisi |
| Ideology |
Federalism (early) Georgian nationalism (later) |
| International affiliation | International Committee in Defence of Political Prisoners |
Ilia Chavchavadze Society (Georgian: ილია ჭავჭავაძის საზოგადოება) is a political organisation from Georgia. The group dates back to the days of the Soviet Union, where it was an important factor in the growth of Georgian nationalism.
Named after Georgian national hero Ilia Chavchavadze the group was established in October 1987 in the wake of a series of amnesties for dissidents that April as part of the Glasnost scheme. The group was initially made up of intellectuals and included members of various political viewpoints whose only common factor was their opposition to the Soviet Union. It was an underground intellectual group and was not a popular movement. It advocated the devolution of power within the Soviet Union to the existing republics and the transformation into a federation, with economic and political power largely handed over to the fifteen republics. It co-operated with like-minded groups in Armenia and the People's Movement of Ukraine and in 1989 took part in the International Committee in Defence of Political Prisoners in Yerevan.
It was weakened in 1988 when radical members under Giorgio Chanturia, who wanted an independent Georgia that would be aggressively anti-Russian and join NATO, split to form the National Democratic Party. A second group, the Society of St. Ilia the Righteous also split, also opposed to the moderate approach of the Ilia Chavchavadze Society, which at this point advocated a Georgian cultural revival but remained ambiguous about independence. This latter group was led by Zviad Gamsakhurdia, whose populist, demagogic rhetoric soon saw his popularity surge. These radical splinter groups were the main driving force behind the mass demonstrations for independence that broke out in early 1989, a factor that weakened the chances of the Society building any mass support.
In the lead-up the outbreak of the Georgian–Ossetian conflict in 1989 the Society sought to minimise tensions and even released a joint statement with South Ossetian Popular Front (Ademon Nykhas), which supported autonomy for South Ossetia, aimed at steering both sides away from extremism. The initiative was not a success. The group was also caught up in the Abkhaz–Georgian conflict on 1 April 1989 when a bus carrying Society members was attacked by Abkhaz rebels, resulting in ten injuries. The Society had actually already established a local chapter in Abkhazia the previous year.
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