Georgian Society in the Nineteenth Century: Features of Integration into the Space of the Russian Empire

Abstract

This review examines a monograph by Philipp Ammon that considers the history of the entry and integration of the territories of historical Georgia into the space of the Russian Empire. In his book, the German historian focuses on finding the roots and forerunners of modern Russian – Georgian political conflicts. The author consistently describes the events of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Ammon shows the circumstances of the conclusion of the Treaty of Georgievsk in 1783 and the proclamation of the manifesto on the accession of East Georgia on 12 September 1801. At the same time, he refers to the entry of Eastern Georgia into the administrative and political space of the Russian Empire as an occupation and considers the Russian authorities’ subsequent policies to be Russification. These provisions are substantiated by well-known scholarly literature, but, according to the reviewers, the author does not use archival and published documentary evidence systematically. According to Ammon, the repressive policy of the Russian state is proved by armed protests and political conspiracies that took place on the southern periphery of the empire in the first half of the nineteenth century. The historian briefly notes the other side of imperial policy, such as the establishment of an educational system, cultural initiatives, and social transformations. However, according to Ammon, all these are also integral elements of Russification. The review criticises some of the book’s provisions.