ANTI-STATE MOVEMENT IN ADJARA IN THE BEGINNING OF THE XX CENTURY

Abstract

Since the beginning of the XX century, a political movement throughout Russia has begun strengthening significantly. The frequency of strikes and demonstrations were increased. A broad society did not want to live as it used to, workers were especially active, who were complaining of their difficult social conditions and massively demanding their improvement. At that time, the labor movement was increasing in the Batumi district, as well. The difficult, unbearable economic conditions of the local workers were being recognized by officials, too. The special representative of the governor of Kutaisi in the district was writing indignantly: “It is absolutely impossible to live like the workers in Batumi. I wonder how people work at all in such conditions”.

The hard conditions of Batumi workers were underlined by Petersburgian officials as well. In June 1900, I. Aphanasiev, the official sent here, who witnessed unbearable conditions, wrote that local workers’ strikes were not surprising at all. In September and October of 1900, workers of Rothschild, Mantashev, Nobel, Palashkovski, and other factories went on strike. Strikers had mainly economic demands. Moreover, the strike of Mantashev factory workers was accompanied by political demands, that is why the director of Mantashev factory was concerned, who informed the governor of Kutaisi: “As it seems, the workers were under the influence of non-benevolent people… the strike on November 14 was an obvious example of this”. A similar strike took place on November 26 and December 5, of course with political demands. The strike on December 5 resulted into clashes between the police and the strikers. 10 active strikers were arrested. As it turned out, a majority of the arrested workers had been acting under the leadership of the organization “Mesame Dasi” (Third Group). Here is what Ivan Tolkunov, a policeman from Batumi wrote to the Military Governor of Kutaisi: “the rebels are united in the Marxist organization. The Marxist organization has branches almost in every factory. As it seems, the factory management is not paying proper attention to this. They are less interested in their workers’ political status, which is totally unacceptable for us, besides it is dangerous because workers’ political demands are the result of activities of the Marxist organization, which is totally inadmissible…”

Key words: Anti-state; Social Democrats; strikes; clashes; detentions; eviction;