POLISH TRACES IN THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE  “RUSSIAN TRANSCAUCASIAN COMPANY” IN THE 1820s-1830s

IRAKLI BARAMIDZE; SULKHAN ALEKSAIA

IRAKLI BARAMIDZE Doctor of History, Associate Professor of Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University N35 E. Ninoshvili st. Batumi, Georgia http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7540-7006
SULKHAN ALEKSAIA Doctor of History, lecturer of Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University N35 E. Ninoshvili st. Batumi, Georgia http://orcid.org/0009-0008-6172-0892

Abstract

In 1828, a comprehensive plan-project for the economic development of Transcaucasia was submitted to the office of the Governor-General of the Caucasus I. Paskevich. The authors of the plan were Poles by origin - the great Russian writer and diplomat A. Griboyedov and the statesman, later the civil governor of Georgia P. Zavileisky. The plan envisaged the creation of a large trade and industrial enterprise - the "Russian Transcaucasian Company" on the model of the Russian-American Company.

Unfortunately, the draft charter of the Griboyedov-Zaveleisky Company, despite the fact that a number of Russian scientists were interested in the issue, has not been found. However, we have at our disposal a kind of introduction and notes to the project, which give us a certain idea of the scale of the authors' plans. The company was to be oriented towards the extraction, processing and sale of the region's natural resources, on the maximum use of resources. The factories and plants established here were to produce high-quality products that would attract Europeans and, instead of going beyond the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, they would come here.

According to the authors, the implementation of the project would benefit both the region, the local population, and the Russian Empire in economic, socio-political, and cultural terms. They demanded the transfer of a 2-3 kilometer wide strip of Black Sea berths to the company, with the extension of the status of a porto-franco to them. The company was to have a complete monopoly on free navigation. According to A. Griboyedov, which I. Paskevich also agreed with, the Armenians who had migrated to Georgia and the Russian peasantry, who would be freed from serfdom, were to be used as labor force.

The company was to be established for 50 years, including a 15-year grace period. It was to be a joint-stock company, the initial capital of which was to be raised through the sale of shares. Although the company was indeed founded and gained the emperor's favor, its activities were soon suspended, as it contradicted the interests of Russian imperialism and the newly established bourgeoisie in the Caucasus, not only economically, but also politically. The Russian government, obsessed with imperial intentions, was more concerned with strengthening its power in the newly conquered countries than with their socio-economic development, even if it led to an increase in the general well-being of Russia.

Keywords: Russian Transcaucasian Company; A. Griboyedov; P. Zavileisky; I. Paskevich; imperial policy.