EMIGRANT NEWSPAPER SAKARTVELO AS THE NATIONAL IDENTITY PROPAGANDIST DURING THE WORLD WAR II (EDITORIAL AND LITERARY POLICY)

Abstract

During World War II several legions were created consisting of the Georgian soldiers who had been fighting in the Soviet army and had been captured as prisoners (Georgian National Legion, Caucasian Legion, Caucasian Group, Tamar – 1, Tamar – 2, Legion of Turkistan…).  Their aim was to fight on the side of Germany and to free their native land from the Bolshevik tyranny with the help of victorious Germany after the war had ended. An appropriate publicity was necessary in order to realize this goal. For this purpose, a Georgian-language newspaper “Sakartvelo” (“Georgia”) was established that was published in Berlin during 1942-1944. The editor of the newspaper was Gaioz (Gai) Maghlakelidze.

The paper used qualitative content analysis as a research method. The selected media texts were scrutinized and their content-analysis was conducted thereafter. This way the idiosyncrasies of the newspaper publications were studied according to the “Revolutionary Conception of the Press” by William Hachten. The literary texts were researched through semiotic and hermeneutic methods. The main ideas and purposes of the published materials were identified through these methods.

An anti-Stalinist campaign was widely spread with the help of the Georgian publicists and legionaries connected with the newspaper “Sakartvelo” (“Georgia”). In spite of the pro-Nazi editorial ideology, the main goal of the newspaper was to foster the propaganda of national identity. The periodical was instilled with the idea of the independence of the native land that was reflected in the anti-Soviet articles that were published.

The newspaper also allotted a significan space to literature. Both original and translated fiction of patriotic nature was published. The authors were the Georgian legionaries (with the pen names: Gela, Sh. Abashispireli, V. Urdoeli, G. Shaorispireli, K. Rachveli…). The newspaper also published the literary works of the classical writers (for instance, they published the works of the famous Georgian immigrant writer Grigol Robakidze several times, and an excerpt from his novel “Die gemordete Seele” among others. The Georgian original version of the latter work is lost). The newspaper also published episodes from the Georgian history, especially those that depicted fights with foreign invaders and heroic deeds.

The immigrant-based newspaper “Sakartvelo” (Georgia) created national narrative on the one hand, and fully concurred with the positions of the German nazism, on the other hand. The primary reason for this support was the hope to free Georgia from Russian Bolshevik dictatorship and to restore the independence of the country.

Keywords: World War II; Georgian Legion; the Emigrant Press; the newspaper “Sakartvelo”; national identity; national narrative.