Silent Memory: Bringing Back the 26th of May in the Georgian Reality (1988-1991)

Abstract

   The process of history instrumentalization is rarely studied in the Georgian political reality, especially before re-declaring the independence of Georgia (in 1988-1991 years) when National political powers aimed to restore historical truth and in their vision Georgia was a successor of the Democratic Republic of Georgia (1918-1921 years). 

The independent day of Georgia, May 26 (1918 year) was remembered by the representatives of the National Movement that was opposition of the Soviet government in Georgia. The National forces argued that restoring the independence of Georgia was important to set free the Democratic Republic of Georgia (1918-1921) from the ongoing occupation. The Soviet government was made to recognize the meaning of May 26, 1918 that was ignored for almost seventy years by the Soviet officials, although they declared May 26, 1918 as a gift gotten from October Revolution in 1917. But such interpretations of history by the Soviet representatives failed. 

The article represents a research of the publications published in the daily newspaper “Komunisti” (“Communist” that has converted its name into “Sakartvelos Respublika”( “Republic of Georgia”)  in December, 1990 year)) was the main body of the Georgian Communist Party. Based on the method of discourse-analysis the research has found two different political visions of May 26 (1918). One of them belongs to the National Movement of Georgia and the second to the Soviet powers.