GEORGIAN POLITICAL EMIGRATION AND THE ISSUE OF EUROPEAN INTEGRATION (1950s)

Abstract

This work sheds light on the contribution of Georgian politicians and scientists working in emigration to the development of ideas of European integration, based on the analysis of archival documents, as well as foreign and French periodicals. Georgian politicians and scholars working in exile, together with European leaders, contributed to the development of the idea of European integration.
The idea of European integration was first proposed by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. In his speech in Zurich on September 19, 1946, he spoke of the need to create a United States of Europe, but the idea was not developed at that
time. The beginning of European integration can be considered to be 1950, when French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman presented the initiative of politician Jean Monnet to unite the coal and steel fields of Western Europe.
The relevance of the topic is determined by Georgia’s aspiration to become a full member of the European Union, which is the choice of the Georgian people and for which Georgian politicians and scientists have striven far from their home land, in emigration. On May 26, 1918, with the restoration of Georgia’s state independence, the Georgian people created a truly European state based on Western values. Based on the Act of Independence of May 26, 1918, on April 9, 1991, the European orientation was again defined as the orientation of the restored state hood. Moreover, the historical aspiration of the Georgian people towards Europe is defined by the Constitution. The European Community has been called the European Union since 1993, when the Maastricht Treaty, signed on 7 February 1992, came into force. It was from this period that the European Union acquired the functions of a political union, along with an economic one.
In the 31-year history of Georgia-EU relations, December 14, 2023, went down in history as the historic date of great significance. On this day, the 27 member states of the European Union unanimously adopted a historic decision to grant
Georgia EU candidate status. This issue has become even more important today, as relations between Georgia and the EU have entered a new phase. This EU decision has opened up a real prospect for Georgia, along with Ukraine and Moldova, to join
the EU. Although the EU Council’s approach to the three associated countries is somewhat differentiated, Georgia has a real chance of becoming an EU member, which opens up new opportunities for the country.
After the occupation and annexation of Georgia as a result of the Russo-Georgian War of February-March 1921, Georgian scientists and politicians, who were forced to emigrate from their homeland, tried not to lag behind the times. Emigrants behind the Soviet Iron Curtain actively brought Georgia’s pain to Europe in order to convey to the world community their desire to unite Georgia within a single European family. Despite the contradictions caused by long-term emigration, representatives of various political parties operating abroad were united in their foreign orientation. They chose the European path, which was determined by Georgia’s historical connection with European civilization.
In August 1952, the Georgian European Movement was officially founded in Paris, with Mikheil Tsereteli elected as its honorary chairman and Grigol Robakidze as its honorary member. The Georgian European Movement, like the European Federation Movement, was an apolitical organization, free from the influence of various parties, uniting everyone, regardless of religion or political beliefs.
The paper also examines the contribution of Georgian émigré scholars Michel Muskhélishvily (known in Europe as Michel Muskhély) and Alexander Nikuradze to the development of European ideas, which is still relevant today. While agree ment on the creation of a common constitution in Europe remains unclear, great importance is attached to the draft of a federal European constitution by Georgian émigré scholar Michel Muskhély, which he created together with the French constitutionalist Gaston Stéfani in March 1948. Later (June 1948), the draft with similar content was written by the French law professor François de Menthon.