Mingrelian Affair in the History of the Soviet Union

On March 5, 1953, the leader of the Soviet Union, Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin, died. About his death, and talked to the media, and politicians, and even participants in many events. Disputes about whether the period of Stalin's activity was good or bad continues to this day. Interest in him was not so much cognitive as ideological. Therefore, it is worthwhile to consider in detail the Mingrelian case, which for understandable reasons Stalin could not bring to completion.

The revision of the Stalinist course began precisely with the fact that the Congress of the CPSU begins to discuss whether the Mingrelian case against Beria was true.

At this stage of Soviet history, the national problems of the Soviet Union were intertwined in the strongest possible way, which found their place on both sides of the Caucasian mountains. The local population is divided into clans, between which the war has been going on for centuries. The corrupt government failed to solve the problems of the population in any way. It is because of this that the Mingrelian case, briefly described in these lines, will soon be launched.

Stalin in the South

Towards the end of the summer of 1951, Joseph Stalin went south on his last vacation. He was in Tskhaltubo when the Minister of State Security (MGB) of the Georgian SSR Nikolai Rukhadze came to see him. The conversation turned to the emigration of the Mensheviks from Georgia. In addition, Rukhadze mentioned corruption in the Georgian SSR, suggesting the creation of a special body to combat bribes.

By the way, similar questions were raised earlier, and Stalin kept them in sight all the time after the end of the Great Patriotic War. The Leningrad case, the case of an underground synagogue in the city of Novokuznetsk and many other repressive campaigns have at times far-fetched charges, but at the same time, their anti-corruption basis could not be refuted.

The Mingrelian case begins with the fact that during the staff sweeps of the MGB of Georgia, Rukhadze's predecessor was given fierce resistance by the second secretary of the Central Committee of the Georgian SSR, Mikhail Baramia, and also Lavrenti Beria, who was Stalin's deputy.

The beginning of the war between Rukhadze and Baramia

A real war begins between Mikhail Baramia and Rukhadze. There were demands to send the current minister to resign and to judge by a huge number of charges. The trial of the Rukhadze case will take place in 1955, when Beria will be executed, and Stalin will die. The Minister of the GB of Georgia decides to enlist the support of the Great Leader, which was a very correct step.

November 9, 1951 issued a decree, which received the title "On bribery in Georgia and on the anti-Party group of Baramia." Despite the measures taken to combat corruption, no result has been achieved, as stated in the text of the decree. It was also pointed out that the government apparatus in Georgia is corrupt and protects bribes.

In addition, the decree indicated that if the Mingrelian faction was not given a proper rebuff, then new people might appear who would continue their work, perhaps even from other regions of the country. In this case, the Communist Party in Georgia, most likely, will fall into several parts.

The Mingrelian cause is so called because, in the opinion of the authorities, the grouping in Georgia consisted mainly of Mingrelians. Baramia, Rapava, Shonia, Chichinadze and Kuchava are losing their jobs. It was suggested to start propaganda work against them.

Interrogations

Investigative actions and a series of arrests began, for which the experienced workers of the MGB of the USSR were brought from Moscow. The interrogations were conducted in a style that strongly resembles Beria and Rukhadze: there were many ways to ensure that the defendant gave false confessions. Worst of all, it was the one to whom physical coercion was applied: the prisoner sat for a long time in a cold room, his hands were turned out and handcuffed, beaten with sticks, deprived of sleep for a long time, starved and other. The extracted "testimonies" came to the top, after which a resolution was approved on the state of affairs of the Communist Party in the Georgian SSR. It stated that mistakes and shortcomings in the work of the authorities in Georgia were moving very slowly.

The Mingrelian case revealed that the group headed by Baramia planned to seize power. On March 27, the first secretary of the CC KP (b), Candid Charkviani, lost his post, and Alexei Mgeladze took his place. It was supposed that the formal replacement of the authorities, as well as the declaration of Charkviani, the enemy of the people was to be made exactly by Lavrenty Beria, who recommended him to the former place of work.

Beria did not dare not to obey the demand of the Great Leader, after which he falls under the scrutiny of the investigation. Vardo Maksimelishvili was also arrested, who worked as a major security officer of Georgia and was under the patronage of Lavrenty Pavlovich. From the investigation could not leave and her husband, who worked in the USSR MGB. July 16, 1953 Beria admitted that he lived with Maximilishvili even before she married.

The investigation wanted to go to the main mingrel, but Joseph Stalin died. Beria, who headed the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs, creates committees to review a multitude of cases, including Mingrelian. This was necessary in order to free the loyal people, to return them to higher positions, and also to take power into their hands not only in Georgia, but in the whole state.

By releasing people, Beria declared that Stalin personally sent them to prison. Moreover, he often contacted Georgia, asking about the progress of the Mingrelian cause and showing discontent. The leader demanded the application of physical measures to finally receive recognition.

Results

On April 10, 1953, it was acknowledged that the Mingrelian group never existed, and that the case against her was nothing more than a provocation. Thirty-seven people arrested in this case were released and fully rehabilitated, but many of them were again imprisoned, but already in the case of Beria.

Beria and his supporters could create such power in Georgia, the bad sides of which became the norm throughout the entire territory of the USSR. Of course, there is also Stalin's fault, without which the "berivshchina" would not last long. In his defense, it can be said that it was Stalin who first began to fight with disgraces in the state apparatus of Georgia.